Nikon Lens hidden gem

Gary Coyle

Gary Coyle

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Just picked up a Nikon AF-S 24-85mm G ED f/3.5-f/4.5 and this is a cracking lens, did a little research about it and its been discontinued but there are still some new ones to be had for around £400, i paid £185 used but as new for mine and to be honest its a little belter of a lens.

Just sold my super Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 as i didnt really use f/2.8 and picked this up as a cheaper replacement and im glad i did, its as good if not better than the Tammy in every respect, focal range is i little better on either end, distortion is less at 24mm then the Tammy is at 28mm, focus is very snappy and accurate, images are super sharp throughout the range and very contrasty.

All in all a real bargain and best of all the guy i bought it from has another for sale so i might bag that and pass it on.

Antone care to list any other forgotten gems.
 
Nikkor 105mmm f/2.5 - I use it with my old F2...beautiful lens...about 35 years old now and probably nowhere near as sharp as any modern lens, but just about perfect for portraits...
 
I think everyone and his dog knows about the 24-85 AF-G. All three major Nikon lens reviewers Thom Hogan, Ken Rockwell and Bjarne Roslett reckon its very good on full frame.

Its nice, but I wouldn't swap for a Tamron 28-75 personally as you are trading 1 1/2 stops on the long end - and bokeh as well.
 
I've used one and wasn't too taken with it tbh. I've now owned three versions of the Tamron 28-75mm and even the weakest one (with motor) was better. The other two lenses have been comfortably better than the Nikon in all respects. As with all lenses it comes down to luck of the draw as to how good your copy will be.

As for hidden gems....hmm difficult as most are well known! I would say the Nikon 28-105mm f/3.5 - f/4.5 lens - I used this on my D700 at the WHF day and got some great shots. I've since replaced it with a Tamron 24-135mm f/3.5 - f/5.6 lens which has become almost a permanent fixture on the D700 since. :)
 
My little gem is my Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AI-s - manual focus but has a lovely feel to it and produces super sharp images which have there own 'feel' if you know what I mean. Paid £60 for mine - bargain!
 
davekiddle said:
My little gem is my Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AI-s - manual focus but has a lovely feel to it and produces super sharp images which have there own 'feel' if you know what I mean. Paid £60 for mine - bargain!
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Agreed on this - awesome lens, I paid too much for mine (a lot more than £60!) but its lovely.
 
sdb123 said:
I've since replaced it with a Tamron 24-135mm f/3.5 - f/5.6 lens which has become almost a permanent fixture on the D700 since. :)
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The Tamron 24-135 is without question the best "walkabout" lens for full frame Nikon owners.

Super lens - murders the 24-120 VR effortlessly.
 
davekiddle said:
My little gem is my Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AI-s - manual focus but has a lovely feel to it and produces super sharp images which have there own 'feel' if you know what I mean. Paid £60 for mine - bargain!
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Sssh! The prices will go up (again)....just as I'm looking for one!
 
davekiddle said:
My little gem is my Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AI-s - manual focus but has a lovely feel to it and produces super sharp images which have there own 'feel' if you know what I mean. Paid £60 for mine - bargain!
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Great lens that one.

Also (not Nikon but I like it a lot) Sigma 24mm f/2.8 Super-Wide II. Old MF, build solidly (all metal) and focuses very nicely. This lens is amazingly sharp and unlike modern Sigma's produces very contrasty images. I use it mostly for macros (focuses at 16-18 cm) and in reverse. Got mine quite some time ago for 40 quid and it is the best bargain I had.
 
Radiohead said:
God I hate the phrase 'walkabout' for a lens.
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so do i but not as much as nifty,i also hate tog and any other pat phrases

as for hidden gems probably the e series lens my 28mm E is superb and i never use anything but nikon lens on my nikon camera.dont ask why i just dont ;)
 
My hidden gem of a lens is my 70-210mm f4-5.6. While it's not the constant f4 version, it was a bargain and is sharp as.
 
Not so much hidden but the Nikon 300mm F4 AF-S is stunning, on par if not better than the 70-200 VR

Best lens I have owned
 
whitey said:
Not so much hidden but the Nikon 300mm F4 AF-S is stunning, on par if not better than the 70-200 VR

Best lens I have owned
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What did I tell you :D

Try doing some close-up work with an extension tube :p
 
whitey said:
I know I know, another brownie point for you :lol:

extension tubes? tell me more :lol:
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As the 300mm f/4 AF-S focuses very close, with a couple of extension tubes you get get very close to 1:1.

300mm gives you excellent working distance.
 
i must be the only person on the planet that didnt rate the 24-85 sharpness too highly. i got one for an f100 about 6 years ago, and briefly used it on digital when i got a d100. loved the range on film, obviously, but i found it particularly soft. i dont know if theres been an updated version, but i used mine for years and was always a bit disappointed with it.
 
sdb123 said:
This is a lens I've been considering....I'm not overly into macro though. What kind of shots have you taken with it aside from macro?

:)
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Various bits and pieces that require 150mm even with a 1.4x TC it's tack sharp. Wide open performance is stunning and even if you're not shooting tiny stuff the close focusing is great for close-up portraits etc.

Focusing is quick and I can't fault it in the slightest. I've years now and still love using it.

I would post pics but I'm at work and don't have access to anything.
 
kalibre said:
Various bits and pieces that require 150mm even with a 1.4x TC it's tack sharp. Wide open performance is stunning and even if you're not shooting tiny stuff the close focusing is great for close-up portraits etc.

Focusing is quick and I can't fault it in the slightest. I've years now and still love using it.

I would post pics but I'm at work and don't have access to anything.
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No worries....you can post them another time. :p

Is it okay for portraits then? Not too harsh/revealing?
 
sdb123 said:
No worries....you can post them another time. :p

Is it okay for portraits then? Not too harsh/revealing?
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I avoid people photography if at all possible, but when I had the lens I found it excellent for that. very nice bokeh. For a portrait you need to stand quite a long way back!
 
sdb123 said:
No worries....you can post them another time. :p

Is it okay for portraits then? Not too harsh/revealing?
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Your lighting setup dictates how flattering the pic will be in terms of skin relief etc. Having a tack sharp lens is the icing on the cake. Like PD said, you just need to be at a decent distance to the subject, which may then mean you need to gobo the lights etc.

In short it's fab.
 
puddleduck said:
I avoid people photography if at all possible, but when I had the lens I found it excellent for that. very nice bokeh. For a portrait you need to stand quite a long way back!
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kalibre said:
Your lighting setup dictates how flattering the pic will be in terms of skin relief etc. Having a tack sharp lens is the icing on the cake. Like PD said, you just need to be at a decent distance to the subject, which may then mean you need to gobo the lights etc.

In short it's fab.
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Thanks guys....whilst I'm considering a longer macro lens for use with the D700 it would be nice to effectively 'double up' and maybe use it in my people work too....hmm* :thinking:

*scuttles off to check Jessops collect @ store availability...
 
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