New forum member question

[Super 2]

Hi all,

Nice to know we have our own community of S2 users.

I have a lens dilemma, as a pro user I would like an all round lens which gives good results sharpness wise. Criteria is I need something from 28mm upto medium telephoto. I would rather leave the lens on save for the occasional super wide shots.

The reason for this question is having moved into digital via the E10 I am in a quandry due to the crop factor plus the fact of dust on the sensor, hence my reason for an all round lens.

Any info comments would be appreciated.


Regards

Nick

[ballroom_boy]

Hi Nick,

I have 3 Nikkor pro zooms (all f/2.8) which are great lenses. But when I used to go hiking, I didn't want to lug around all that equipment. So I went in search of a good "all 'round" zoom to taking on walks and hikes.

I am a member at another website that discusses Nikon products, and when I posted my question (similar to yours), I got a resounding "AF Nikkor 28-105mm f/3.5~4.5". Upon their advice, I bought this lens, and I am very happy with my purchase.

It delivers very sharp results, especially when stopped down to f/8 (wider, it is obviously not as sharp as my pro glass). It also has a fun "macro" mode which is useful for closeups. I bought it late last year when Nikon USA had their double rebate program and paid about $US 280.00 for it. Money well spent, if you ask me.

So, as you asked in your original posting, this lens starts at 28mm and you would get a medium telephoto at 105mm. But on an S2, with the 1.5x FOV crop, this ultimately translates into a 42mm - 157.5mm zoom.

I looked at other lenses with a wider range (eg. 24-120 or 28-200/300 from Nikon and other vendors) but found the images way too soft for my liking. I guess one trades off zoom range for quality.

Check out some reviews of the 28-105mm at other sites and test drive one. When I did, I bought it!

Hope this helps!
Roel:)

[Chris G]

When searching for the same thing, the 35-70 f2.8 Nikkor was said to be quite sharp, though some think that the small range is a big downside.

I have the 24-85 f2.8-f4.0 that again is supposed to be fairly sharp.

Unfortunately, I can't give you very objective results on either as I'm not sure that my S2 has been focusing correctly.

[Hobbiebob]

Goodevening! (for me anyway :D )

About the lens 'problem'; my experience with lenses on my S2 are these: I use a Sigma 15-30mm, A Nikkor 24-85 f3.5G and a Sigma 70-200 f2.8. My experiences with the Nikkor could help you a bit...
My pro's:
-Not too big.
-Very quiet and fast!
-I think its damm sharp too! Although S2 is a bit soft, it produces a lot of details, easy to sharpen in Photoshop or so.
-Rather cheap!

My cont:
-Lens hood (plastic) is vunerable. Due to a little accident, it was damaged on the hood-lock. Although the lens was 2 weeks old, I only replaced the lenshood and left the damage to the lock as it was, because Nikon repair time in the Netherlands could go up to almost 2 months.... :mad:

So, for what it does: it does it perfectly! I know its a normal aperture, but for me its not a very big problem. I like it!
Just dont hit a wall with it :D

Regards, Marco

[billT]

Originally posted by Super 2
Hi all,

Nice to know we have our own community of S2 users.

I have a lens dilemma, as a pro user I would like an all round lens which gives good results sharpness wise. Criteria is I need something from 28mm upto medium telephoto. I would rather leave the lens on save for the occasional super wide shots.

The reason for this question is having moved into digital via the E10 I am in a quandry due to the crop factor plus the fact of dust on the sensor, hence my reason for an all round lens.

Any info comments would be appreciated.


Regards

Nick


Hi Nick,

I too have been using the Nikor 24-105 lense for a long while first on the S1 and then on the S2. This is the only lens I took with me when I travel. It is sharp, inexpensive, and has a macro feature that is quite handy. In those days, I was paranoid about dist on my sensor so I left the lens on for ages. I must say I am very happy with it.

Bill.