Nikon 16-35mm f4 G AF-S ED VR Lens

Comments about Nikon 16-35mm f4 G AF-S ED VR Lens:

After the purchase and upgrade, to go full frame with a D600, i was after a wide angle that could deliver. This fits the bill. I've used this solid on my hols up in the lakes, for one week, and the results were quite stunning. It produced for me, great colours, contrast, and was pin sharp across the frame. The lens i found, hits it's peak between f8 - f11, and i pretty much stuck to that all week. VR works great, AF is fast, and to mention also, this takes a 77mm filter, unlike the 14-24mm. The only thing i would suggest, is to purchase a padded lens case to protect it. I got myself an additional lowerpro case, as nikon supply you with one of those silly pouches. It's a great lens of good solid build, and we don't want to knock or damage it!

Comments about Nikon 16-35mm f4 G AF-S ED VR Lens:

When I upgraded my D300 to a D600 I needed an FX ultra wide lens. I pondered the 14-24mm f2.8 because I like fast lenses, but after reading a few reviews I went for this 16-35mm f4 which is reportedly sharper, while being lighter and 30% less expensive.

The other concern was that the 14-24 has a very bulbous front element that will not accept external filter. The 16-35mm takes a standard 77mm filter which also protect the front element.

But the best thing is it has VR, which is very unusual for an ultra wide. When this is paired with my D600's excellent high ISO performance, this lens becomes fantastic for hand held twilight/blue hour shots. Since getting it, I find I'm using it for 80% of all my photography. It's an absolute winner!

Comments about Nikon 16-35mm f4 G AF-S ED VR Lens:

Nice enough lens, but why is the Nikon so much clunkier (big & heavy) and slow compared to the f2.8 Canon, which is several stops faster, lighter & smaller ?

Comments about Nikon 16-35mm f4 G AF-S ED VR Lens:

I originally bought the 14-24mm in May 2012 along with a D800E. Great lens and all that but worrying vulnerable as the bulbous front element sticks out so far. So, after careful deliberation I also bought this 16-35mm in September, hoping I was making the right decision.

Fortunately I did. This lens is excellent. Despite its mixed reviews I've found it very sharp indeed (arguably a tad sharper than the 14-24mm). I can now protect it with a 77mm filter which for me is very important especially when working next to the sea, getting rained on and working in potentially damaging industrial locations. I can also use my Lee filter system too. It's wide enough for most situations and quite compact.

A seriously underrated lens in my view. It's a great lens with a good range from 16mm through to 35mm. As for it only going down to F4... well I'll never wish to use a wide angle lens more open than that.

I'm impressed, and it's very good value for money. It's going to be used much more than the 14-24mm.

Comments about Nikon 16-35mm f4 G AF-S ED VR Lens:

Just finished a thorough shakedown of this lens during a trip to Scotland's West Coast. Cracking picture quality - was shooting landscapes, startrails/night shots and indoor.
Wide angle came into it's own (I used to have a sigma 10-20mm on my old Nikon D70s) and this lens, although not as wide as the 14-24 f2.8 which is more expensive, has a fantastic field of view. Picture quality is excellent and the VR came in handy indoors when I couldn't use my tripod.
Very happy with the results and usage - the lens is of a decent construction, it's a lot lighter than my 24-70 f2.8, and I didn't find the f4 a problem.
Only negative is the price, but the alternative is the 14-24 just under twice the price.......no brainer, and this one can take a 77mm filter easily too!

Comments about Nikon 16-35mm f4 G AF-S ED VR Lens:

Read a lot of good and poor reviews about this lens, however my experience seems much better than some. I exchanged my 14-24mm for this lens and everyone knows what a terrific lens that is. However, terrific as it is, I needed to add filters and was not prepared to buy the very expensive Lee adaptor and filters. I have a selection of 77mm ND multi stop filters and polarizer's and could not use them on the 14-24mm. The Nikon 16-35mm is fairly light weight and although the externals are high quality plastic, the internals are metal. High quality plastics never bother me as they are bump absorbing. It also has a weather seal at the bayonet end. Auto focusing is slick and fast, even though and although these attributes are important, landscape etc. makes them less so. The widest aperture of f4 is fine for landscape and the VR allows me to take architectural images handheld in closed conditions, such as streets with high rise buildings in what is often low light. Nikon claim 4 stops with VR, practically I would say 3 stops. However I have already achieved sharp shots hand held at 1/15sec. It's incredibly sharp at between f6-f11.

For those like me lucky enough to have two camera bodies, one FX and one DX, this lens becomes very versatile. When out with my wildlife D7000 (DX) and long lenses, I did carry the Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 which is of course 36mm widest on this camera, but it's very heavy as was the 14-24mm. This Nikon 16-35mm is 24-52mm on the DX cameras and so perfect if a landscape opportunity arises wilst out photographing wildlife as it often does. I've seen comments regarding a vignette problems. Yes, this does occur, but I am only one click of the mouse away from rectifying that in either Photoshop, Lightroom or Nikon Capture NX2.

I took a long time procrastinating over whether to sell the 14-24mm and as excellent as it was, I have not missed it. It was also over 30% more expensive. The Nikon 16-35mm f4 fills an important gap for me and the availability to use filters supports this.

All that said, I have dropped one star as it is, I feel, expensive, but that is mostly due to current poor exchange rates. So it's 5 stars for quality or 4 stars for price.

I would recommend this lens.

Comments about Nikon 16-35mm f4 G AF-S ED VR Lens:

This is a stunning lens from Nikon, and is the perfect wideangle lens from them. Made in Japan, the build quality is superb, far superior to the lenses they manufacture in China and Thailand. The only criticism that I have is the totally rubbish lens pouch supplied by Nikon. This is an extremely high qualty, very expensive, high grade build, professional lens, and to supply a completely rubbish cloth bag to store it in is totally unacceptable. Fortunately I have a spare CL-74 leather hard case, and this lens fits in perfectly. Nikon have sunk to a new low with the accessories for this lens.

Comments about Nikon 16-35mm f4 G AF-S ED VR Lens:

I took a long time to decide between buying this and the Nikon 14-24 f2.8. In the end I decided that as I would be using it primarily for landscapes f4 was more than adequate - how many people really use wide angled lenses at f2.8? The added benefit of the 16-35 was that it readily takes 77mm filters without having to buy into the now available but much more expensive kits for the 14-24 - with it`s bulbous end crying out to be scratched. I have been delighted with my purchase. It is more compact than the 14-24 and sits in my bag easily along with the rest of my collection and produces sharp images right to the corners on my D700. Contrast is superb and images are sharp with no vignetting for me except when wide with the lens hood attached. There is distortion that needs attention re; buildings etc in software up to 19/20mm but that is common in wide angled lenses and sometimes the image is all the better for that distortion getting in low and close.
A great buy for me that I would recommend to others.

Comments about Nikon 16-35mm f4 G AF-S ED VR Lens:

I would agree that this is quite inferior to the 14-24mm. At the wide end (or rather, at about 20mm), this is quite a good lens, and is sharp. However, at 35mm, it is hardly any use at all, and compared to even the 35mm f.2, it is very soft. It is also heavy and with bags of distortion. Were it in the region of 16-24mm, I have no doubt it would be a very good lens, but the poor results at the 35mm end rule it out. I sold mine after 6 months.

Comments about Nikon 16-35mm f4 G AF-S ED VR Lens:

I sold my 14-24 lens for this one and shouldn't of bothered its not in the same league. It shall be getting sold and the 14-24 coming back home. The only good point about the lens is its lighter than my previous lens.