I’m well behind on publishing full lens reviews at the moment, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been using those new lenses. Here are some brief comments about lenses that have reviews in progress:
- Nikon 16-50mm f/2.8 VR DX — Surprisingly not “sharper” than the kit lens wide open, but that’s at f/2.8 and f/2.8 instead of f/3.5 and f/5.6. Stop down, and yes, you’ll see a benefit. Use the kit lens for small, light kits, use this new mid-range zoom for a really solid DX workhorse. It’s on my Z50II a lot, and it’s not yet let me down.
- Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 S II — What was wrong with the original? Not much, though the LED display was all gimmick and no usefulness. What’s better with the new version? Really small things, like less focus noise while doing it faster. The new lens is clearly better, but most folk would be well-served by the original. I don’t see the II version as a lens you upgrade to from the original, but if you’re looking for arguably the best 24-70mm f/2.8 on the market, then you’ll find it here.
- Nikon 35mm f/1.4 — Not my favorite focal length, so I haven’t been using it as much as some of the others. I was surprised to find how close to the 35mm f/1.8 S this lens is (at f/1.8). At this point, I’d tend to say which one you pick is a tossup, as each has some slight advantages as well as slight disadvantages versus the other. That wasn’t what I was expecting, so I need to look into that some more before publishing my final review.
- Nikon 35mm f/1.7 DX — This muffin sized lens is probably bigger than you’d think it should be, but it’s also near macro (at 1:2). That makes it a pretty versatile “normal” lens to put on a DX body, and I’ve been impressed with it in that respect. But remember, you won’t have VR, so watch your shutter speeds and handle your camera carefully.
- Nikon 58mm f/0.95 NOCT — I need to borrow this lens one more time to take some sample images, but this is probably the most well-corrected lens I’ve ever seen, particularly as you get to “real apertures” such as f/1.4 and smaller. It’s tricky nailing the focus point at f/0.95, since you’re doing that manually and there’s virtually no depth of field, so I suggest you set a black and white Picture Control and have Focus Peaking turned on.
Nikon’s mostly been hitting way more than singles each time they come up to bat with a new lens. A couple have been clear triples off the fence, one has been a grand slam, while the others are still all putting you into scoring position. Don’t be afraid of any Z-NIKKOR. Nikon’s upped their game in the mirrorless era, and I’m digging it.
Meanwhile, I’ve got quite a few third-party lenses in the queue, including:
- Tamron 35-100mm f/2.8 — I’m not giving up my Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 for this new, smaller lens, as I have better background choices maxing out the aperture of the bigger lens. That said, I’m not unpleased with the 35-100mm; assuming you keep subjects out of the extreme corners, you’re going to find it remarkably useful and versatile as a portrait lens that’s easy to carry.
- Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 VC — I like it. A lot. Probably more than I do the Nikon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6, even though I’m at a smaller aperture at every equivalent focal length with the Tamron. It’s a bigger and heavier lens than you might expect from the other Tamron telephoto zooms, and I find it too front-heavy on a Z50II, so make sure that you’re comfortable with how it handles. But optically, it does quite well.
Tamron, like Nikon, is hitting better than singles, though they really haven’t hit a three- or four-bagger yet. Given the relatively modest pricing in the Tamron lineup, solid lenses like the above almost make it into the “bargain” category.