NIKON GLASS

Nikon D4

2012-01-13T07:00:00.289+02:00

Nikon D4 - Evolutionary for photographers, revolutionary for videographers

First impressions and thoughts

The D4 has arrived and its very impressive indeed! But its not the image quality, nor the ISO performance that grabbed my attention, but the speed, the tracking and the accuracy of the much improved AF system. Just this subsystem of the new camera is what sports and wildlife photographers have been waiting for! Its performance is impressive and I cant wait to get a production model to test out in the field!

Before continuing, I should point out that I'm not a videographer so most of this "first impression" article has to do with the photography aspects of the new camera. So if you are interested in the video qualities of the Nikon D4, you may want to look elsewhere as well for any good commentary on the new and exciting video capabilities of the D4.

A quick look at the video specs

To me the video specs sound impressive but I'm no expert. Here they are: The D4 can record 1080p Full HD video at 30/25/24p in H.264/MPEG-4 AVC format for 30 minutes (minus a second). The D4 improves on all previous attempts according to Nikons brochure, by offering fewer “jaggies” and less moire while maintaining sharp edges, even in dark conditions, by using noise-reduction technology designed specifically for video.

A new and interesting option is the ability to record Full HD video in three formats: FX-based, DX-based or 1,920 x 1,080 crop movie format. The crop formats are useful for creating an extension to the focal length of the fitted lens. In the 1,920 x 1,080 crop format the video recorded is actually pixel by pixel, meaning theres no down-sampling. The greatest feature everyone is talking about is the actual ability to record uncompressed video straight to an external capturing device with the only limit being forced upon by the actual size of that device. The D4 offer videographers built-in stereo mic and headphone connectors for easy and quality audio recording. There are also precise indicators in 20 incremental steps on the rear LCD offering visual confirmation of audio level and the microphone sensitivity.

Image quality of photos

First lets look at the sensor of the Nikon D4. It's a Nikon designed CMOS sensor with a total resolution of 16.6MP and an effective resolution of 16.2MP. Each pixel measures 7.3 microns compared to the 8.45µm of the D3s. Like D3s, the new sensor also features the gapless micro-lenses over every pixel-well with anti-reflective coatings for better light gathering. The new sensor combined with the 16-bit imaging pipeline and the new EXPEED 3 image processor are supposed to offer a wider dynamic range and less noise than the D3s while at the same time cramming more megapixels in the same space.

Although I have only used a pre-production model, my first impressions are that the D3s is going to be hard to beat in terms of image quality at high ISO's. There is no question that at base ISO and up to about 5000 ISO the D4 performs superbly, but from 6400 ISO onwards the files from the pre-production D4 camera are not what i was expecting - much better than the D3/D700 but not noticeably better from the D3s. Of course I need to remind folks, that I'm basing this on a preproduction model.

Sensitivity

Lets go back in history a bit. Up until we got the D3, there was no DSLR that could give me "clean" images above 800 ISO. With the D3 my ISO limit jumped impressively to 3200 (max normal ISO range limit 6400) and later with the D3s to 6400 ISO (max normal ISO range limit 12,800) - others placed their limits even higher. There is no question that the D3 series cameras by Nikon finally brought high ISO to photographers. With the Nikon D4 the native ISO range is wider (100-12,800ISO) and can be extended down to 50 ISO and up to an amazing 204,800 ISO if needed. Although the top normal limit of 12,800 hasn't changed from the D3s, the base ISO has dropped to 100 and this will be welcomed by most shooters, especially studio and landscape photographers.

As I already mentioned above, the high ISO performance of the D4 is not "impressively better" if you are used to the performance of the D3s - but if you are a D3/D700 user then the difference is much more apparent. The Nikon tech insists though that the D4 will be 1 stop better than the D3s, but I'll wait until the final unit falls in my hands in a couple of weeks. For now, the ISO 6400 shot below is impressive and is what I call a "clean" high ISO image. Some of you may find I'm too strict, but i believe i am being reasonable! Don't get me wrong, the D4 is so far showing an impressive performance considering a 1 stop lower base ISO and 40% more megapixels on the same FX sensor.

Nikon D4 - 6400ISO jpg straight from camera.

Others might limit themselves at 12,800 ISO which is OK, but a bit noisy for my taste. Though sports photographers will certainly find 12,800 very usable! Look at the sample below. Above 12,800 the noise is quite noticeable and not very nice but files are obviously usable if needed. I doubt there will be anyone apart from the paparazzi crowd willing to use such high ISO's. Please don't forget , that these images are from a preproduction model - I will be updating this article as soon as I get my hands on a proper production unit.

Nikon D4 - 12,800ISO jpg straight from camera.

Before leaving the sensitivity section let me add, that like most other Nikon pro bodies, the D4 also offers an Auto ISO function, but differs by offering more user control and by taking into account the mounted lens so it can automatically select higher shutter speeds for longer lenses.

AF & Metering

A quick glance at the specs, and you will probably think that the AF system is the same as the previous generation cameras, but this is not entirely true. The old Multi-CAM 3500FX focusing module still remains, but thanks to the much more powerful Expeed 3 processor, the totally new 3D Color Matrix Metering III sensor with 91,000 pixels and the new and improved algorithms, together they all offer faster lock-on, dramatically improved 3D tracking, face detection and the ability to focus in -2 EV lighting. (The new RGB Matrix Metering III sensor apart from the usual scenes that are in its database can also take into account up to 16 faces if detected within the frame).

I was informed a while back that the techs at Nikon had measured the performance of the D4 and concluded that there was a 30% increase in aquisition speed and overall better tracking performance compared to the D3s. One direct comparison I was able to do was between the D4 and D700 using a 24-70mm lens. The focusing speed and lock-on of the zoom on the D700 is fast and I am sure most readers will agree that its a very satisfying combination, so it was a pleasant surprise to feel the speed difference and the amazing responsiveness of the D4 using the same lens in the same conditions. Plus the face tracking in Auto mode on the D4 is just amazing! Suddenly i remembered the Nikon 1 V1!

Back in my D300 review I had this to say about the 3500DX AF module: " ... the 3D-tracking technology ... Pretty cool stuff but still quite limited in its use. This technology is certainly a step in the right direction, but I feel it has to mature a bit more. Obviously the next generation of Nikon cameras will have a more mature version available so the future is looking bright." I knew the Multi-CAM 3500 focusing module was a great design but at the time was lacking in processing power. Now with the D4, this focusing module is going to rock! It also adds an improved working range of -2 to +19 EV (though auto metering is still restricted to -1 stop). This means the D4 can AF in 1 full stop darker situations than the D3s which was already impressive (remember the bear shot by Vincent Munier under moonlight).

AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR • Exposure: [A] mode, 1/400 second, f/4 • White balance: Cloudy • Sensitivity: ISO 12800 • Picture Control: Standard
©Vincent Munier

Looking at the new AF module in more detail, it consists of 51-points with the center 15 points being of the cross-type, meaning that they are sensitive to both horizontal and vertical detail. The 9 most centered AF points work at apertures up to f/8 with any combo including the TC14E or TC17E teleconverters. If using the TC20E teleconverter you are limited to only the center most AF point. Also the new camera offers the ability to light up the used AF point in Dynamic AF mode at the touch of a button and to have the camera retain the orientation of selected AF points when the camera goes from horizontal to vertical and back.

Active sensors up to f/5.6

Active sensors between f/5.6 - f/8

Active sensor at f/8

One big change in the way the camera meters is that there is a bigger emphasis on the focused target and whether that is a face. Before there would be a small bias toward lighting up the focused subject but now it will actually meter nearly just for that focused spot, especially if it's a face. Even the Auto WB has been greatly improved and all of this thanks to the new Expeed 3 processor and the new 3D Color Matrix Metering III sensor with its amazing 91,000 pixels. The other 2 metering modes are pretty much the same with center-weighted at 75% with options for 8, 12, 15, or 20mm at the center of the frame or averages the entire frame. Spot is the same old 4mm (1.5% ) circle at the center of the frame or other selected AF point.

Shutter & WB

The Nikon D4 offers the usual shutter speeds ranging from 1/8,000 to 30 seconds as well as bulb and a flash sync of 1/250 second. The self diagnostic shutter has been tested for 400,000 cycles there are some improvements to the mirror mechanism which include a mirror balancer that reduces bounce, improving autofocus performance and reducing mirror blackout. The sound coming from the Quiet mode has been improved thanks to the improved mirror mechanism and to answer your question, yes, there is also a Silent mode where the mirror and shutter dont move at all capturing HD 2MP images at 24fps.

The Auto WB feature has been greatly improved as mentioned earlier and there are a lot more WB options. Apart from Auto, the four Custom positions and the full manual Kelvin setting, there are a selection of twelve preset modes such as incandescent, 7 types of fluorescent, direct sunlight, flash, cloudy, and shade. White balance can also be bracketed with the D4 saving two to nine copies of each image with varied white balance. Plus WB adjustments can be now made in 10k increments.

Speed

The D4 can now shoot full-resolution RAW or JPEG images at up to 10fps with both AF and AE in full use (11fps when AF and AE are locked). Thanks to the large buffer, the burst depth is close to 100 frames when using compressed 12-bit RAW and about 200 with JPGs. The Nikon D4 is super responsive since it can boot up in 0.12 seconds and has a claimed shutter release lag of only 0.042 seconds. All the new performance enhancements and image quality improvements in the D4 over the D3s are mostly achieved thanks to the great processing power and new algorithms of the new EXPEED 3 processor which i presume is not actually the same unit as found in the Nikon 1 V1.

Body & ergonomics

Like its predecessors, the D4 is encased in a body of similar size and build, though the D4 has more obvious outer appearance changes with more rounded edges. Nikon have paid much attention to making the D4 ergonomically a better camera, both in its shape and in its controls. Weight, shape, buttons, button placement, levers, dials and menus have all been thoughtfully improved - some more, some less.

The Nikon D4 is ever so slightly shorter than the D3s (156.5 versus 157mm) and about 130g lighter (fully loaded D3s 1,5000g versus loaded D4 1,365g). Switching between the D3s and the D4 with 24-70mm attached, the D4 does feel a little better, offering a much better grip and a better placement of the top fingers while shooting. I was excited when I first read about the improved handling for the vertical shooting position, but in use found that even though the actual grip had improved, the AF point selector (joystick) was still a bit further away than i would have liked. This is still an improvement from the single selector of previous models, but i was hoping for a better placement of the second joystick. So the D4 is an improvement over an already great body, though ever so slightly.

Weather proofing

Based on a high quality and very strong magnesium alloy, the Nikon D4 is built just like any other Nikon pro-body, like a tank! The body is fully sealed with special gaskets throughout, to protect against moisture, dust, dirt, and according to Nikon even electromagnetic interference. I suppose interference would be an issue from now on with so much fast traveling data! Even the rear LCD has been weather sealed as noted further down in this article. Like the D3s, the D4 also includes a dust removal function achieved using vibration of the optical low-pass filter.

Top & front controls

Although most buttons are where most seasoned Nikon Pro users expect them to be, some have been rearranged and may not be liked at first, but since they were made with enhancing the ergonomics, I'm sure most people will get used to them quick enough. For instance, my beloved Lock button has now disappeared from the top of the Drive mode dial, but things such as the mic-in, self-timer lamp, function button, DOF button, lens release buttons and most of the common rear menu related buttons are in the same positions. The old 3 position AF switch has now been updated, similar to the D7000 and is now a two-position collar switch that selects between AF and MF, with the button in the middle working in conjunction with the front and rear Command dials to set AF mode and AF area.

One of the big "small" changes that I liked, was the better placed trio of shooting controls: The shutter release has a more pronounced front-facing angle making for a more positive action, its relationship with the sub command dial is shorter and the slight upward angled front controlled dial which by the way can be rotated much easier (since moving away from the rubber grip) without needing to "throw" your index finger over to the left of the dial so as to get a better grip are all a big plus. Behind the shutter release there's a new button with a red dot, this is the dedicated Movie Record button.

Back

On the back we get a totally new screen with plenty of improvements. Its slightly bigger at 3.2inches and seems wider than taller when compared to the screen on the D3s. Like the screen it replaces, its scratch-resistant with the same 640x480 VGA resolution and the same wide 170-degree viewing angle both horizontally and vertically and of course 100% frame coverage. But the real nice touches from Nikon are that it now supports a wider color range, nearing that of the sRGB color space, there is the ability to enlarge shots up to 46x and the glass now is fog proof. That last one will surely please a lot of wildlife photographers. There have been cases where the rear LCD screen would catch water vapor and fog up. Now Nikon have remedied the problem and helped to make a better weather resistant camera by filling the gap between the glass screen and the actual LCD with a special resin.

There's also an ambient light sensor built into the back of the camera to help automatically control the brightness, contrast, saturation and Gamma based upon the ambient lighting conditions. Something I haven't seen before and which I know will certainly prove very useful in the field, are the new illuminated rear buttons, which will help us see what we are doing at night or in other low light situations. They are triggered together with the top and rear LCDs by flipping the illumination switch which is around the shutter release.

Another nice touch, is the dedicated zoom-out button, so gone are the days of utilizing two buttons (zoom plus spinning the dial to zoom out). Another big plus of the new redesign in ergonomics, is the drastically improved vertical handling. Instead of one Multi-Selector as found on the D3S, Nikon now include an extra two joysticks which are used for selecting autofocus points easier and quicker in both landscape and portrait orientation. So, you get 2 joysticks for controlling AF points, two nicely repositioned shutter releases and 2 AF-ON buttons that are closely identical in their positioning, though not exactly. The upper joystick can also be programmed to function as the missing AE/AF Lock button.

As I have already mentioned, the 2nd joystick is an obvious improvement, but for my short stubby fingers its still a bit too far away for my thumb to handle with ease. We also now have a extra function button near the vertical shutter release with the D4. Under the LCD, you find the Lv (Live view mode) button surrounded by a rotating switch that selects between Movie and Still Record modes. Most other buttons and controls work the same as previous generation Nikon D series cameras.

One more thing concerning the back of the new camera, is the beefed up thumb-grip for better vertical handling, a nice touch! Unlike the 2nd joystick which is designed for longer fingers than mine, the thumb grip really improves holding the camera in the vertical position.

Cards

The Nikon D4 supports as expected dual flash card slots, but unlike its predecessors, only one of the slots accepts CompactFlash cards while the other accepts the just-announced XQD-format memory cards, which are supposed to be the next-gen format first announced by Sony back in 2010 and introduced by the CompactFlash Association at the end 2011. I can't see how this was a necessity and can't help but think that Sony had more to do with this than anything else. But Nikon insist the cards will be plentiful soon and that they do add to the performance of the camera. (instead of about 80 raw files with CF you get nearly 100 with XQD in a burst).

Viewfinder & Crop options

There's also a new 100% viewfinder with 0.7x magnification and an 18mm eyepoint. The viewfinder is also able to partially mask the inactive portions of the frame when using a cropped format. The D4 offers four image area options: FX format (36.0 x 23.9mm), 5:4 crop (29.9 x 23.9 mm), 1.2x crop (29.9 x 19.9mm) and DX format (23.4x 15.5 mm). The camera also offers three image area options for Full HD video thereby tripling its potential for moviemaking.

The new WiFi transmitter is super light and does not interfere with the use of the camera - a big improvement over older designs. Even though its powered by the camera, it power consumption should not be of major concern.

New interface for remote control

Another new feature or maybe not so new as in much improved, is the ability to connect to the camera either via the built in Ethernet connection (100Base-T) or wirelessly (WT-5) and do pretty much what you would expect , full control of the camera remotely. But, the big surprise is the new interface built into the camera which means no matter the device (iPhone, iPad, SmartPhone, PC etc) once you connect (wirelessly or not) you will have access to all major camera controls via the new web based HTTP mode interface thats built in. So no need to acquire and install extra software on your external device. Within the controls of the new interface, you will find the ability to fire off 10 units simultaneously if you are ever so inclined. Thankfully, for those with the older WT-4 you can still use it with the D4 but I'm not sure what the limitations may be.

HDR and Timelapse

Personally, I will definitely stick to my PC for any HDR work, but having this option in camera is a nice touch and I like how its implemented in a simple and not too techy way. In this mode, the D4 takes only two exposures with a max of 3 stop difference (+1.5 and -1.5 stops with an option to reduce each shot to -+1 or -+0.5 stop) and combines them into a single image. That's it! Now, the time-lapse feature seems very interesting, especially to those who haven't dabbled with it before like myself. In the D4 menu, you select a frame rate and the shooting interval and then have the results saved as a video that plays back at speeds ranging from 24x to 36,000x. Very impressive though i haven't tested that out yet!

The new battery

Unfortunately, the battery has changed - it now has a smaller capacity and costs more! Apparently, the smaller capacity was forced upon due to new power safety guidelines in Japan though the higher pricing is puzzling. One would expect Nikon to at least help keep pricing low for the lower powered battery. So, the old EN-EL4a is now replaced by the new rechargeable EN-EL18 lithium-ion battery which is said to deliver up to 2,600 shots per charge though some voices from Nikon are claiming that the new battery on the D4 will do more than what the old battery did with the D3s - just have to wait and see!

Your's truly!

Conclusion

Up until the end of 2011, the benchmark in sports and low light photography was the D3s. Now the Nikon D4 has come to take its place by improving just enough to throw the D3s off its throne. Is it a couple of stops better? Well, from what I've seen so far, no! unless you factor in the lower base ISO. Looking at the preproduction samples, the differences are only really noticeable starting at 6400 ISO. The higher ISO files seem to have better noise reduction with smoother tones while still retaining the same level of detail. I can't share more samples, but as soon as I get my hands on a final production unit I will do an update here.

So on the photography front, the Nikon D4 is clearly not as revolutionary as some expected but more of an evolutionary model. And don't underestimate the evolutionary changes, they may be small, but all together make up for a much nicer and more mature sports and wildlife camera! On the video front though, the D4 is revolutionary!

Compared with the Canon 1DX

Sorry, but i couldn't help myself thinking that these two major Japanese manufactures are either somehow cooperating or we are simply seeing industrial espionage at its best. These two cameras are so similar in spec and appearing at the same time that i find it hard to imagine that its just a coincidence. Especially the new -2EV focusing capability of the new cameras, this is something that hasn't changed in over 20 years and suddenly both manufactures at the same time announce this new capability!

They both offer similar resolution (16MP compared to 18MP for the Canon)
Similar ISO range starting at 100ISO for both cameras and reaching 12,800ISO for the Nikon and 51,200ISO for the canon.
On both cameras the extended ISO Range is 50-204,800ISO.
Both cameras offer similar AF specifications with 51 points on the D4 and 61 on the 1DX.
Similar frame rates of 10fps for the D4 and 11 for the Canon or 12 versus 14 without AF.
Shutter mechanisms tested for 400,000 cycles on both cameras, and shutter release Lag of 0.042sec for the D4 and 0.055sec for the 1DX.
Metering sensor size on both cameras has jumped to a previously unheard of number of 91,000 for the Nikon and 107,200 for the Canon.
Video modes are similar with both offering the .h264 codec for compression and the same time limit of 30min but the Nikon also full uncompressed video through the HDMI port.

Nikon AFS 35mm f/1.8G DX

2012-01-02T04:15:00.001+02:00

This is the new (as of 2009) standard lens for DX format cameras. It produces a similar perspective as the standard 50mm on the FX format cameras. More precisely, when mounted on a DX body the lens offers a focal length of nearly 53mm which is a nice focal length for portraits and general shots of people. Even though this lens is designed for the DX cameras, you can mount it on the larger sensor FX cameras and use it with great success, though there are some limitations you need to be aware of. Read on to found out!

AFS 35mm f/1.8G DX lens mounted on the D90

It's a nice little lens with some very good characteristics. Its light and mainly made out of plastic but well constructed. The rear mount is metal and the lens includes weather sealing for better protection against dust and moisture. It has a standard AFS motor for silent operation but no focus distance or DOF information window to inform the user. This lens is especially good for use on Nikons lighter DSLR's because of its small size, low weight and AFS motor. As a standard lens for DX cameras, such as the D5000, this is a perfect match. On a larger body, such as the D3, the lens starts to disappear.

The lens really excels between f/2.8 and f/11. Its a great choice for lower end cameras in place of the usual zoom lens. Primary reason to get this over a kit lens is that it's much sharper and can be used in low light situations to get higher shutter speeds and better AF performance. Opening this lens wide open at ISO 3200 allows for some great images in darker venues without having to use flash.

AFS 35mm f/1.8G DX lens mounted on the D90

Specifications

Aperture range: f/1.8 - f/22
Minimum Angle of View (DX-format) 44°
Maximum Reproduction Ratio 0.16x
Lens Elements 8
Lens Groups 6
Diaphragm Blades 7
Aspherical Elements 1
Super Integrated Coating Yes
Minimum Focus Distance 0.3m
Filter Size 52mm Screw-on
Dimensions 70x52.5mm (Diameter x Length)
Weight 200g

In detail
Color fringing: A small amount of color fringing in high contrast scenes can become annoying at times, though in most lighting situations will go unnoticed.
Diffraction: Diffraction shows itself quite early on the D7000 so I would recommend avoiding f/13 onwards if that matters to you. On the D7000, I like using f/2.8 for small DOF and f/5.6 for maximum optical performance. I will use f/11 and f/13 only if I need a lot of DOF.
Vignetting: Vignetting is well controlled at all apertures with some non-obtrusive light falloff up until f/2.2. I wouldnt worry about it unless you are shooting a white wall.

Flaring: Flaring can be a problem if shooting against the sun or other bright light sources and its a shame this lens doesn't offer the Nano crystal coating as found on other modern Nikkors. This is one lens i wouldn't put a protective filter on, especially if shooting into a bright light source.The supplied bayonet hood is nicely built, fits on tightly and can be fitted backwards for easier storage.
Color: This lens is slightly cool, meaning that when switching from another lens while shooting a portrait, you will notice a color shift in the results. Nothing you can't fix, but worth noting.
Bokeh: The bokeh is OK, though a little harsh wide open but a lot more pleasing at f/2.8
Distortion: Distortion is very noticeable and obviously you wouldn't use this affordable lens for architectural photography.
Autofocusing: Autofocusing speed is quite fast since it only uses the rear optical group. This also means that the filter mount and front elements don't move during focusing. The wide aperture also helps the lock on capabilities of the AF on any camera. You get manual focusing at any time simply by moving the focusing ring, though I would have liked the manual focusing feel to be a bit more tight and maybe a bit more precise. The lens offers the standard M/A - M switch allowing the user to switch from "AF with manual override" over to "Manual focus only" with ease.

Performance in detail as seen on the D7000

f/1.8: Great center sharpness but not quite as sharp or contrasty as smaller apertures. Edges are at their worst here.
f/2.8: Sharper but not by much.
f/4: Better in alla aspects but not by much.
f/5.6: This is the best performing aperture. Not much difference from f/2.8.
f/8: The range of best sharpness ends here starting from f/2.8.
f/11: From here downwards, performance is impacted due to diffraction.

