PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG

I am glad to have the FF D700 because my lenses can now shoot at their full capability at the wide end. My Nikkor 18/2.8 served me well on the crop body D1x. It is tiny, light (18/2.8 takes standard 77mm thread filters, measured 3.2 x 2.3 inches in diameter and length, weighted only 13.6 oz.), the entire lens barrel has been coated with professionally-look hammered-metal finishing.

AF on 18/2.8 is very responsive (but noisy and I don’t understand why Nikon makes the focus ring rotated when it works in AF mode) because it has a rather very short rotation for focusing. This is a great convenience too if you prefer to run in manual focus, just rotates the focus ring in 90 degrees by my thumb and that already covers from nearest distance to infinity.

These features and high speed performance at f/2.8, 18/2.8 is great lens for dynamic and low light environment, in addition to landscape work. Now, I would only consider the bulky 14-24/2.8 for its widest 14mm and versatile zoom convenience. Though I prefer 18/2.8, who needs 14mm and zoom capability should definitely go to 14-24/2.8, in fact, 14-24/2.8 is one of the most valuable lens Nikon ever made.

See full article at Nikon AF Nikkor 18mm f/2.8D Assessment & Samples.

This is a lens you should not miss, especially if you are looking for real versatile solution that is the high speed and performance lens to go with excellent optics but a shame zoom ring! And you better always have the lens hood (it looks cool and smart, why not?) on whenever possible, add a quality filter (mine got a Nikon L37c attached) for maxmium protection of this decent lens from dirt and scratches.

Nikon claimed that 24-70 can produce prime level image quality, is that true? Yes, that is true! At least based on the limited test mentioned in this article, 24-70 is matching and even better than my two classic primes - 28/1.4 and 45/2.8 P which are indeed very sharp lenses.

See full article at Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED Assessment & Samples.

The D700 bulit-in flash is too powerful and the light is a bit hard, I made a small DIY diffuser (make use of a piece of packing plastic and tape covers the built-in flash unit) that costs nothing but 10 minutes of time … see setup and samples.