Nikontsr's reviews

Nikon 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF Nikkor

If I can have only one lens, this would be it.
Super versatile zoom range of 28mm to 200mm - good enough for a close quarter group photo or occasional sports or wildlife shoot. Add to that the 0:32x magnification - for decent macro capability, and all of that in a small lightweight package. I have the Tamron holy trinity of lenses for my D810, but this one stays on my D700 and takes more photos than those 3 combined. Once you put it on your camera, it never has to come off.

Dont be dissuaded by professionals, who compare this lens to a pro-grade lens that costs 15 times as much and call it soft. Objectively, this is not the sharpest lens going around open wide. But stop down to f8, and the sharpness is indistinguishable from any pro lens out there. Color reproduction is great. The only time this lens comes up short is in low-light situation, since it doesn't have a fast aperture or vr. But on a modern camera, you can crank up the ISO to get serviceable results even then. The only other lens that I recommend over this one is the 28-300 afs, for added range and vr, but it costs more than twice as much. Bar none, it's the ultimate lens for any budget-conscious hobbyist or enthusiast, which most people are. There's a reason why it's one of Ken Rockwell's all-time favorite lenses.