ON FX
Turn off the Auto DX mode and you will get a surprise - this lens can be used as a true 35mm wide angle on the FX format cameras. Yes, there is some vignetting but its a lot better than what you get from other lenses like some of the Sigma wide angle zooms. Mechanical vignetting both from the DX lens and from the use of any filters is more solid looking and cannot be removed. Light fall off or optical vignetting is your main and only problem when using this lens on a FX body. It does not go away at any aperture but can be mostly removed quite satisfactorily in Lightroom or other RAW development programs.

Conclusion
I love this lens! It's a nice little lens with some very good characteristics. It's so sharp at times that you would think I used a more expensive lens (albeit in the center). It focuses fast and accurately, its tiny and light and basically does everything well - it's even well priced. A normal lens for DX cameras that excels in low light non flash photography. But don't restrict its use there, as I said, it does everything well. It can even be used on a full frame camera with some success (look further down for more info). I just wish all Nikon lenses were like this - inexpensive and well performing! Must have for DX users!

Pictures taken with the AFS 35mm f/1.8G DX on D7000

Nikon D7000 & AFS 35mm f/1.8G DX (wide open)

Pictures taken with the AFS 35mm f/1.8G DX on D700FX

The following images are full frame shots from the D700 using the DX format 35mm 1.8G lens. Standard correction has been applied in lightroom. More correction can be added by the user. Light falloff is evident in the corners, though i find it non-obtrusive. For maximum results, you want to use wide apertures and keep your subjects close to the lens. As you close your apertures and focus further away, the vignetting gets worser and harder to correct. Best use of this DX lens on a full frame body is indoors shooting kids. It really excels at that!

Nikon D700FX & AFS 35mm f/1.8G DX (f/3.5 with Lens profile enabled in Lightroom) Notice how light falloff improves in the shot below due to closer focusing.

Nikon D700FX & AFS 35mm f/1.8G DX (f/3.5 with Lens profile enabled in Lightroom)

Nikon D700FX & AFS 35mm f/1.8G DX (wide open - no correction)

Nikon D700FX & AFS 35mm f/1.8G DX (wide open - no correction)

MTF chart as published by Nikon

How to read the MTF chart

The Nikon F5 power consumption issue:

2012-01-01T21:34:00.006+02:00

Note: This article was first published in the late 90's and then rewritten for my old website in 2002. I'm reposting it here for posterity.

Back in 1988, when owning an F4 was a dream my then editor advised me that such a machine would be expensive to run and that mechanical camera’s were here to stay. Well he was partly right, the F3 and FM2 are still in production to this day(2002). With the introduction of CPU’s and their complicated algorithms for multi-pattern metering systems and predictive auto focusing, combined with the coreless motors cameras became heavy power-hungry beasts.
Since those days of my dreaming, every time a major manufacturer would release a new top level pro camera a wave of concerned photographers would pinpoint the ever increasing power requirements of each new model. So it did not come as a surprise when the F5 was released that the issue of battery consumption became a major topic. What really made matter’s worse was that Nikon did not point out the fact that their new flagship was (in most probability) designed with the lithium based power source in mind (look up Ni-MH Battery Unit MN-30).

Very expensive at the time - so most users depended on AA power!

It turns out that the plain old alkaline battery is only useful as an emergency solution which thankfully can be found anywhere in the world. Simply put the F5 requires a power source of a larger capacity which in turn can maintain higher voltages at a constant level all the way towards the end of the battery’s life to sustain its performance; such a battery is the lithium Energizer. Though both lithium’s (Energizer L91) and alkaline (Kodak Photolife LR6) batteries are marked as 1.5V, the lithium has a higher operating voltage (open circuit 1.8V as opposed to 1.6V for alkaline) and a flatter discharge curve. This is why lithium batteries, even when considerably worn are still able to pump a higher voltage than fresher alkaline. So considering the above there is no issue concerning high power consumption. The real issue should have had been, why Nikon did not issue the lithium as the standard power source for the F5 but that is pretty much self-explanatory and doesn’t concern this article.

The benefits of lithium batteries

At the time of writing this article, the only AA lithium battery available was the original older type Energizer so all my testing and numbers quoted are based on this battery. The American based company, Ralston Energy Systems, who manufacture the Energizer lithium, claim that their battery can be used in any application that uses other AA size 1.5 volt battery types. This is good news to those that are desperately seeking more horsepower out of their power supply and bad news to those who have been warned by the manufacturer of their product that lithium’s are a no-no. Unofficial reports suggest that Energizer distributors or / and Ralston themselves will fully compensate any damage occurred by the use of their lithium battery. As promising as such suggestions may be putting forward a claim will probably result in a court procedure where the claiming party has to prove that the battery was at fault, something I doubt anyone is willing or able to do. I mention this because some owners of older equipment may be tempted to use lithium’s even after the manufacturer has warned them that the use of lithium batteries may cause fatal damage. So basically your on your own, I myself wouldn’t hesitate trying lithium’s in any device, hell I still have a used set in my remote controls in the living room from two years ago.

The main advantages are:

The lithium Energizer has a higher operating voltage and a flatter discharge curve than other AA size batteries with obvious advantages, especially for the newer pro models such as the EOS-1V and the F5 as mentioned above.
The lithium Energizer has a much longer service life than any other AA battery, especially in moderate to heavy drain applications. Unofficial reports of over 10 times as much as common batteries is not uncommon, though this is usually based on the cheaper no brand type alkaline.
The lithium Energizer outperforms all other types of 1.5V batteries at extremes of temperature: Operating range: -40° C to + 60° C (-40° F to 140° F)
The lithium Energizer is also the lightest battery of its size, nearly 1/3 less than AA Alkaline. That’s a saving of over 100g on the F5 with SB-28 and that is a noticeable difference. (8Ex14,5g=116g, 8Ax24g=192g, 12Ex14,5g=174g, 12Ax24g=288g)

No LCD on this film camera!

Other advantages of less concern but worthy of mention are the much better leakage resistance, non degradable performance even after 10 years of storage and last but not least there are no added mercury, cadmium or lead making for a more environmentally-friendly battery, if such a thing exists.

Real life experiences

102 rolls per set of lithium’s under heavy usage : Working for a local press agency as a photojournalist this past winter gave me the chance to put the F5 and its power supply to the test. AF was used nearly 95% of the time with the three most common fast zooms. Most common lens in use was the Tokina AF 28-70 f/2.6-2.8 AT-X Pro. The other two lenses used were the Sigma AF 17-35mm f/2,8-4 EX and the Nikon AF 80-200mm f/2/8D ED IF. Matrix was my standard metering choice though I did use spot a great number of times. The automatic fast film rewind was also used extensively though I do manually rewind when time permits, although pretty rare. No problem showed up during the course of my work, neither by the power supply or the F5. I was shooting something between 6-11 rolls a day working a 6 day week, resulting in an average of 8.5 rolls a day, meaning 51 rolls a week. Every second week required a new set of batteries. This calculates to an estimate of 102 rolls per set of lithium batteries.ts.

30 rolls per set of alkaline under heavy usage: There was one time when lithium’s were not at hand and I used Kodak’s Photolife series of alkaline batteries for nearly a month. Following the same working style and rhythm as mentioned in the above example I was forced to change to a new set nearly every 3.5 days meaning something like 30 rolls of film per set of alkaline. The original batteries which came with my F5 didn’t even last 6 rolls. Some say Panasonic made these but I honestly don’t remember.

140+ rolls per set of lithium batteries: I left Athens in May 1998 with a set of used lithium’s in the F5 for my summer vacation. During the months of June, July and August I used well over 140 rolls of film and was still using the same set of lithium’s when I returned to work in October. Metering used was exclusively spot (95%) and I would estimate that I used AF 50% of the time maybe less. Lenses used were the AF 20mm f/2,8D, MF 24mm f/2.8, AF 35mm f/2 and on rare occasions the AF 80-200mm f/2,8D ED IF. My LCD panel was set to stay on for 4sec and most films were rewounded manually, something I like doing when not in a rush.

During my testing the one thing that stood out was the fact that alkaline batteries show a noticeable drop in performance very soon after installation. In a normal amateur use situation where you would get 80+ rolls of film out of alkaline batteries, the AF and motor drive performance deteriorated after the 20th roll of film leaving the user to suffer with the deteriorated performance for the next 60+ rolls. This is a definite no-no in my way of shooting, I expect from any camera to perform at the same level of performance throughout the life of the batteries something which lithium batteries are capable off. Under the same conditions lithium batteries which should last for a total average of 200 rolls of film would hold their speed performance all the way to the end, a performance which on its own is why i choose lithium’s. Another advantage of using lithium batteries is that after their use in the F5 they can be placed in other electronic devices that requires half full AA’s. When the F5 says the batteries need changing, what it really means is that the operating voltage has dropped bellow what the F5 requires so in essence the batteries are more than half full capacity wise. I have used these “empty” batteries in the SB-28 successfully for serious sessions at work with no headaches.

Personally I’m more than happy with the performance of lithium’s in the F5 and highly recommend them to anyone even though they are an expensive battery. I recommend buying these in large quantities directly from the distributor for bigger cash savings.

Happy shooting

Another solution which many have tried with great succes (even i did this mod - worked out well) is to add a 9th battery cell to the existing battery holder!

AFS 17-35mm f/2.8D

2011-02-18T11:07:00.011+02:00

Intro

The AFS 17-35mm f/2.8D was and still is a great lens! At the time of its reign, users from all over the world would flood the various photography forums praising the capability of this lens to finally make prime lenses redundant! Even Bjørn Rørslett elevated this lens to Legendary status with his in depth review. Given both the high praise and high cost, one would think that the lens must be a worthy investment for the professional photographer. But 10 years on, and a quick search reveals that a lot of users are screaming foul. It may only feel like yesterday when this lens hit the streets, but its been over a decade, so has something changed in the mean time or was this lens overrated from the start. Read on to found out!

The lens was introduced in June 1999 as a replacement for the not so old (5 year old) AF 20-35mm f/2.8D. The then new AFS 17-35mm lens added silent wave focusing technology and a much wider angle of view without sacrificing anything since as you will find out further down, the optical performance is just as good and in some cases even better than its older brother. Even though designed as a full frame "film" lens, at the time of its introduction, it was seen (and eagarly awaited) by most pro's as a way to go "wider" on the newly introduced digital Nikon D1. On the DX format cameras, the angle of view becomes equivalent to 25.5 on the wide end and 52.5mm on the long end.

Description

The AFS 17-35mm is a well made and tough lens. The zoom ring has a smooth operation though there is some play. The focus ring on the other hand is slightly less smooth in its operation but at least has no play, making manual focus a pleasure compared to other AF lenses. The new AFS lens although bigger and heavier, at least offers snappier near silent focusing with the ability to take over focusing manually without the need for switches. Also worthy of note, the front element doesn't rotate during focus, and accepts 77mm filters on a metal thread. I should also point out that a "fat" filter screwed on the front won't cause further darkening of the corners when zoomed wide. The lens comes with a HB-23 bayonet hood wich is the same as found on the AFS 18-35mm and AFS 12-24mm lenses. The lens comprises of 13 elements in 10 groups, three of which are aspherical and another two are ED (low dispersion glass). SIC coating is also present. The close focusing distance is marked as 0.28m and when combined with the PK11 ring wide angle macro photography becomes possible and much fun. The lens offers 9 curved diaphragm blades, for better out of focus highlights.

Focusing speed like on most wide lenses is very snappy. Manual focus is easy and sure, though I wish it offered more than a quarter of a turn to go from infinity to closest focusing distance. Over the last few years I have witnessed squealing AFS motors on a number of copies of the AFS 17-35mm and AFS 300mm lenses but haven't heard of a fix from Nikon apart from the owner of the lens paying for a replacement motor, which is fair enough, until you get the quote of repair!

Optical performance

On film, this lens performs superbly and it's very hard to fault. Take most of the positive reviews of this lens on the net, think of film, and you have your legend. Used on DX cameras, especially some of the older models such as the D100 and D70, and there might be some issues showing up. Some may be due to field curvature, especially between 17 and 18mm, others because of moire phenomena and others with chromatic aberrations. Generally, I have found this lens to be tricky to use on digital cameras, giving unpredictable results but it's a different story on the 12MP FX sensors.

12MP FX

17-21mm: Sharpness is excellent (4.5/5) in the center and most of the frame with the extreme edges of the frame sharpening up also by f/5.6.
22-30mm: Sharpness is even better (5/5) in the center with the edges catching up by f/4.
30-35mm: Center sharpness has degraded to my pixel peeping eyes (4/5), but seems more even across the whole frame resulting in better overall performance when used wide open. Great if you are street shooting or a PJ. On the D700, diffraction will limit most users to f/13 or even f/16.

Overall this is a nice lens but in 2011, its showing its age, since we Nikon users now have more options available that do perform better.

Chromatic aberrations

Modern cameras (eg: D300, D700 and D3) and most recent editions of the more popular RAW converters offer built in corrections for light fall off, chromatic abberations and distortions so this helps elevate the performance of some of the older lenses. Generally this lens performs well, but it can show some color fringing when shooting high contrast scenes placed towards the edges of the frame.

Flaring and ghosts

Like all wide angles care must be taken when shooting into the sun or other bright spots. Overall, this lens performs very well, but it can still cause "tolerable" flaring and ghosting. Older lenses under the same conditions caused more noticeable and horrible ghosta and flares. You can usually see the reflections in the viewfinder so with some minor movement of the camera you can minimize them or get rid of them all togeteher by creating the right shade with your hand or other device.

Falloff

As a photographer i wouldn't be concerned with the little vignetting of this lens. It's worse at 17mm wide open but gone by f/5.6.Between 20-35mm there is some minor falloff at f/2.8 but completely gone by f/4.

Distortion

As expected at 17mm there is some pronounced barrel distortion which slowly disappears as you zoom towards the long end. For the most distortion free images, try to stay within the 20-30mm zoom range.

Coma

I don't usually mention Coma (saggital coma flare) performance in my reviews, but since I happen to come across it with this lens I thought I would mention it. Basically you will see it when the lens is at's weakest - wide open at 17mm and still there at 35mm if you go looking for it! Close down one stop and it starts going away.

Overall

The 17-35mm f/2.8 D AF-S is a solid professional lens that can perform as a "Legend" when used on a film body. Digital is another beast requiring much better and modern designs. Though the only digital bodies that can use this lens are the 12MP D700 and D3 series. . It's got great optics, mechanics and performance, and you pay for it.

Compared to its modern brothers

On their own, the results from this lens look great, but when placed next to results from the AFS 16-35mm VR, they suddenly become second rate. Bring the AFS 14-24mm to the race and then the old "legend" takes third place. At f/5.6, the 16-35mm was clearly sharper than the 17-35mm beyond the center of the frame. At 17mm wide-open, the extreme corners of the image are distinctly soft, but these clean up quickly past f/5.6. Since most of you will probably use the 17-35mm as a landscape lens, this shouldn't be of any concern. When compared to the new kid on the block, the AFS 14-24mm f/2.8 the differences are night and day. This doesn't mean the AFS 17-35mm is a bad lens, on the contrary, it goes to show how great all three lenses are. The AFS 14-24mm is the sharpest and most distortion free zoom to date. The AFS 16-35mm f/4 VR has some light fall-off wide and noticeable barrel distortion. CA is very well controlled on the two newer lenses but very evident on the AFS 17-35mm.

Specifications

Maximum Aperture ......................................... f/2.8
Minimum Aperture .......................................... f/22
Maximum Angle of View (DX) ...................... 79°
Minimum Angle of View (DX) ....................... 44°
Maximum Angle of View (FX) ...................... 104°
Minimum Angle of View (FX) ........................ 62°
Maximum Reproduction Ratio ........................ 0.22x
Lens Elements .................................................. 13
Lens Groups .................................................... 10
Diaphragm Blades ............................................. 9
ED Glass Elements ........................................... 2
Aspherical Elements ......................................... 3
Super Integrated Coating ................................. Yes
Internal Focusing .............................................. Yes
Minimum Focus Distance ............................ 0.28m
Filter Size .......................................................... 77mm Screw-on
Dimensions (Approx.) ....................................... 82.5x106mm
Weight (Approx.) ............................................... 745g

Pictures taken with the AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED

MTF chart as published by Nikon

How to read the MTF chart

AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4D IF-ED

2011-01-30T20:38:00.017+02:00

INTRO

For the amateur photographer on a budget, the choices for an affordable telephoto from Nikon are very little. I have written about the AFS 70-300mm VR zoom, but its a bit too slow for some of the more demanding kids sports and weekend wildlife adventures, then there is the AF 80-400mm VR, but its also slow and a bit too expensive. Some people opt for the AFS 70-200mm VR coupled to a tele-converter, but its still an expensive option. Its also a shame that Nikon didn't introduce an AF version of their very popular Ais 400mm f/5.6 ED back in the late eighties when the change to autofocus was happening. Thankfully though, we got the 300mm f/4.

The original AF 300mm f/4 with 82mm front element and built in filter holder!

My very first telephoto lens was the original AF 300mm f/4 which had a production run of nearly 13 years (1987-2000). The AFS 300mm f/4D replaced it in early 2000 and is now itself over 11 years old. So it's pretty certain that we'll be seeing a replacement for the now "old" AFS version sometime soon. But until then, if you are looking for a cheap telephoto with pro performance, this is the lens for you.

This case is not that bad, you can actually use it in the field.

Choices

The AFS 300mm f/4D is a good compromise between size and speed. It's not as flimsy or slow as your typical telephoto zoom nor is it as expensive or large like its bigger f/2.8 brother. Currently it sells new for 1100€ and for the price, apart from the front and rear caps and the built in hood, Nikon also gives you a nice modern case with belt and sholder strap. As already mentioned this is the only affordable long telephoto currently available from Nikon. The only other affordable yet serious alternative for sports and wildlife photographers is the much slower and more expensive AF 80-400mm VR. Now to some folks, 1100€ may sound like a lot of money, but when you consider that a 300mm f/2.8, which is only one stop of light faster costs around 4500€, then the AFS 300mm f/4 is really at a sweat price point. Of course you will have to factor in the cost of the "must-have" TC-14E II teleconverter which currently goes for 400€. Here's a list of the currently available options from Nikon with prices as of 01/2011:

AF-S 200-400mm f/4 VR II IF ED ......................................... 6142€
AF-S 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II ............................................... 5199€
AF-S 300mm f/2.8G VR ......................................................... 4250€
AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II ............................................... 1999€
AF 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6VR ED .............................................. 1552€
AF-S 300mm f/4D .................................................................. 1132€
AF-S 70-300mmf/4.5-5.6VR ................................................... 482€
TC 20E III ................................................................................ 529€
TC 14E II ................................................................................. 399€
TC 17E II ................................................................................. 399€
TC 20E II ................................................................................. 399€

So at around 1500€ its a toss up between the 300mm and the 80-400mm zoom. Which to buy? I dont know, this is a choice you have to make! Do you need the zoom range of the 80-400 more than the crisp details of the 300 @ 300mm wide open? Do you need the VR of the zoom more than what you can get with the speed of the f/4 aperture? Of course one question that gets asked a lot, which is sharper wide open at 400mm? Thats easy to answer, the 80-400mm VR is sharper than the 300mm with converter, on screen - if viewing prints, i doubt you would see much difference. Choices, choices, choices!

At some stage, I had both, sold the zoom and kept the 300mm for its AF speed. But mind you, I already had a manual focus 500mm f/4P lens, so the decision was easier for me to make.

Description

The two lenses are very alike with the same groups of glass, the same ED elements, the same overall size and weight (excluding the front element) and a similar built-in telescoping hood, which by the way, has proven to be very convenient yet frustrating at the same time. Both have a rotating tripod collar but the one on the AFS version, which is also removable, has been heavily criticized for its inability to keep the lens stable enough at slow shutter speeds. So overall, they are very alike but at the same time very different, since the 13 year gap is very evident.

Back when the lens was first announced in 2000, there were some concerns as to what impact would the smaller front element (77mm versus 82mm) and the "wobbly" tripod collar have on performance. The first one was quickly forgotten when results from the lens proved that vignetting was at normal and acceptable levels but the second concern had a lot of people talking about a bad design decision from Nikon, with Bjorn Rosslett taking center stage with his very critical article on the subject. Personally I believe the issue was slightly blown out of proportion. Sure, there was a possibility for blurred images at certain shutter speeds, but nothing proper technique (resting your hand on the top of the lens or pressing your face against the back of the body) or a cork or empty film canister couldn't fix. But if you are the type of person who shoots a lot of tripod mounted slow exposures in the danger zone (1/30sec-1/2 sec) then you may want to invest in a Kirk or Really Right Stuff replacement tripod mount.

Back to the built in telescoping hood, its use is very simple. You pull out the hood and twist clockwise to lock in place. When finished, you simply twist anti-clockwise to loosen the hood and retract to its original position. Overall, I wasn't very fond of the hood since at times it would stick in the extended position, but it was none-the-less, pretty convenient. There are also two switches on the side of the lens: The first is the focusing method switch (M/A-M) that allows the user to switch between Autofocusing with manual override and Manual mode, and the second is the focusing limiter switch (FULL-Infinity/3m) which gives two options, full range and 3m to infinity.

With hood extended. Compare with top photo.

Sharpness

The 300mm lens uses two ED (Extra Low Dispersion) glass elements to help in reducing Chromatic aberrations. The AFS 300mm f/4D resolves more detail than its older brother, and this is why it's a better performer when combined with a TC14E. That doesn't mean the old lens was a bad performer, on the contrary, but Nikon still decided to redesign the optical construction since the older lens didn't fair too well with tele-converters. This is why most older reviews had a hard time trying to find any optical performance differences (especially when done on film). The newer design offers more resolving power which means the differences start to show when coupled to a tele-converter or when mounting the lenses on a dense sensor such as the D300.

The 300mm lens on a DX format body has a field of view equivalent to 450mm and coupled to a TC14E converter it goes to 630mm. The AFS 300mm f/4 lens performs great on a D300 and is extremely sharp with manageable vignetting and no distortion, though pink & blue fringing can be a problem at times in harsh conditions and when using a tele-converter. I often shoot at f/4 but best apertures are f/5.6 and f/8.

On the D700 the vignetting and slight barrel distortion are barely visible and in most cases of no concern since they are both easily corrected in post. Shooting wide open on the D700 is a pleasure with great color, contrast and very sharp results. Of course stopping down a stop or two improves sharpness and contrast, but wide open performance is already good enough. When using a tele-converter, I usually close down one stop. Best performing aperture range on the D700 is between f/5.6-f/11, though I will happily shoot wide open all day or go to f/16 when needed.

Autofocusing on both formats, DX & FX, is a large improvement over its older brother thanks to its IF (Internal focus) design, but still just OK. At least its accurate enough and pretty silent. Of course, there must be enough light and contrast on the subject for accurate focusing. When coupled to a tele-converter, things get a bit slower and not so decisive, but still very acceptable. This is when I use the focus limiter switch to help improve focus acquisition and try to find the highest contrast part on my subject. Overall, focusing is quick and quiet, though there is always room for improvement - hope the new version has faster AF.

Bokeh

The bokeh performance may not be creamy smooth like that on the Samyang 85, but it still pretty good thanks to the 9 curved aperture blades. Under harsh conditions, eg: very busy backgrounds with spotlights or other highlights, the bokeh becomes more rough, but still manages to stay at a good level.

