Can You Get By With Just One Lens? Nikon 28-200
Written: Apr 28 '00 (Updated Jan 22 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Lightweight, internal focusing, wide zoom range, aspheric elements
Cons: All in one zooms usually suffer from resolution problems
The Bottom Line: All-in-one lenses that cover huge zoom ranges generally disappoint, this Nikkor gem is an exception
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| Howard_Creech's Full Review: Nikon 28-200mm F3.5-5.6 D-AF IF Lens |
All in one lenses are sort of like the weird boat/plane cars of the fifties and early sixties. In those cars, you could either bolt wings to your car and use it as an airplane, or flip a couple of switches and drive your car into the lake, where it would behave like a boat. Neither of those designs worked very well.
All in one zoom lenses, on the other hand, are getting better and better. Design experience, consumer feedback, new materials, and innovative ideas have all contributed to the continued improvement of "all in one" lenses. These optics tend to be heavy, cumbersome to operate, and suffer (sometimes severe) resolution and distortion problems at either or both the wide and long end, but overall they have improved radically over just a few years ago.
Nikon's newest offering in this range is the Nikkor 28-200 f3.5-5.6 IF AF-D zoom. Nikon fans have been hearing rumors about this lens for quite some time. The new lens is quite compact, and because of the IF (internal focusing) the physical dimensions of the lens change very little during zooming and focusing. The front element does turn during zooming, but not during focusing, which will make using split neutral density and polarizing filters much easier.
This lens should appeal to travelers, hikers, backpackers, cyclists, snapshooters, and the like. Many faithful Nikon camera users have purchased "all in one" zooms from Tokina and Sigma, while complaining that Nikon should manufacture lenses of this type. Nikon listens to consumers, and responds, not always quickly....but they do respond. The new Nikkor 28-200 is a case in point, very compact (3.5 inches long at 28mm, 5.25 inches long at 200MM) lightweight (19.5 ounces), and with two aspheric elements (one in front and one in back) which should go a long way toward overcoming the distortion that these type lenses are notorious for.
Close focusing at 28mm is less than three feet, and at 200mm close focusing is at a bit less than five feet. Many serious photographers tend to dismiss "all in one" zooms as toys for snapshooters, but the new Nikkor 28-200 f3.5-4.5 IF AF-D lens is a solid performer and one hundred per cent Nikon. The focus ring is wide and easily grippable, the fit and finish is first rate, and with two aspheric elements the resolution is fantastic for a lens of this type. A word of caution, using multi element wide to telephoto lenses with Nikon's 5T or 6T diopters for close up work is likely to provide disappointing results.
If you enjoyed reading this lens review. Please read my other lens reviews:
Nikon Lenses
Prime Lenses
Nikon AF ED-IF 180/f2.8D Nikkor
http://www.epinions.com/content_50492313220
Nikon 105/f2.8D AF Micro-Nikkor
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-ED0-62442B1-393AA9F1-prod5
Nikon 85/f1.4D AF IF
http://www.epinions.com/content_23241199236
Nikon 85/f1.8D AF
http://www.epinions.com/content_29370191492
Zoom Lenses
Nikon AF IF 24-85/f2.8-4.0D Zoom Nikkor
http://www.epinions.com/content_40820510340
Nikon AF IF 28-200/f3.5-5.6D Zoom Nikkor
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-61AC-14E291B-3909BCF6-prod5
Nikon AF 75-240/f4.5-5.6D Zoom Nikkor
http://www.epinions.com/elec-Photo-Lenses-All-Nikon_75-240mm_f_4_5-5_6D_AF_Zoom-Nikkor
Nikon AF 70-300/f4.0-5.6D ED Zoom Nikkor
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-4C5A-1489077-3909AEA3-prod5
Nikon AF 80-200/f2.8D IF-ED AF-S Zoom Nikkor
http://www.epinions.com/content_38412717700
Sigma Lenses
Sigma Designs AF 17-35/F2.8-4.0D EX HSM Zoom
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-4C46-145B3FFF-39CE2ADE-prod3
Sigma Designs AF 28-70/f2.8D EX Aspherical Zoom
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-5C92-1C455245-39CE9F60-prod6
Tokina Lenses
Tokina AT-X 20-35/f2.8D PRO Zoom
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-2E59-2F3F6C0-390C5EB2-prod3
Choosing Lenses for your New Camera
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-283E-10641A05-393D299A-prod1
Just “cut and paste” the URL into your browser’s address bar/window
Recommended:
Yes
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Howard_Creech
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Member: Howard Creech
Location: Louisville, KY
Reviews written: 333
Trusted by: 1274 members
About Me:
Photographer/Writer fascinated by Movies, Music, Books, American Diner Food, History, "Popular Culture", and Travel.
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