Zoom Lenses For Nikon 'F' Mount

Evaluations By Bjørn Rørslett

For rating criteria, please see the Lens Survey Page

Note: Many zoom lenses possess front filter threads that rotate while the lens is focused. This often is annoying if you want to use a polarising filter, for example. Whenever a zoom lacks this trait it is explicitely stated.

More frequently than other lenses, zooms do display product variability and you may have to test several before getting a perfect sample. This results because of their complex optical design. Remember that such lenses also would be more susceptible to knocks and blows than are primes, so treat them with real care. They are prone to show adverse effects from flare (stray light spilling over the glass surfaces to create a low-contrast veiling of the image) and/or ghosting (those nasty, often brightly coloured, spots showing reflections of the aperture opening). Despite today's highly sophisticated lens designs and recent advances in lens coating technology, such distracting phenomena are virtually avoidable under certain shooting situations, for example, when you shoot into the sun or experience strongly back-lit subjects.

Please note I now have broken down the former review page for zoom lenses into three different ranges, as follows from the Table below. You can either access the entire section by clicking the appropriate header, or go directly to any lens of particular interest. Since zoom lenses span a considerable focal range, the classification of them into sensible categories is not a simple task. I have taken the intended use of the lens into consideration more than the focal lengths as such.

The newest feature is the addition of IR rates for some of the lenses. Be aware that there is a strong interaction betwwen camera and lens in this case, so even though a lens is listed as being good for IR, it perceivably might show an issue (hot spots being the most common flaw) with another camera model. I cannot test all combinations, that is an insurmountable task for the unpaid reviewer.