The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Lens recommendation: Medium-wide angle

NotXorc

New member
Requirements:
Focal length between 20-35mm. Will initially be used on a consumer DX body, but should cover FX. Compact size/weight preferred. Maximum aperture no slower than f/2.8. Electronic aperture control required. Manual focus prime with high build quality preferred, but will accept AF if the optics are good. Will be used for everything from unhurried reportage to landscape and the occasional portrait. Budget: less than US $700.

Is this set of requirements… too ambitious for the cost? :loco:
Cheers!
 

jeffwros

New member
Bang for the buck I liked the Nikkor 35 f/2 (current model). Get the Zeiss first but this little Nikkor was fun when I had it.
 

Shac

Active member
Some claim the Nikkor 35/1.8 DX works with FX - and IQ decent - it does meet your criterion of "Electronic aperture control required." You could try one at a dealer's. You'd have a lot left of your $700 too
 

PeterB666

Member
Some claim the Nikkor 35/1.8 DX works with FX
Only works on DX in a cropped sensor mode so you loose a lot of sensor resolution. It also becomes a 52mm equivalent lens. It also doesn't act as a proper manual focus lens with cameras that don't have a switch for manual focus.
 

bowlachili

New member
Bang for the buck I liked the Nikkor 35 f/2 (current model). Get the Zeiss first but this little Nikkor was fun when I had it.
+1 on the Nikon 35 f/2 AF/AFD. AF and MF, aperture control, f/2. 52mm equivalent FOV on DX. It's what I use on my D700 and my D50 as well.

Another option is a 28mm lens, equivalent to about a 42mm FOV on DX. You can get either the Nikon f2.8 AF/AFD or the Sigma f/1.8. There's an older Sigma 28mm f/1.8 AF, but watch out for AF errors (ran into one with serious backfocus). I use both as well.
 

NotXorc

New member
You can get either the Nikon f2.8 AF/AFD or the Sigma f/1.8.
Thanks, Bowlachili.

After evaluating the post-tax-season finances, I may be able to spring for a more expensive wide-angle lens. I very much like the idea of a wide-normal on DX; 28mm would be just the ticket. It will be my 2nd F-mount lens. My first is a Voigtländer Nokton (58/1.4, 87mm equiv.).

How would the Nikkor 28/2.8 compare to the Zeiss 28/2? The Zeiss lens is more than twice the cost of the Nikon. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Cosina/Voigtländer lens that I have now. One review in favor of the Zeiss is here. Rockwell is certainly complimentary of the Nikon. I am pretty sure I can live with the vignetting and the field curvature of the Zeiss.

Just today, I pulled out an old Minolta XD-11 and mounted a Promaster 28/2.8 purchased while in college. I could see the veiling flare through the viewfinder, even when the sun was only glancing the front element. :ROTFL:
 

NotXorc

New member
Only works on DX in a cropped sensor mode so you loose a lot of sensor resolution. It also becomes a 52mm equivalent lens. It also doesn't act as a proper manual focus lens with cameras that don't have a switch for manual focus.
Thanks to PeterB666 and Shac for their comments. The 35/1.8 does look like a real bargain, but the more I've thought about it (doh!), the more attractive a wider focal length becomes. :)
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
How would the Nikkor 28/2.8 compare to the Zeiss 28/2? The Zeiss lens is more than twice the cost of the Nikon. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Cosina/Voigtländer lens that I have now. One review in favor of the Zeiss is here. Rockwell is certainly complimentary of the Nikon. I am pretty sure I can live with the vignetting and the field curvature of the Zeiss.
The Zeiss vs Nikon 28/2.8 AF is like bringing a knife along to a gun fight. That particular AF Nikon lens isn't a great performer overall. The lens KR refers to is the AIS which is a different lens entirely.
 

NotXorc

New member
The Zeiss vs Nikon 28/2.8 AF is like bringing a knife along to a gun fight. That particular AF Nikon lens isn't a great performer overall. The lens KR refers to is the AIS which is a different lens entirely.
My mistake – clearly the AF is not too strong optically. How about the AIS vs the Zeiss? I can only hope that is a fairer fight. :)
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
Most important decision is to get the FOV you need for the type of photography you enjoy. For example street shooting ..I favor a 28mm FOV . Lots of examples where other prefer 35mm. If you shoot in dense city locations like in Europe you go wider verse say Florida where shooting anything wider than 28mm is rare. If you shoot a lot indoors go wider.

