Sample Shots:Nikon 10-24mm AF-S Nikkor f/3.5-4.5G DX ED
TBower (flickr) has managed to get ahold of the lens and posted some sample shots taken with Nikon’s Nikkor 10-24mm AF-S f/3.5-4.5G DX ED and here.
CA and fringing appear to be bad as shown here. Even the central image area appears to lack detail to me- maybe his technique wasn’t so hot?
Nikon 10-24mm AF-S Nikkor f/3.5-4.5G DX ED
Ken has a funny deal- he gives reviews to Nikon items that he either hasn’t held in his hands before, or as it appears in this case, he’s taken one shot outside of an office complex with!
But if you must know what he’s got to say, then take a look.
Basically, he says it’s better than the 12-24mm.
Either I’m missing something (hey, could be)- or the 12-24mm is going to go bye-bye. They’re basically similar lenses in every way that I can see. The question is “why”- why did Nikon release two lenses that compete against each other in almost every way?
Nikon D5000 18-55mm Sample Shot @ 6400iso
The Japanese website dcWatch has a nice review of the D5000 and 18-55mm kit lens (translated) that includes studio and outdoor comparison shots are various ISO and noise reduction levels.
Unsurprisingly, everything looks pretty good.
New Nikon Nikkor 10-24mm DX Lens!
…the new AF-S DX-NIKKOR 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED lens, giving photographers the opportunity to capture a unique perspective in a variety of shooting environments. Compact and lightweight, the new 2.4x zoom DX-NIKKOR lens offers a focal length of 10 to 24mm,(FX-format equivalent of 15-36mm) creating a picture angle ranging from 109-degrees to 61-degrees making it ideal for a variety of applications including restrictive interiors, architecture and sweeping landscapes…
…The AF-S DX-NIKKOR 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED will be available at Nikon authorized dealers beginning May 2009 at an estimated selling price of $899.95…
Wanna see some good solid-modeling (3d rendering?)
Fake Nikkor 10-18mm
Wanna see some more?
Fake Nikkor 10-18mm
I’ll let the Chinese guys point out the issues here (translated).
In addition- wtf would Nikon make this lens when they just came out with the 14-24mm? If this was a fish-eye zoom or something, then maybe I could see that- but the “samples” from this lens are clearly not fish-eye.
Let’s stop wasting everyone’s time. This is a far better use of 3d modeling skills.
Hats off to DPreview for getting someone to talk on the record about this lens.
Robert Cristina, Manager of professional products, Europe and Ludovic Drean, Product Manager for lenses, Europe talked to DPreview:
…The concept was to give a 50mm equivalent lens on the DX format. A lot of people have bought the 50 1.8 because it was all that was available. It may seem rather late for the APS-C system, but we believed that entry-level users wanted a standard lens…
It’s about price, size and weight. We wanted this to be a lens for the entry-level. If we’d tried to make an FX 35mm F1.4 it might cost €1400, rather than €200… The main target is D40/D60/D90 owners. They make up 80% of our DSLR sales...
Ok, I’m waiting for the expensive FX-sized f/1.4 for ~$1,499usd.
Click the link to read the entire thing.
Nikon 35mm AF-S f/1.8G Samples
DPreview has posted some sample shots taken with the new Nikkor 35mm AF-S f/1.8G here.
35mm AF-S f/1.8G on FX
Some random Japanese guy was in his local camera ginza (I’m sure I’m using the term incorrectly) and slapped the DX lens on his FX camera to show us what it looked like.
Bjorn Reviews 35mm AF-S f/1.8G
Bjorn’s a well-respected, ridiculously techy photographer so I generally pay attention to what he says- as opposed to the other guys who “review” gear they’ve never touched, for example.
A few test shots confirm – not unexpectedly – that the Nikon wizards know their trade. Of course. The 35/1.8 does project an image circle that is bigger than the bare minimum needed for DX, but is smaller than FX. You get heavy vignetting and severe loss of sharpness outside hte DX format area. If you find the fall-offof the corners acceptable, you could just barely scrape by using the FX camera set to 5:4 format.
Note- when you visit his site- you do NOT see the images if you are not logged in. So register, login, etc.
