Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5~4.5G ED. Effectively a 15-36mm zoom (with 1.5X sensor factor), this lens is relatively compact and lightweight. It offers a choice between fully manual and AF with manual override via an onboard switch. And unlike a fisheye or even the 14-24, the front element is not bulbous enough to prevent use of a filter--77mm. Copyright ©2009 Jack Neubart. All rights reserved.

Over the years, I’ve become enamored of wide zooms–the wider the better. One of my faves is a Tokina fisheye zoom that I practically take everywhere. But there’s only so much barrel distortion one person can take, and only so far that distortion correction can take an image–when you want to employ it, that is. Sometimes you just want to start out with straight lines wherever you can get them. So, when I heard that Nikon had a new 10-24mm lens, I was on it like an egret on a fish (hey, it’s the first metaphor that popped into my head).

I’d worked with Canon’s EF-S 10-22 mm lens–and simply loved it. At the time, I still had an APS-C Canon, but I was fast moving toward full-frame and knew the lens would not be long for this world if I bought it. So I tested it, and sadly said goodbye. Now that I’m back in the APS-C camp with the Nikon D300–and loving it!–it was time to examine yet another zoom in the ultra-wide dimension (super-wide? potato, potato–you get what I mean).

Making Choices

Okay, I know, this looks an awful lot like another lens from Nikon. But there is a difference. Considering that only a few dollars separates them, it really is a tough call choosing between the AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5~4.5G ED and AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED.

Both lenses are designed for Nikon’s DX-format cameras. Weight and size are roughly the same. Where they obviously differ is in the maximum aperture: variable on the one we’re currently reviewing, fixed on the other. A fixed aperture does have its advantages, especially in low light photography at the longer end of the zoom range–but I’m not sure that’s enough of an argument here. The red band does denote a more professional series–if that matters (on some lenses, it means they’re weatherproof).

However, don’t forget that APS-C sensor factor of 1.5X. At the 24mm end, both lenses give us 36mm–an excellent choice for group shots. At the short end, the 12-24 comes up short–or should I say, long?–at 18mm. Wide, yes, but not quite as wide as 15mm that we effectively get on the 10-24.

Now, before you ask, no, this is not the same as a fisheye of this focal length. My fisheye zoom is a 10-17–but it’s designed to produce fisheye perspective, replete with a whole barrel of monkeys’ worth of distortion. Just the way I like it, when I want that much distortion. And the fisheye takes in a field of view equal to 180 degrees. The 10-24 only goes as wide as 109 degrees, which falls far short of fisheye. But there’s a very positive side to that, as we shall see.

Unfortunately, I haven’t worked with the 12-24, so I can’t say for certain which is the better lens. And admittedly, even if I had, different samples off the shelf may lead to completely different conclusions. Which is why I’m not too keen on bench tests. I prefer real-world testing.

But, if you really want to take your photography to the next level, then you should be considering the AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, which costs–and weighs–twice as much (and is designed for FX and DX cameras). That f/2.8 maximum aperture sure is sweet. All three lenses feature Nikon’s Silent Wave Motor for faster and more efficient AF operation, and mandated on certain lower-end Nikon DSLRs.

The Glass Is the Thing

Enough meandering. Let’s get back on point. As with many of the better lenses we surround ourselves with, the 10-24 is not wanting for exotic glass. The lens boasts ED (extra-low-dispersion) lens elements, aspherical elements, and Nikon’s own Super Integrated Coating. Regrettably, the lens lacks Vibration Reduction–something I could have used when shooting under low light levels.

And while the lens does physically change in length while zooming, internal focusing guarantees that you can refocus to your heart’s content and not worry about throwing a circular polarizer out of alignment With a 77mm filter size, that means a pricey polarizer, but hopefully you’ve got one sitting around. Closest focus is 0.8 ft (0.24 m) for a maximum reproduction ratio of 0.2X.

From ultra to moderately wide. At the 10mm focal length setting, this lens delivers sweeping vistas, albeit less dramatic when zoomed to 24mm. I added a 77mm circular polarizer to give the sky added depth. Copyright ©2009 Jack Neubart. All rights reserved.

But don’t let those numbers deceive you. This lens lets you get some nice close-ups–don’t you fret. The lens also features a rounded diaphragm for more pleasing out-of-focus highlights and backgrounds at or near maximum aperture.

If, like me, you were curious as to what the “G” stands for, Nikon explains: “G-type Nikkor lenses have no aperture control ring and are intended for use on Nikon DSLRs that allow the lens aperture to be adjusted via the camera’s command dial. In addition, like D-type Nikkors, G-type optics relay subject-to-camera distance information to Nikon digital SLRs. The information is used to help determine ambient and flash exposure.”