Next decide on how fast the lens needs to be . I don t want anything slower than F 2 because you loose too much DR when you push the ISO up.

Since you are comparing Zeiss to Nikon ...don t consider anything older than 2005 design. For Dx you could do a lot worse than the 28/2 ZF ..this is set up as a reportage lens so if you are thinking landscape pick again. This is a 37mm FOV. I used this lens on a D700 for my 2nd body in a wedding and it was brilliant .

The 35 1.8 Nikkor is the bargain Dx lens. Really an excellent lens ...set a Dx body up for fill flash on a D7000 and you have a can t miss set up. This is the party set up . When the moment trumps the quality objective...this is superb.

Wide angle on Dx bodies is difficult because of the 1.5x on FOV. If you had a fx body you would have great 35mm options in the zeiss or Nikon lines. The new 1.4 uber expensive lens are the new standards for Dslr .

But everything hinges on what you tend to shoot. And of course the budget.
 

NotXorc

New member
For Dx you could do a lot worse than the 28/2 ZF ..this is set up as a reportage lens so if you are thinking landscape pick again. This is a 37mm FOV. I used this lens on a D700 for my 2nd body in a wedding and it was brilliant.
Minor correction. The 28/2 would be a 42 mm equivalent on DX. Perhaps you were referring to the 25/2.8 which would be a 37.5 mm equivalent?

But everything hinges on what you tend to shoot. And of course the budget.
That is very critical.:thumbup:
I like to shoot organic/natural patterns in the landscape. Eliot Porter's photographs in the book 'Nature's Chaos' have been a real inspiration. I also enjoy lowlight 'fairground' photography. Here in the central Florida suburbs, there is not much in the way of street photography available, but when the fairs come to town, so do the crowds.
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
Right about a 28 being a 42 which is really closer to a standard FOV.

The two subjects you mention have very different requirements. Normally with landscapes you want very low distortion and strong edge to edge sharpness at medium to small apertures . Here a f2.8 or even f4 lens is fine.

For street you need fast lenses to deal with changing light and to sometimes isolate the subject. FOV however is most important and 42 isn t wide enough (for me). A 28 FOV is best because it helps provide room for context around the person ..without creating much distortion. DX is tough especially with Nikon because they don t have much that's new in the 20-24mm range .
 

bowlachili

New member
Thanks, Bowlachili.
You're welcome! Same decisions I've gone through. In the end, accepted that there is no such unicorn--small, fast, affordable, wide DX/FX prime.

If you are considering a zoom, the 20-35mm f/2.8 Nikkor AF-D might fit the bill (30mm to 52mm FOV). Around $650 used last time I checked. Pro build, large but not obscenely huge (by modern AFS standards), 77mm filter. Works with FX fully. Another lens I have and use.

Wouldn't it be nice if Nikon made a reasonably fast wide angle DX prime, such as a 18mm f/2 or so (equiv. to 27-28mm FOV)? Canon makes a 28mm f/1.8 (essentially the FX equivalent), so I can't imagine it an impossible task. That would make things a lot easier, and I bet it would sell briskly as well.
 

NotXorc

New member
In the end, I accepted that there is no such unicorn--small, fast, affordable, wide DX/FX prime.
It seems there is not even a My Little Pony™ in Nikon mount. :) Thom Hogan has noted the absence of "Any DX wide angle prime" in his 'Waiting for Nikon' list. It's been MIA for nearly 3.5 years.
Wouldn't it be nice if Nikon made a reasonably fast wide angle DX prime, such as a 18mm f/2 or so (equiv. to 27-28mm FOV)? Canon makes a 28mm f/1.8 (essentially the FX equivalent), so I can't imagine it an impossible task. That would make things a lot easier, and I bet it would sell briskly as well.
You bet it would sell well. :thumbs:
 
Top