Color and Flaring

Color reproduction is ok with a neutral to cool rendering and at times affected by slight flaring which in most cases just reduces the contrast and mutes the colors. In most cases, this can be fixed in post. My old 500mm f/4P doesn't like very bright days or subjects and so can result in low contrast images with a haze over the entire frame. This can be also seen, to a lesser degree, on the AFS 300mm as well, so very bright beech or snow scenes wide open should be avoided. In those situations its good practice to closed down a stop or two, to help improve contrast and color rendition.

What the future holds

As already mentioned, the AFS 300mm is up for an update. What most expect to see, is better AF performance, better optical performance wide open, Nano crystal coating for better flare control, VR technology and focus lock buttons. My guess would be for a 2012 summer release.

Last words

Today, the AFS 300mm is a very respectable telephoto, offering sharp and contrasty images, fast AF, good reproduction ratio thanks to its minimum focus distance of only 1.45m, and a solid build, though those buying second hand, must be careful of worn out AFS motors, as there are a lot of reports of squealing and faulty AFS motors in this model as well as the AFS 17-35mm zoom.

Specifications

Maximum Aperture ...................................................... f/4
Minimum Aperture ...................................................... f/32
Maximum Angle of View (DX-format) ....................... 5°20'
Maximum Angle of View (FX-format) .......................8°10'
Maximum Reproduction Ratio ..................................... 0.27x
Lens Elements .............................................................. 10
Lens Groups ................................................................. 6
Diaphragm Blades ......................................................... 9 curved
ED Glass Elements ........................................................ 2
Super Integrated Coating ..............................................Yes
Internal Focusing ...........................................................Yes
Minimum Focus Distance .........................................1.45m
Filter Size .......................................................................77mm Screw-on
Dimensions (Approx.) ....................................................90x222.5mm
Weight (Approx.) ............................................................1,440g

Pictures taken with the AF-S 300mm f/4D IF-ED

MTF chart as published by Nikon

How to read the MTF chart

AF-S VR 105mm f/2.8G Micro - Revisited

2011-01-29T12:07:00.017+02:00

(Tested with D300 & D700)

INTRO

This modern version of the 105mm Micro lens will be a great hit with most amateurs. Especially those who in most probability are strangers to the use of a tripod, PK rings, diffusers and pegs while macro shooting. They will definitely find the new AFS VR macro and the portable ring-flash kit (R1C1) all you need for shooting insects and flowers while walking in the park. But this is definitely not a toy lens, and it surely can deliver sharp, contrasty and colorful results for both amateurs and professionals alike. Lets take a closer look!

Focus breathing

Even though this a macro lens, I bought it to shoot mainly portraits! So my review is primarily focused on using this lens for portraiture and with less emphasis on macro shooting. If however you are heavily into the traditional style of macro photography and if you own the older MF version and use it for macro shooting, I advise you to stick with it. The older manual macro lenses will serve you better with their better support of the PK series rings, the various Nikon bellows, teleconverters and of course the ability to adjust focus while on a tripod without altering the framing (focus breathing). The AFS version has noticeable focus breathing due to its IF design. Another big plus of both the older 105’s (Ais & AF) is that they are lighter and don’t need a tripod collar. The new AFS version is quite heavy for a 105mm lens and quite awkward to use when fitted to a tripod mounted smaller body such as the D300. On the other hand if you think you might want to dump your tripod and chase insects handheld or want to use the lens for portraiture as well then read on.

Description

The front of the lens can take 62mm filters which screw into a metal thread thanks to the lenses cast metal alloy casing. This is a pro quality lens that is nearly 40% heavier than its predecessor. It's sealed against dust and moisture and ports the new rubber weather seal that’s found on the back of the lens to help seal the vulnerable connection between lens and camera and the supplied hood, which is as nearly as long as the lens locks on securely. I always use the provided hoods with my all lenses in an attempt to limit the effects of any possible flaring. A panel on the left side of the lens holds three mode switches, one for the focusing range, one for VR control and one for MF/AF. The first one lets you toggle from the full focusing range to a limited range that is from infinity to 0.5 meters. Some may not like this range, but it’s great for most normal subjects especially portraits.

Unlike its predecessors the AFS 105mm f/2.8D VR is an internal focusing based design which means it doesn’t change its physical length when focusing and the front element does not rotate, making it easier to use with a circular polarizer or other attachments such as the R1C1 wireless Macro lighting kit. But as already mentioned, the penalty for this is "focus breathing". Unfortunately, the new VR version being a G lens is not compatible with the PK series rings or old bellows. If and when Nikon introduce compatible extension rings, bellows and other accessories then this lens which is so close to being the most advanced macro lens today can actually become just that.

All of the Nikkor macro lenses are similar to variable aperture zoom lenses in that the aperture value will vary, in this case according to focus distance and not zoom selection. As you focus in the macro range the camera body will display the effective aperture and not the actual aperture you had originally selected, so reaching the maximum magnification of 1:1 will result in a decrease of the maximum aperture from f/2.8 to f/4.8 (if I’m not mistaken the older lens went to f/5.6).

14 elements in 12 groups is a complex design. There was a time when less elements and groups meant better performance. But that was at a time when optical engineers designed lenses on paper and polished them by hand. Today, computer aided design methods combined with modern manufacturing techniques provide much better results even with more complex designs.

Feel

The lens is very large for a 100mm optic but it feels good on a large pro body. Compared to my 105mm f/2.5 lens it looks and even feels as though it’s double the size! The ergonomics are good since it fits in the left hand nicely when shooting. The wide focusing ring is nice to the touch and comfortable to use and its action is smooth and very precise. Things are a bit different on a small and lighter body where the 720g of the lens make the whole combination to noise dive. I wouldn’t recommend using this lens on a small camera since its size and weight would overtake the cameras mass and weight and obviously could not be used properly on a tripod.

Autofocus can be employed when in macro mode, especially if you have pre-focused and it works surprisingly well. For a true macro lens the auto-focusing is very fast and silent, though it will on rare occasions hunt when initial focus is way off especially when focusing up close or in low light. For best autofocusing results you are better off to partner this lens with a good pro body and of course pre focusing is a good habit (in any kind of photography). Overall, autofocusing is very snappy and accurate at normal portrait distances, but as you get closer and near the 1:1 magnification, focusing becomes more susceptible to hunting especially if light levels drop and contrast is lacking on your subject. Also take note that at macro distances the focus plane is so thin that focusing becomes very critical and that a tripod and a steady subject are a must for the best results.

The new VR of this lens is a real performer when compared to the original VR employed in the 80-400mm lens or even the second generation VR in the 18-200mm lens. This simplified version (even though labeled VR II like the 18-200mm) feels to be a better performer. It’s less complicated to use since you only have one switch for on-off operation. The camera can translate any horizontal movement as panning and correct any other movements in the vertical axis. Obviously when the lens and camera are mounted on a rock solid platform then VR needs to be switched off, otherwise it may in some cases cause unnecessary shake and actually introduce blur. Also, the maximum effectiveness of VR decreases as you focus closer so it's not as effective as it is for subjects that are further away. VR should be seen as a helping hand and so should be used only when really needed. Let me also point out, that you need to wait until the VR movements have finished and the VR optics have "parked" themselves before switching off the camera power, otherwise you may cause the VR unit to malfunction.

Optical performance

I love the performance of this lens when doing portraits or other subjects in the 1-5m range. For indoor use with the 1.5x DX crop factor, this 105 becomes more like a 160mm, which is pretty long for tight, indoor portraits but on an FX body, the 105 is a very nice length for head shots. The color rendition is excellent with a slight coolish & greenish tinge. There are no signs of coma so shooting stars is no problem and the lens is nearly distortion free. The overall optical performance is great. Obviously if you sit and measure its MTF performance you will find that wide open it’s softer but the differences are way too small to notice.

Sharpness

Tests of this lens on the net show the older version as a bit sharper wide open (focused at infinity). My testing has shown that the difference is so small that in practice the resulting images are indistinguishable. From wide open to about f/18 the results are truly excellent on the D700. On the D300 I would try to limit myself around f/11. After those limits, diffraction is starting to become noticeable but if I need to, I will safely go as high as f/22 for any of my work (maybe a touch more sharpening than usual may be required). Overall, I would expect very good to excellent sharpness at all apertures with best performance between f/4 and f/16. On the D300 from f/13 onwards diffraction spoils the finer details.

Bokeh

The big difference between this lens and its older brother is in the bokeh department. The bokeh of the new lens is creamy and very pleasing thanks to the new optical design and the 9 rounded diaphragm blades. The out of focus areas of the image were creamy smooth and spectral highlights were distinguished in a very smooth manner. Even when stopped down to f/8 or f/11 the transitions between the different colored out of focus areas are smooth as silk. Any portrait shot wide open or even stopped down to about f/5.6 or f/8 max will produce sharp results with great bokeh. Even in the macro range, the bokeh is magical for producing those mystical flower shots where you focus on some sharp detail on the edge of a petal and the rest of the image just melts to create the perfect surroundings for strengthening the composition.

Chromatic aberrations

In general, this lens will deliver excellent results, but if you go and shoot in harsh lighting conditions against the light wide open, then you may witness some form of chromatic aberration. Up to about f/5 there are some traces of purple fringing. All modern Nikon DSLR's (D300 & D3 series onwards) combined with compatible software can help to remove most traces automatically.

Vignetting

On the DX format cameras there is no noticeable light fall off to worry about. On full frame cameras, light fall off is noticeable at f/2.8 and f/4.

Distortion

There is some barrel distortion which on DX cameras is nearly undetectable and on FX barely so. I wouldn't worry about it.

Flaring

Shooting against the sun may produce some flaring and signs of ghosting that in most cases is well controlled thanks to the Extra-low Dispersion coating and Nano coating that Nikon is using.

Last words

The AFS 105mm VR micro lens is sharp, has great bokeh, simplified VR, a usable limiter switch, and weather sealing on the plus side. On the negative side we have some possibility of AF hunting when up close, some "focus breathing", and a heavy package. Overall a very nice lens!

Specifications

Maximum Aperture ............................................. f/2.8
Minimum Aperture ............................................... f/32
Max Angle of View (DX) .....................................15°
Max Angle of View (FX) ......................................23°20'
Max Reproduction Ratio .......................................1.0x
Lens Elements ........................................................ 14
Lens Groups ........................................................... 12
Diaphragm Blades .................................................. 9 (curved)
Nano Crystal Coat .................................................. Yes
ED Glass Elements .................................................1
Super Integrated Coating ........................................Yes
Internal Focusing ....................................................Yes
Minimum Focus Distance .......................................0.314m
Filter Size ................................................................62mm Screw-on
Dimensions .............................................................83x116mm (Diameter x Length)
Weight .....................................................................790g

Pictures taken with the AFS 105mm f/2.8G VR Micro

MTF chart as published by Nikon

How to read the MTF chart

Nikkor AF 35mm f/2D - Revisited

2011-01-28T00:11:00.019+02:00

(Tested with D300 & D700)

INTRO

Back in the days when I was shooting Velvia film, the AF 35mm f/2D lens was one of my favorite lenses. Even with my first digital bodies (D70, D200) I used it as a low-light normal lens with great success. On DX, there is no visible distortion and it produces crisp images with clean colors. Easy to carry all day long while producing excellent images. Today things are a little different - digital cameras are more demanding and most cheap zooms covering the 35mm range seem to perform just as well if not better. Lets take a closer look at this old timer and how it performs on modern DX and FX bodies!

Build

First let’s get some specs out of the way. The AF 35mm f/2D lens has 6 elements in 5 groups and has shown to be a better optical performer than the earlier, manual-focus eight-element design which it replaced. It also focuses closer (0.25m) than the manual version. Like most of the small primes built in the 90’s, the AF 35mm f/2D lens is mainly made of plastic and is unobtrusive when mounted. Plus at 205gr it’s also very lightweight. The mount is chrome plated brass and the outer shells are polycarbonate and the inner shell protrudes when focusing up close without rotating so filters can be used. When compared to my wobbly Thailand built AF 50mm f/1.4D lens, the construction of the Japanese built AF 35mm f/2D lens feels much better with tighter tolerances and has no noticeable wobble. The manual focus ring feels OK, though to be able to use manual focusing effortlessly you would need a bright and clear 100% viewfinder as found in the D700 or D3. With darker viewfinders such as those on the smaller DX cameras, focusing is best performed by the cameras autofocusing. Overall the construction is good and has proven over the years to be very rugged. I once dropped my first copy of this lens 1.5 meters onto the ground (hard dirt and pebbles) and it survived without any hiccups.

There are a lot of reports of this lens having a problem with sticky aperture blades due to a change in the lubricant used. Some production runs of various Nikkor lenses between 1999 and 2000 used this faulty oil. I haven’t had this problem with this particular lens, but any authorized Nikon repair center can clean the blades and replace the lubricant. (Update 27/01/2011: My 35mm after a long time of storage is now showing signs of oil on the blades and is sticky resulting in overexposed images!)

Notice how the inner barrel extends when focused close.

Optical performance

Wide open the performance doesn’t impress since some softness and light fall-off are evident towards the edges. Also contrast is low up to about f/2.8. Wide open produces a soft image resembling the effects of a dream filter. One click of the aperture dial to f/2.2 and the effect disappears with a large improvement both in contrast and in sharpness, but still far from being very good. Most users may want to avoid using this lens wide or near wide open and limit its range between f/4 and f/11 for best performance (for DX my range is f/4-f/8). From f/2.8 the optical performance starts to improve with f/4 being very good and excellent from f/5.6 to f/8. Also worthy of note, the smooth bokeh, which is very attractive with this lens even stopped down as far as f4. This little lens also performs very good in the flaring department with very little flaring and when it does flare, its only in a mild manner.

For maximum performance when shooting towards the sun, it doesn't hurt to use
the optional HN-3 hood and to remove any filters you may have fitted.

Sharpness

As already mentioned, between f/5.6 and f/8 this lens can produce some stunning images, but then again most modern cheap zooms can do the same. Wide open results are a bit soft, though quite acceptable. One click to f/2.2 improves sharpness and from f/2.8 results are much better.

Distortion

You don't need to worry about distortion with this lens since its non detectable unless you shoot a brick wall. In such a case you may notice some slight barrel distortion that in most cases will go unnoticed. On the DX format cameras distortion becomes even less noticeable.

Vignetting

On the FX format cameras there is heavy light fall off when shooting wide open but it improves as you close down and isn't a problem once at f/4. On the DX format cameras, the darkening is noticeable wide open. It mostly goes unnoticed so I wouldn’t worry about it. From f/2.8 onwards it’s totally gone.

Chromatic aberrations

No CA’s to worry about, though most evident wide open.

Last words

Today most small lenses are valued for their lightweight and unobtrusiveness as long as they can perform well. Unfortunately the AF 35mm f/2D lens, although sharp cannot compete. If you don’t already own the AF 35mm f/2D prime and are shopping for a low light wide angle performer to shoot your kid or pet, you are probably better off with the newer DX version. Yes, the AFS 35mm f/1.8DX on a D700/D3 body is quite usable for wide open shots when focused close up - take note of what I just wrote! If you want to focus further away and close down the aperture then the DX version is definitely not for you, but for subjects within a couple of meters from the lens and shooting wide open with the Vignetting Control set to High, then the DX 35mm f/1.8 lens can really perform! (for an example look here and here)

Other options for a small wide angle prime are the manual focus Ais versions both f/2 and the faster f/1.4 are good choices if you don't need autofocus, but the faster one is much more expensive. If you are mainly into shooting landscapes then you are probably better off looking for a modern zoom. Even though it costs a couple hundred euro more, the AF 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5D produces much better results (not considering the distortion). Overall, most modern Nikkor zooms that cover the 35mm focal length perform just as good if not better. Personally, I have replaced this old favorrite landscaping lens, first with the AFS 17-35mm f/2.8D and more recently with the AFS 16-35mm f/4 zoom. As you probably have figured out by now, this once lovely lens has aged gracefully and retired!

Τhe AF 35mm f/2D lens has 6 elements in 5 groups and has shown to be a better optical performer
than the earlier, manual-focus eight-element design which it replaced.

Technical Specifications

Date of 1st production: 1995
Focal length: 35 mm (52.5mm equivalent in 35 mm on DX sensor)
Angle of view: 62º (44º in DX)
Maximum aperture: f/2
Minimum aperture: f/22
Construction: 6 elements in 5 groups. Has SIC coating.
Diaphragm: 7 straight blades
Minimum focusing distance: 0,25m
Maximum magnification: 1:4.2
Weight: 205g
Dimensions: 65mm x 45mm
Diameter of filter: 52mm (Non rotating)

Pictures taken with the AF 35mm f/2D

MTF chart as published by Nikon

How to read the MTF chart

Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.4D - Revisited

2011-01-23T03:57:00.026+02:00

(Tested with D300 & D700)

If you are a newcomer to digital photography, then you are probably used to shooting at f/8 which means that you will be pleasantly surprised when you first use this little gem. The first thing you'll notice is that your camera will suddenly feel so much lighter and easier to handle - compared to your average zoom - then when you look through the viewfinder you will be surprised by the bright and clear view. But you'll be most surprised by the results themselves. Shoot wide open or at f/2 and the smooth and creamy OOF (out of focus) areas will encapsulate your mind. After this first experience I’m sure you will fall in love with fast lenses and a new window of creative opportunity will develop. The main reason to have a fast lens (eg: with a max aperture of f/1.4) in your kit is to provide you with acceptable shutter speeds under difficult low lighting conditions so you could become more mobile and work without the use of a tripod. The second reason is to have access to isolation capabilities! ... to be able to isolate your main subject from the background.

Compared to the AF 50mm f/1.8

Choosing between the two 50’s, the AF 50mm f/1.4D is clearly the better choice when shopping for a “fast” lens since its peak performance is between wide open and f/4. Beyond f/4 and the performance is acceptable. I say this because when compared, the slower f/1.8 lens performs better from f/4 onwards producing excellent results. In the other direction, from f/4 to wide open the slower fifty does not provide the same exciting results as its faster brother. So there’s definitely a difference of character between the two lenses. One is for shooting dramatic stand-out shots close to wide open and the other excels at shooting everyday stuff utilising most of the available apertures from f/4 to f/16.

Description

The D version was introduced in early 1995. The only difference being the added chip for better flash exposure. The AF 50mm f/1.4 (D or not) is ideal for low lighting conditions since the f/1.4 aperture is perfectly usable as long as you have utilized the Fine Tune feature of your camera. (D300, D700 & D3 onwards)

Mounted on a normal body such as the D300 or D700, the combination is small and lightweight and a pleasure to handle - add a battery pack or mount it on a Pro body such as the D3 and the lens practically disappears! Manual focusing can be a problem. The looseness of the narrow focusing grip isn’t a pleasure to use and nailing sharp focus manually is usually a hit and miss affair, especially when shooting wide open. This lens is designed for AF and it shows, by being both fast and accurate (as long asyou have utilized the "AF Fine Tune feature of the camera). If you want to focus manually, do not buy this lens! Look for a AIS 50mm f/1.4 lens instead. The build quality is similar to most of the AF screwdriver prime lenses of the nineties: they feel cheap, but in practice have proven after all these years that they are actually quite rugged and can take a beating.

Optical performance

On a DX body, the field of view is equivalent to a 75mm optic and you get the benefits of less vignetting and overall better performance. Between the magical shooting range of f/1.4 and f/2.5 the lens is very sharp in the centre and progressively softens towards the edges of the frame. As you close the aperture, the field of sharpness stretches to the boundaries of the frame. Once you come accustomed to the shallow depth of field and the centre sharpness growth from closing down, then you can utilize this lens to its fullest.

Sharpness

f/1.4 – f/1.8: Sharp but due to very shallow DOF focusing becomes very critical. Place subject in center since sharpness is limited to the center of frame. Contrast may be low but fixable.
f/1.8 – f/2.5: Results are much better with sharpness covering a larger part of the frame and a good boost in contrast. This is my preferred range since I like the amount of DOF here and the bokeh.
f/2.5 – f/4: the best performance is in this range but the DOF is starting to affect the background.
f/4 – f/11: Very good, but the cheaper AF 50mm f/1.8 lens performs better.
f/11-f/16: Best avoided due to diffraction

Chromatic aberrations

Thankfully the optical construction of the AF 50mm f/1.4 lens was designed such that the CA’s are at their least near wide open. This is another reason why from f/4 onwards the cheaper lens performs better. In some cases blue fringing at high contrast transitions are visible but in most cases this is not a problem. The D300 and D3 combined with Capture NX help to remove most traces automatically.

Vignetting

There is some light fall off around the edges of the frame that is quite noticeable on the FX format up until f/4. On the DX format its noticeable up until about f/2 and gone by f/2.8.

Distortion

No distortion is noticeable unless you shoot a brick wall. In such a case, some minor barrel distortion is visible but nothing to worry about.

Color
The color rendition of this lens is neutral to cool, with a greenish tinge.

Bokeh

Apart from the speed and the isolation capability, this lens can provide very nice bokeh from wide open to about f/2.2 even though the lens only has seven aperture blades that aren’t even rounded though they do provide a strange curved “smoothness” up until f/2.5. From then onwards, the bokeh can be described as being a little bit harsher though still quite good, but this depends a lot on factors such as subject, lighting and distance. High lights in the OOF areas can show the 7 diaphragm blades instead of a circle especially after f/2.8 when the blades are more sharply pronounced (see below). Once you get to know the lens, you may find yourself trying to avoid spectral highlights in the OOF areas of the frame. Generally speaking the bokeh and the smooth gradual rendering of the OOF fields are very good up until f/2.5.

The optics consist of 7 elements in 6 groups and only has 7 aperture blades.
The min focusing distance is 45 cm and it weighs 230g.

Flare

Flare and ghosting can be a problem with this lens if you are not careful, but generally, this lens does OK. It does flare, so generally you will want to try and avoid pointing the lens towards the sun and other strong light sources. In these situations remove any filters you may have attached since a filter will only add to the problem and make sure your front element is squeaky clean. I also recommend the HR-2 hood or a rubber hood to help in the flare department and would recommend against the use of filters if possible.

Coma
There is some coma wide open but from f/2.8 onwards, spots of light are rendered round.

AF

Even though the lens uses the old screwdriver mechanism to drive the focusing, it’s fast, precise and generally very good to excellent. I should also mention that it's also a bit noisy compared to new silent wave technology especially if you have an older worn out copy. The drawback to this design is that you are forced to switch focusing modes via the selector on the body every time you want to switch, but i don't think many users will want to focus manually too often with this lens anyway. To those who care the inner barrel extends a little when focusing close and it doesn't rotate when focusing. It takes 52mm filters and the f/mount is chrome plated brass just like most Nikkor’s I have seen. (see below).

Last words

This versatile and compact lens can produce some amazing results, especially on the D700. Once you have fine tuned your AF, this lens will give you constantly sharp results wide open. My prefered aperture is f/2. The Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.4D is compact, light, fast focusing, sharp with very pleasing bokeh and doesn't cost an arm and a leg! This is a must-have lens for any camera bag!

The rubber lens hood HR-2 from Nikon comes highly recommended!

