Anker's reviews

  • Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED DX AF-S Nikkor

    8 out of 10 points and recommended
    Sharpness, zoom range
    Optical distortion, maximum aperture

    Outstanding value as a kit lens. The 18-135 zoom range covers all my needs except for nature.

    I did extensive testing of the sharpness of the lens and it is truly great and if you stay away from wide open and totally stopped down you will be rewarded with very sharp fotos.

    Barrel and pincushion distortion is easily corrected in post processing, as is vignetting, so I am happy to accept those at the cost of sharpness.

    Very slight chromatic aberration at 18mm, especially wide open can be detected in my tests, but have not been observed in fotographs.

    reviewed January 4th, 2007

  • Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR AF-S Nikkor

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    Vibration reduction Sharp Low distortion Zoom range Price/Value
    Weight Zoom ring gearing No weather sealing

    Santa gave me this lens to use with my D800 for a safari to Okovango delta in October. I brought the lens with me on our winter vacation in the Florida keys and gave it a good wringing out. In my judgment this is an excellent value.

    The biggest asset of this lens is the VR. Markedly better than the VR II on my Nikon 70-200 VR II F2.8 and my Nikon 24-120 F4. When you activate it the image freezes instantly. This lens can be used hand held on daylight at any zoom setting without losing resolution. The weight of the lens does make it very desirable to use a monopod, tripod or a bean bag for extended shooting. The lens works well for birds in flight.

    The zoom range makes it a perfect complement to my zoom collection of 16-35 F2.8, 24-128 F4 and 70-200 F2.8.

    I have had less luck using teleconverters. My Tamron 1.4 and Nikon TC-17E II will both focus, but with markedly increased hunting. Definitely not usable for birds in flight, but OK for wildlife standing still.

    The bottom line is that this is a keeper and a great value.

    reviewed March 3rd, 2016 (purchased for $1,386)