Any opinions on the 28mm 1.8g?

[PaulWog]

I'm curious about this lens. I hardly ever hear people talk about it.

Is it the least bang-for-the-buck AF-S g-lens?

 

[Designer]

Ken Rockwell has written this:

Nikon 28mm f/1.8 G Review

 

[PaulWog]

Ken Rockwell has written this:

Nikon 28mm f/1.8 G Review

I've read a few of the good reviews on the lens (Rockwell's being one of them). Rockwell's opinions are unfortunately very skewed and as such I value his opinion about as highly as I value any random forum-goer's opinion: He says that the 28mm is about the same as the 35mm 1.8G in many ways. I am leaning toward agreeing with him, but he has also said that the 16-85mm and 18-200mm are identical in sharpness & that 18mm vs 16mm is no different on a crop body. I've heard others state that the 28mm is much more akin to a very slight step down from a 35mm 1.4G or 24mm 1.4G, and that the bokeh is excellent. Yet, other opinions have been saying things like "it's alright, not special though". There's such a variance of opinion on the lens, but also very little feedback about it on the web (so I've only been able to compare a handful of opinions).

Anyway, I'm just curious about the lens. Hopefully someone has one and can give me a bit of info on it.

 

[pixmedic]

why listen to other people that are giving different opinions of the same lens.
rent one and see for yourself.

 

[PaulWog]

why listen to other people that are giving different opinions of the same lens.
rent one and see for yourself.

The precursor to renting is asking people about what they think

 

[pixmedic]

why listen to other people that are giving different opinions of the same lens.
rent one and see for yourself.

The precursor to renting is asking people about what they think

so who are you going to believe?
the good reviews or the bad?
seems like it would save you a lot of time just to rent the lens and see how you like it.

 

[Derrel]

I like 28mm on full-frame. On APS-C I would not really want one. A 28mm f/1.8 is a pretty fast lens; traditionally 28's are f/2.8 lenses, with a few f/2 models having been made over the years.

 

[PaulWog]

I guess I'm preemptively looking for a replacement to my 35mm 1.8G. But at $700 I don't think it's a worth-while replacement... it is very tempting nevertheless. It just seems to be at a good focal length to make a 28-50-85 prime setup work quite well alongside my 16-85 for the 16 wide. I thoroughly enjoy my 35mm perspective at f1.8, and having it a touch wider is an attractive idea to me.

Anyway, I'll leave this thread as-is to see if anyone has any input on the lens (if anyone has it).

Thanks for the input.

 

[Aloicious]

if you like the 35mm view, I'd suggest taking a good look at the Sigma 35 f1.4 Art lens. its absolutely beautiful in both IQ and build quality and fairly well priced considering the other 1.4 options out there (I LOVE mine). You could also look at the new Sigma 30mm f1.4 art lens, its a DX lens, but it'll be a slightly wider angle of view than the 35's and similar to what a 28 would give, plus its 2/3 stop faster than the 28, and several hundred dollars cheaper, plus you could use it with the new sigma dock and have the ability to fine tune your focus at various focal distances which is really nice IMO.

 

[globeglimpser]

I bought the 28mm for my D5100 and it is my favourite lens (I have the 50 1.4, 85 1.8, 18-55, 55-300, 16-35 4)

Here follows my Account:

Why I decided to Purchase

I want to make the transition to Full Frame but decided to put off buying the camera as late as possible since I am a true believer in buying the glass first. Why Full Frame? In short because I want to make the most of my glass in the sense of using the lenses at their prescribed focal lengths. I love 28mm and 50mm equivalents and could do all my street stuff with just those focal lengths. With DX, there is not suitable fast 28 equiv and the 35 1.8 is not great wide which I may need in super low light. Additionally, the 85 is a gorgeous portrait lens but is too long on a crop. In summary, I am going full frame to be able to use the focal lengths of the lenses you listed: 28, 50, 85 and I like these particular lenses because they are sharp (ish)


So why the 28mm, the focal length

As I mentioned, I love this focal length for street. You can get in really close to people and still show so much of the environment (low compression). I am not able to use its full potential just yet since I still have a crop but I know once I make the jump the lens will fit into my bag. I currently use the V1 with the 27 equiv (my other lens of choice is no surprise the 50 equiv) and so I feel comfortable with this focal length. Additionally, at present the 28 serves as a 42 2.7 which is great for shooting indoors. I found the 50 on a crop too long for that since I like getting in close.