AF 50mm f/1.4 with rubber hood (sunshade)

Technical Specifications

Date of 1st production: April 1995
Focal length: 50 mm (75mm equivalent in 35 mm on DX sensor)
Angle of view: 45º (22º50' in DX)
Maximum aperture: f/1.4
Minimum aperture: f/16
Construction: 7 elements/6 groups. Has SIC coating.
Diaphragm: 7 straight blades
Minimum focusing distance: 0,45m
Maximum magnification: 1:6.8
Weight: 230 g
Dimensions: 42.5mm x 64.5mm
Diameter of filter: 52mm

Pictures taken with the AF 50mm f/1.4D

MTF chart as published by Nikon

How to read the MTF chart

Nikon D7000

2010-11-24T12:36:00.016+02:00

Up until recently I had the D300 serving my wildlife photography which was usually coupled to my Ais 500mm f/4P manual focusing lens. At some point I liked and wanted video so added the Nikon D5000 which was quite impressive at the time, but wasn’t exactly what I wanted (D5000 video here). I have since sold both the beaten up D300 and the D5000 in anticipation for a D800 with video to serve as my main body. Well this hasn’t happened yet and from what I hear the D800 will probably be announced in March 2011, so I still have some time yet. In the mean time Nikon announces the D7000 (September 2010) which surprisingly, no one anticipated, meaning no one expected a new model segment with such a high build quality and specification list! It doesn’t replace the D90 nor the D300 but sits in between the two creating a new line. From what I hear, the D9000 will replace the D90 and the D400 replaces the D300. The D7000 is supposed to be a consumer model but from the specs you would think otherwise!

Some of the specs that stand out
•    16.2MP CMOS sensor
•    14-bit A/D converter
•    Sensitivity range 100-6400 ISO (boosted to 25.600 ISO)
•    AF sensor 39 AF points / 9 cross-type sensors
•    TTL metering using 2016-pixel RGB sensor
•    100% viewfinder, 0.94x magnification
•    6 fps max
•    1/8000sec
•    Twin SD memory cards
•    Built in flash & CLS Commander mode
•    Built in screwdriver type AF motor
•    Full HD & 24fps (Max duration: 20min)

At first I couldn’t believe my eyes, the specification list was endless and looked more like the specs for a D300 replacement rather than a consumer model. For comparison, the D300 has a 12.3MP sensor, a native sensitivity range of only 200-3200 ISO, no video, the older 1005 pixel metering sensor and less diopter adjustment settings (-2) instead of (-3). Other characteristics seem as if they came straight from the D300, such as the 100% viewfinder with its glass pentaprism and the same 0.94x magnification, the improved 14-bit A/D converter of the D300s, the 6 fps shooting rate, the shutter mechanism and screwdriver AF motor. Let me point out here that implementing a pentaprism adds to the weight and cost of the camera, but offers a brighter viewfinder image. So even though I was in no real hurry for my next purchase, the specs were too good for me to pass, so I bought the very first unit which landed in Greece so I could check out for myself if it was worth being coupled to my D700. Here are my impressions after using it for three weeks.

Handling
What makes this model so exciting is that it’s a revolutionary model showcasing so many new and improved features. One immediate difference to other small bodied SLR’s like the D90 and D5000 is that once you grab hold of one, you can really feel the metal construction while at the same time appreciate the better ergonomics. Even though the dimensions are nearly identical to that of the D90, with my eyes closed the camera feels a lot like my old D300. Structurally it consists of top and rear magnesium plates which together with the alloy mirror box and reinforced polycarbonate front help to give a tough and rugged camera body. And if you also take into consideration the weather sealing that’s been applied then you get a very serious little camera that is ready to do battle in a semi–pro environment even though Nikon classifies this as a consumer model.

Buttons & dials
The new D7000 has some nice and new implementations when it comes to the user interface worth mentioning. For starters, I finally get direct access to live view and movie modes. The new combo button/switch is a pleasure to use and should have been implemented from the start. I mean getting live view going with the D700 is a real pain. Now all you do is flick the rotating switch to the right and you are instantly in live view mode. From here you can press the center red button to record and press again to stop recording or just flick the rotating switch to the right a second time and you stop recording as the mirror returns for normal viewfinder viewing (this was first implemented in the D3100).

The AF mode and AF point selectors have been removed from the back and are now in a more logical place. The familiar AF/MF selector switch on the front of the camera near the f/mount includes a new button for selecting AF modes and AF points. This is very much like how the pop-up flash button works for flash modes and flash compensation.

The new multi - dial on the top of the camera is also a big jump forward which also had to have been implemented a long time ago. At the base is a ring dial for all the drive modes (S, CL, CH, Quiet mode, Self Timer, Remote, Mirror Lock-up) and the top dial offers Exposure modes (Manual, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Program, Auto, Auto with no flash, Scene modes, User 1 and User2). This much improved double dial will be greatly appreciated especially by more advanced users. If there was one thing that disappointed me was the lack of my most valued AF-ON button, but then again I would never expect such a feature on a consumer model. But Nikon is out to please everyone, so guess what? I can reassign the AE-L/AF-L button (which I never use) to do exactly that via the Custom Setting Menu!! Man, am I really starting to like this camera!

Auto focusing

The Multi-CAM 4800DX focusing system is the new mid range AF system which we will probably see in the D9000 (D90 replacement) as well. Its made up of 39 focus points with the 9 center most points being the cross type. It’s leaps and bounds much better than the D5000 and D90 and not far from the D300 and D700. More precisely, in daylight and with a pro level AFS lens (eg 70-200mm) the D7000 is super fast on static subjects and pretty much focuses at the same speed as the D300/700. Differences are seen in tracking moderate to fast moving subjects and under low lighting conditions where the D7000 comes a close 2nd to the D300/700. Where this camera excels is in focusing on faces in full auto mode and with 3D tracking selected. Overall, the focusing is very capable, even tracking moving subjects at 6 fps, though as mentioned not as good as the semi-pro models. With the D7000 I found that the older screw driven lenses seem to focus at the same pace as with the D300, so I can only assume the D7000 is using the same AF screwdriver motor as the D300.

Quiet mode

The quiet mode has appeared before in Nikon cameras (Nikon F4) and basically relied on slowing down the mirror movement so as to control the impact noise. In the D7000, the mirror box and all moving parts have been designed with an emphasis on quiet operation and Nikon have done a fine job at that. Overall, the D7000 is very quiet, so adding the Quiet mode to such an already quiet camera may seem overkill to some, but low shutter noise can never be low enough when shooting in whisperless environments. Sony has done well in this department with its new range of cameras using the pellicle-type semi-translucent mirror. Hope Nikon will follow soon with a similar model. The shutter has also been carefully designed and is tested to withstand 150,000 cycles, something we have only seen in semi-pro models.

Metering

The new meter with its 2016 pixel sensor is sensitive to both colour and luminance which combined with the higher amount of information detail gathered by the new 2016 RGB sensor means it will be fooled less under tricky lighting conditions such as when shooting bright colours under normal lighting conditions. The benefits of the new system were evident almost immediately after the first few test shots. Images that I was expecting to be underexposed by the familiar Matrix meter were exposed correctly.

The sharpness issue

A lot of inexperienced users are quick to blame lenses and cameras when their results are soft. In most cases they are not soft, but blurred! There are some reports on the net that this camera produces soft images, this is simply not true. For starters there is a difference in shooting requirements between small and large pixel sensors. With large pixel sensors such as in the D700 (1.4 MP/cm²) your shooting technique can be a little sloppy. On the other hand, with small pixel sensors such as the D7000 (4.6 MP/cm²) your shooting technique really needs to be spot on. This topic needs a whole article which I’m not going to do right now, but suffice to say that a long lens on a small pixel sensor needs a lot more than just a steady tripod and remote release – it needs proper technique! Apart from technique, one must remember that such small pixels are more demanding of your lenses as well. You should also take into consideration that the base ISO has dropped, so on average, you will be getting slower shutter speeds for the same shots with your previous cameras.

Most new owners of this camera will probably be getting a lot of blurred results, but this is the result from manufacturers trying to compete in a stupid megapixel war. They produce a DX sensor at 16MP for the average consumer without warning them that they need a very special shooting technique to be able to get sharp images. The tecnique usually requires that you hold your breath during the exposure, slightly press the camera to your face and gently roll your finger over the shutter without stabbing at it! It also helps to fire of 4-5 shots in high speed sequence to insure one or more sharp images!

ADDED 06/12/2010: OK, so when I'm referring to blurry images, I obviously don't mean "blurry" images that are immediately deleted by most folks, but those images that most people regard as sharp or OK when in reality are pretty bad shots that only show their weaknesses (sloppy shooting technique) at high magnification. Below are two hand held shots which to most people seem pretty much the same, but upon closer inspection, one will notice that the first image is sharp and the second is blurred. The difference is due to shooting technique.

At 100% the differences in these examples may not be very obvious, but they are there. Good shooting technique (above) versus sloppy technique (below). No sharpening applied in these samples.Sometimes when I'm not careful, my "sloppy" shots are a lot worse than these presented here!

Sensor

The D7000 carries a new Nikon developed 16.2MP CMOS sensor which delivers an ISO range of 100 to 6400 ISO with boosting available all the way to 25,600 ISO. This sensor is coupled to a more powerful EXPEED 2 processor first seen in the D3100 to handle the 16.2MP files plus the full HD 1080p video. The new sensor is designed to improve image quality for JPG’s and video quality while at the same time consuming less power and generating less heat. Video is compressed using the MPEG4 (H.264) codec and the camera can accept an external mic. I should also point out that the base ISO of 100 is another plus for a lot of people, especially landscapers, who want longer shutter speeds and studio photographers who want less trouble with syncing strobes.

Image quality

Both the video and image quality are excellent and betters the D300 by a good margin. One immediate difference to D300 files is the extra shadow detail and better noise reduction performance in JPG’s. As mentioned in the previous section, the only drawback of the new sensor is blurriness during exposure which unfortunately will be very common with such small pixels.

The first image below is how the file came from the camera. This is a typical strong contrast scene. Usually in such a scenario, I would have to underexpose in post and use the Fill light tool to push the shadows a bit even though I would not get much detail. Up until now, this meant I had to then use the Noise reduction tool as well to help combat the noise that this would introduce in the shadows. With the D7000 this is not a problem. The shadows have rich detail with no noise! The second screen grab below has the full extent of fill light applied, and still , there is no noise.

High ISO performance

Let me say from the start that the high ISO performance of this camera is stunning. At first I started comparing it to my old D300 but soon discovered that this new camera is so much better, so I did all my comparisons with the full frame D700. First let me give you a quick run down on overall performance and then I will get more specific with my D700 comparison.

Overall

Image quality all the way up to 800 ISO is excellent. No noise is evident and there is plenty of detail as expected. At 1600 ISO there is a small rise in “grain” structure, noise is still hard to distinguish and there are some tiny red dots showing up in the darkest shadows which most people won’t notice. At 3200 ISO noise is just starting to become more evident when pixel peeping at 100% but to most people will still be a usable ISO. This is the first time we start seeing some real noise which is evident even to the untrained eye, though the file is still very usable and can easily be massaged via a little noise reduction.

Compared

For comparison, let me note here that with my D300, my personal limit was 800 ISO and I only went to 1600 when absolutely necessary (others went higher). Using the same criteria, with the D7000 I will go to 1600 and only go to 3200 if absolutely necessary. This is a huge improvement over the D300, especially when you consider that the D7000 has a base ISO of only 100 and not 200 ISO as with the D300. Some people are saying that it even performs better than the D700! This is not so. Again, for comparison, with my full frame D700, I can happily go to 3200 and if necessary go to 6400 when needed.

Compared with the D700

D700, No noise reduction or sharpening applied, 25600 ISO

D7000, No noise reduction or sharpening applied,, 25600 ISO

D7000 @ 25600 ISO with NR and sharpening applied in Lightroom.

400 to 25600 ISO
In this ISO range, the D700 wins in all comparisons, whether JPG or RAW. The D700 produces sharper, more detail and a more natural looking contrast with an obvious difference in noise levels. The D7000 is very close, but its noise reduction routine is strong and evident, without looking bad on its own. The big plus to the D700 is the tonal gradations, which really pump up the image quality factor. Raw files are no different, with the D700 winning again thanks to the lower noise levels and better tonal gradations.

Nikon D700, 3200 ISO, No Noise Reduction or Sharpening applied.

Nikon D7000, 3200 ISO, No Noise Reduction or Sharpening applied.

200 ISO (Base ISO for D700)
The D700 wins hands down. Better tonal gradations, better contrast and color with no noise. Same for Raw files.

100 ISO (Base ISO for D7000)
Well, the D700 wins again. Those tonal gradations are very evident, especially in portraits. This is what makes those files look so alive. Same applies to RAW files as well.

Overall, the D7000 is an excellent performer. Not winning the D700 at base ISO 100 is not a bad thing, on the contrary, coming so close overall makes it a real winner! Let’s take a closer look at the specs; the D700 offers 1.4MP/cm² and the D7000 4.6MP/cm², so for the little D7000 to come so close is remarkable performance. And let’s not forget that in most of my testing, most people wouldn’t be able to distinguish one print from the other, the differences are that small!

Last words

Even though this is supposed to be a regular consumer model, the D7000 offers many features you'd only find on a semi or full professional camera. You get a 100% viewfinder, high frame rates, rugged build, weather sealing, full manual controls, full HD video, responsive operation, excellent image and video quality, plus heaps more. At the moment, the D7000 is the best camera for the student or serious amateur who needs a camera that can do lots without weighing or costing the same as a pro model. Even pro’s will be attracted to this camera, but a word of caution: Make sure you understand my comments regarding “The sharpness issue”. If you have never heard about it, look into it and find out what proper shooting technique is all about.

Stand out features

• 100% viewfinder

• 14-bit RAW

• 6 fps continuous shooting

• New 39 point auto focus system with improved 3D tracking

• Redesigned and much better control layout

• Very good build quality for its class

• Noticeable metering improvement

• Manual registration for Non-CPU lenses

Disappointments

• Small buffer for shooting RAW at 6fps

• No 60fps video

Pictures taken with the Nikon D7000

Samyang 85mm f1.4 AE (Part 2)

2010-11-06T16:36:00.028+02:00

INTRO

After using the Samyang some more in the field and comparing it side-by-side with the AF Nikkor 85mm f/14D I have come to realize that this is lens will certainly become a legend among those photographers with thinner wallets. Is it really that good? If we remove from the equation the autofocusing capabilities of the Nikkor, then the answer is yes! The difference between the two is certainly not worth the extra 800€ for the Nikkor, unless you really value AF that much. Don’t believe me read on!

My situation

About 4 years ago I was shooting for a studio and using the AF 85mm f/1.8D and the Ais 85mm f/1.4 on a daily basis. My preference was for the Ais, not only for its better bokeh but for the superior manual focusing capabilities of that lens. Most of my readers should know by now that I’m a manual focusing nut (though lately my eyes are starting to fail me). Since those studio days, the only portrait lens in my kit has been my favorite “do-all” lens, the AFS 105mm f/2.8 VR Macro which I usually use for portraits. But since I recently decided to get back into wedding and portrait photography, I made the decision to add a 85mm lens to my kit. After looking around and reading the favorable comments on the Samyang, I got one myself. Upon first using the lens I was amazed at its incredible performance, I mean you just don’t expect that from such an affordable lens. Even though I was enthusiastic, in my initial review (make that part 1), I tried to restrain my enthusiasm. So with this report (make this part 2) I want to show what the lens is really worth!

This review and the star players

OK, so I have the Samyang and want to compare it with the new AFS Nikkor, so I go and order it. A week goes by and when I go to my trusted supplier he informs me that the only copy he received was mistakenly sold by one of the salespersons. So they order another copy and when I go back to pick it up, I find out that the Greek Nikon distributor had sent them the older version. So what was I to do? I grabbed the older D version to test and compare with the Samyang (I will be returning this when my AFS version arrives). Not having the AFS version really doesn’t change the basic structure of this review, since it really is about the Samyang and it’s a given that the AFS will in most probability be better than the AF D version it replaces. So part 2, just like part 1 will be about how well the Samyang can stand up to the Legend!

The comparison

All tests are based on the wide open performance and have wedding portraiture in mind (portraiture meaning journalistic style photography in uncontrolled environments, like shooting the bride while getting ready). So let’s get straight to it.

Samyang @ f/1.4 color, contrast and exposure corrected & sharpened

Nikkor @ f/1.4 color, contrast and exposure corrected & sharpened

Sharpness: At f/1.4 the Samyang is nearly as sharp in the center and slightly catches up if not betters the Nikkor towards the edges. In real life, you wouldn’t really notice any differences unless you are doing what we are now, pixel peeping! Actually once you correct color contrast and exposure, you can't tell them apart unless you look at the bokeh. So yes, the 1200€ Nikkor is the sharper lens, but in practical terms the Samyang is nearly as good as the Nikkor and sometimes less sharp is good for portraits. Nikkor 8.5 Samyang 8

Top: Samyang @ f/1.4. No corrections or sharpening applied.

Bottom: Nikkor @ f/1.4 No corrections or sharpening applied. Same exposure for both lenses.
Notice how the Nikkor is brighter at the same exposure. Note: I tried the best I could
to get the focusing plane as close as possible in both lenses - Not an easy task!

Contrast: OK, here the Nikkor is definitely a winner and it is noticeable. I mean show me two unprocessed portraits and I can easily pick the Samyang, since it has a noticeable amount of less contrast. But how negative is that characteristic? I mean some people love the effect it has on portraits and on the other hand it can be easily fixed in post. (Compare the two corrected Flikr JPG's above). Nikkor 9 Samyang 8

Color: The Samyang has an overly warm rendering which at times can be nice, but in all seriousness, a neutral rendering is preferable. The Nikkor has a neutral rendering with a slight greenish bluesh tinge that is really not noticeable. Nikkor 9 Samyang 8

Vignetting: There was a time (20 years ago) when I (and others as well) loved the vignetting effect on portraits when using the AF 80-200mm f/2.8. Actually I have used a large number of Nikkkors in my long career and I don’t remember using a lens without some degree of vignetting – some are heavy and others hardly noticeable to the average user, but light fall off was always present. Anyway, things have changed since then and everyone these days is concerned with edge to edge performance. Well, the Samyang doesn’t fair well in the vignetting department and its actually present right through the aperture range, meaning you never really get rid of the noticeable vignetting. This is one of the 2 reasons why you get darker images with the Samyang even though exposures are the same for both lenses. Light transmittance is the other. The Nikkor has strong light fall off as well which is not much different to the Samyang, but gives the impression of a lot less since for the same exposure you get a brighter image with the Nikkor. If you use different exposures so as to get similar brightness levels in the middle of the frame then the vignetting is very similar on both lenses. The difference lies in stopping down, in which case, the Nikkor improves rapidly. Nikkor 8 Samyang 6.5

Light Transmission: The f-number of a lens is the ratio of the focal length to the effective object lens diameter. It is a mechanical ratio and does not provide any guarantees to the actual light transmission. The Samyang compared to the Nikkor is about 0.5 stop darker for the same exposure. It’s not a slower lens, since it really is a f/1.4 but the glass within its construction does absorb more light than the Nikkor. Combine this with the already mentioned heavy vignetting and the darker result can be bothersome under testing/comparison conditions but in real life you probably wont really notice it. Nikkor 9 Samyang 8

Top: Nikkor @ f/1.4, Bottom: Samyang @ f/1.4

Fringing: As most of you already know, CA’s are a type of distortion in which there is a failure of a lens to focus all colors to the same point. This is why CA’s manifest themselves as "fringes" of color along boundaries of dark and bright parts of the image. And even though we all use the term "CA’s” or “purple fringing" quite often and very loosely, not all purple fringing can be attributed to chromatic aberration of the lens used. There can be other causes but we wont dwell into that discussion. So how does the cheap Samyang compare to the Nikkor? Well, the newer optical design of the Samyang manages to easily outperform the dated Nikkor and this is really no surprise, though I doubt it would beat the AFS version. Nikkor 8.5 Samyang 9

Top: Nikkor @ f/4, Bottom: Samyang @ f/4. Wide open and up until f/2.2, there is no difference to be seen in the aperture.

Top: Nikkor @ f/1.4, Bottom: Samyang @ f/1.4. The bokeh of the Samyang is so smooth!.

Bokeh: This is where the Samyang really shines. You will be hard pressed to find someone who will actually pick the Nikkor over the Samyang in this department. The bokeh is real smooth and hard to describe in words. It’s like someone used the Gaussian blur tool for the background. OK, this doesn’t mean that the Nikkor does not have good bokeh, its actually great, but my hat off to Samyang for creating an affordable lens with such beautiful bokeh. And to think, that Samyang don’t even use rounded aperture blades. Of course the penalty for that is that spectral highlights show hints of an octagonal around light spots from f/2.8 onwards but this is a moot point since this lens will be used wide open, but is noted since the Nikkor with its 9 rounded blades performs much better throughout the aperture range. Nikkor 9 Samyang 9.5

Manual Focusing: Another big advantage of the Samyang is how easy you can nail sharp focus. For some reason focus is just snappier, I mean I'm finding it easier to focus this lens than any other fast lens I’ve ever used before. I’m constantly amazed at how many shots keep showing up in focus. During my sharpness test I used live view (magnified) to ensure focus was the same for both lenses. I tried over 7 times and then gave up. I constantly got the Samyang images focused and those from the Nikkor blurred. What this means is that the Nikkor was definitely not built for manual focusing. Even on a tripod with live view, focus was a hit and miss affair. So I resorted to using AF with the Nikkor first and then tried to place the focal plane on the same exact spot for the Samyang, and believe me when I say that finding the focal plane of one image and trying to place the focal plane from another lens on the exact same spot is nearly impossible at f/1.4. Try it and then you will remember this remark! Nikkor 5 Samyang 9

Focal length

Another characteristic worth noting is that the Samyang is more like a 90mm lens or the Nikkor an 80mm, take your pick. Now this may seem like cheating to some, because what’s happening is that from the moment you have focused on exactly the same plane for both lenses then the background blur (bokeh) will theoretically be better for the longer lens. Now how much this really affects bokeh and whether it matters I don’t know really know. What matters to me is that I have a couple of portrait lenses which for the same subject give me different bokeh performance. I obviously choose the better lens, and I don’t really care how that is achieved, since it’s the final result that I’m interested in.

Final words

Some of you are probably thinking that the 1200€ Nikkor is way ahead and is the better lens. Yes, in some ways I agree, but when you take into consideration the prices then value becomes an important issue, especially since the optical performance of both lenses are so close and the price differences so great. I mean is an extra 800€ really worth it for lens that performs only slightly better optically and offers AF? Not to mention its inability to be focused manually!

So the Samyang has to be the best bargain going around on the net at the moment. If you are a wedding or portrait photographer on a tight budget or just starting out, then you can’t go wrong with the Samyang AE 85mm f/1.4 lens. For 300€ you get a well built manual focusing portrait lens that performs similarly to the legendary AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D.

PS: Some of you are probably wondering why I have ordered the AFS version. Well as good as the Samyang may be, I'm getting older and I need AF for paying assignments since I cannot rely 100% on the accuracy of my eyes.

