NIKON ZOOM LENSES REVIEW
As a nature-loving photographer, I strive to capture its image with the greatest fidelity.
For this reason, I am concerned about the image quality provided by the lenses I use.
For more than 30 years, I have wanted to know which Nikon zoom lenses in the range were the most efficient.
Below is a summary table of my tests on Nikon zoom lenses.
Subjective evaluation of Nikon zoom lenses - v1.2 April 2014 - © Richard Soberka - www.photoway.com
| Lens Model | Focal Length | Contr. W. O. |
Contr. f/8.0 |
Resol. W. O. |
Resol. f/8.0 |
Vignetting | Distortion | Overall Qual. |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NIKON AFS 17-35 2.8 D ED (4 samps) |
17mm | 7 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7.1 | Superb mechanical finish, very quiet "AFS" autofocus. Contrast superior to that of the best equivalent prime lenses! The resolution is extreme in the center, but weaker at the edges at large apertures, a defect that varies from one example to another. Discreet vignetting, acceptable distortion... The digital "must-have"! |
| 24mm | 8 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8.6 | ||
| 35mm | 7 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7.8 | ||
| NIKON AFD 18-35 3.5-4.5D ED (1 samp) |
18mm | 6 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 6.5 | Light, easy to handle, fast autofocus, vivid and saturated colors! At focal lengths of 28 and 35mm and at f/8.0, the performance of this small Nikon zoom is close to the AFS 17-35 model! Good contrast, but from 18 to 24mm, resolution is rather weak in the corners, even at f/8.0. |
| 24mm | 7 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7.1 | ||
| 35mm | 7 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 8.1 | ||
| NIKON AFD 20-35 2.8 D (1 samp) |
20mm | 6 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6.8 | Remarkable mechanical construction, but quite noisy autofocus. Good contrast, but slightly inferior to equivalent prime lenses. At 24mm: excellent resolution, even in the corners from wide open (superior to the fixed 24mm 2.8 AFD). At 35mm, at f/8.0, slight diffraction in the central part of the image. |
| 24mm | 6 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7.3 | ||
| 35mm | 6 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 7.5 | ||
| NIKON AFD 24-50 3.3-4.5 D (3 "AFD" 1 samp "AF") |
24mm | 4 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 6.0 | Compact, light, interesting coverage range. From 24 to 35mm at f/8.0, the resolution at the center is really impressive: identical to the best equivalent prime lenses! However, under bright light, internal flare reduces contrast. Slightly cool color rendering from 24 to 35mm. |
| 35mm | 5 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7.3 | ||
| 50mm | 6 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 7.1 | ||
| NIKON AFS 24-85 3.5-4.5 G ED (1 samp) |
24mm | 6 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 6.1 | Consumer lens with a nice finish, quiet AFS autofocus, interesting coverage range, good performance at full aperture. Adequate contrast, very uniform resolution up to 35mm, but beyond 50mm, it drops significantly, even at f/8.0. Truly terrible distortion at 24mm! |
| 35mm | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7.6 | ||
| 85mm | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6.0 | ||
| NIKON AFD 24-120 3.5-5.6 D (4 samps) |
24mm | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7.1 | Fabulous coverage range, relatively good performance at full aperture. Very correct contrast for this type of lens, but resolution collapses beyond 50mm, even at f/8.0. Acceptable distortion at 24mm but bothersome beyond 35mm. |
| 50mm | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7.1 | ||
| 120mm | 5 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5.8 | ||
| NIKON AFS 28-70 2.8 D ED (2 samps) |
28mm | 9 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8.6 | Magnificent mechanical construction, AFS silence, but a weight of 1 kg! Exceptional performance: explosive contrast and color saturation, even at full aperture! At 50mm, it competes equally with a fixed 50 lens! The resolution is even higher at the edges! Same against the 28 and 35mm tested!! |
| 50mm | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9.5 | ||
| 70mm | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 9.0 | ||
| NIKON AFD 28-105 3.5-4.5 D (4 samps) |
28mm | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 6.3 | Practical field zoom, of good construction. Uneven contrast from 28 to 50mm: good in the center, but grayer at the edges. Resolution always correct but nothing more. Very low distortion. Strong variation from one model to another, among the 4 lenses tested, 3 were blurry on one edge or the other! |
| 50mm | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 7.6 | ||
| 105mm | 7 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7.3 | ||
| NIKON AF 35-70 2.8 (1 samp) |
35mm | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7.6 | Somewhat heavy, old construction, somewhat narrow coverage range. Very correct contrast and resolution at all focal lengths. Very good performance in the corners right from full aperture. Color rendition is quite warm with a drift towards green and orange in the tested sample. |
| 50mm | 8 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8.5 | ||
| 70mm | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7.8 | ||
| NIKON AF 35-105 3.5-4.5 (1 samp) |
35mm | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7.5 | This older "push-pull" model is different from the "D" model of 1996. Its contrast is very correct at all focal lengths. Correct resolution from 35 to 70mm, noticeably softer image at 105mm. Distortion very well controlled except at 105mm. |
| 50mm | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8.3 | ||
| 105mm | 6 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6.8 |
| Lens Model | Focal Length | Contr. W. O. |
Contr. f/8.0 |
Resol. W. O. |
Resol. f/8.0 |
Vignetting | Distortion | Overall Qual. |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NIKON AFS 70-200 2.8 G ED VR 1 (5 samps) |
70mm | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8.6 | Magnificent mechanical finish, very quiet "AFS" autofocus. Contrast superior to that of the best equivalent prime lenses! The resolution is extreme in the center, but weaker on the edges at large apertures, a defect that varies from one example to another. Discreet vignetting, acceptable distortion... The digital "must-have"! |
