Nikon Af-s Dx Nikkor 16-80mm F/28-4e Ed Vr Lens Review
Recently I've been experiencing 1 of those existential photo crises. Low motivation, cliché results, slumping Instagram likes. When I get bummed most my photography I exercise what whatsoever self-respecting unprofessional photographer would do – put on some soft jazz, pour myself a fine single malt, so pull out my favorite Zeiss lens chart results and pleasance myself. But fifty-fifty that didn't make me feel better. What'south a listless soul-wrenched photographer to do? Ha, I know what will do the flim-flam – no improve way to demonstrate my photographic élan and self-assurance than to dis on a kit lens.
Kit lenses are generally known for their convenience, calorie-free weight, and optical inferiority. Because one lens replaces many, it'southward a recipe to turn one into a slothful photographer. Not the kind of lens we like to talk about hither at Photography Life, simply as a affair of due diligence someone has to review them so I'thousand taking one for the team ;) Recently (well not that recently), Nikon released the Nikon AF-Due south DX Nikkor xvi-80mm f/2.8-4E ED VR.
This is the DX equivalent of Nikon's pop full-frame 24-120mm f/four. Both sport an equivalent 5x zoom range – very convenient for all-around photography. The sixteen-80mm has been bundled with the D500 as a kit, albeit a high-end DX kit. By itself, the 16-80mm boasts an MSRP of $1069.95. Ouch, for less than the 16-80mm lone y'all can currently choice up a D7100 with the 18-55mm kit lens plus the 55-300mm lens. The good news is that Nikon currently is giving $500 off the D500 + xvi-80mm kit (regularly $3069.95, at present $2569.95). I was in the market for a D500 then I took the allurement. If I didn't like the lens, I'd just use it to pound out schnitzels.
From 16mm:
To 80mm:
Nikon xvi-80mm f/2.8-4E VR Features
The 16-80mm sports the coveted "gold ring" at the end of the lens barrel. Unlike the magic band that turns hobbits invisible, the Gold Ring brings attention to yous and your camera, announcing y'all are pro material because you merely shoot the all-time. Besides the hefty MSRP, what gives the 16-80mm this distinction? Information technology pretty much has nigh of Nikon's top-end technologies – fluorine coating on the front and rear elements (makes information technology easier to clean with a dry lens cloth), Nano-coating to control flare, an electromagnetic diaphragm for consistent results and stepless adjustment (adept for video), four-finish Vibration Reduction, extra-low dispersion glass, aspheric elements, silent wave focus motor, and Beyonce's unlisted phone number (just checking to see if you're notwithstanding with me). But do these add together upwardly to good pictures?
Considering I similar to photograph nature, I'm a much bigger believer in actual field test results than in how well a lens shoots a apartment target at a stock-still altitude in a lab somewhere. What you're going to meet in this review are shots from the field at a multifariousness of focal lengths, apertures, and distances. If yous want MTF diagrams get hither.
Below are the lens specifications.
Nikon AF-Southward DX NIKKOR 16-80mm f/2.8-4E ED VR Specifications
- Focal Length: 16-80mm
- Mountain Type: Nikon F
- Format: APS-C / DX
- Compatible Format(south): APS-C / DX
- Compatible with Teleconverters: No
- Zoom Ratio: 5x
- Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 0.22x
- Vibration Reduction (Image Stabilization): Aye
- Maximum Aperture: f/ii.eight-4
- Minimum Aperture: f/22-32
- Maximum Angle of View (APS-C or smaller format): 83°
- Minimum Angle of View (APS-C or smaller format): twenty°
- Lens Elements: 17
- Lens Groups: xiii
- Diaphragm Blades: seven
- Extra-Depression Dispersion Drinking glass Elements: 4
- Aspherical Elements: 3
- Nano Crystal Coat: Aye
- Super Integrated Coat (SIC): Yes
- Fluorine Blanket: Yes
- Silent Wave Motor (SWM): Yeah
- Internal Focusing: Yes
- Minimum Focus Distance: one.xv ft. (0.35m)
- Electronic Diaphragm: Yes
- Filter Size: 72mm
- Dimensions: 3.1 in. (eighty mm) ten 3.3 in. (85.5 mm)
- Weight: sixteen.ane oz. (480 g)
Lens Construction
Here is the lens construction:
Build Quality
The lens body is plastic. This in some minds brand a lens feel cheap, simply in my mind it makes information technology feel light and I've never had a problem with any of Nikon's plastic lens bodies. I don't reminisce about the days of all-metallic bodied lenses except when I feel my hernia scar. The 16-80mm at 16.ane oz. (480 thousand) is nearly nine ounces lighter than the Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 – hallelujah.