AFS 16-35mm f/4G ED VR

2010-10-31T14:47:00.016+02:00

Intro

For Nikon FX users, the 16-35mm f/4 zoom lens is probably the best landscaping lens available from Nikon. Now some of you are probably thinking, what about the 14-24mm, sure it may be a little sharper with a lot less distortion, but it is of limited use to a true landscaper since it offers less range and no support for common filters. The AFS 16-35mm offers three distinctive characteristics: Firstly, the constant f/4 aperture which we haven’t seen from Nikon in a long time, secondly, the VR technology on a wide angle zoom lens and thirdly, it’s the widest FX lens from Nikon that works with filters (screw on and front mounted). FX users have been waiting for this lens for a long time. The same cannot be said of DX users, since the range is not exciting enough on the smaller format (24-52.5mm).

Description / Price

Even though the 16-35mm is a stop slower than the other pro wide angle zooms from Nikon, it provides a lower priced alternative and a constant aperture of f/4 throughout its zoom range. And though a little cheaper than some other options, the new lens is a bit overpriced for what it really is at just over 1000€ but this doesn’t seem to be hurting sales.

For a thousand euros you get a magnesium alloy chasis and a top quality plastic exterior. It also includes weather-resistant sealing, which means less worrying when shooting in wet conditions. Much like most of the pro lenses from Nikon, the new Nikon 16-35mm VR lens is built to last a lifetime. Being a G-series lens, means it won't work on manual focus cameras because there's no way to set the aperture, however, its fully compatible with all current Nikon DSLRs.

Feel

Surprisingly, this lens is quite large, making the combination with a D700 a bit uneven since it tends to nose dive but feels more balanced on the D3. The specs suggest that the AFS 16-35mm is as large as the AFS 24-70mm, but in practice it feels a bit smaller in the palm of your hand. The fact that its lighter than the AFS 24-70mm probably helps in making it feel less bulky too. Its also smaller and lighter than the AFS 14-24mm. So even though the new constant f/4 aperture lens seems bulky at first, in reality it has less metal and glass in its construction making it a pleasure to use on a D3 or D700 & MB-D10. As already mentioned, the lens provides a 77mm filter thread so using filters is not a problem like it is with the 14-24mm. As usual, the zoom ring is closer to the camera body and the focus ring is towards the front. The manual focusing feel has the typical loosenes of most modern Nikkors and the zooming the typical stifness - nothing unusual.

Quick specs

Picture angle-of-view ................. 107° - 63°
Aperture range .............................. f/4 – f/22
Optical construction ..................... 17 elements in 12 groups
Special elements ........................... 2 ED and 3 aspherical plus Nano crystal coating
Μinimum focus .......................... 0.28cm
Maximum magnification .............. 0.25x
Diaphragm blades .......................... 9 rounded
Filter ............................................ 77mm
Internal focusing ......................... Yes
Weight ........................................ 680g
Dimensions ................................ 125x82.5mm

Construction

The 16-35mm is a totally new and is made up of 17 elements in 12 groups. The optical construction includes two ED glass elements and three aspherical glass elements to minimise distortion and aberrations. One of the other reasons why the optical construction is so complex and the lens so big and heavy is the inclusion of the additional stabilisation elements of the VR mechanism, which is another reason why this lens has such a high price tag. According to Nikon you get up to four f-stops of shutter speed advantage, something that can come in handy if shooting in low light. The lens also offers Nikon's Nano Crystal coatings which help to subdue internal reflections, thereby reducing the risk of flare and ghosting. Like most modern nikkors, it has 9 rounded diaphragm blades as well for better bokeh performance. Overall, Nikon has put a lot of effort in producing this lens.

There is no doubt that this lens is sharp! Plus chromatic aberrations are practically non existent. 35mm @ f/4

Performance

The lens performs best between 20-35mm while at 16mm you get the lowest performance, though still very good (best to avoid wide open aperture at 16mm). Edges are quite good both in terms of resolution and light fall off thanks to its flatness of field across all focal length and aperture ranges though under certain circumstances light fall off can be heavy (again, best to avoid wide open aperture at 16-20mm). Also worthy of note, is the negligible loss in resolution due to diffraction from f/11 on.

Chromatic aberrations: CA's shouldn’t be a problem since they are non distinguishable under most circumstances and the same goes for colour fringing, though those two are more evident at the 16mm setting.

Vignetting: One must not forget that providing a 77mm filter thread on such a wide angle of view (107°) is not an easy task and will in most cases affect the vignetting performance of the lens. Personally, I feel that light fall off isn’t really a problem with this lens and its purpose, but technically speaking, it is “noticeable” when shooting clear sky’s wide-open and at all focal lengths, however, it wasn't very obvious and was easily resolved by closing down one stop if you felt it may cause a problem for your particular subject. Of course the problem is nearly non existent for shooters utilising Nikons autocorrection facilities (either hardware or software).

Distortion: This is one area where you will have to learn to live with the short comings. For landscapes this won’t be much of a problem and horizons can be fixed if needed, since its not of the moustache type, but for those shooting architecture professionally, other lenses will be required. Heavy barrel distortion is very noticeable from 16 to 18 and has pretty much disappeared by 20mm. At 35mm pincushion distortion is slightly noticeable but not bothersome. For those shooting jpg’s or using Nikon Capture NX, most of the lens‘s shortcomings will be automatically corrected to some degree.

Flaring and ghosting: Unfortunately, flaring can be a problem at times but not so much as to be regretting the purchase. Shooting against the sun most of the time produced good results and no loss of contrast, but sometimes would produce ugly ghosting of various colors and shapes. Usually, if spotted during composition, you could ever so slightly tilt or swing the camera and remove the flaring, so in a sense its manageable.

Compared

This lens should not be compared with the 14-24mm f/2.8 zoom. They are different lenses designed for different purposes and they both excel at those. The old AFS 17-35mm f/2.8, even though a good performer on the D700, is best left alone since it was designed for film and is still expensive to this day. The new AFS 16-35mm f/4 VR is sharper and an overall better performer with the added advantage of VR technology. As for the "legendary" AFS 14-24mm f/2.8, it is produces both sharper and less distorted images than both across the frame and at all focal lengths, but as already noted is of limited range and offers no filter attachment.

Last words

Even though slightly overpriced for what it really is, the AFS 16-35mm f/4 is an excellent lens for all those landscapers out there. Overall the 16-35mm lens can produce high resolution images throughout the aperture and focal length range but more precisely, best performance is between f/5.6 and f/16 and from 18mm to 30mm. So if you are shooting landscapes, then this lens will serve you well. On the other hand if you are thinking of buying this lens for anything else other than shooting landscapes, you may be disappointed. One exception may be travelers and street photography, since the light weight and the VR technology may be a bonus for them. Wedding and event photographers may also be interested in this lens, but I personally feel that the AFS 14-24mm f/2.8 is a better investment for them. The lens is a winner in my eyes even at the high asking price

Pictures taken with the AF-S 16-35mm f/4G VR

MTF chart as published by Nikon

How to read the MTF chart

Nikon D700

2010-10-02T13:54:00.009+03:00

I wanted to post a shot of my son so this is a good excuse :-) OK, so I've been shooting with the D700 for over a year and never really bothered to do a write up since there was so much info about the camera online, plus i had nothing new or different to add. Anyway, even though we all pretty much know about the high ISO performance capabilities of the 12MP Nikon FX sensor, we don't automatically go shooting at high ISO's. So the other day, I was shooting my son indoors with just a tungsten light bulb overhead and to get a decent exposure had to pump up the ISO to 5000. I knew there would be some acceptable noise, but i was in for a surprise, i mean those shots were incredible!! And to think that for my commercial work I have limited myself to ISO 3200 just to be safe.
Check this shot out: Nikon D700 and AF 50mm f/1.4D @ ISO 5000, f/2, 1/500sec

and a 100% screen grab

I know, old news, but being conservative for so long on my previous assignments helped to be once again shocked by the high ISO performance of the D700!! OK, so the above shot had some "decent" tungsten light, what about a backlit portrait totally in shade after the sun had dipped over the horizon and in a dark alley? I took this shot with the manual focus Samyang 85mm and could barely focus on the eyes!! The next shot was shot @ ISO 6400, f/1.4, 1/80 sec.

Samyang 85mm f1.4 AE IF UMC Aspherical

2010-07-13T02:10:00.013+03:00

I've been using the 2nd version of the popular Samyang 85mm f/1.4 lens with electronic chip for over a month, and as you can see from the pics below, the lens screams bokeh! I bought mine for 300€ and got the Samyang UV filter for free. At the same time my dealer was selling the Nikkor AF 85mm f/1.4D for 1200€ while used copies of the Ais version were going for 800€, so as you can see, the Samyang is a realy cheap investment. The question is how does it perform?

What can I say, I love this lens. Its plenty sharp but what really sets it apart from others is it's creamy smooth bokeh.

Samyang
Third party manufacturers, especially those from Russia and Korea, usually produce budget-priced lenses (usually zooms) for the lower-end of the consumer market. But strangely enough, sometimes, these manufacturers can come up with a nice offering, like the Russian 35mm tilt and shift lens from Kiev or the subject of this review, the Samyang 85mm f1.4 AE IF UMC Aspherical. Although my copy is designed and made by Samyang, it is sold under a multitude of brand names, including Bower, Rokinon, Polar, Falcon, and others.

The long box contains the lens, an instruction manual, a soft bag, front and rear lens caps, and a bayonet-mount lens hood that does not obstruct the 72mm lens filter thread. No surprises here. I would advize getting a modern nikon made lens cap (with the recessed slots) since placing and removing the samyang made cap is nearly impossible with large fingers like i have. The hood is plastic,and seems to do a fine job at controlling stray light. The hood also reverses over the lens for better space saving in your camera bag.

The background in this image was very busy, and yet, the Samyang was able to smooth it all away.

100% screen grab - dont forget, this is a moving subject

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION:

Focal Length: ................................... 85 mm
Aperture Max: ................................. f/1.4
Field of vision: ................................. 28.3 o
Focusing distance: ........................... Minimum 1m
Minimum aperture: .......................... 22
Number of aperture blades: ............ 8
Construction: .................................... 9 elements /7 groups
Filter size: ......................................... 72 mm
Dimensions: ..................................... 78 x 72.2 mm
Weight: ............................................ 513 g
Additional information: ................... 1 Aspherical element

Description
If you have handled an AF 85mm f/1.4 Nikkor before, then this lens will be surprisingly small, on the other hand, if all you have ever used is a couple of slow zooms, then the lens may seem large. Either way, this is a nice size and feels very well suited on a Nikon d700 with or without the battery pack. It also looks good, with its big front multicoated element glowing and ready for action. Amazingly, for the price you get an all metal construction, plenty of quality glass, including an aspheruical element and what seems to be a very good manual focusing mechanism that i have fallen in love with. Overall, the whole lens construction feels very solid and precise.

Handling
On first contact, the initial impression is very good since it no way feels cheap. At first, i thought the focusing throw was too long and too stiff, (this is what happens after years of focusing manually with modern AF lenses) but after some little use, one gets used to the authentic manual focusing feel of the past that so many have forgotten. You need two thumb throws from closest focus distance (1m) to infinity which is very good since your actual working throw can be handled by the limited movement of your thumb & index finger. The focusing ring is well damped and has a nice to the touch rubber grip. Of course manual focusing is a lot easier with a pro-specced viewfinder or/and the appropriate focusing screen. Overall, the lens handles superbly with very smooth and precise focusing. Precise here meaning that it offers the necessary resistance to allow for precise focusing.

One negative point about the samyang is the fact that it doesn't provide a minimum apertutre lock. If the ring does move accidently away from minimum aperture, then FEE will apear in the viewfinder and top LCD warning the photographer of the error. No big deal since i havent had any issues yet. I dont use the aperture ring since this version of the lens comes with an electronic chip which handles all communication with the camera. All data necessary for light measurement and aperture control are transmitted to the camera body. Flash is also fully usable and most importantly, all relevant lens paramaeters are displayed in EXIF. Like most modern lenses this optic is an internal focus design, meaning that the front element doesn't rotate or that the lens body racks in or out while focusing.

An excellent lens for street photography as well! Of course, focusing is easy, once mastered!

Optical construction and aberrations
Surprise-surprise, for a mere 300€ you get one of the most modern and complex designs in its class. Not only does it comprise of 9 elements arranged in 7 groups, but it also includes an aspherical element. This aspherical element ensures a smaller, more compact and lighter lens which in other words also means that it can be designed with fewer lens surfaces, so there is also less potential for internal reflection. But its main advantage is that it offers superb optical performance by eliminating sagittal, or arrow shaped, coma, even at its widest aperture. And that’s not all, since Samyang has also provided this lens with very good multi-layered and anti-reflective coatings (UMC - Ultra Multi Coated) ensuring a high transmission of light. It also offers 8 blades, though they are not rounded - not much of a problem really, since most shooting will be done wide open. Bokeh remains milky smooth right through to f/2.2.

I have shot quite a few portraits against the light and have been very impressed by the performance of this lens. Chromatic aberrations and distortion are undetectable and will go unoticed in nearly all shooting situations with this lens. I dont shoot stars, so dont ask me how it performs against the Noct nikkor when it comes to Coma and Astigmatism but the aspherical lens incuded will ensure good performance. Now, vignetting is present but i dont find it troublesome. So far the Samyang is performing quite well, but what about ghosting and flaring? Well, unlike some other reports on the net, i find this lens an excellent performer even against the sun. Maybe this second version has better coatings, i dont know, as far as i am told, both versions carry the same coatings.

Busy foregrounds and backgrounds in an orthodox christening are easily handled by the Samyang (above). Even detail shots are managed well (below), even though the minimum focusing distance is only 1m.

Last words
So its made in Korea, who cares? For 300€ you get an excellent lens with the smoothest bokeh! Is it as good as the Nikkor AF 85mm f/1.4 or even the f/1.8. Personally, i like this Samyang better for its smooth bokeh and unbeatable price. Highly recommended!

Part 2 is here (06/11/2010)

Pros:

Excellent wide open,
Very little chromatic aberrations
Practically zero distortion
Vignetting not a real concern
True f/1.4
Very good build quality
Excellent price-quality ratio

Cons:

No AF

MTF chart

As found on the internet, source unknown.

UPDATE 13/10/2010
People have been asking me where I got my lens from, so for any one interested, I purchased mine from www.photozone.gr. Very reliable source with excellent prices, recommend them wholeheartedly!

AF NIKKOR 18mm f/2.8D

2010-05-30T23:37:00.008+03:00

Intro
After a quick search on the internet, the info you’ll gather for this lens will be sort of disappointing since most reports concentrate on softness and vignetting issues that may have some merit but I believe are slightly over-exaggerated since we dont all shoot brick walls but images. Personally, I feel this lens deserves a better representation on the web especially when combined with today’s 12MP full frame cameras, such as the D700 and D3. Once you get to know this lens, you too will discover how amazing it can be. It’s one of the least known wide angle Nikkor’s and part of its peculiar yet excellent performance is due to the inclusion of an aspherical element – a very expensive addition back then. At the time of this writing, Amazon.com still has this lens listed as available new for $2200. On ebay prices range from $250 to $1000 – I got mine in mint condition for 500€.

Description and quick specs
The lens is light and feels good on both the D3 and D700. Manual focusing is not its forte since it has been designed to focus quickly in AF mode, which means the MF throw is short and “loose” providing no precision at all. For the newcomers to the Nikon world, this lens has no AF disengage switch, which means that you need to support the lens in such a way as to not get your fingers jammed up against the focusing ring when using the AF or switch to MF on the body. The 18mm is a pro specified lens with metal in all the right places for a solid and reassuring construction. It has a nice crinkle finish and even though it comes with a 77mm front filter thread, the lens is small and easily transported in a vest pocket. This lens is nothing like the “old” plastic AF primes, which are still sold to this day.

•   Amazingly, this lens is comprised of 13 elements (I aspherical) in 10 groups!
•   Picture angle on FX is 100° and on DX format cameras 76°
•   It uses a 7-bladed diaphragm design with straight blades (no big deal really for such a wide angle lens).
•   Closes down to f/22
•   The front of the lens, which doesn’t rotate accepts today’s standard 77mm filters.
•   The AF mechanism is the old screwdriver type (and it’s quick)
•   Unfortunately the short throw means the MF ring is too loose to be used comfortably
•   Closest focusing distance is 0.25m and max reproduction ratio 1/9.1
•   The size (82×58mm ) and weight (380g) make this very easy to pocket
•   Supplied accessories included the bayonet hood HB-8 and lens case CL-17

The 18mm is good for self portraits!

Whats the 18mm really good for?

When Nikon released the AF 18mm in late 1993, the marketing department targeted everyone and included all facets of photography in its advertising campaign, but during the design process, the engineering department had certain goals to achieve and certain customers in mind. Basically, Nikon has always targeted the hard working PJ with its more exotic designs, so this explains the loose manual focus but quick AF, the very good center performance and the excellent close focusing performance. It’s in these areas, that this lens differs so much from the AF 20mm f/2.8 lens. The 18mm is a great lens to use in crowds, especially held overhead. Wide open performance is very good to excellent, enabling to shoot a person within its environment without including a “focused” background. Of course, you need to keep your main subject close to center for good results. I wouldn’t recommend this lens to landscapers, since the darkening and softening of the edges are very noticeable. I have also noticed that the background never seems to come into focus, even with large apertures, though I think this has something to do with its special CRC design where the emphasis is on close range sharpness with max contrast, so its behavior focusing up front and relying on DOF for sharpness in the background is not the same as with the AF 20mm.

Shooting people with this lens is a joy! It even excels in street scenes amongst a crowd since its so unobtrusive.

Distortion and shooting tips

Another plus for this lens is the better than average distortion, which is good for most photography but for the reasons already mentioned, you probably wouldn’t use this lens to shoot buildings professionally. As a PJ lens, the minimum distortion is good at minimizing distorted people, as long as you learn how to use such a wide angle lens to your advantage. Now, for those people shooting brick walls, you will notice some barrel distortion, but nothing to get really upset about. On plenty of forums, people report “unwanted” distortion when using ultra wide angle lenses, but most reports are probably referring to natural distortion due to perspective and not to the unwanted pincushion and barrel type of distortion, commonly found on most zooms and telephotos. “Natural distortion” is something we come across every day. When facing a large square building the side closest to us will seem larger than the rear due to the natural laws of perspective.

Now a wide-angle lens will only exaggerate this, and the wider we go the more pronounced this effect will become. Parallel lines will seem to converge at some point in the far distance, and will be exaggerated even more if we tilt the lens (something a lot of good photographers try to avoid). Most people don't comprehend the scale of this effect with an ultra wide such as the 18mm until they actually see their first photos. It does need some getting used too, so anything containing straight lines may warrant holding the camera in such a way as to keep the film plane vertical to the ground and parallel to the horizon.

With environmental portraits it is preferable to keep the lens at the same level as the faces and try to place them closer to the centre of the frame if you desire the least amount of perspective-distortion. Avoiding to tilt the lens is good practice and most often you will probably find yourself kneeling for better framing. Plus, working with a picture angle of 100° means you should be careful not too include unwanted objects into the scene such as a tripod leg, especially in the vertical position.

Something else worth noting about using such a wide angle lens is that noticeable straight edges (eg buildings, horizon line etc) should not be placed very close to the extreme edge of the frame since the little wavy distortion present will only be amplified to the naked eye. As many of you might have gathered by now, getting good images from a ultra wide angle lens is not so easy. You need to be more conscious of your fore, middle and background. Being forced to place people in the middle of the frame should not pose a problem since cropping digital images is easy and pretty much part of our digital workflow. Generally, you will need to think more the wider you go!

Even though both were shot at f/14, the vignetting is still apparent. Not a good lens for landscapers.

Optical performance

Wide open the lens delivers very sharp results in the center (especially when focused close) and gets better while closing down the aperture extending the sharpness towards the edges without ever really reaching far.

The edges are also weakened by the vignetting which is pretty severe wide open, a little better by f/4 and gone by f/8. Thankfully, if shooting a landscape, the vignetting starts to disappear as you close down and focus further away.

Contrast and color are generally great with this lens (in the center). Unlike the new AFS VR 16-35mm or the older AF 18-35mm f/3,5-4,5 (which by the way, both are generally sharper) distortion is very well controlled and will not be of any concern, unless you shoot a building with a straight line right next to the edge off the frame. I usually shoot this lens wide open and use other lenses for my landscapes and architectural shots.

Flare is generally OK, unless shooting in strong sunny conditions. Like with most lenses, the hood should be used at all times and the photographer needs to be careful to shade the lens so as to prevent any flaring or ghosting.

Last thoughts

Back in the film days, I was a big fan of the AF 20mm f/2.8D and preferred it over the more specialized 18mm. The 20mm was the better lens, since it could double as a landscape/architectural and environmental portrait lens for a lot less money. The AF 18mm f/2.8D was at the time very expensive and not really good at landscapes due to its soft edges and heavy vignetting.

Today, we have full frame digital cameras and dedicated raw converters that can correct for certain amounts of lens aberrations such as CA’s, vignetting and even distortion, so things are indeed different when looking at such a lens today, especially since it can be found on the used market for a lot less than what it was first sold for.

So, if you are into street, event, culture or reportage photography and looking for a light, pocketable and unobtrusive fast wide angle lens, then go e-baying for a reasonably priced AF 18mm Nikkor, you’ll fall in-love with it once you learn its limitations ... but don't buy it for anything else!

MTF chart as published by Nikon

How to read MTF charts

Rebuilding a lens and getting Nikon parts

2010-03-09T15:09:00.004+02:00

Nikkor Ais 500mm f/4

For a long time I have been contemplating the rebuild of my old and trusty 500mm lens. Even though its optical performance was great, some of its moving parts were showing their age and using the lens was becoming more tiresome. My main concerns were the following:
Sticky focusing ring: The focusing ring on my lens did not have a constant drag. Halfway between infinity and near focus the ring would come across more friction and grind for about 2 cm. Even though I was usually shooting in the minimum focusing distance range, this was still an inconvenience I wanted to get rid of.
Very sticky tripod collar: The tripod collar was so worn that it was nearly impossible to move the camera from horizontal to vertical with one hand. At times, when coming to a sudden stop, I thought that I would damage the mount.
Worn rear lens mount: Like most old lenses, the rear mount was worn down to the point where the camera and lens showed a lot of play. One of the problems with this is that the electrical contacts lose alignment producing an ERR message.

The fix
So my first stop was at my local Nikon distributor. The news from them was no parts were available – this was in 2005. So my first reaction was to contact Nikon at Japan, same response. So I started searching for other dealers worldwide in the hope that someone might still have some parts left over. In the meantime I realized that I needed a schematic of the lens so I can at least pin point the parts that I would need to order. Thankfully and after a lot of searching, I finally came across what I needed. Now that I had a list of part numbers, all I had to do was find the parts.

Against all odds, I came across two dealers who seemed to have a large inventory of parts for most of the Nikon lens range. After contacting them, I found out that they had the parts I needed but couldn’t send them out of the respective countries, so I contacted my local dealer again and arranged for them to get my parts in since the technician there would be doing the overhaul anyway. Thankfully parts were cheap.

