Rene GM's reviews

  • Nikon 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G AF Nikkor

    0 out of 10 points and recommended
    Good, better than average image quality
    Starts at 28mm, AF on the slower side, starts at 3.5

    This is a low budget lense, you should get for less than 100$. You get the usual nowadays plastic lense, but I did not have a problem with build quality yet.

    It is a full format length, so as expected there is no CA or vignetting, and sharpness is uniform over the image area. Distortion is mild and easily removed. The lens delivers satisfying sharpness when stopped down at 8. Note, that the front ring rotates, so polar filters need attention.

    I would recommend this lens for people on a budget. The 18-70mm EX is the better choice for 150$ more.

    reviewed November 15th, 2006

  • Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor

    8 out of 10 points and recommended
    Inexpensive, light, good image quality.
    Slower AF.

    I second the previous review. The image quality was a nice surprise from 55 to 150. At the short length, it is sharper than many other lenses, even wide open. Makes a very good portrait lens, with a good Bokeh. Distortion is not large and can be fixed easily. I found no vignetting or chromatic aberation on my images yet.

    This is not an action lens. On my good old D70, the AF becomes slow in the long tele range. Sometimes, it would not focus at all and I have to zoom out first. This issue may be better on modern Nikon cameras.

    The VR really helps giving sharp shots out of the hand otherwise impossible. I'd estimate one or two extra F-stops when used shorter than 1/60. However, it takes time to adapt. Press the shutter halfways and wait a short bit before pressing it completely.

    The build quality is good. I do not need a hammer like heavy metal quality. I much prefer the kind of durable plastic used on this lens. The manual zoom ring is a bit small, however. The lens hood has to be twisted and snaps in, but I'd prefer the frontal one snap type with the side buttons I found on other lenses (e.g. the HB33 for the 18-55).

    Overall, a nice lens, especially for this price. Go out and photograph with it!

    reviewed June 3rd, 2007 (purchased for $300)

  • Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED DX AF-S Nikkor

    7 out of 10 points and recommended
    light, inexpensive, good image quality
    has to be stopped down

    My only disappointment is the soft left edge of the image at 55mm, F8. One has to stop down to F11 to get sharpness across the image at 55mm. Otherwise, a very nice lens, especially at this price.

    reviewed June 3rd, 2007 (purchased for $120)

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

    8 out of 10 points and recommended
    sharp, good working range, relatively inexpensive, good handling
    distortion, vignetting, no VR

    I have been using this lens for months now, and it has become my primary walk around lens. It has served me well, delivering amazingly sharp images with good contrast through all its working range. The lens has also a nice bokeh in the mid to long range, which is important to me.
    I recommend this lens only, if you are capable and willing to take care of the distortion and the edge shading (vignetting) in the image processing. Both can be quite nasty. Vignetting at both ends will go away stopping down, but not completely. Distortion at both ends needs correction for shots with architecture details. Chromatic aberration was not a huge problem
    for me, however. Flare is well controlled by the included lens hood.

    reviewed February 27th, 2008 (purchased for $250)

  • Nikon 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S Nikkor

    8 out of 10 points and recommended
    sharp, good range, light, VR
    distortion

    I am using this lens now for a while, and find it the optimal carryalong lens for me. It is very sharp with good contrast and very good Bokeh. The build quality is good enough for me, since I do not change lenses very often. Even if I did, it would probably last for a long time.

    I like the VR, since it allows me to go for 1/15 sec almost through the complete range. That is more than I expected. I also like the manual focus override. I like the zoom ring. It does not creep and works well.

    You will get distortion at both ends, which you want to remove in postprocessing. If you do not want that, do not buy this specific lens. You probably want a prime then, since almost all zooms have a lot of distortion over a wide range.

    Chromatic aberation was never a real problem with this lens, though it has CA. Vignetting, I never observed. You will get vignetting only full open at 18mm.

    reviewed December 11th, 2008 (purchased for $200)

  • Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7 ASPH POWER OIS LUMIX G

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    Sharp, versatile, beautiful Bokeh.
    None, especially not for the price.

    This is my favorite MFT lens, small, light, fast and sharp. I use it for portraits with really nice results. I also use it for micro shots of flowers and similar, although it is not really a macro lens. Highly recommended!

    reviewed August 10th, 2021