In the Field

I happened to be working with this lens when I first came upon a beautiful caterpillar, which I’d also photographed with the Nikon 60 Micro and Canon G10. Granted, none of these shots compares with what that macro lens delivered, but you take what you can get and live with some limitations.

Irises and lilies were in bloom at various times during my testing period. These were blossoms large enough to fill the frame even with a lens such as this, at 24mm, of course. With flower close-ups the trick always is deciding what to focus on: the colorful petals or the stamens and pistils (the reproductive organs). If you’re lucky, you’ll also get some pollen grains in focus. And if you’re really lucky, some bug will accommodate you and give you something else entirely to focus on.

It's all in the details. The cropped version of each image will give you an idea of the detail captured by this lens. Copyright ©2009 Jack Neubart. All rights reserved.

When I’m shooting with flash, I can stop down and almost be assured of getting practically everything I want in focus–at this focal length (macro is another story). When shooting by available light, ya may has to make yer choices. Let’s just say I was bloomin’ ecstatic with the results. Better than expected, really. To me that’s a good measure of a lens, when you can bring it in to the near limits of close focusing and still get results that bring a smile to your face. By the way, depending on your shooting angle, expect some exaggerated perspective thrown in for good measure with the lens this close to the subject.

Using the built-in flash. Look carefully and you'll see where the lens, at 24mm, blocked the built-in flash on my Nikon D300 (hint: bottom middle of frame). It gets much worse at 10mm, and would have been worse still had I left the lens shade attached. Copyright ©2009 Jack Neubart. All rights reserved.

In your face! Or not. Shooting angle may determine how much perspective distortion you get when shooting wide. Again, we have to keep in mind that this is effectively 36mm at the long end--so really, not that wide. Still, get close along the horizontal axis and the forward petals of this lily seem to reach out for you (let's disregard the shadow, shall we?). Shooting from what appears to be an overhead angle--or straight into the flower in the second lily, I was able to focus attention on the interplay of light and shadow for this available light shot. I normally set focusing to manual when getting this intimate with my subjects. Copyright ©2009 Jack Neubart. All rights reserved.

Playing with perspective. Shooting wide open at 10mm at the near-focus limit (vertical shot) doesn't give you much in terms of depth of field: The background is still a blur. Contrast that with the horizontal shot where I focused in to the scene--same f/3.5 exposure, except that now we bring more into focus (not crystal clarity, mind you--just a more recognizable backdrop). By the way, I intentionally tilted this shot so that it almost makes you feel as if you're on a boat rocking with the waves (liability waiver: view at own risk--not responsible for resulting seasickness). Copyright ©2009 Jack Neubart. All rights reserved.

Finally, we have to look at edge-to-edge sharpness, vignetting, distortion, and lateral chromatic aberration (color fringing). At first, color fringing was not apparent–until I took a closer look. Yup, it was there near the edges and at the corners–to a mild degree. But here’s the kicker: I was looking at the image in Photoshop CS3, processed by Adobe ACR. Out of the box, you get color fringing. Process that same image in Nikon’s own Capture NX2–again without invoking any corrections while processing–and color fringing goes away–as if by magic.

Color fringing. It may not be a perfect picture, but then again, it depends what you're using to process the RAW files. The image on the left was processed in Adobe ACR (Photoshop CS3), whereas the one on the right benefited from processing in Nikon Capture NX2, which removed any and all color fringing (no additional processing, aside from cropping). Copyright ©2009 Jack Neubart. All rights reserved.

Vignetting was very well-controlled. If you shot a blue sky, you’d see a trickle of vignetting at or near maximum aperture. But not at disturbing levels. With most subjects, I challenge you to detect it. As for barrel distortion, the lens is said to be rectilinear, which means it renders straight lines straight. Well, that it ain’t.

Barrel distortion is apparent at the 10mm setting, but again not to the point of being overly distracting. Distortion is negligible at the 24mm end. As for edge-to-edge sharpness, as expected, sharpness falls off toward the edges, notably at larger apertures. Still, since most of my shots were stopped down enough to correct the problem, it wasn’t bothersome.

Architecture. This is a good lens for architectural studies. Processing in Nikon Capture NX2 automatically corrected some barrel distortion that was evident (though barely so) at the 10mm setting. Thankfully, it had rained and the puddle and reflection, along with overhanging branches, helped fill in the foreground and give us more perspective on this scene. Copyright ©2009 Jack Neubart. All rights reserved.

