Superb lens

I have quite a nice collection of Nikkor lenses. This is one of the best. And also one of the best-kept secrets.

This lens seems to get very little respect in the Nikon community but I've never understood why. The photos it takes on my D200 are sharp (even wide open) and have good contrast. Better still, the photos just have a really beautiful look to them. Hard to put your finger on exactly why.

I find that 28mm is a really useful focal length on DX cameras. It certainly couldn't be described as wide. Just marginally wider than normal.

Obviously the results of a good fixed focal length lens like this are always going to be in a different league to consumer-priced zoom lenses. I love using fixed focal length lenses. A lens which does get rave reviews is the 50mm F1.8. I would say the 50mm is slightly sharper, but I find the photos less pleasing.

The most important lens for Nikon Digital SLRs

If you bump into a press photographer who uses Nikon, chances are that they have this lens on their camera. If not, they probably have it in their bag.

Nikon Digital SLRs multiply the focal length of the lens by 1.5 compared to film, so, in old 35mm terms, this lens is equivalent to 24-82, which is by far the most useful range for general work.

This lens is aimed fair and square at the premium professional market. The 2.8 constant maximum aperture is fast enough for most light conditions, and makes for excellent differential focus. The controls are smooth, and the overall impression is one of sturdy workhorse reliability.

In designing this lens exclusively for digital, Nikon have accepted that we now require far greater sharpness across the entire picture than we did previously. However, this sharpness comes at a price -- this lens is not suitable for 35mm film photography, and anyone still using a DSLR with, say, an F5 or F6 will need to get the more expensive and less optimised 17-35 if they want to use it on both cameras.

The filter size is 77mm, which is identical to the 80-200 AF-D, which is (in my opinion) the ideal partner to this lens. 77mm makes for expensive filters, though, especially since any depth at all is likely to cause vignetting on the shorter focal lengths. We use Lee 105 mm filters, but even then there is a limit to the number of filters you can put on before vignetting occurs.

This is by no means a small or unobtrusive lens. Price aside, it is not really suited to anything but professionals and the most committed of amateur enthusiasts.

Alternatives which are worth considering are the Nikon 18-55 mm f3.5-f5.6, which is smaller and lighter, and much cheaper. People who use the 18-55 argue that there is no discernible quality difference. However, anybody who shoots in low available light or who needs differential focus will regret the extra 2 stops of light that the 18-55 loses in its middle range.

Sigma and Tamron also make equivalents for this range and specification, both substantially cheaper than the Nikon. I've always been very pleased with Sigma lenses, and many free-lance photographers prefer them because of price. However, if I was only going to own one Nikon lens, and fill out the rest of my kit with Sigma, I would choose this one.

If you are considering this lens, you probably also want to know what G ED-IF AF-S DX stands for.

G - G type lens without on lens aperture settings. Since the DSLRs require the on-lens aperture rings to be switched off, G is neither an advantage nor a disadvantage

ED - Extra Low Dispersion. Previously ED was the mark of Nikon premium glass. However, almost all new Nikon zooms now have varying combinations of ED elements. This particular lens is in fact a premium zoom, something which you can see by looking at the lens and noting that the lens name is picked out in gold paint.

IF - Internal Focussing. The lens doesn't spin round when you focus, thereby preserving your careful filter positionings, especially when using polarisers and grads.

AF - Autofocus. This lens would still function on a manual focus camera, though, and of course on a D SLR's manual focus setting.

S - Silentwave. A more economical auto-focus motor which is marginally less noisy than its predecessors. I've never really noticed the noise on other lenses, but it certainly speeds up auto-focus and saves battery life.

DX - Digital Exclusive. This lens does not have the coverage at its full aperture to respond properly on 35mm. This wouldn't stop you trying, of course, but that isn't what the lens is for.

My recommendation: if you make your living from photography, and you use Nikon, get this lens. If you don't, at least try it in a shop before you order it -- you may regret carrying it around for half a day.

Beautiful, exciting and affordable

This is a beautiful, exciting and affordable lens with specifications only marginally less than the much more expensive Nikkor 85 f/1.4D Af.

This is a different lens depending on whether you are shooting film or digital. On film, it is at the short end of portrait lengths, suitable for head and shoulders or wider shots. On digital, which crops the lens by 1.5, it is at the long end of portraits, suitable for head shots, or for head and shoulders at a greater distance. On digital it also qualifies as a sports lens.

This, and the 1.4 cousin, are firm favourites for digitial portraits, and here is why:

First, the measured quality of both these lenses puts them among the best that Nikon (or anyone) has ever produced at any length. The 1.4 measures marginally better, but only marginally.

Second, the relative speed of these lenses gives much more control over depth of focus than the fastest zoom lens: even professional zooms only manage f/2.8. Again, the 1.4 gives a little bit more, but the 1.8 is still substantially ahead of other options.

Third, the length is exactly right for digital portraits. One of the results of the smaller size of the digital sensor is that you get more depth of focus than with the equivalent length of lens for film. Therefore, in order to get the same reduced depth of focus which is often used for portraits, you need a longer lens. The traditional lens lengths for film were 85-105mm for portraits, which would equate to 57-70mm on the digital sensor _in terms of field of view_. Going further out, to 85mm as this lens does, recovers the deliberately shallow depth of focus.

Fourth, this lens (and its cousin) give a very bright viewfinder picture, which also assists autofocus. If you spend half a day peering through the f/4-5.6 of a typical zoom lens, and then you look through this lens, it's like switching the lights on or cleaning your glasses. This is a _very_ enjoyable lens to photograph with, and also gives you a much better picture of what you are going to get.

Finally, this is ideal for grainy, moody portraits shot in available light, just because it does let so much light through.

I love this lens -- it's small, unobtrusive, and very light, and at a very competitive price. True, you could probably have lots of fun with a zoom lens for the same money, but you would not achieve the same scorchingly beautiful, razor sharp next to beautifully blurred that this lens provides. If you do have about twice as much money to spend, you would be advised to look at the f/1.4 as well, but you might still decide that, in terms of bang for your pound, this lens won't be beaten.