Nikon 35mm f/1.8 AF-S DX Lens Announced
In news that will thrill 10’s of people around the globe- Nikon has announced the Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX.
That little “DX” addendum means that you won’t want to use in on a full-frame camera (D3, D3x, D700) unless you want to be stuck in crap crop-mode.
But, if you’ve got a D60 and the angle of view was too little for you with the 50mm, then you’ve now got a cheap way to get your 50mm perspective back.
Your first reaction is probably something like, “Wtf are they spending lens-development resources on the amateurs who buy $300 lenses when the higher-end guys have been asking for a lens like this too?”
But it does make sense, having a 50mm AF-S f/2.8G allows the DX guys to have their near-85mm equivalent and giving them a 35mm gives them a near-50mm equivalent.
Now if Nikon would stop making any new DX lenses, they would be free to concentrate on the fullframe guys.
Otoh- these lenses are relatively cheap and putting them out in a down market makes sense- since they’re probably also made in China or Thailand- the strong Yen actually makes them even more profitable.
So you just bought your nice new 24mm (let’s pretend) $1800-ish PC-E lense and you’re all like, “The manual says I have to send it in to get tilt and shift on the same axis?!”
But you’ve got no time and a pair of:
PC-E Tilt/Shift Axis Change
And you’re all like, “Whatever, I do what I want!” Well, just 4 screws and a 90′ twist and you can conveniently do it at home– MotifNation shows you how!
In fact, it looks so easy, you might wonder why Nikon didn’t make it possible to do on the fly without removing the screws.
Some comments by people who’ve done this here. The screwdriver has been reported to be a Phillips #000 and you might want to use some less-adhesive loctite before you put the screws back if you intend to keep it that way.
It reportedly costs $126 to have Nikon perform the same process.
Nikon 14-24mm vs Zeiss 21mm - Comparison /Review
David Clapps pixel-peeps the Zeiss 21mm ZF lens and compares it to the Nikon 14-24mm. Zeiss lenses are generally considered to be great and the 14-24mm has been considereding amazing for a zoom.
While I love my Zeiss lenses, you have to give it to the 14-24mm, it either matches or clocks the the Zeiss everywhere after f/2.8.
I’m sensing the need for a page specifically dedicated to VR lenses and whether or not their manual says to turn the VR off when mounted on a tripod.
Bob wrote me to ask if the much-loved Nikkor 80-400mm wanted its VR turned off while on a tripod. Ya know what I told him? RTFM! That was the lesson that Brad was trying to teach us yesterday.
Thankfully, Brad did read the f’ing manual (and told me, because I was too lazy to do it for him):
The 80-400 manual says, and I quote exactly:
“When the lens is mounted on a tripod, set the vibration reduction switch to OFF. Set the vibration reduction switch to ON, when using a monopod or if the lens is mounted on a tripod without the head being locked in place.”
Thanks Brad!
As I explained to Brad, and the actual reason that I put up anything on this topic is because the differences between having it on while on the tripod and turning it off were so pronounced!
Brad says that I got it wrong- that most people have probably got it wrong- even you! I reprint his message in its entirety (bolding is mine):
Your entry entitled “On Tripod? VR OFF! Comparison Shots is over-simplified to the point of being extremely misleading.
In short, whether or not you should turn off the VR function when mounted on a tripod varies with the lens. And, it also varies with how sturdy your tripod is and whether or not the head is tightened down. One thing that contributes to the confusion is how poorly it is expressed in the manuals (and, I have found a few typos in the VR sections of the manuals, which compounds the problems).
Here’s the situation with the VR lenses I currently own and have tested (and when mounted on a firm tripod with head tightened down):
1. 105 mm VR Micro: Turn VR off when on tripod (as stated in manual)
2. 200 mm f2 VR: Turn VR off when on tripod (as stated in manual – albeit in a confusing fashion)
3. 300 mm f2.8 VR: Turn VR off when on tripod (as stated in manual)
4. 200-400 mm f4 VR: A-Ok to leave VR on when on tripod (as stated in manual) BUT ensure VR is in “Normal” mode (not active mode)
5. 600 mm f4 VR: Recommended to leave VR on when on tripod (as stated in manual) BUT ensure VR is in “Tripod” mode – unless you are panning (as in following a bird) with a firm gimbal head (like a Wimberley).