Why the Nikon 28mm F1.8 G

So I bought the 16-35 F4 VR to suit my 28mm focal length need when I eventually made the FF upgrade. Additionally, this lens would allow me to get landscapes which I enjoy from time to time. However, in low light, the lens was just not fast enough. Added to that it is a big lens. Now I am not a believer in the whole gear to heavy story because I have gotten used to hiking in Africa with loads of gear and I would rather sacrifice the comfort for the quality and the increased probability of getting the shot. However, I know it is important to some people so I will say that the 28mm is a light dream to shoot with. Put it on a smaller camera and it all just balances. For me, the problem with the 16-35 weight and size is that it required a battery grip to balance everything out. Add this all together and you have a far from discreet camera. Not such a concern, it just means I have to get the shot on my first attempt and be really fast.

Going back to the 28mm, it is light and 2 1/3 stops faster. I prefer to have more DOF but this is not a worry since you get substantial DOF even when using this lens wide open on a crop. But in low light, if you shoot street or anything that moves, those extra stops are vital. I tend to shoot it at low light at F2 since it is quite a bit sharper and it makes calculating stops and metering easier for me.

Lens Impression

I have been blown away by this lens.

Focus Speed - Surprisingly brilliant, which is unexpected on a wide lens. If anything a bonus. This is imperative for street.

Image quality - Again, relatively sharp (it even competes with the 24 which I tried and is only marginally better at F2 and the same by 2.8 ish)

Build - Great big focus ring! I love it and I will admit that since lighter, I tend to have my camera raise and ready more often than not

Why I think you should look into this lens

- Primes make you use your feet and from experience, this prevents you from getting lazy and forces you to compose on the spot
- Primes are lighter and faster as you know
- The lens is good value for money since it performs similarly to the 24mm, a 2400 dollar lens
- The focal length is great an complements the 50 and 85 on FF.
- On a crop, 42 is really close to your eye and great for intimate portraits where you want to get close
- Only by FX glass so if you ever consider going to FF, you don't have that barrier
- Many more reasons I can't think of


I would love to share a stack of street shots I did with this lens but alas I have left my hard drive in Sydney and am now in Africa for 3 months. However, I have one to share with you for now and if you want more info or photos when I have gone wondering here, then reply here or message me.

I'm sorry for this muddled account of the lens. My mind has been elsewhere and today is not a good day for South Africa. I hope you pursue this lens since it is a real gem and an underrated tool.

28mm, ISO2000, f2, 1/160 on a D5100

 

[PaulWog]

Wow thanks for the input. By any chance, do you have any photos at f1.8 with the lens to show that demonstrate the bokeh during the day?

 

[globeglimpser]

Nope sadly everything is on my Harddrive in Sydney. I will shoot a bit this weekend and will add some shots here but for now here are some samples not by me:

Full-size sample photos from Nikon 28mm F/2.8

 

[PaulWog]

Nope sadly everything is on my Harddrive in Sydney. I will shoot a bit this weekend and will add some shots here but for now here are some samples not by me:

Full-size sample photos from Nikon 28mm F/2.8

That's actually a link to the f2.8. I looked over the f1.8 on pixel peeper already -- not a lot of info to go off of. Even the reviews don't offer great field shots.

As much as you've convinced me the 28mm focal length is very useful (and I very much do want to know more about the 28mm), I am definitely going to hold off on picking the lens up (for now). I want it, just at a $350 price-point.

I'm pre-emptively looking at full-frame additions & ways to replace my damned 35mm prime.

 

[globeglimpser]

Woops sorry about that :/

Best of Luck

 

[Braineack]

I was thinking about the 50mm 1.4D to replace my 35mm 1.8G.