All in all, I got pictures I’m happy with. Would I buy this 10-24mm lens over a competitive design? I’m always more comfy with something I’ve tried, so the answer would be yes. Having said that, the thought of Nikon’s two other wide zooms lingers in my mind. But if I did buy this one, would I regret my choice? No, definitely not.

King and scepter. I don't see dead people, but I do see people--or more often faces in trees and plants. Who can look at a pansy and not see a face in the pattern of petals! And this budding iris reminded me of a king and his scepter. You can easily see the crown and nose, as well as scepter. If you look closely you'll see eye and mouth. If I'd had my macro lens, I might have been better able to blur out the background--but I doubt my eye would have led me toward this image as you see it. Copyright ©2009 Jack Neubart. All rights reserved.

Verdict: Buy it. This is a versatile lens that truly delivers and will not disappoint.

For more information, visit: Nikon USA
Tech specs: at Nikon USA
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Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 USM IS is a very good lens but not a stellar one. The resolution characteristic is excellent at 70mm and 135mm but at 200mm it disappoints – more so regarding its price tag. The results are still very good here (just at f/2.8) but when putting things into perspective (e.g. vs the superb EF 70-200mm f/4 USM L IS) the delivered quality is not overly impressive. Based on the performance at 200mm the potential with tele converters seems “limited”. Lateral chromatic aberrations (CAs) are relatively well controlled but, again, inferior to the in-house competition (inc. its predecessor). Distortions are nothing to worry about as is vignetting. The build quality of the lens is superb and the IS as well as the very fast AF makes it a joy to use. If only it was better at 200mm. READ FULL REVIEW

Other Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM EF Reviews

SLR Gear

By any measure, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM is an excellent lens. It shares its focal length range with three other Canon lenses, covering all combinations of f/2.8 – f/4 and IS vs non-IS. The 70-200mm f/2.8L IS is a large, heavy beast, but it’s the only way to go if you need a combination of 70-200mm zoom, IS, and a fast f/2.8 maximum aperture. If your budget can’t quite afford the f/2.8L, either f/4L version is an excellent value. Highly recommended, all around. READ FULL REVIEW

Digital Photography Review

The Canon 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM is quite simply an excellent lens, which will reward users with quality images in almost every situation. … Considering that this lens also has build quality at least on a par with anything comparable (including dust and moisture sealing), plus superb autofocus and image stabilization systems, it seems fair to say the it’s probably the most all-round accomplished full-frame 35mm fast tele-zoom currently available. The only real negative is a certain susceptibility to flare with strong light sources either in or close to the frame, as can only be expected from such a complex design. Ultimately, the biggest factor against the Canon 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM is its price. … However the F2.8 IS version covers all the bases, and for Canon users seeking a top quality tele-zoom, it is quite simply peerless. READ FULL REVIEW

Digital Picture

The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens is my favorite and most-used lens. Combining a very popular and very useful focal length range with excellent image quality, professional build quality, superb autofocus performance, a fast aperture and one of my favorite features – Canon’s valuable 3-stop Image Stabilization – makes the 70-200 IS one of Canon’s most desired lenses. When I really need to make every shot count, the 70-200 IS is one of the first lenses I will include in my bag. It is one of the most-professionally-used lenses available and finds a home in the kit of many, many serious amateurs as well. READ FULL REVIEW

Pop Photo

Image stabilization function gave very similar (i.e., excellent) results in the areas of speed, noise, sharpness, and focusing accuracy compared to previously tested Canon IS lenses. With nonmoving subjects, all of our handheld pictures were in sharp focus at all tested focal lengths (70-, 135-, and 200mm) at shutter speeds as slow as 1/25 sec. Even at 1/4 sec, 75 percent of the handheld test pictures were deemed sharp at 70mm. If you can deal with the extra weight and cost, this lens delivers on its promise of sharper pictures at slower shutter speeds. READ FULL REVIEW

Shutterbug

The EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM produced extremely sharp images with excellent color rendition. As expected, this zoom produced incredibly high sharpness across the entire frame at all apertures and focal lengths. READ FULL REVIEW

Ken Rockwell

It’s a giant, high-performance lens. This is the general purpose tele zoom used by most pros who use Canon. Of course Canon is going to ensure that this lens is as good as it can be, since it’s the lens by which most pros judge an entire camera company. READ FULL REVIEW