Because of the poor performance of the 70-200 f2.8 VR on the full frame cameras, I have recently jettisoned this lens and manual and can’t (without downloading the PDF manual) easily confirm what the manual says about this lens. But from my experience with it is that when firmly mounted on tripod you get better performance with the VR OFF.I don’t expect (or care) if you post this info, but it would probably help a LOT of people if you amend the current info to include the point that the VR ON vs. VR OFF issue varies with the lens (and if people carefully read their manuals there would be no controversy!).
Yours in tack sharp images…
Brad
_
Brad Hill
Natural Art Images
www.naturalart.ca
On tripod - VR OFF!
The manuals for VR lenses states that if you’ve got the lens on a tripod, you should turn VR off. I’ve read in various places that this is because of possible damage to the VR mechanism, but that’s generally regarded as BS. You’re also supposed to let the VR motors turn off before removing the lens, I doubt this too but haven’t seen anything authoritative.
But I’ve never tried test shots of a VR lens on a tripod with VR on vs off, but David Dyer-Bennet has and we’re the better for it.
Check out his ‘on vs off’ photos and it’s completely clear that the VR has to be turned off if you’re on a tripod.
A nice theatre shot here and here and here.
Shots of fruit here.
…i think the Contrast is a lot better, wide open than the old one was.
Shots of cats with the 50mm f/1.4g AF-S are currently scarce, but I expect to see bunches landing any day now. blech. Ugh- 2 seconds after posting this, I find a dog thread. Really- why can’t we take pictures of hot chicks with new lenses?
Comparisons between the older AF-D and the new AF-S here. Definitely better at f/1.4 provided the guy’s AF-D wasn’t a bad copy.
Since I only have the f/1.8, I wonder how they compare…
I’m seeing ever-increasing noise from legitimate sources that the 50mm AF-S is not at quite the speed that we’re used to with other AF-S lenses:
its really quite slow in acquiring AF even with the integrated Silent
Wave Motor…not much of a difference to the old 50mm f1.4 version
That’s pretty interesting- other reports are that it’s relatively light for its size- one wonder if Nikon had to cut the budget a bit on the lens to get AF-S motors in there and still hit a reasonable price.
Nikon Nikkor 50mm af-s f/1.4g Samples
Here. Also says it’s very sharp, with a usable f/1.4. 100% crops look good. He reports that the light falloff vs the 50mm AF-D is much better.
Oh- if you don’t see the shots, then create an account on his site and then login and view the page. I’ll not snipe his shots.
Also- vignette tests at various wide apertures here.
Nikon Nikkor 50mm f/1.4g AF-S review
[Edit- Duh- it's the 1.4, not the 2.8, pardon me.]
Bjørn Rørslett is widely regarded as an authority on Nikkor lenses- the dude even alters the chips in his lenses and throws chips into lenses that didn’t have them before. For me, this qualifies you for LensGod status, so I take his opinions seriously.
He’s somehow gotten ahold of a 50mm AF-S (scroll down) and liked it:
…While the lens barrel does not extend during focusing, there is no internal focusing (IF) to work its magic (and sometimes, adding colour aberaations) – the inner unit moves back and forth as an entity. Thus, the autofocus operational speed won’t set a world record, but for most purposes it suffices well enough…
…The corner fall-off is visible when the lens is set to the widest apertures, but less annoying than seen with the earlier AF-D model. From f/2.8 onwards vignetting is negligible. The barel distortion, typical for this class of lens, is kept under good control…
…The new model is an evolution of the older lens, so you don’t need to rush out to purchase it unless you can only work with AFS, but anyone looking for an excellently performing normal lens should consider the “G” carefully…
Do you like really blurry shots of equipment taken by amateurs with point and shoots? Really?
Well tell me this- do you like close-up shots of the intimate of kit lenses? Really? Ok, well here you go (Engadget):
Nikon D90 unboxing and nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6g kit lens
