EDIT: It seems that my initial idea of looking for a wide angle zoom lens has turned into a search for a prime wide angle lens, 24mm (or 28mm?) focal length.
I’m thinking about adding a missing multi purpose wide-angle lens to my collection and my eye caught this 18-35mm Nikkor lens.
My main goal for this lens would be landscapes, but this will also open up the possibility of shooting in urban areas.
I’ve also looked at the more expensive 16-35mm Nikkor from a more recent date but I’m not sure about that one. Heavier and longer, not much (if at all) better when looking at the metrics. OK VR is nice, but I shoot most often from a tripod.
Does anybody have hands-on experience with either (or both!) these lenses, and if so: What is your verdict.
BTW: The 1000 or so price tag for the 16-35 is the absolute top I’m willing to spend atm. Please remember that if you want to point out alternatives that fit on a D750, FX F mount .
I’m using mostly primes. For that focal length, I use the Nikkor AIS 2.8/24mm on my old FX D700. It has a lot of CA, but fortunately the CA can be corrected almost perfectly using raw ca-correction in RT. You may find it at low price on the bay. Also, @Morgan_Hardwood uses this lens on his 24MP Sony cam (with an adapter) and afaik is very pleased.
If 24mm is not wide enough for your landscape shots: Hold the cam in portrait orientation and take 3 overlapping shots. Then stitch them using Hugin. This will give you even more resolution.
@ggbutcher : Thanks! Didn’t come across that one yet
@heckflosse : I would actually prefer a prime to be honest, I’m not at all sure about the focal length though.
Just had a look at the one you mention and that is a nice one. Don’t think they can be bought new and I do have 2 (out of 2) bad experiences with second hand lenses.
A quick search comes up with the Nikon AF-S 24mm F/1.8G ED (probably the one I prefer mm wise) or the Nikon AF-S 28mm F/1.8 G as an affordable prime. Have to have a good look at the specs and possible other (including Sigma?) candidates.
Ha, wanted to address 24mm not being small enough at times. Guess you answered that while I was replying!
Good! This is going to be one of those fun hardware search and compare trips
My main lens is the Nikon 24mm f1.8. Before that I had the sigma 24mm f1.4 art. The sigma 24 is the worst art lens. I did not like the color rendition on it and the contrast is also very poor. The Nikon, while it sacrifices a stop, is much better and way cheaper, about 2/3 the price here in the US.
I’ve been lagging on profiling the 24mm tho, I really need to do it.
The 24/1.8 is really, really good. Light, sharp, nice bokeh for close-ups, decent sunstars, low flare. CA is minor and easily corrected in DT. No profile in lensfun yet but if you use the one for the 20/1.8, it’s very close. Or just pick the generic one and tweak the CA sliders.
However… I’ve found I don’t use it nearly as much as I thought I would. I like the focal length but find it too wide for a walk-around lens, and have realised that 95% of my photography is of the walk-around kind.
So before any expensive prime purchase I’d definitely recommend that, if you have a zoom that covers that focal length, you “lock” it to 24mm for a few photo trips - no zooming without physically changing lenses - and see how you get on.
Thanks, always nice to know that another person is pleased with its performance. Makes me depend less on the on-line “reviews”
I have a DC-LX100M2 that I always carry with me. This one has a 24-75mm build in zoom lens and I noticed that I very often use the 24-30mm range when shooting. Although I can’t with this one, I don’t get the idea I would want to go much lower than 24mm.
I do think that 35 is not wide enough for my needs, so my choice is either 24 or 28. I’m not all that sure about the Nikkor 28mm f/1.8G atm. I have to do some more browsing, comparing and contemplating during the weekend.
You may want to also look at the manual focus AI 28/2.8 if that’s wide enough for you. I have one and after lusting for some time after the newer 28/1.8G and 20/1.8G I have realized that the old 28mm f/2.8 is the better choice for me. Small, excellent quality, easy to focus (I use it on a D810 body).
The AI 28/2.8 and the one heckflosse mentioned (AI 24/2.8) are very nice and I’m from a focus-by-hand generation so the manual labor part wouldn’t bother me one bit…
The shop I’ve been buying my equipment from did receive a 24/2.8 AI-S (used) early last week. Talk about coincidence… As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I do have bad experiences with second hand, but maybe I should give it a third try: It’s either “Third time is the charm” or “Three strikes and I’m out”…
Thanks for that link, it prevented me from my third strike…
The 24mm lens, advertised as a 24mm f/2.8 AI-S, is in reality a 24mm f/2.8 AI which makes a big difference in optics and age. So that one is a no-go, especially for the price they are asking for it.
I’ll keep looking around for a bit, maybe I run into the 24mm or 28mm. I’m in no real hurry to get this one.
part wouldn’t bother me one bit…