| 135mm | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9.1 | ||
| 200mm | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 8.3 | ||
| NIKON AFS 70-200 2.8 G ED VR 2 (2 samps) |
70mm | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9.6 | The ultimate telezoom, superb mechanics, very effective stabilization... Image quality superior to the VR1 model. Resolution and contrast are extreme across the entire FX field. Only flaw: persistent vignetting in FX at 200mm, even at f/8.0 |
| 135mm | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9.3 | ||
| 200mm | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 8.8 | ||
| NIKON AFD 70-210 4.0-5.6 D (1 samp) |
70mm | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7.8 | Small Nikon lens relatively compact with very fast autofocus. Contrast and resolution very correct between 70 and 135mm, but at 210mm, the image becomes rather soft. Vignetting and distortion are really noticeable only beyond 135mm. Slightly cool color rendition. |
| 135mm | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7.3 | ||
| 210mm | 4 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5.5 | ||
| NIKON AFD 70-300 4.0-5.6 ED (1 samp) |
70mm | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8.3 | This small consumer telezoom that appeared in 1998 benefits from ED glass. Its contrast is relatively correct, its resolution is also good on the central part of the image up to 200mm. Beyond 200mm, the image softens and distortion increases. However, this small lens can be a good choice in DX format. |
| 180mm | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7.3 | ||
| 300mm | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6.3 | ||
| NIKON AFS 70-300 4.0-5.6 VR (2 samps) |
70mm | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8.5 | Good optic relatively light and more convenient for travel than the AFS 70-200 2.8. Excellent VR II type stabilization. Really very good sharpness in DX format, very correct contrast, but in FX the image edges and corners are very weak even at f:8 or f:11. Strong distortion from 135 mm on. |
| 135mm | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7.6 | ||
| 300mm | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | ||
| NIKON AF 75-300 4.5-5.6 ED (1 samp) |
75mm | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8.0 | Old model with tripod mount, quite heavy: 1 kg (not to be confused with the 70-300). Contrast and resolution, without being exceptional, are constant across the entire focal range. Very slow and noisy autofocus, discouraging! |
| 180mm | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 7.3 | ||
| 300mm | 6 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6.5 | ||
| NIKON AFD 80-200 2.8 D (2 "one touch" samps) |
80mm | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9.3 | "Pump" or "one touch" version, without foot mount, optical construction in 16 lenses with 3 ED glasses. Exceptional optic from 80 to 135mm the definition surpasses that of prime lenses!!! At 200mm as well, provided you stop down to f/5.6. Vignetting and distortion almost absent up to 135mm. |
| 135mm | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9.0 | ||
| 200mm | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7.8 | ||
| NIKON AFD 80-200 2.8 D (4 samps 2 rings ) |
80mm | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9.5 | Two-ring model, with foot mount, faster AF. Optical identical to the previous model, but different lens coating (green reflections against purple reflections). Compared to the old "pump" version, the contrast seems to be slightly improved, but a very slight decrease in resolution at 200mm! |
| 135mm | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9.1 | ||
| 200mm | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7.6 |
Notes: The ratings are on a scale of 0 to 10, 10 being the best score.
("Contr. F.O." = Contrast at Full Opening, "Resol. F.O." = resolution at Full Opening; vignetting, distortion,...)
The overall image quality at a given focal length (Overall Qual.) is an arithmetic average of the other 6 values.
Test Methodology:
• Film cameras: from 1995 to 2004 these lens tests were conducted with various types of Nikon film cameras: three F90X, one F100, one F5, two F80, and two F70.
But one of the F90X bodies always served as the reference.
• Films: between 1995 and 2004, practically all lenses were tested, both on Kodak "Royal Gold 100" negative film, and on FujiFilm "Velvia" reversal film; in total, close to 80 rolls were used!!
• Digital cameras: from 2002, various digital SLR cameras were used in turn...
the first in "DX" format (Nikon D100, D70, D2X, D300s, D7000, D7100)
...and since 2007 "FX" bodies (D3, D700, D610, D800).
• Reference lens: a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens always served as the "reference" for each test
• Reference subjects for focal lengths from 12 to 50mm: this involves an urban landscape, rich in details.
The shots were always taken on a sunny day.
The focus of the lenses was set to infinity, the test camera being fixed on a tripod.
• Reference subjects for focal lengths from 50 to 300mm: details of the urban landscape above and especially a test chart.
This is a road map fixed on a wall perfectly orthogonal a few meters from the camera. Autofocus and manual focus. Lighting by 2 complementary spotlights, the camera being fixed on a tripod + a wedge for the lens.
• Examination of results in film (1995 - 2004): magnifying glass and microscope for slides and negatives, then paper print and again magnifying glass, then scanner at 4000 dpi and analysis on screen.
• Examination of results in digital: processing of RAW (nef) files treated with Nikon Capture / Capture NX without any software sharpening or noise filtering, then generation of 48-bit TIFF files..
• Examination of Tiff files with Photoshop at 200 or 300%
• The assessment of contrast is the most subjective data; resolution, on the other hand, is more easily measurable.
• Geometric distortion is easily appreciated by measurement on the test charts.
• Vignetting is appreciated on uniform shots - such as a blue sky - but remains relatively subjective.
• These results are not scientific measurements - such as passing on a "MTF bench".
• However, they reflect real use of the lenses.
Also check out the table of tests of Nikon prime lenses.