Out on a hike you'll appreciate the light weight. There are iii switches – M/A-M auto-transmission focus switch, on-off VR switch, and normal-active VR switch. All iii take nice positive secure action. The lens hood is a squared petal style. Along with the Nano-blanket it controls flare quite well. The lens hood has a lock push button – seems similar an improvement on the sometime twist on/click hoods that would eventually vesture out the click stop.
The lens mount is metal (not plastic similar some cheap kit lens – remember the 18-105mm?). There's a safety seal around the lens mountain to keep dust out of the camera body.
Filter size is 72mm, so not compatible with the 77mm filters that well-nigh of my other Nikkors use. Still, I'd rather buy a couple of extra filters than lug a heavier lens effectually. I didn't bank check to meet if a step-upwardly ring would fit inside the lens hood. It's manufactured in Thailand. Cool – Nikon makes some really skilful lenses at that place.
Handling
The 16-80mm balances well on a D500 or D7200 (the two bodies I had available). On the D7200 if you have sausage fingers it'southward a bit of a pinch betwixt the lens and the camera grip (and probable also with the D3400 or D5500 equally they are fifty-fifty narrower bodies). No such issue with the pro-size D500. The zoom band works fairly polish and requires a fifth of a turn to encompass the whole range so in one twist I tin can get from 16-80mm no problem. In that location's a slight bit of resistance zooming out past 28mm.
The 16-80mm suffers from zoom creep, just merely from 28-80mm in my experience. Point the lens down to chimp at your terminal shot and if you were shooting at 28mm or longer and shake the camera a bit it volition extend to 80mm potentially forcing you to recompose. From 16-28mm it doesn't tend to creep.
The manual focus ring is narrow, can exist hard to locate and is not as aggressively knurled as the zoom ring. Information technology too has a slightly grinding feel to it. Possibly this grinding is a sample event, simply I've heard another reviewer too mention this. It takes a tertiary of a turn from infinity to minimal focus altitude (I had to re-grip once between twists for the full range).
Autofocus Performance
The autofocus is accurate, but like information technology'southward big brother the 24-120mm, non in a hurry (the 24-120 actually seems just a hair slower). Not that either is painfully wearisome, only they tin can't continue up with quick or erratically moving subjects like Hank hither.
If Hank had not been mesmerized by the burger compensation before him I would never have got this shot. Instead, near of my shots of Hank were out-of-focus images on an express path to the deletion bin. The 16-80mm is not a proficient choice for quick or erratically moving subjects. In comparison, the Micro-Nikkor 105mm prime number seems to focus nearly twice as fast.
The AF is as well louder than on other Silent Wave Motor lenses I've endemic. It has a slight grinding racket to it. Again this could exist a sample issue and I'll update this if I get to shoot some other re-create.
Vibration Reduction (VR) / Image Stabilization Performance
All the shots in this review were washed with the VR on and on Normal Mode. Everything was handheld except the star/calorie-free painting shots. I consider my easily to be a tad shaky, merely all the same realized three stops of improvement over the 1/focal length rule. Nikon claims four stops and for those with steady hands, I'one thousand guessing this is accurate. I got one in iii shots acceptable at iv stops under 1/focal length. When shooting low shutter speeds I'll take multiple shots to upward the odds of getting a crisp i.
At four stops under this was the one I considered adequate of 5 shots. The VR has a "tripod mode" which detects the different frequency of tripod vibration (versus other camera movements) and corrects for information technology. As I was non shooting from a moving platform I didn't use the Agile Mode.
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Source: https://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-16-80mm-f2-8-4e-vr
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