Pixiq

Simon Stafford reviews the Nikkor AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II. All words and pictures by the author.

Introduction

Among a clutch of new Nikkor lenses announced by the Nikon Corporation toward the end of 2010 was the AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II. Introduced to provide an ‘all-in-one’ lens solution for users of Nikon FX format cameras, who have long regarded the immensely popular AF-S DX VR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G and its updated version, the AF-S DX 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G VRII, which are exclusive to the smaller DX format, with envy.

The appeal of the lens is obvious with its broad range of focal lengths that obviates the need to change lenses, combined with a relative lightweight and compact size would appear to make it an ideal choice for any photographer wanting to travel light by carrying a minimum amount of equipment. 

Design

Optical construction is very complex, comprising 19 elements in 14 groups, with two ED glass and three aspherical lens elements, although there is no use of the Nano Crystal Coat technology developed by Nikon and applied to many of its professional grade Nikkor lenses. In common with other consumer grade Nikkor lenses, the 28-300mm has a rather narrow focusing ring located closest to the camera body and a broader zoom ring in front of it (this ring configuration is the reverse of professional grade Zoom-Nikkor lenses, such as the 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8).

The maximum aperture value is variable, ranging from f/3.5 at 28mm to f/5.6 at 300mm. On the Nikon FX-format cameras a focal length of 28mm provides an angle of view of 75-degrees that narrows to just over 8-degrees at 300mm (53-degrees to just over 5˚degrees on the Nikon DX-format, with an equivalent focal length range of 42mm to 450mm approx.). Shifting from the shortest to longest focal length causes the lens to extend by 73.5 mm; however, the lens does have a zoom lock switch to secure it at its 28mm position to prevent zoom creep, whereby the lens length extends under its own weight. The iris diaphragm has nine blades producing a near circular aperture to improve the appearance of out-of-focus highlights, a quality often referred to as ‘bokeh’. A silent wave motor drives the focus action, which has a closest focus distance of 0.5m (19.5 inches) at all focal lengths, with a maximum reproduction ratio of 0.32x at the longest focal length.

The lens incorporates Nikon’s latest Vibration Reduction (VR) II system to help reduce the effects of camera shake; it is claimed to offer a level of stability equivalent to shooting with a shutter speed four stops higher. There are two VR modes, ‘Normal’ and ‘Active’; the former is used when the photographer is the source of vibration, while the latter copes with a situation where both the photographer and camera/lens are moving, as in shooting from a vehicle, boat, or aircraft. 

The build quality is very good. Its outer and middle lens barrel sections are constructed from polycarbonate, while the inner barrel section is made from metal, and there appears to be good sealing against the ingress of dust and moisture. The lens is fairly modest in size; approximately 114.5 mm (4.5 inches) long at is shortest (zoom ring set to the 28mm position) it weighs around 800 g (28 oz). The front filter attachment ring has a 77mm diameter thread, which is convenient as it is the same as many professional grade Nikkor lenses, and a bayonet mount for the dedicated HB-50 petal shaped lens hood.  

Handling

The lens certainly feels robust and quite substantial in the hand, no doubt due in part to the significant amount of glass used in its construction. It rests very comfortably in the left hand, balancing well on the D3-series bodies and smaller D700. It can also be used on any Nikon D-SLR camera with the smaller DX-format sensor; however, such a combination is noticeably front heavy.

The lens has an internal focusing (IF) mechanism, so the front element and filter thread do not rotate, making use of a polarizer filter that much easier, because the orientation of the filter does not alter as focus is adjusted. The manual focusing action is smooth enough, although the narrow width of the focus ring can make rotating it when wearing gloves a challenge; it requires the focus ring to be turned through approximately 120-degrees to shift the focus point from infinity to the minimum focus distance. There is a focus distance scale set below a small window in the lens barrel, mid way between the zoom and focus rings. Unfortunately it suffers from a paucity of information, with very few marked distances and no depth of field, or infrared (IR) focus markings.  

A small panel on left side of the barrel contains the focus mode switch, with a position for M/A (autofocus with manual override), or M (manual focus), which can be operated effectively by the left thumb. Below this and separated by a shallow ridge is the on/off switch for VR and the VR mode switch.   

The review sample was new out of the box so the purposeful resistance of the zoom ring, which made its operation both positive and reassuring, was to be expected and I experienced no problems of zoom creep while carrying the lens. Of course after some use it is likely the ring would move more freely. 