The long journey
I had started this project in May 2006 with the hopes of having the lens ready by September 2007. This was an important date, since I would be moving to the island of Lesvos for a two year work contract and wanted the lens overhauled before moving to the island. As most birders in Europe know, this was one of the better places to be for photographing birds, so two years on Lesvos was surely going to give me a lot of opportunities to get some nice shots plus maybe see some rare species. This was also a chance for me to get enough images to publish my first book. Unfortunately parts were slow at arriving. The only part I managed to change prior to moving to the island was the rear mount. Parts started showing up during my two year stay on Lesvos but I couldn’t really leave the lens for the long time required for the repair while on the island, so my book was accomplished with the faulty lens. After returning to Athens in September 2009 my lens was taken to the local Nikon distributor for the rebuild. Like most things in Greece, it took a long time to get the lens back - 4 months to be exact!

The result
Well, I am happy to report that after all the hardship, searching and waiting, the overhauled lens is a better tool to work with. The focusing is a lot smoother and the overall resistance is more even compared to how it was. This was a big relief but as is often the case, you fix one and brake another. Now the focusing ring/tube has a slight wobble of nearly 1mm which even though does not seem to affect the smoothness of the focusing action is still annoying. The tripod collar action was the biggest improvement at nearly 100%. Now I can literally spin the camera and lens with little force and the movement is so smooth just like a new camera. The rear mount was also a big improvement with a tight fit and helped to better mount the camera body with less play.

Some of you may be wondering if I saw any optical improvements? The answer is no! Unfortunately the test pic’s I took before and after the overhaul revealed that there were no discernible differences that could be seen, though I do “feel” that pictures taken with the overhauled lens look better. I suppose we all are affected by the psychological factor :) Would I recommend you go to the trouble of rebuilding your old lens? Well if you can avoid such an exercise, please do so, as in most cases most “old lenses” that still work, are better left alone. If though your lens has serious problems, and can’t be replaced with a little money, then rebuilding may spring some new life into it.

Getting your lens / camera fixed
So if you live in remote region or other far off place and need some hard-to-get parts, my advice is that you do the preliminary work yourself. Get a hold of a schematic or parts list of your lens / camera and try to pin point all the required parts that your item may need. Once you have your list ready try and locate all the parts needed. Once the list is complete with available parts and source addresses pass it on to your local dealer, distributor or technician so that they can get them in for you. In most cases they will be happy that you have done the work in listing all the individual part numbers and have done all the work in locating the actual parts. Some of you may think that parts don’t exist for your particular lens, but in most cases parts do exist for a range of old and rare lenses, it’s just that most dealers don’t seem willing to spend the time (possibly not very profitable for them) picking the right part numbers and then spending hours on the phone trying to find someone on the planet that actually has parts in stock.

Update 28/11/2010: I've found a good source of hard to get Nikon parts at Camera Recycler

PDFs
I have a large selection of PDF's (parts list plus service and repair manuals), so if you are having a hard time locating what you need, send me an email at my email informing me of the PDF you need. Although not required, a small donation would be highly aprecciated. Examples of what some of the PDF's look like:

Tokina AT-X Pro 28-70mm f/2.6-2.8

2009-11-08T17:35:00.012+02:00

So you finally decided to buy a D700, and are now wondering how good that cheap Tokina can really be. Well you are in luck since I have most of the info you will need so as to not pick the wrong version. You will be pleased to know that the fast Tokina mid range zoom is an excellent investment (considering its price on the SH market) but you may want to read on and find out which incarnation is worth buying since there were a few updates to this design and unfortunately, the latest is not the greatest.

Lens versions
What follows is a list of the inscriptions as found on the inside of the lens around the front element and a few pics I found on the internet. Because this lens can be found with different mounts, all of the various versions have different back ends. For instance, the Nikon version is usually thinner at the base and includes an aperture ring, where the Canon version is thicker around the base and does not include an aperture ring. As far as I can tell there are 5 incarnations of this lens, but some speak of 6 or even 7, so if you have any info please feel free to send it along so I can update this list.

1) AT-X Tokina AF 28-70mm 1:2.8 Ø 72 JAPAN

This is the first version of a fast mid range zoom that Tokina made as far as i can tell. It's not labeled as a Pro version and only has a filter diameter of 72mm instead of the normal 77mm. This version has nothing to do with the Angenieux design.

2) Tokina AT-X PRO AF 28-70mm 1:2.6-2.8 Ø 77 JAPAN (Pro I with screw on hood)

This is the original Pro version which is also the most sought after version by those new D700 owners in the know since its the version that's based on the Angenieux optical formula. Recognized easily by the ugly and short screw-on hood. Multi-coating was applied to a large number of lens surfaces to help improve contrast while at the same time reducing reflections and ghosting. There is also some suggestion that this version had one HLD (High Refraction Low Dispersion) glass element, though this is not certain.

3) AT-X PRO 28-70mm 1:2.6-2.8 Ø 77 JAPAN (Pro II with Bayonet hood)

There are a lot of contradicting reports about this lens. In most tests, it performs nearly the same as the Pro I version. Tokina claimed better performance due to better coatings and the added aspherical elements.

4) Tokina AT-X Pro 28-80mm 1:2.8 (gold badge on focusing ring)

Unlike its cousins, this version has no markings on the inside around the front element. Instead it carries a gold badge thats glued onto the focusing ring. The 28-80mm was a good performer but no match for the original Pro I and II versions. In a couple of reports, there was even disappointment for the non-pro finish which had a sand like texture that in a couple of cases showed signs of peeling off. Though Tokina lenses are generally regarded as having a good finish and build.

5) Tokina AT-X PRO SV 28-70mm 1:2.8 Ø 77 JAPAN

This is Tokina's attempt to make the same lens with less money, it pretty much failed. This was labeled the SV version and has no SD or Aspherical elements. A lot of owners have been disappointed by the lesser performance compared to the previous models even though there were more coatings added. SV stands for Super Value and not super performance and this is evident in most tests. My recommendation would be to avoid this version.

NOTE1: The best performing of all these is the original Pro version which this article is about. Second place goes to the Pro II version though some may argue that the Pro II version should grab the title of best performer in this group. If i was forced to give a numerical value from 1 to 5 on these lenses, then i would probably give both of these a 4,5 so the best buys are the Pro I and Pro II versions. But how did I come to these conclusions and do I own all of these lenses? the answer to the second part is no. I use to own the Pro II and later the SV version which was no match for my older lens and had regretted at the time for the bad upgrade. Today, I have purchased the original Pro version and a friend has the 28-80mm and we are comparing old test charts shot on film with the two new lenses we have at hand.
NOTE2: All of the aforementioned lenses share similar naming conventions which confuses a lot of people and reviewers alike. So be sure to identify the right lens when involved in a forum discussion. They may seem similar but they are each unique and different. Some may wonder why did Tokina ever stray from the original design and I think it had to do with cost cutting.

The Tokina except for the usual people shots can double as a landscape lens as well, even though at 28mm your view is just on the wide side. (28mm @ f/16)

Tokina AT-X history
The Tokina Co Ltd. of Japan has been around since the early fifties. Rumors on the internet suggest that this company was originally started by a group of disgruntled Nikon optical engineers who left Nikon to concentrate on the development of high-quality zoom lenses, which were rare at the time. Whatever the mythology, Tokina consistently produced well made and notable lenses. Originally an OEM manufacturer only, in the early 1970s they began selling lenses under their own Tokina brand. They were one of the first independent companies in the 1970s to produce compact zooms and soon after, an f/2.8 maximum aperture version of the popular 80-20mm zoom. This lens marked the beginning of Tokina's AT-X - Advanced Technology Extra - era (1981) and was built on in the following decade when it acquired the design rights to one of the then most highly regarded fast short zooms, the Angenieux 28-70mm f/2.6, which subsequently appeared as the Tokina AT-X 28-70 f/2.6 - f/2.8.

Angenieux history
The well known (to us older European photographers) French defense and aerospace conglomerate, Angenieux is a company that has always been involved in designing and manufacturing specialized optics for the photo and movie industry since the late thirties. A very innovative company, they will be remembered as the developers of the first retrofocus lens (1950) and of the first zoom lens (1958). Some of their designs were used by Leitz for the Leica R series in the eighties.

The Angenieux 28-70mm f:2.6 AF

Angenieux 28-70mm f:2.6 AF
The 28-70 f:2.6 AF was Angenieux’s last consumer oriented zoom, that was targeted towards the pro market. The lens was just as good optically as any other pro zoom lens of the time either by Nikon or Canon. Unfortunately, its price was also on par with the best of the competition, which made it a tough sale. Later on when Angenieux pulled out of the SLR market, Tokina managed to get usage rights to the Angenieux design and produce the AT-X PRO AF 28-70mm f/2.6-2.8 lens.

Description
Like most of Tokina lenses in the AT-X Pro range, the build quality is exceptionally high thanks to extensive use of duraluminum-alloy. The all metal construction which is nothing like the plastic feel of lenses from other 3rd party manufacturers, is robust and should stand up to a lot of abuse. Although that makes it heavy, I actually prefer it for the better handling when combined with a good solid body. Something that goes by unnoticed is that the Tokina is a touch slower and wider than advertised. So at the 50mm marking it performs more like 45mm focal length and with the aperture set to wide open it performs more like a f/3.5 lens due to light transmission loss. This is not unusual and is of no big deal, and for the price, I don't think anyone is going to care.

Focusing and handling
The lens uses two large rubberized rings for zooming and focusing. The operation on both is very smooth and well damped. The manual focusing action especially is silky smooth, with little resistance and no slack - a real dream to use if you are into manual focusing.

The Tokina AT-X Pro 28-70mm f/2.6-2.8 has good bokeh. (70mm @ f/5.6)

On my D300 with battery pack this lens feels like a good match and balances well in the hand. Without the battery pack, the lens makes its weight felt by wanting to nose dive “slightly”, but it still remains a good combo. Unlike some other zooms it does not change its physical length when zooming. Though just like the old Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 lens, the front group of elements move within the outer barrel never protruding beyond the filter thread. The AF speed of the lens is quite fast, probably as fast if not faster than my AFS 17-55mm, as long as you haven't left the focusing ring in the MF position. The noise during AF operation is noticeable and obviously louder than my AFS 17-55mm but I wouldn't say this lens is noisy.

Focus Clutch Mechanism
To those not familiar with Tokina lenses, this lens features the so called focus-clutch mechanism which allows you to change between AF and MF operation by pushing/pulling the focus ring (You use this in conjunction with the AF/MF switch on the camera body). As i have already noted on my Tokina 300mm review, I'm not really impressed by this feature but it seems to work OK once you get used to it. Its not so much of a problem for AF shooters but can be problematic if you prefer to manual focus. And if that wasn’t enough, changing from AF to MF or the opposite, requires not only the sliding of the focusing clutch to the right position but also the selection of the AF mode on the camera body as well. Unfortunately this is the "price" you pay.

Quick Specs

Focal length: 28-70mm (42-105mm on DX)
Optical Construction: 16 Elements / 12 Groups
Picture angle: 75°20'-34°20'
MFD: 0.7m
Aperture Range: f/2.6-f/22
Diaphragm: 8 rounded blades
Filter Size: 77mm
Dimensions: 79.5 x 109.5mm
Weight: 760g
Lens Hood: BH773

Whether this particular lens version includes a HLD (High Refractive Low Dispersion) element I am not sure but chances are that it does. The lens features 8 rounded aperture blades which help produce smoother OOF highlights and subsequently better bokeh. Similar to other large aperture standard zooms it isn´t exactly light-weight at 760g but still fairly compact at 110x79mm and easy to handle. The filter size is the standard 77mm but I wouldn't recommend putting a filter on this lens if you want maximum performance. The minimum focusing distance is quite long at 0.7m resulting in a max. object magnification of only ~1:9 at 70mm.

Optical performance in detail
Some people on the internet wrongfully post that this lens is super soft wide open when in fact it's pretty sharp. What they don't realize is that the lack of contrast is what gives the impression of softness and this is something that can be corrected to some degree in post processing. All of the various versions of this lens design perform OK but the best performance belongs to the original pro version. It's pretty sharp even towards the edges wide open on a full frame D700 - what it lacks is contrast which gives the impression of less sharpness.

Above: This is the worst case scenario with the Tokina. Wide open straight out of the camera with no sharpening. Seems soft and with very little contrast but can be improved.

Above: This is the Tokina shot with contrast and WB correction and some sharpening applied.

Above: This is the Nikon shot wide open with no sharpening at 100%. Notice the different magnification?

The original Pro version also has a different rendering of the OOF areas and seems to have better bokeh. Like the rest of its family relations it's a bit lacking in the coating department so care must be taken when shooting with a bright light source within the taking frame. Allow me to be more specific here in saying that performance can be maximized by protecting the front element from both dirt and stray light. So keep that front and rear element as clean as possible and try to find a good hood to use. You should also know that the use of a protector filter such as a cheap UV is prohibited since this will only multiply the problem of this lens to flare or ghost (you've been warned). The lens offers a non-rotating 77mm filter mount and should only be used when a polarizer is needed.

This studio portrait was shot with the D300 and the AT-X Pro 28-70mm f/2.6-2.8 lens at 70mm (1/160 @ f/5.6). You cant really tell much from the above photo apart from the fact that someone has used this lens professionally. The image below is a 100% screen grab from the original JPG file as it came straight from the camera with no sharpening what so ever.

Closing down to f/3.5 improves sharpness and contrast a lot and this is important to know. By f/4 the images produced on a FX sensor are non distinguishable from any Nikkor and by f/5.6 it performs just as well as any Nikkor even on a DX sensor. What this means is that since this is not a high resolving lens like the Nikkor, it performs better on the 12MP FX sensor than it does on the demanding 12MP DX sensor.

Nikon D700 & AFS 24-70mm f/2.8

Nikon D700 & Tokina ATX Pro 28-70mm f/2.6-2.8

The above samples from the D700 where shot at f/4 and are 100% screen grabs without any sharpening applied. The Nikkor shows more contrast and better color but the sharpness is very close. Also, before closing this chapter on optical performance, I should point out that like all fast lenses, the Tokina AT-X PRO AF 28-70mm f/2.6-2.8 is also prone to some noticeable vignetting, which should be of no surprise.

Should I buy the Tokina or the Nikon?
Well this you need to answer yourself. An AFS 24-70mm costs around 1500€, and a second hand AFS 28-70mm f/2.8 can fetch 800€ so a used Tokina at 200€ is not only a bargain but a steal. Even the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM costs over 800€. Of course if you are a pro and plan on using it every day wide open, then maybe you should spend the money for the Nikon.

Last words
Apart from some minor negative issues, this lens has proven a rugged workhorse with the ability to produce excellent imagery. So it turns out that this is a real sleeper lens and no matter what you pay for it on the SH market, it still by far much better value than the Nikkor.

IN SUMMARY
Chromatic aberrations
Like a lot of Tokina products, some color fringing in high contrast areas might show up at times, but most of it can be corrected in post processing. The real problem with this lens is flaring something that can be controlled to a certain point.

Vignetting
There is a hint of light fall-off at the corners when shooting wide open on full frame but on the DX format there is no light fall off to talk about.

Distortion
On the DX format cameras there is no distortion. On FX the distortion near the corners at 28mm can be annoying, although cheaper consumer zooms are no better. If you shooting architecture at this focal length, find a better lens. If on the other hand you are used to consumer zooms then you'll probably find the Tokina to be distortion free by comparison.

Sharpness
Excellent at all apertures with best performance between f/4 and f/8. You can shoot at f/2.8 if you really need the speed, but that would require some post processing to bring the contrast up and the sharpness a little. At f/4 image resolution is excellent. At f/22 diffraction spoils the finer details in a big way, so avoid this aperture at all costs.

NOTES
Still confused as to how to recognize a true Angenieux design - well as far as I can tell, the true Angenieux design only uses a screw in hood and does not include a Bayonet. So this would exclude the Pro II version, though i may be wrong on this.

Update (10/11/2009): Charlie, a reader of this blog has sent in the pic below of a version I was not aware of. It's without the bayonet and like the original Pro version only accepts screw in hood. Plus it's a straight f/2.8. I would place this somewhere between the original Pro version and the Pro II version. I would appreciate any help in the identification of the new lens below or any new info the series. I should point out that we should try to identify only those lenses that are a Nikon fit, in case the same version lens in a different mount has a different inscription.

Update (11/11/2009): Charlie has sent the following info:

Hi John
Thanks for the reply I just found out that this is the same version as 28-70mm f2.6-2.8 which is the lens for international markets(for export purpose). The lens of the picture I sent you is solely for domestic market of Japan. So they are identical products.
Thanks
Charlie

Update (13/11/2009): David, a friend of this blog has sent in the following pic. This looks like something between the Pro II and SV version, but I would place this in the same category as the Pro II.

Nikon D5000 video

2009-10-29T10:58:00.006+02:00

Well it looks like I'm not going to get rid of the D5000 after all. I had it for sale but nobody end up buying it so last week I took it along with me on my short trip to Lemnos Island (Greece). I didn't really have a chance for any serious photography, but i thought i would try using the video feature to see what i can come up with. What can I say, Wow! I was impressed - I had never been involved with video before and the truth is I didn't put too much effort into it, so judging from my results this means anyone can produce great video clips. Hope you enjoy my first venture into the video world and would appreciate any comment or critique.

Nikon D5000

2009-07-14T00:12:00.003+03:00

Intro

After a recent trek in the mountains near my home I realized, apart from having to lose some weight that I had to lighten my backpack. At first I looked at everything that could be reduced both in volume and in weight apart from my trusty D300 of course. But after a recent visit to my local camera store where I had the chance to try a D5000 I suddenly realized that a smaller and lighter “D300” (the D5000 uses the same 12.3MP sensor as the D90 and D300) with the inclusion of an articulating LCD screen could turn out to be a trekker’s dream camera, so I bought one to try out in the field.

First impressions

Having large hands, when I first grabbed the camera I was surprised that it matched my grip so well. It felt larger than the typical small DSLR (D40 & D60) with a better grip. So considering my x-large status, for such a small camera, the feel was a big plus. Then I switched it on and I must say that it isn’t like any of the cameras I’ve used before. It took me a little while to figure where everything was but I soon had it figured out so no need for the user’s manual. What took the longest to figure out was how to set the aperture since there is no sub-command dial on the front of the camera (combination of the compensation button with the command dial). What also pleasantly struck me was the new graphical menu system that seems very user friendly. This will obviously turn out to be a hot seller for Nikon.

I shot this using the old AF 50mm f/1.4 lens in manual focus mode since the D5000 doesn't have a built-in AF motor. Thankfully most people buying this camera will be using AF-S lenses.

The first minus point

The most obvious drawback are the controls. The arrangement of the controls and dials are totally different to that of a pro caliber camera such as the D300. Most are missing but replaced by commands in the new graphical menu system. So the question arises, how do you work with two such different cameras? Well it’s a bit nerve racking and I definitely would not suggest this camera to a pro unless he really needed what the D5000 had to offer. As I have already mentioned I bought this little cam and have been using it for the last couple of weeks out in the field, both on treks and on other assignments, but whether I will be keeping it or not will be revealed at the end of this post. I only wished it had at least a dedicated ISO button and the sub-command dial in place, but as it is its OK, especially for the price.

The Nikon D5000 is a great candidate for a trekkers backpack.

Live view

Even though I have live view with the D300, I don’t use it since it’s a hassle to use. You need to turn the drive mode dial to the LV position and then press the shutter release to lock the mirror in the up position and then press the shutter again to take the shot - if you could focus that is. In most cases I was never sure whether I had taken the shot or not – a real pain. Another minus point of the live view mode is that when it was most needed it was pretty useless anyway since I was shooting from some weird angles and couldn’t see the LCD screen. Now with the dedicated LV button of the D5000, the articulating screen and the better performance of the AF during LV, I can finally use live view in real life situations capturing crowd shots from above or landscape shots from below the flowers. In combination with a lightweight VR zoom lens, this is a nice feature for the trekking photographer and probably the best reason to add this in your kit.

With the articulating LCD screen I can now take shots from ground level without getting dirty!

LCD screen hinge

There has been a lot of talk about the placement of the hinge and personally I find it ok and much better than no hinge at all. Of course the current position can be problematic when the camera is mounted on a tripod, but in most cases the screen does not need to be moved once the camera is mounted.

The LCD screen on the D5000 can only move 180° to the left and 90° to the right. Personally I would have thought that Nikon could have provided a full 360° movement.

Video

I haven’t much to say here since I’m not really interested in video myself but would like to pass on some interesting info. Switching video on took me a while to figure out, but eventually found the trick (while in live view mode and watching the live feed you just press the OK button to start recording and again to stop). If you are seriously interested in this feature I would highly recommend the use of a tripod. I should also point out here that there is no support for stereo sound or a directional microphone, no ability to use autofocusing while recording video and the use of VR can produce noise that may be recorded as well. To use this feature I would guess you would have to be really dedicated, so I figure videographers who have other equipment might add a modern DSLR like this only to get certain shots (shallow DOF).

Dials

On three occasions in the last few weeks while placing the camera in my backpack the power switch was knocked into the on position. I have also noticed that the AF points are easily changed accidently by hitting the thumbwheel on the back of the camera. I wish they were a bit tougher to turn or press.

Things that you may miss

If you are a pro or semi pro and are thinking of using this little camera, the following are some of the things you may miss. If you are a newbie, don’t take the following as minus points, they aren’t! They are just some of the more common things found on more expensive bodies.

No CLS support: One of the most important features of the modern Nikon DSLR’s that have built in flash is the ability to control other flashes wirelessly. This is called CLS support and unfortunately this feature is missing on the built-in flash of the cheap D5000.
No built-in AF motor: Not surprisingly the second thing missing is the onboard AF motor for the older screwdriver type lenses. This makes economic sense since targeting new DSLR buyers.
No sub-command dial: The third thing I’m listing as missing is the sub-command dial that I’ve already mentioned.
No top LCD display: Most pro’s will also miss the top LCD status display mostly due to habit than need. Of course all relevant info is now displayed on the rear LCD.
No DOF preview button: Landscapers and macro shooters might also notice that the DOF preview button is gone as well.
Only 11point AF: Some may even miss the 51 AF points, but to be fair, this is a 600€ camera and it still manages to impress with its 11 point AF system.
Only 2.7inch LCD: The LCD screen is only 2.7 inches but you won't notice the smaller size since the ability to swing it in any position doesn't give you the chance to notice the smaller size.
Only 4fps: Some of you may miss the 5 or 8fps of other cameras, but this little camera can shoot at 4fps which is a very respectable framerate.

Those 8 items are what I was still looking for while out in the field testing the camera to write this report but to be fair, I bought this to use only for trekking, so some of the items listed above aren’t really relevant such as CLS support (won’t be carrying multiple flashes and support equipment on a trek), the AF motor (since preference is given for a smaller and lighter DX zoom), the 11point AF system (even manual focusing would be fine for trekking) and the frame rate (at 4fps I could even attempt real action, but even 2fps would have sufficed).

Image quality

Well, like most of you should know by now, I only shoot RAW so my comments are based on comparing NEF from a D5000 and a D300. And the results show that both cameras produce the same results. The only difference is the better noise reduction on jpeg files from the D5000. In other words, the image quality performance of the D5000 is excellent.

Same image quality as my marvelous D300!