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Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 USM L proved to be a worthy representative of the pro-grade lens league … if you can get a good sample. During the last two years four lenses has seen the lab with only one within specs – this is disappointing especially for a lens of this price class. If you ´re lucky enough to get a decent sample you can expect a very high performance level, especially when stopped down a bit. Distortions, vignetting and CAs are well-controlled. The build quality is superb with only the reverse zoom extension as a minor downside. Even so the 24-70mm range is not all that attractive on APS-C DSLRs (39-112mm) – the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 USM IS is a better and cheaper bet except regarding build quality. READ FULL REVIEW

Other Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L USM EF Reviews

SLR Gear

The Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is just an exceptional optic. On the sub-frame EOS-20D, the lens was tack sharp across the entire frame wide open, from 24-50mm. At 70mm, it softened slightly at f/2.8, but stopping down just to f/4.0 it was again excellent, and at f/5.6 it was superb. Spending a lot of money on a lens isn’t always a guarantee of good performance, but in the case of the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8, every penny of its price is more than justified. READ FULL REVIEW

Digital Picture

The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens is an impressively high performing zoom lens. … Sporting a red Canon L Series Lens ring, the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens’ build and mechanical quality are top of the line. The solid 24-70 L focuses quietly and very fast thanks to Ring USM (Ultrasonic Motor) that also facilitates FTM (Full-Time Manual) focusing. Focus and zoom rings are nicely-sized and operate smoothly. Weather sealing (when attached to a weather sealed body) completes the physical quality package. The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens is very sharp for a zoom lens. The biggest downside of the 24-70 L (in my opinion) is it’s size and weight. With its large lens hood, this lens is not small or light when used as a walk-around lens. All that said, I think the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens is one of the best Canon walk-around/all-purpose lens made. READ FULL REVIEW

Photo.net

The Canon 24-70/2.8L lens is Canon’s fastest and highest quality mid-range zoom lens. It is designed for full-frame digital SLRs such as the Canon EOS 5D. Producing a high quality high speed zoom lens that goes as wide as 24mm is challenging, but the “L” in “Canon 24-70L” assures you of professional quality images, rugged construction, and substantial weather-proofing. The 24mm wide end is wide enough to be dramatic, but the 70mm long end is not long enough for flattering portraits. The bulk and weight of this lens make it a poor choice for travel; we recommend the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM as an alternative. READ FULL REVIEW

Pop Photo

While its high distortion levels at 24- and 70mm may compromise its usefulness for architectural photography, this lens provides extremely high image quality for general shooting. Extending its wide end to 24mm will undoubtedly broaden its appeal, especially among digital SLR shooters. READ FULL REVIEW

Luminous Landscape

We were surprised though when we saw little apparent vignetting by the new lens when used at the same aperture. Score one – and a big one – for the new lens. Given that the old 28-70mm has long been considered a stellar performer – one of the most highly regarded mid-range fast zooms – to have it trumped so decisively by the new 24-70mm is quite a surprise. READ FULL REVIEW

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Manfrotto 190XPROB 3 Section Aluminum Pro Tripod

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PopPhoto

Photographers looking for unusual flexibility in an affordable, lightweight aluminum tripod will appreciate this new 3.9-pound model. Its center column can be removed and remounted horizontally, and although Manfrotto doesn’t advertise the feature, it can also be reversed. A simple swiveling element inside the component that holds the center column in place allows you to switch quickly and easily between vertical and horizontal positions. Instead of putting a hook for extra weight on the bottom of the center column, as is typical, Manfrotto placed the hook on one side, near the tripod shoulder. This allows you to increase stability by providing a counterweight to the camera when you have it mounted on a horizontal center column. The tripod also has a built-in spirit level.Folded up, the 190XProB is 22.4 inches long. Unfolded, it’s designed to support up to 11 pounds of camera. Its four flip-lock leg segments extend to a 48-inch height, 57.5 inches with the center column fully extended. The legs lock at four angles — more versatile than the usual three. This ‘pod can also get quite close to the ground, with a 3.3-inch minimum height when you’re using the center column horizontally. Two of the legs are padded, making the new Manfrotto easier on the shoulder and more comfortable to the touch in cold weather. The supplied rubber feet can be replaced with spikes, sold separately. About $145. READ FULL REVIEW

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Get information and user reviews for this tripod from Amazon: Sunpak 620-757B Ultra Series Tripod

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Get information and user reviews for this tripod from Amazon: MANFROTTO 684B Bogen Neotec Monopod – Black

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Get information and user reviews for this tripod from Amazon: Gitzo GT1550T T6X Carbon Fiber Series 1 Rapid Column 5 Section Traveler Tripod