Performance

Auto focus speed is moderate for an AF-S Zoom-Nikkor lens; it is certainly not in the same class, as say the AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II, taking approximately one second to shift from infinity to the closest marked focus distance. In good light conditions focus tracking in continuous-servo AF worked quite well, with the lens achieving accurate focus at a high frequency; however, in low light, or low contrast conditions AF speed performance tailed off noticeably, particularly at the long end where the maximum marked aperture is f/5.6. This suggests that the actual level of transmitted light (t/stop) is slightly lower than f/5.6, taking it to the very fringes of the minimum level of illumination required for the AF sensor in the camera body to function properly. 

In terms of sharpness, and for that matter contrast, high ratio zoom lenses almost always exhibit variability in both qualities at different focal lengths and aperture values; the AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II is no exception. The weakest performance occurs at the widest apertures and longest focal length. At shorter focal lengths the lens performs quite well, although does not come close to matching the AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G, or AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G VRII. At maximum aperture the centre of the field is reasonably sharp, but as to be expected the edges/corners trail some way behind. The lens needs to be stopped down to around f/8 to achieve its peak sharpness across the image field; however, beyond a focal length of 200mm sharpness decreases progressively to a point where at 300mm it never quite achieves a truly crisp resolution at any aperture. 

The fall off in illumination at the edges and corners of the frame (vignetting) is another trait common to high ratio zoom lenses, and the 28-300 exhibits this to a very strong degree when wide open at 28mm. Matters improve through the middle range of focal lengths; however, at 300mm the vignetting is again strong, and still visible with the camera’s built-in vignette correction set to its highest level. While the effect can be cleaned up in post-processing it adds an extra stage in to the workflow, which may not suit some. Another post-processing stage that will be required when the image contains any straight lines is distortion correction, because the lens displays strong linear distortion with barrel distortion at the short end that rolls over to pin cushion distortion by 50mm and continues out all the way up to 300mm. Thankfully the nature of the distortion is simple, so it can be corrected with ease; however, particularly at 28mm the amount of correction may well result in a significant degree of cropping at the periphery of the image. 

Axial chromatic aberration (CA) is also quite noticeable away from the centre of the image field, producing characteristic purple/blue fringing at any high contrast edge. Once again this is an issue that can be corrected but it all adds to the post-processing workflow. Given the use of nine blades in the iris diaphragm lens ‘bokeh’ is a little disappointing, while adequate it is nothing special. On a more positive note, for a lens containing so many elements/groups, flare and ghosting are well controlled maintaining a good level of image contrast in strongly backlit situations but some care is required in the placement of any very bright point sources of light within the image. 

A rather more insidious characteristic of the lens is the significant foreshortening of the effective focal length when the shooting at close subject distances. In order to achieve the short minimum focus distance and maintain it at all focal lengths, the lens design results in the effective focal length becoming progressively shorter as the lens is focused closer. It is not the first time such a compromise has been incorporated in a Nikkor lens, as both the AF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G and AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II behave in a similar way. 

When the 28-300mm is set to its minimum focus distance (0.5m) the field of view at its marked focal length of 300mm is actually equivalent to a focal length of around 135mm. Despite the angle of view becoming narrower at longer focus distances, so for example at 3m (10 feet) the effective focal length is about 180mm, while at 15m (50 feet) it is around 250mm, it is not until the lens is focused on a very distant subject and set to its infinity focus distance that the field of view equates to the marked focal length of 300mm. In practical terms it means this lens is not a good choice if you want to photograph a small subject at a close distance and achieve a high magnification; for that purpose the AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G would be preferable, since it provides a field of view of a true 300mm focal length.

Finally, I found the VR II system to be very effective and capable of extending the shooting potential of the lens considerably in low light conditions. Using good hand holding technique it should be possible for most users to achieve a high success rate at shutter speeds at least three stops slower than they would normally use without lens stabilisation. 

Conclusion

This lens is certainly a potential solution for those who require the convenience and/or practicality of an “all-in-one” lens for an FX format camera, but they must be prepared to accept its limitations. All lens design involves a degree of compromise; in class of the “super-zoom” lens, above all others, such compromise is generally at its greatest. In terms of pure optical performance across the focal length range there are better options in the current line up of Nikkor lenses but of course none of them offer the same one lens convenience, combined with relatively compact size and moderately low weight that must hold strong appeal to certain users, such as the travel photographer. On the other hand the sport/action/wildlife photographer will probably find the modest AF speed and the reduction in effective focal length exhibited by the 28-300mm, especially at close focus distances, a hindrance. 

In my opinion this lens should not be seen as a means to consolidating a range of existing lenses into a single optic but rather as a supplement to them, occupying a niche for those occasions when shooting with a single lens is the only feasible solution; as ever it is a matter of selecting the right tool for the job and the AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II is another option in the toolbox of the Nikon photographer.

© Simon Stafford