Overall performance

I was very surprised with the very good AF performance and especially liked the AF performance in Live View mode where the difference is very noticeable. Overall the camera is snappy and its speed in general is very good, since I never noticed a need for faster operation.

Final words

So will I be keeping this camera? Well as impressive as it may be, with the same sensor as the D300, with an articulating screen, with the better live view performance, with a smaller and lighter body and a very respectable price there is a lot to like about this little camera, but there is one thing I just can’t find myself overlooking, and that’s the missing dials and buttons that I have come to expect from all my Nikon bodies. So the wonderful D5000 goes up for sale but if I don’t sell it for the price I want, I will happily keep it.

AFS 17-55mm f/2.8G DX

2009-05-15T01:22:00.001+03:00

For the Nikon Pro photographer who usually carried the familiar trio of 17-35mm, 28-70mm and 70-200mm lenses, the move from film (FX body) to digital (DX) also required the change of at least two of these lenses to get back the familiar field of view of the wide angle effect. In the start of the digital era we all had to do with what was already available (eg: 17-35mm or 14mm) but eventually (better late than never) Nikon released the AFS 12-24mm f/4G DX lens that would take the place of the 17-35mm on the DX format bodies and a little
latter (2004) Nikon released the AFS 17-55mm to take the place of the AFS 28-70mm. The 12-24mm was a bit of disappointment, not because of its performance (which was excellent) but for being one stop slower than anticipated and for not being offered in a tank like construction like the rest of the pro lens range. Thankfully Nikon didn’t follow the same path with the AFS 17-55mm f/2.8G DX – its build quality is second to none and offers a constant fast aperture. The 28-70 zoom range may not be too exciting to some amateurs, but a lens with this range is always in a pro photographer’s bag, especially event and news photographers. Of course the DX format with its cropped factor has altered the usefulness of the 28-70mm lens, so if you are a DX shooter the AFS 17-55mm (26-83mm) is the lens you need.

About some of the negative reports
One thing that should be noted about this lens early on is that it is optimized for shooting wide open and for a zoom; it can produce excellent results throughout its zoom range at wide apertures. Its center performance is as good as the 50mm prime – that kind of performance from a zoom is more than excellent. But there a lot of negative reports on the net, usually from inexperienced photographers. This lens, like most Nikkors, is not a flat field lens, so focusing on your intended main subject at wide apertures and wide zoom settings requires more attention. (eg: if you’re having soft images, you may want to compose and then focus instead of focusing and then moving it off center –so compose first and then focus!).

Even though this is more of peoples lens, that doesn't mean you can't use it for other subjects.

If you are mainly shooting scapes or anything else requiring small apertures, you are advised to invest in a different lens. The AFS 17-55mm lens is more of a peoples lens and not a landscape lens. That’s why its performance from f/8 onwards can produce mixed results. For landscapes the AFS 17-35mm f/2.8 and the AFS 12-24mm f/4G DX are the better choices.

Description
Generally speaking, this being a DX lens, doesn’t mean it will be small but it is a tight package when you consider what’s on offer. Overall it’s a heavy and large pro caliber fast zoom lens that covers quite an extended range for an f/2.8 optic.

Quick specs
Focal length: 17-55mm (26-84mm on FX)
Lens construction: 14 elements in 10 groups (3 aspheric and 3 ED elements).
Picture angle: 28–79 degrees
MFD: 0.36m
Filter size: 77mm
Dimensions: 85.5 x 110.5mm
Weight: 755gr
Diaphragm: 9 rounded blades

Focusing and handling
This is a conventional two ring design with internal focusing operating electronically through a SW motor that is both quick and silent. So auto focusing is excellent and the fast aperture helps to lock on to the subject. One of the benefits of AFS lenses is the ability to focus manually without the need for switches so manual focusing with this lens is a snap. It’s also a pleasure to use manually with a nice large focusing ring halfway up the lens barrel. When holding the lens the focusing ring lines up well with your fingers.

The zoom ring on the other hand is a different story. Some will find it OK, others will find it cumbersome to use. It’s quite close to the camera body and thin making it difficult to use when in a hurry. It’s also stiff, so forget about a one-finger operation. Personally I find it’s OK since I have large hands and fingers but others may not.

With such a useful zoom range, you can shoot a landscape detail at 17mm and straight after shoot a portrait at 55mm. Not light, but still a very versatile lens.

The inner barrel extends nearly 18mm (making the lens without hood physically longer) when zooming. The front element extends quite a bit when zooming towards the wide end and less so at the long end. It’s at its shortest physical length when zoomed at about the 35mm mark – this is in most cases not noticeable since the massive hood covers this extension. You may also want to know that the clearance between inner and outer lens barrel is so tight that it suggests some very fine engineering, something I’ve never seen in a lens before.

On my D300 with battery pack this lens feels like a good match and balances well in the hand. Without the battery pack, the lens makes its weight felt by wanting to nose dive “slightly”, but it still remains a good combo.

Even wide open, against a strong light source thats included in the framing, this lens performs admirably!

Flare
When using this large zoom you need to be aware of ghosting and flare problems when shooting towards strong lights or the sun – so it requires extra attention while shooting in these conditions. Well we can’t have everything in one lens, can we!

Chromatic aberrations
Chromatic aberrations are present if you go searching for them, especially towards the edges of the frame and in high contrast transitions, but the majority of images from this lens will be clean with good detail so don’t worry about it. Generally aberrations are kept well under control and only if blow up samples beyond 200% will you be able to notice any.

With people, especially with a horizontal frame, avoid placing them close to the edge of the frame or using the 17-19mm range.

Distortion
There is some noticeable barrel distortion at the wide end and some unnoticeable pincushion distortion at the long end with no distortion between 30-45mm. Like with most wide angle lenses, avoid putting people near the edge when between 17 and 19mm.

Performance
This is a pro caliber lens and originally had a high price tag, but what you get in return is a lens that is very sharp straight from f/2.8 onwards regardless of focal length. Since the introduction of the full frame Nikon bodies, you can find this DX pro lens on the second hand market for a real good price. Resolution is excellent at the wide end and gradually drops to very good as we get to the long end.

The AFS 17-55mm f/2.8G DX lens is a great peoples lens.

Wide open this lens performs a lot better than the legendary AFS 17-35mm lens with a lesser performance only in the contrast department and closed down performance. So stopping down the 17-55mm DX lens doesn’t increase performance as expected, but it’s still very good.

Wide open and till f/8, this lens shows outstanding performance with some nice bokeh performance as well. This is a dream lens for everyday use, people and event photography, weddings and portraits. When shooting architecture though, at the wide end, distortion may become more noticeable than you would like - so don’t buy this lens to shoot buildings. If you mainly shoot landscapes and architecture, the legendary AFS 17-35mm f/2.8 lens is the better choice. Although the AFS 17-55mm comes with a nice hood, care should be taken when shooting with a strong backlight. Overall the bokeh is very nice for such a zoom, the contrast and color are both excellent at all focal lengths and the sharpness is good all over with the center performance being outstanding.

On a recent hike, I used the lens in rainy conditions without a worry thanks to its good weather sealing.

Build quality
As mentioned earlier, the zoom ring is a bit too close to the camera body and a bit too stiff, but other than that, this is pro caliber lens in every other way, from the handling of the smooth focus ring to its excellent build quality and to its fast and silent autofocus. The massive scalloped bayonet lens hood HB-31 with the added locking feature belongs to the better hoods designed by Nikon. Being a G series lens means there is no aperture ring and the only other control is the usual M /AM switch. There is also a rubber seal on the rear mount for better weather sealing. The zoom ring is marked at the 17, 20, 24, 28, 35, 45 and 55mm focal lengths.

Last words
The extended focal length range compared to other offerings, the outstanding wide open performance and pro build quality are the three factors that make this an excellent choice for all DX users. If you are a DX shooter and need this range, there is no better lens than this.

IN SUMMARY

Chromatic aberrations

It’s there if you look for it (towards the corners in high contrast areas), but images from this lens will be clean looking so don’t worry about it.

Vignetting

This lens may show a little light fall-off especially at the wide end of the focal range and at f/2.8, but it’s negligible and totally gone by f/4. Overall an excellent performance!

Distortion

Distortion is also a little more than we would like at 17mm but not unexpected for such a zoom.

Sharpness

Impressively sharp from wide open till f/8 at all focal lengths. Best performance at f/4. Edges are a bit weaker, but being a peoples lens means this is not of great concern.

Notes

Not a perfect lens, but an outstanding performer nonetheless. Personally this is one of my favourite lenses for the DX format.

MTF chart as published by Nikon

WIDE

TELE

How to read the MTF chart

The KISS principle

2009-03-04T22:10:00.000+02:00

Setting up a Nikon DSLR and using it
There are a number of small articles on my blog relating to my experiences and personal preferences with setting up and using the D300. Some of the info is old by now (in digital time) and because they are also separate pieces of my “thoughts” at various times I decided to put together a larger piece so as to bring everything up to date and into perspective.

Before I start I need to point out
a few things about my subject matter and workflow. These days my subjects are mostly reportage and wildlife – two different themes requiring different equipment, styles and settings. I also have changed my workflow, since I no longer use Nikon Transfer, View and Capture NX and now prefer the speed and convenience of Adobe Lightroom. Plus I should mention that I only shoot in RAW mode and never have shot in JPG. All the above greatly influence the way I choose to setup my camera so it’s important that you have this in mind when reading my personal choices below.

Banks
You can save different banks of settings for the “Shooting” and “Custom Setting” menus for different shooting situations. In the “Shooting menu” I used to have 4 different combinations and just one in the “Custom Settings menu”. I don’t use banks anymore since the “My Menu” menu can provide all the power I need in one easy to access menu.

Playback menu
I don’t use the playback menu while shooting but did use it when I first got the camera where I unchecked the Focus point and the Data options in the Display mode. To keep from coming back to this menu, I have placed the Image review option in the “My Menu” for easy access in case I ever need it. Sometimes when shooting amongst crowds such as in weddings, parties, street photography etc I may want to switch off the image review and use the Play button instead when I need to do any checking of the histogram or the image.

Shooting menu
I also don’t use this menu while shooting since most of the important stuff that’s included are available as dials on the camera body. Also, since switching from a Nikon based workflow to an Adobe based workflow some of the other settings such as Picture controls, Noise reduction and Active D-Lighting are pretty much redundant. I make sure the color space is set to sRGB, even though my workflow later is based on a wider color space. The reason I do this is because it makes a difference when reviewing the images on the rear LCD screen which is restricted to the sRGB color space. This has no affect on my files when imported into Lightroom, since they are retagged and handled as ProPhotoRGB. I also make sure Active D-Lighting is switched off. It may make no difference to Lightroom, but it does affect the exposure at the camera and subsequently the quality. It underexposes and uses a strong gamma curve to help include more highlight detail at the cost of adding noise in the shadows and midtones. This may be a good feature for someone shooting in bad light but it is of no benefit to me. I have also placed the Long Exposure NR option to the “My menu” menu since it’s very effective. The one downside to the Long Exposure NR is the extra time needed for its implementation.

Setup menu
This menu is also rarely used. I used it when I first set up the camera to enter the time and date and some of my personal data into the copyright field, my manual lenses in the Non-CPU lenses section and fine tuned some of my lenses in the Fine tune section. (May I suggest that you check and correct your AF lenses as your first step before setting up your camera? If you don’t have a way of doing this properly, you may want to invest in the LensAlign PRO)

Retouch menu
I have never used this apart from trying it out. Obviously it can only be of some use to JPG shooters who would prefer to print directly from the camera or CF card.

My menu
This should be your most used menu while shooting so if you haven’t used it yet, then I recommend you start using it today. This is where you need to put your most used settings from the other menus so you have fast and easy access to them without the need to switch between different menus. So it’s a good idea, while setting up the camera and going through all the settings, to note which settings you think may be well placed in here so you don’t have to go searching for them later. Personally I have included the following settings:

• a3: Dynamic AF area
• a4: Focus tracking with lock on
• a5: AF activation
• a9: Built-in AF assist illuminator
• C3: Self timer delay
• d2: Viewfinder grid display
• e3: Flash cntrl for built-in flash
• Non-CPU lens data
• NEF (RAW) recording
• Long exp. NR
• Lock mirror up for cleaning
• Multiple exposures
• ISO sensitivity auto control
• Image Review

Custom settings menu

a1: AF-C Priority selection: Release (unchanged default). As far back as I can remember Nikon photographers have been debating over the release versus focus issue of this option. Personally I have always used the “release” option and still do.

a2: AF-S Priority selection: Focus (unchanged default). I don’t use this option so I leave the factory setting as is.

a3: Dynamic AF area: 21 or 51 with 3D-Tracking. I have this option also available in the My Menu for easy access. For the majority of my shooting though, I use 21-points.

a4: Focus tracking with lock on: Normal (unchanged default).

a5: AF activation: AF-ON. This is an option that many photographers hesitate to try or simply find it hard to decide what’s best. For auto-focusing I use the AF-ON button on the back of the camera simply because it offers me the best of both worlds. Both AF (continuous and single mode) and MF are at my finger tips without removing my eyes from the viewfinder. 1) I can pre-focus using AF and then recompose after I have released my thumb from the AF-ON button, 2) I can focus manually simply by not using the AF-ON button (AFS & AFI lenses) and 3) I can track focus the subject while pressing the AF-ON button continuously. I should point out though that I primarily use AF for action since I still love the control that MF offers me (most of my focusing is done manually). I also need to point out that for this to work as advertised; you will have to have the AF mode selector on the front of the camera set to Continuous all the time which in itself is another advantage, since you don’t need to bother with that switch again.

a6: AF point illumination: Off. I turn this feature off, I’m not sure why, I seem to want a clean and less distracting viewfinder.

a7: Focus point wrap-around: No wrap.

a8: AF point selection: 51 Points. When I first got the camera and was thumbing my way through all 51 points, I thought to myself what a big waste of time and energy to get to certain part of the frame. This option doesn’t affect AF, but rather reduces the points available making it faster to select the initial focusing point. Great if you regularly select points, but I find I don’t use it. Landscapers might not find the a8 setting too helpful either since they may want to have all 51 points available as well.

a9: Built-in AF assist illuminator: Off. I prefer this in the off position mainly because I shoot wildlife and I rather not have any lights going off when I least expect it. If I ever do need it (shooting in a dark pub for instance) I can have easy access to it since I have included it in the “My Menu” menu.

a10: AF-ON for MB-D10: AF-ON (unchanged default). Since I use the AF-ON in the landscape orientation, I obviously would use it for the portrait orientation as well.

b1: ISO sensitivity step value: 1/3 STOP (unchanged default)

b2: EV steps for exposure control: 1/3 STOP (unchanged default)

b3: Exp comp/fine tune: 1/3 STOP (unchanged default)

b4: Easy exposure compensation: ON (Auto Reset). I have used this feature a lot and find it very handy and love it while using it.

b5: Center-weighted area: 8mm (unchanged default). I use center weighted a lot and sometimes find myself selecting 6mm for this option.

b6: Fine tune optimal exposure: (Unchanged default). There are a lot of unreliable reports that the D300 overexposes and that it should be corrected by utilizing some form of correction. I haven’t found this to be true, but offer this explanation for those reports. Unlike previous models from Nikon, the new version of Matrix metering in the D300 (and most probably all cameras after it) will try to utilize the right side of the histogram by exposing as much to the right as it thinks the subject will allow in an attempt to try and avoid the noise zone. It seems to also be utilizing some form of smart gamma correction on individual color channels as well. So in effect the new camera does not produce overexposed images, but brighter images. And this is the preferred result to get from a camera since reducing the brightness or correcting the black point in post processing produces cleaner files compared to trying the opposite of lightening up the shadows which intensifies noise. So before you go and use this correction tool, make sure your camera is actually overexposing - which means it is burning beyond correction needed highlights (not spectral highlights). I would like to remind you that my remarks are for RAW based shooting.

c1: Shutter-release button AE-L: OFF (unchanged default)

c2: Auto meter-off delay: 6 seconds (unchanged default)

c3: Self-timer delay: 10 seconds (unchanged default). I use this option often to change from longer settings to shorter settings, so I have included this setting in the “My menu” menu.

c4: Monitor off delay: 20sec (unchanged default). 20 seconds feel about right, and what I find myself doing now is tap the shutter as soon as I’m finished reviewing to turn off the LCD screen.

d1: Beep: OFF. This is one setting which with all my previous cameras I had always chosen the off option mainly because I shoot wildlife and I rather not have any beeps going off when I least expect it.

d2: Viewfinder grid display: OFF (unchanged default). I have always desired a clean and unobtrusive viewfinder so why ruin a good view by using the grid. The only time I use this is when shooting a scape. This is why I have placed this setting in the “My menu” menu.

d3: Viewfinder warning display: ON (unchanged default).

d4: CL mode shooting speed: 4 FPS.

d5: Max. continuous release: 100 (unchanged default). I only shoot RAW, so this doesn’t affect my 17 frame limit (@8fps).

d6: File Number sequence: ON (unchanged default). This is another of those options I have always set to on as soon as I get the camera. It just gives me a rough indication of the number of shutter actuations fired just by looking at the file name.

d7: Shooting info display: Auto (unchanged default)

d8: LCD illumination: Off (unchanged default).

d9: Exposure delay mode: Off (unchanged default). If you do landscapes without a cable release, this may interest you. The mirror goes up and the shutter actuation happens seconds later giving a chance for any mirror vibrations to settle first. I don’t use it since I still have my old MC-20 cable combined with the M-up selection.

d10: MB-D10 battery type: Ni-MH. The AA battery holder of the MB-D10 has put my rechargeable flash batteries back in heavy use providing me with 8fps.

d11: Battery order: MB-D10 (unchanged default). Obviously you want to deplete the batteries in the pack first.

e1: Flash sync speed: 1/250 Auto FP

e2: Flash shutter speed: 1/60 (unchanged default)

e3: Flash control for built-in flash: COMMANDER. I usually have the Built In flash set to Commamder mode with the following settings for starting off: TTL -0.7 and groups A and B set to TTL at zero compensation. I have placed this setting in “My menu” for easy access.

e4: Modeling Flash: OFF

e5: Auto bracketing set: AE/Flash (unchanged default)

e6: Auto bracketing (Manual mode): Flash/Speed (unchanged default)

e7: Bracket order: Meter/Under/Over (unchanged default)

f1: Multi selector center button: Playback/Zoom/Low

f2: Multi-selector: Off (unchanged default)

f3: Photo info/playback: Off (unchanged default)

f4: Assign FUNC button: Flash off (Function button + dials = OFF)

f5: Assign preview button: Flash value lock (Preview + Command dials = OFF)

f6: Assign AE-L/AF-L button: Spot (AE-L/AF-L + Command dials = OFF)

f7: Customize command dials: Reverse rotation/on, Change main sub/on, Aperture setting/on, Menus & playback/off. I never liked the orientation of the dials and especially the exposure graph. They both seemed wrong, so I was especially happy that now I can have those things changed to my liking. I can reverse the rotation of the command dials so their rotation matches the direction of the graph (see f10 below). This means when using Manual exposure mode, rotating either dial towards the right (away from the lens) will add exposure and left (towards the lens) will reduce the exposure. These adjustments add to a more natural way of using the camera.

f8: Release button to use dial: Off (unchanged default)

f9: No memory card: Lock. Have you ever in the past shot an event on a film camera only to find out there was no film in the camera or that it didn’t wind on the taking spool? Well with most digital cameras, those fears have disappeared unless you leave this setting at its default setting! So if you don’t want to start shooting an important event with no memory card in the camera set this to Lock.

f10: Reverse indicators: -0+. I love this option! I now can reverse the exposure graph so that it reads in the more natural way of starting from minus on the left and gaining positive values towards the right.

Next you may want to read my AF settings and tips article which is also based on the KISS principle.

A refined focusing technique for Nikon cameras

2009-02-20T00:31:00.002+02:00

Image stolen from www.kenrockwell.com. Thanks Ken!

Intro
If your mind is ready to explode by all the options offered by the Nikon AF system, then read on as you just might find the following AF technique (which is good for all Nikon's) described in part 1 of some interest. In part 2 you will find some additional information regarding the finer options (of interest to D300/D3/D700 users) that also trouble a lot of users. I should point out that this is an old and tried technique that the majority of Nikon pros have been using for a number of years. I believe it to be the most important focusing technique that all Nikon users should try at least once. If you manage to learn it and use it, then I am sure you will never look back.

Part 1: The AF-ON technique
The ability to customize a camera to ones shooting style is a great feature, but the options available to customize the AF system on most Nikons are just too complex. Unfortunately the Nikon AF system is designed with compatibility on the top of the list and not performance. So this is why we have a multi-position selector both on the front and rear of the camera body, a plethora of custom menu settings, switches on most lenses, a thumbwheel and plenty of AF points to choose from. Not exactly a straightforward, no-need to remove eyes from viewfinder type of method for focusing. Trying to select the best options for the myriad of subjects is mind boggling and nerve racking and this is why the majority of amateurs settle for single point AF. The following technique will give you the freedom to focus anyway you want without ever needing to remove your eye from the viewfinder.

Important camera settings
1. Focus mode: Continuous servo AF. Thankfully the technique does not require the use of this selector once set up for two reasons: Firstly, because the technique relies on an arsenal of Nikkors that are not of the screwdriver type. This means that the technique works with any manual focus or AFS/AFI lenses. The second reason is because the technique restricts AF activation to the AF-ON button (more on this further down).
2. AF area mode: Dynamic area AF. This is the other selector that can be left alone once set.
3. Custom setting A1, AF-C priority selection: Release. This option is already set by the factory to Release, so leave this alone or set it to Release if you have already changed it in the past.
4. Release mode dial: Continuous high/Low speed. You will be better off leaving this set to continuous shooting and learn to jab momentarily if you need one frame, though I don’t recommend this. Personally I usually shoot 2-3 frames when I need only one. This way I usually get a sharper pic since a sequence allows for any vibrations to disappear. Usually the second or third pic is the sharpest.
5. Custom setting A5, AF activation: AF-ON only. This setting is the key to the AF-ON technique. Now a lot of you have probably come across this recommendation before but didn’t think much of it or tried it briefly and thought it was too awkward to get used to - but this is where the magic lies. The best and most efficient way to utilize a Nikon camera is to deactivate the AF activation from the shutter release and to set it by the AF-ON button only. I urge you to invest the appropriate amount of time that it will take for you to get used to this method of shooting. Once you get used to this technique, you are bound to become a better photographer. How is this? Because you will have more control of the AF system, without losing your concentration on your subject. So set Custom setting A5 to AF-ON only.

What you get
Now, with the above selections set, you press the AF-ON button to focus. If it’s a static subject you simply press with your thumb, focus and let go to lock the focus, recompose if you need to and fire the shot. If you are shooting action, your thumb stays pressed against the AF-ON button and you fire at will. If you desire precision for a portrait or macro session, then don’t engage the AF-ON button and focus manually. So simple yet so effective - you get all three focusing modes (continuous, single and manual) using just your thumb and without the need to remove your eye from the viewfinder. It’s a shame so many people shy away from this technique. You should try to utilize the AF-ON and I’m sure you will be thankful in the end.

