wingdo's reviews

  • Nikon 35mm f/1.8G DX AF-S Nikkor

    5 out of 10 points and recommended
    inexpensive
    feels cheaply made, soft focus.

    [update] I exchanged my lens for another one as it was so soft. This one is much better. It is still not tack sharp, but it is much better.

    For the price it's decent although I still cannot get over the fact Nikon cheaped out so much as to not even put a distance meter window in the lens. What does that cost? $2?

    It is still has a very cheap feel to it

    [original]

    I have been looking for a full length portrait lens for a DX sensor and I was excited to see an AF-S lens available from Nikon which fits the bill.

    Sadly as is usually the case you get what you pay for. The lens feels cheaply constructed and the images are soft from center to corners (less so dead center but they are still soft).

    reviewed September 24th, 2009 (purchased for $215)

  • Nikon 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED AF-S VR Micro Nikkor

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    Incredibly sharp, solid construction, very pleasing bokeh
    none

    Having tried all the 100mm Macros there is no doubt this is the king of the hill.

    As with most macros, manually focusing is much more spot on than auto focus. I'd recommend a split prism focus screen. My D90 has a Katz Eye on it and for people willing to spend a grand on a macro lens, why not spend $125 - $150 for a proper focus screen.

    reviewed October 20th, 2009 (purchased for $950)

  • Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 PRO DX SD

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    Wonderful low light interior wide angle
    Soft at wide open especially at 11-14

    I guess I got a good one first time out. If you shoot indoors and need a true wide angle for your DX, this is the lens to get. 1 stop faster than the Nikon and I like the color rendition better than the Sigma 10-20 which I used to have.

    A specialty lens, but it has Tokina's consistent Pro solid build and takes fantastic pictures.

    reviewed October 20th, 2009 (purchased for $550)

  • Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 AT-X 165 AF PRO DX SD

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    Sharp as all get out, 16mm at wide end
    extending barrel

    Another solid zoom from Tokina.

    Image quality is on par with the Nikon 17-55 and beats the Sigma 18-50 hands down.

    The 16mm wide end is a wonderful addition. at wide ends 2mm is a lot. There are times indoors when you just need that extra 2mm to get everyone into the picture without having to backup a lot.

    Of the three Tokinas in my kit (11-16 and 50-135 are the others) it is the weakest but I still like it a lot.

    reviewed October 20th, 2009 (purchased for $500)

  • Tokina 50-135mm f/2.8 AT-X 535 AF PRO DX

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    incredibly sharp, solid construction, perfect zoom for DX
    non-removable tripod mount

    Having moved from film to DX, this is a great lens as it is the equiv angle of view of a 70-200. Incredibly sharp, pleasing colors, no barrel extension. Tokina's famous build quality.

    All my zooms are Tokina and all my primes are Nikon. Tokina just makes crystal sharp zooms.

    reviewed October 20th, 2009 (purchased for $550)