ZinMe's reviews

  • Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF DX AF-S Nikkor

    8 out of 10 points and recommended
    Very sharp in center, affordable, durable, good focal range (18-70)
    f3.5 is widest it can go, no VR

    I bought this lens to go with my D80 in 2007. It is very sharp in the center although on the borders when I shoot team pictures I don't get consistently good sharpness.

    Others have complained about vignetting, but I notice no significant vignetting.

    I dropped the lens once, breaking the filter but with no damage to the lens. It is very durable. The construction quality is excellent.

    The lens is light and easy to carry-- much more portable than the alternatives.

    Don't dismiss the value of hte long end at 70mm, this comes in handy and is a big advantage to the 18-50mm alternatives.

    My only significant complaint is that it is not a great lens in low light situations. It only opens to f3.5 and has no VR.

    reviewed January 4th, 2010 (purchased for $250)

  • Sigma 100-300mm f/4 EX DG HSM APO

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    Sharp, sharp, did I say sharp, even at f4, sturdy, focuses fast
    need more room btw the zoom ring and tripod bracket

    This lens is sharp. At 300mm, I stop-down to f4.5, and it is perfectly sharp. At 200mm it is sharp from f4. The focus is faster than Nikon AFS lenses. It is small enough to hand-hold for most people. The f4 is a trade-off with f2.8 lenses, but I find the advantages of the smaller lens is very helpful in shooting sports-- I can hand hold and react to the action much more quickly. With the newer sensors with good high ISO performance, f4 isn't really a limitation. Besides, many f2.8 lenses have to be stopped down so you really aren't gaining much anyway. It is a full frame lens, so sharpness on my D300 is great across the frame. Focus is fast and true with no hunting even in low light. At $1000 this lens is a fantastic buy. This lens is fantastic all around.

    I also bought the Sigma 1.4x TC. My results with the TC were not too good unless I stopped down by two stops, but then again, I have never had good results with TCs- even on Nikon lenses. I would avoid the TC for this guy.

    reviewed January 4th, 2010 (purchased for $900)

  • Nikon 85mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    Sharp! Durable. Focus is fast enough for most applications.
    No AFS

    I use this lens for shooting indoor sports in poorly lit gyms on my D300. It is very sharp, even at f1.8 (my results are better than the slrgear sharpness results would show). For a non-AFS lens, it focuses fast, however, it can't compare to an AFS lens for sports. I do find that sometimes the focus doesn't keep up with the action. If you are shooting sports at f1.8 which offers little to no depth of field, you get some shots which are out of focus. But this is a minor complaint. This lens is also great for portraits. I also use it to shoot theater if I can get close to the foot of the stage-- the results are superb. Sharpness, color rendition, contrast are exceptional.

    reviewed January 5th, 2010 (purchased for $350)