Part 2: The finer selections
So far Part 1 was easy, because all the options were already selected for you – all you had to do was to decide whether to try this way of focusing or not. In Part 2 though, you are required to make some choices. This is because the rest of the options available for the AF system have more to do with your personal style and your chosen subject. I will guide you through the two most asked about.

Which initial focus point?
The most misunderstood feature of the Nikon AF system is the ability to choose the initial focusing point. I think too many photographers abuse this option. You don’t need to be chasing a subject with your thumb trying to select an appropriate AF point. In my attempt to eliminate as many variables during my shooting, I have excluded the thumbwheel altogether. With the center AF point selected, the thumbwheel then can be locked for nearly 95% of all shooting situations. The big benefit is that you have one more less dial to worry about. Now some of you may ask, what about focusing off center for better compositions – well you still can since you focus initially with the center AF point and then recompose while the camera changes AF points by itself in an attempt to follow the subject. Plus don’t forget you can always let go of the AF-ON button to lock the focus and again recompose.
15 cross-type AF points: I should remind most of you that out of all the 51 AF points, the 15 that are concentrated in the middle three columns are made up of the cross-type AF sensors. These are more powerful, precise and work more reliably than the others under low light conditions. So initiating focus using any of these cross-type sensors is the more reliable way of shooting, especially for sports. So with center AF point selected as your starting position, the camera can then track the subject using the rest of the available AF points if needed. You can now see why Nikon kept all cross-type focus points in the center of the frame – so as to not lose the focus on the subject as soon as it moved off the center AF point. Let the camera utilize the other cross-type points to your advantage as you, the photographer, can later crop the frame a little to help for a more dynamic composition if needed.
Difference between 51 and 51/3D: With all 51 points you choose the initial focus point and the camera will follow the action utilizing all 51 points to track the subject as it leaves the initial focus point. With 51/3D tracking the camera will utilize information from the matrix metering sensor as well to help pick colors from the subject. This can be more effective if you have a distinctive subject (color wise) and a neutral and different colored background. 51 AF points with 3D tracking may be the future but for mow its underpowered (needs a faster processor) and buggy (needs more advanced and intelligent software).

How many AF points?
No matter how much one tries to explain his experience with the AF points, it’s all pretty much what works on the day. I usually find myself using either 9 or 21 points no matter what I’m shooting so Custom setting menu A3 is my most often used setting and this is why its first on the “My menu” list as well.

Sports with busy scenes: I might be shooting at a soccer game with a long tele so my first choice would be 9 points. But at some point while I’m shooting, I find myself shooting a lot of close shots of a single player so I might find that I need the space coverage of 21 or even 51 points so I can follow focus the face easier.
BIFs and motor sports: For easy subjects such as BIFs and motor sports you could try 51 points with 3D tracking. This is the future and I can’t wait for the next generation of Nikon cameras that will feature the next generation of this technology. You will have more misses than you would like and you probably shouldn’t be using this option for a paid assignment, but when you do get it to work you will be amazed by the results and wishing it worked like that more often. Of course if you can get it to work reliably and consistently, then by all means use it professionally (I know a few who are!). But in all seriousness, for more reliable results start off with 21 or 9 points. And don’t forget that fewer AF points also mean faster focus acquisition and better lock-on so if the action is very fast and you can feel the camera having a hard time locking-on, try fewer points.
Wedding and street: Personally I again start off with 9 points and rarely find myself deviating from that. I use the focus and recompose technique a lot with weddings utilizing the above setup of course. It’s so easy and I get nearly 100% focused results every time. With the center AF point sensor locked, I always know where it is and don’t have to fumble with the thumbwheel to get it in position. The only time I may choose a different AF point is if I want to track a moving subject that’s off center.

Conclusion
So as you can see, there is no one recommendation for a certain situation. The question on how many points boils down to experience and trial and error. It would be safe to say though, that most pros are usually jumping between 9 and 21 points. Do remember though that for the best AF performance use the least points needed. The more predictable the action, the less points are needed to be active and your results will be more precise.

AFS 12-24mm f/4 G ED

2008-11-29T21:47:00.007+02:00

(Update 02/02/2011: Added some more sample shots and made some corrections)

My first thought when testing the Nikon D1 coupled with the 20mm lens back in 2001 was: “When and with what will Nikon fill the wide-angle gap created by the DX format?”

For a wildlife photographer, moving from film to digital and having a 300mm lens turn into a 450mm lens is a nice bonus, but going from a wide 20mm to a longish 30mm is a major drawback. Thankfully Nikon finally came to the rescue with the AFS 12-24mm lens, even though it
took a while. The AFS12-24mm f/4 is the first lens by Nikon specifically designed for the demanding and smaller DX format.

Some people describe this as a large lens (since the DX format was to produce smaller and lighter lenses), but I feel it’s a good size if you take into consideration the fact that this is a 12mm lens, even though slightly “crippled”. But even a “crippled” 12mm (look below) can be used on a full frame D3 in a limited and creative way.

Description
It feels good and light when mounted on the D300 and is a touch thinner compared to the 17-35mm when in the palm of your hand. It measures 82,5x90mm when the specs for the 17-35mm f/2.8 lens are 82,5x106mm. On paper they seem the same apart from the length but the width is deceiving since the 12-24mm is for the most part a much thinner lens. On paper the maximum width is the same only because Nikon seemed to have cut some corners by using the same bayonet hood mount, the same 77mm filter thread and the same scalloped HB-23 hood.

The weight is 465g compared to the 745g for the 17-35mm. Its lighter not only because its physically smaller but because it has more plastic and carries a smaller volume of glass. There are 11 elements in 7 groups, three elements of which are of the aspherical type and two ED. Thanks to these special elements CA’s are kept well under control. The front of the lens does not rotate while focusing or zooming and the minimum focusing distance of 0.3m is very good for such a zoom. Also being an internal focus design means its total length does not alternate while focusing.

Quick specs
This is the first DX lens produced by Nikon. The lens offers ED and ASP elements, SIC and other technologies such as SWM, IF, D and G - a pretty impressive feature list.

* Focal length: 12-24mm (18-36mm on the DX format)
* Lens Construction: 11 elements in 7 groups (2 ED, 3 Aspheric)
* Picture Angle: 99-61°
* MFD: 0.28m @ manual focus and 0.30m @ AF
* Filter Size: 77mm
* Dimensions: 82.5mm x 90mm
* Weight: 465g
* Diaphragm: 7 (rounded)

“crippled” 12mm
This is a DX design so it’s really intended for the smaller Nikon format and not to be used on a full frame camera such as the D700. On such a camera the limited image circle projected from the DX lens would not be large enough to cover the whole frame of the FX sensor (as seen here) creating round images on a dark frame or rectangle images with severe vigneting (take your pic). This effect is limited to the short focal length range between 12mm and 17mm. At 17mm there is evidence of light fall off and by 18mm the whole frame is more evenly lit. So you can use this lens on a full frame camera from 18mm to 24mm - not bad!

Focusing
It’s an AFS lens so it focuses "relatively fast" and silently but I personally prefer lenses that also offer a good manual focusing feel, something this lens lacks. Focusing manually with this lens is not pleasant and I feel such a lens should offer good manual focusing since many photographers will be mounting this lens on a tripod. The focusing ring is thin and feels rough in use and not very precise but thankfully autofocusing precision is OK. PJ’s won’t care much about the rough manual focus performance since they usually work with AF but nature photographers will see this as a minus point. But that’s not the only bad point - Unfortunately this is another lens design by Nikon that has the focus and zoom rings reversed, making it a pain when switching from/to another lens. It’s not nice when you decide to frame your image and instead of zooming you blur the viewfinder. The zoom ring is towards the front of the lens and the focusing ring towards the body.

The AFS 12-24mm mounted on the D300

Optical Performance
Wide open and at wide zoom settings the performance is very good but not great. There is some softness as you travel towards the edges and CA’s are more evident in this region especially with dark subjects over strong lit areas. Contrast and sharpness are very good and improve by closing down one stop and is excellent by f/8 –f/11. From 16mm to 24mm the lens performance is fantastic all the way from wide open to f/16 with the best performance between 18-20mm and from wide open to f/11. Overall a sharp and contrasty lens that can produce stunning images as long as you are aware of some of its weakness and how to avoid them.

@12mm – 14mm: Some softness along the edges but a good sharp center. The whole frame improves by f/5.6 with more contrast and better overall sharpness. Distortion evident and some traces of CA’s. Best performance at f/11

@14mm – 18mm: Soft edges have gone and overall sharpness has improved. CA’s at edges of frame can be reduced a lot by Capture NX. Very good to excellent performance from f/5.6 but best performance between f/8 and f/11.

@ 18mm-20mm: Excellent performance from wide open onwards with astonishing results in all areas (sharpness, contrast, color etc) between f/5.6 and f/11

@20mm – 24mm: Excellent results from f.5.6 to f/11.

Even though I use f/16 a lot in my photography I avoided mentioning this aperture above, since there is some small deterioration due to diffraction. Some lenses are affected more than others and of course the camera body (pixel density) also plays a major role. I don’t mind it since a touch more sharpening and contrast can help it, but be warned, if diffraction is strong and you use too much sharpening, then things get ugly.

Flare
Even though the 12-24mm doesn’t use the nano coating of more recent designs, the older SIC coating in combination with a good optical design seem to be doing a good job since flaring and ghosting are hard to produce. I have mentioned this before but I’ll repeat it here as well. If you desire the maximum performance from your lens try to avoid using filters and keep the front element clean, especially when shooting into the sun.

Chromatic aberrations
Quite a few nikkors (old and new) can produce traces of purple fringing when including transitions with strong contrast, especially towards the edges of the frame. Digital sensors are a lot more demanding in this area compared to film and CA’s are also dependent on the type and size of the sensor in the camera. This is why the CA performance of this lens on the D70 is way different to that when mounted on the D300. So does this lens have CA's? Yes, but in most cases you wont notice them. The weakest point for this lens is open apertures and wide zoom settings – as expected. . The newer DSLR's combined with Capture NX help to remove most traces automatically. Overall though quite an excellent performer.

Distortion
Wide angle lenses are used a lot for those low and wide type of images making it easier to add drama to a sweeping scape, though finding the right subject to use is the hard part. Distortion is not a problem with most scapes since its hard for the human eye to distinguish it amongst an unknown landscape, but with known subjects such as people and buildings, the distortion can really hurt if you are not careful. Unfortunately if you intend to use this lens for architecture, the distortion can get ugly with straight lines rendered in a wave form. This is what most people refer to as the "mustache" type of distortion. Its evident mostly when you place lines towards the far edges of the frame. You also don’t want to place people along the edges otherwise they will get stretched out of proportion especially if they are really close. So care is needed when framing people or straight lines.

Vignetting
On the DX format cameras (that it was designed for) there is no noticeable light fall off.

The AFS 12-24mm with HB-23 lens hod attached.

Sample variation
I tend to believe that chances are higher for sample variation to show up on a wide angle zoom than a long prime. So, all those reports on the net about sample variation don’t really surprise me, though I couldn’t come to such a conclusion, unless I had access to a large number of copies to test for myself.

But if your technique is good and you honestly think that you have one of those “bad” copies, don’t despair. Some zoom lenses perform better at different zooming positions. For example try the following: frame your scene, take the shot and then zoom ever so slightly back, take another shot and then do the same zooming slightly forward and take another shot. You don’t need to move it a lot, just enough to move the glass inside the lens without changing “much” from the original framing. Later when reviewing the shots on your computer you may find that one is sharper than the others.

Build quality
A lot of reports suggest that this is not a pro built lens and when I first held my copy, I felt the same way. But after using it for so many years and after what I have put this lens through, I have to confess, this is one well built and tough little plastic lens. I have dropped it, drenched it, covered it with sand and dirt and even smashed it up against a stone wall, and it performs just as it did when I first got it – though it doesn’t look the same – it has some nasty scars in a couple of places. This is why I try to always stick with Nikon products since they always come through for me.

Too expensive!
So being a little on the large side and limited to a max speed of f/4 you would think that it would at least be reasonably priced. Unfortunately, like a lot of Nikon products, it’s a bit overpriced - OK well this lens may be more than a bit overpriced. So why pay nearly 1000€ for a “plastic” lens when similar lenses are available for a lot less. If you want the best, get the Nikkor. If your on a budget the Tokina is optically 90% just as good. I have used third party lenses in the past, but I prefer to avoid them if possible. The Tokina 12-24mm f/4 is a nice bargain and probably the only lens I would buy if I was on a budget, but it doesn’t offer silent wave technology (AFS), so it’s noisier and on the D40 series cameras offers no AF whatsoever. It also has more pronounced CA issues and can produce flaring and ghosting easier. But at 407€ it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than the 949€ price tag of the Nikkor.

Last words
This is a “wide” lens that performs exceptionally well though it does have some issues as explained above. Is it worth 1000 €? I don’t think so, and lets not forget that this was a monopoly in the Nikon line up when it first came out. Today things are much different since you have more choices. The 12-24mm may not feel as tough as the pro 17-35mm but it sure is a rugged lens as proven by the heavy use I have put it through. Its optical performance is very good to excellent though you have to be careful when framing people – keep them centered for the least distortion.

MTF chart as published by Nikon

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Flikr slideshow, all taken with the AF-S 12-24mm f/4G ED

Flikr slideshow: AFS 12-24mm f/4G

AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED

2008-09-17T17:13:00.005+03:00

What follows is a review of the AFS 14-24mm lens on the DX format (APS-C). I also used a Nikon F5, to utilize the full 14mm focal length, but no D3/D700. So my "full frame" findings are film based and not directly related to the digital full frame cameras.

Needed intro
Chasing news stories requires a robust lens that can deliver the sharpest possible images, even at wide open apertures and that is exactly what this lens is designed for - Nikon made this lens for the photojournalist! Most photographers who need such a non-filterable, ultra- wide and fast lens have probably already purchased it without worrying about the level of its optical performance since most
know they can rely on Nikons excellent reputation. If you are reading this review, chances are you probably don’t need this awkward lens and can probably be better served by the AFS 17-35mm f/2.8 instead. Read on though to find out!

Even though this lens was designed for the PJ market, the landscaper who wants a wide focal length can still use this lens for scapes even though he wont be able to screw on filters.

Compared with the AFS 17-35mm
The AFS 17-35mm f/2.8 wide angle zoom is the lens most “other” full frame photographers should have in their camera-bag. It is probably a better design since it doesn't include the "clunk" (look here), it’s more manageable since it’s lighter and much smaller, a little cheaper, easily accepts filters, offers a larger and more usable focal length range and offers the same class of optical excellence. I say same class, even though the AFS 14-24mm is the better performer, since it can extend its excellent center performance all the way out towards the edges of the frame. As you probably have figured out by now, the 14-24mm is not a replacement for the 17-35mm lens - they both serve two different needs. So unless you have a “need” for a very wide focal length I would suggest to most of you to invest in the “easier-to-use” AFS 17-35mm wide angle zoom.

My first contact
I first came across this lens at the D700 presentation. An impressive and very sexy looking lens, but not really suited to the “majority” of photographers as already explained! At the presentation, I used the lens on my D300. I took a number of shots and the first thing I noticed was the sharpness – the results on the LCD screen were impressively sharp! I went through the menu to check whether I had forgotten the sharpening activated in picture controls (since I usually shoot with sharpening set to 0) and amazingly, sharpening was off!

Quick specs
This is the first “ultra” wide angle zoom with a constant fast aperture of f/2.8. The lens offers ED and ASP elements, SIC and Nano crystal coatings, and other technologies such as SWM, IF, D and G - a pretty impressive feature list.

Focal length: 14-24mm (21-36mm on the DX format)
Lens Construction: 14 elements in 11 groups (2 ED, 3 ASP, 1 Nano Crystal Coating)
Picture Angle: 114 - 84° (90 - 61° on the DX-format)
MFD: 0.28m @ 18-24mm and 0.22m @14mm
Filter Size: None
Dimensions: 98 x 131.5 mm
Weight: 1000g
Diaphragm: 9 (rounded)

OK, so here is the real difference between using a true 14mm focal length on a full frame camera and a cropped 14mm (21mm) on a DX format camera. The perspective is slightly different since in most cases you'll need to alter your shooting position.

Quirks
Two things missing are the filter thread (which means it doesn’t accept filters unless you go into a lot of trouble as described here) and an aperture ring. Some might point out the lack of VR technology but who needs VR in such a wide angle lens anyway? Unfortunately, the G technology limits the compatibility of this lens to the more recent camera bodies that offer aperture changes via the body, but this in no way degrades its ranking, which at the moment is at the very top! Also being a G lens, means it’s not compatible with the PK series rings. In other words extreme close-ups with nicely blurred backgrounds aren’t easy to achieve (such as with the 17-35mm).

UPDATE (14/11/2009): Lee filters will have a solution soon

Most landscapers usually wish for a wider lens when they come across a dramatic cloud that they cant capture within their frame. In these kind of situations, the 14-24mm will help to capture everything!

The AFS 14-24mm f/2.8 is an internal focusing based design which means it doesn’t change its physical length when focusing, though the front and rear elements move in and out while zooming. The large front bulbous glass element projects within the hood region just like the old AF 80-200mm f/2.8 lens.

This is a good shot that indicates what you can do with a focal length of 14mm on a full frame camera. Though getting your subject this close to the lens is a different story.

Build quality and handling
The build quality is exceptional just as you would expect for a pro Nikkor. The internal structure holding all the glass together is made of a combination of a light metal alloy and brass as is the rest of the casing until you flick your finger on the built-in hood, which you then discover is plastic. Most users of this lens won’t notice, and this is probably a good choice by Nikon since it helps reduce the overall weight. Like most new Nikkor’s, it sports the new rubber weather seal on the back to help seal the vulnerable connection between lens and camera. It also has some seals inside for better dust and moisture protection.

The lens is very large but it balances well on a large pro body such as the D3 or the D300/D700 with MBD10. The ergonomics of the camera-lens combination is good since the lens fits in the left hand nicely when shooting. In particular, the focusing ring is nice to the touch and comfortable to use with a smooth operation while the wide zoom ring which is set nearest to the camera is also nice to the touch but has a lot more drag due to the heavy element group it needs to move back and forth.
The ergonomics suffer a bit when mounted on a smaller and lighter body where the front-heavy 1kg lens makes the whole combination to nose-dive. I wouldn’t recommend using this lens on a small camera since its size and weight would overtake the cameras mass and weight and would make handling difficult especially when the combination will be mounted on a ball head.

On the DX format, the 21mm is a great focal length for environmental portraits where you wish to connect the subject with the background. Unfortunately, the weight of the fast f/2.8 lens is something to consider before purchasing this lens.

Recommendation
So before you decide on this lens, I would advise that you consider carefully how much you really need a fast (f/2.8) focal length wider than 17mm. If your photography warrants a wider lens and you don’t have a need for filters then go for it! Otherwise the AFS 17-35mm f/2.8 lens may be the smarter investment.

Chromatic aberrations
Between 14mm-18mm CA’s are very well controlled and together with Nikons Capture NX software, I doubt anyone will have any problems, unless the scene incorporates very high contrast transitions near the border of the frame. Between 20mm-24mm CA’s aren’t noticeable at all. Again, thanks to those two ED elements, color fringing and other aberrations are nearly nonexistent

Flaring and ghosting
As for flaring and ghosting, this lens can flare just like any bulbous wide angle, but thanks to the nano-crystal coating on the inside of the front element and the inclusion of two ED elements , it’s a lot less than expected. Thankfully, when you see ghosts through your viewfinder you only need to move ever so slightly to remove them. Let me remind some of you, that you actually need to be shooting into the sun to get any shiny dots, so this is very good performance. I remember back in my youth, my 16mm fisheye would sometimes produce ghosting together with some flaring even when the sun was outside the frame!

This scene initially showed colored balls of light (ghosts) running from the center all the way to the sun plus a flare in the lower left corner. I moved ever so slightly without altering my composition and the ghosting disappeared.

Vignetting

Thanks to the large elements used, vignetting is nonexistent even on a full frame film camera. Things may be different though on the D3/D700 due to the way the image sensor is designed (each photosite is like a deep well and the further away they are from the center of the frame, the harder it is for the light to travel down the well).

Distortion

On a full frame body, the amount of lens distortion is negligible. If you shoot a brick wall, you will see some barrel distortion at 14mm, a lot less at 18mm and no distortion by the time you zoom to 24mm. On the D300 there is no noticeable distortion unless you go searching for it! Let me remind you here, that there is a difference between lens distortion and perspective distortion so don’t confuse the two.

Sharpness

Anyone who shoots with this lens for the first time will be surprised with the results. The amount of detail, the sharpness and the overall performance of this lens are outstanding!

Overall the performance is excellent from wide open till f/8 at all focal lengths. Between 20mm-24mm the excellent performance continues on till f/16. Even f/22 produces very good results.

Nikon F5 and AFS 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 14mm and wide open. Bellow is a 100% screen capture of the detail and sharpness on normal Fuji negative film.

NOTES
With such a wide angle of view you need to get real close to your subject and when so close, the slightest of movements alters your composition and the importance of the subject within the frame. Unfortunately, a large number of new owners of this lens aren’t familiar with using such an extreme wide angle lens to its fullest potential so together with this review I'm passing on some tips which I have found very helpfull in the past.

Some tips for using the 14mm focal length
Photography is usually about deconstruction, about eliminating unwanted and distracting elements and simplifying the composition to just a few key ingredients. So swapping your standard 50mm lens for a longer telephoto may seem like a good idea, but the subject usually dictates the lens needed, so you can’t use a telephoto to shoot a group of people in a crowded room or the great pyramid when standing in front of it. In such cases you need a wide angle lens. Just like with long telephoto lenses, special techniques are required when composing, holding and shooting for best results. One of the characteristics of an ultra wide angle lens is that it exaggerates depth. This means interiors seem more spacious (that’s a plus), and mountain scapes disappear on the horizon (that’s a minus). Usually with an ultra wide angle lens, you would want to get as close to your subject as possible, so it does not disappear into the composition. And if you manage to get real close (such as in the Pigeon photo above), you will manage to emphasize its existence within the frame.

But trying to compose a lens that encapsulates 1/3 of the world “around” you within your viewfinder is not an easy task! With a picture angle of 114 degrees, you will be constantly checking the far edges of your frame for distracting elements (like your own feet!), forgetting to double check your main subject before pressing the shutter release.

You’ll need to control the spill of light across the image since the large picture angle dictates that you will often have to include a wide range of contrast (since the sky seems to always be included in your composition). Also when framing people, they should be kept away from the edges of the frame so perspective distortion (which has nothing to do with lens distortion) doesn’t stretch them making them look wider than they really are. It's also advisable to keep the camera-back upright and parallel to your standing subjects. To accomplish this, you may have to bend your knees slightly so you don't tilt the lens - but instead lower it.

Flaring and ghosting are another common problem with lenses that offer such a bulbous front element although not really a problem with the AFS 14-24mm . You will have to consciously be aware of the problem and be on a lookout so when it appears, you can alter the position of the lens just enough so you can avoid the ghosting. Loss of contrast though is something else that can be corrected to some degree in post processing.

The AFS 14-24mm f/2.8 Nikkor is so good that you can even find it mounted on Canons. I found this photo here

MTF chart as published by Nikon

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