Nikon 180mm f/2.8 IF-ED, just ordered, anyone use it before?

[Trenton Romulox]

Hey everyone, I just ordered a Nikon 180mm f/2.8 AF IF-ED lens from Amazon, it'll be here tomorrow ($4 overnight shipping, woohoo) and I was just wondering if anyone has any experience with this lens. So, I was just wondering, does anyone have any experience with this lens? And if so, what did you think of it?

 

[Sw1tchFX]

I've heard it's one of Nikon's sharpest lenses ever.

 

[Trenton Romulox]

I've heard it's one of Nikon's sharpest lenses ever.

Oh! Good! I'm glad to hear that. I've never used a fixed focal length lens before, so I'm interested to see how that goes. I hope it's a good performer in low-light. I'm also a pure manual-focus shooter, and I heard that the 180mm f/2.8 is one of the best Nikkor AF lenses to use with manual focus, anyone attest to that?

 

[itoncool]

I have the non-AF version, 180mm f/2.8 ED, very sharp no doubt about it, never used the AF version but I've heard it's also a top performer and if the IQ is equal or better than the non-AF then you won't regret it.

 

[Trenton Romulox]

It came about an hour ago, I got my polarizer on there and tested it out. It's a bit on the heavy side, but that's good, it means it's sturdy! This thing is a tank! It's noticeably sharper at f/4 than at f/2.8, which is kind of a disappointment. But it's still WICKED sharp at f/2.8. This is a great lens, any Nikon owners out there, give this 180mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens a try!

 

[Sw1tchFX]

anything is going to be sharper stopped down than wide open. Unless it's art something like f/22. My 17-55 at 17mm is sharper wide open than it is at f/22.

 

[Trenton Romulox]

anything is going to be sharper stopped down than wide open. Unless it's art something like f/22. My 17-55 at 17mm is sharper wide open than it is at f/22.

Oh, see, I've been shooting for a year and never figured that out. HAHA. Does a cheap filter, like the one I have on the lens, decrease sharpness too?

 

[jstuedle]

I have had this lens for years. Here is a reduced size image from that lens:

This was taken from about 20 feet away. This little screech owl is only about 7" tall. I have a 24 X 36 canvas of this on my wall and even on canvas you can see an incredible amount of feather detail. Enjoy your lens, you will love it!

 

[Sideburns]

ya that cheap filter will reduce sharpness. Even some expensive filters do.

Only use a polarizer when you want that effect...

Also, why did you choose the 180? was it a great price? Just curious, cause there's lots of other options out there and I am wondering why this one.

 

[Trenton Romulox]

ya that cheap filter will reduce sharpness. Even some expensive filters do.

Only use a polarizer when you want that effect...

Also, why did you choose the 180? was it a great price? Just curious, cause there's lots of other options out there and I am wondering why this one.

It wasn't a great price, $730. I wanted a lens that was longer than my 18-135mm kit lens and I wanted a lens that was as sharp as they come. I've heard nothing but praise for the optical quality of the 180. It also fits into my future lens plans. Next on my list: either 60mm micro Nikkor, or 105mm f/2 for portraits, then a wide-angle, and then, finally, a super-telephoto. So, the 180 seemed like a good fit, in between my kit lens or 105mm future portrait lens and a super-tele.

 

[jstuedle]

It's hard if not impossible to get much sharper than this lens. At least not in this focal range.

 

[Trenton Romulox]

It's hard if not impossible to get much sharper than this lens. At least not in this focal range.

That's what I had read. I spent a lot of time choosing between this and the 80-200mm f/2.8. I chose the 180mm because it was cheaper, supposedly sharper, and also extremely solidly built, it should last me a long, long time.