Any thoughts on buying a nikon 28-70 2.8mm lens used? (Page 2): Yes it is, but not quite as sharp as it is at F5.6 to F11. All lenses exhibit a "Sweet Spot" when it comes to sharpness...

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

CurreyPhoto wrote:

Is yours sharp at f2.8? I had the Nikon 35-70 f2.8... (show quote)

Yes it is, but not quite as sharp as it is at F5.6 to F11. All lenses exhibit a "Sweet Spot" when it comes to sharpness, some more than others. I sold my 35-70mm F2.8 D lens to get the 28-70mm F2.8 and never regretted the decision, but my 35-70 was pretty good too, at the time my F4S loved it!

Ronbo Loc: Okanagan falls BC. Canada

alissaspieces wrote:

I am thinking of buying a nikon 28-70 2.8 mm lens used. It is less expensive then the current 24-70 2.8 and I think it gets great reviews still. Any thoughts? pros cons? Anyone know what the right price used it should be? Thanks!

Good luck with your new lens. It's a wise purchase.

cthahn

alissaspieces wrote:

I am thinking of buying a nikon 28-70 2.8 mm lens used. It is less expensive then the current 24-70 2.8 and I think it gets great reviews still. Any thoughts? pros cons? Anyone know what the right price used it should be? Thanks!

Go to e-bay and see what they are selling for there. You might also consider a Nikon prime lens, 35mm / f1.8. New, under $200.
Too many photographers spend too much time zooming instead of composing the picture Depth of field DOF is also completely controllable when using a prime lens. You will take better photos.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

alissaspieces wrote:

Do you find it to be extremely sharp wide open or closed and on both ends? I love my d7100 but I am thinking I should get a lens that will fit a full frame eventually. Thanks!

Isn't that a full frame lens?

CurreyPhoto Loc: Reddick, Florida

Wall-E wrote:

Did you do the micro adjust for focus?
Or was the lens itself just soft?

Both the 35-70 and the 28-70 are old lenses and I used them on a Nikon D2hs which is also too old to incorporate focus micro adjust. That might have helped with each of the lenses, but it was not available, then. What happens is that as the aperture gets wider, the depth of field gets narrower and slightly off focus adjustment becomes more apparent. All three of the lenses I mentioned were better than acceptably sharp at f4.0 and above, but my old D2hs was not good enough in the low light environment I was in to shoot at f4.0. My current D3s shoots in the same environments very comfortably but it is a full frame camera and the wide zooms are not needed any longer.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Ken Rockwell likes the 28-70 - http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/2870afs.htm - but it is big and heavy ! Another nice lens in this range is the Tamron SP 28-105 F2.8 - much cheaper - but still big and heavy....

CurreyPhoto Loc: Reddick, Florida

imagemeister wrote:

Ken Rockwell likes the 28-70 - http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/2870afs.htm - but it is big and heavy ! Another nice lens in this range is the Tamron SP 28-105 F2.8 - much cheaper - but still big and heavy....

Back when this lens was being sold new and discussed frequently on this type of forum, the common reference name for this lens was "the beast" because of the girth and weight you speak of.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

alissaspieces wrote:

Do you find it to be extremely sharp wide open or closed and on both ends? I love my d7100 but I am thinking I should get a lens that will fit a full frame eventually. Thanks!

Keep in mind that when you upgrade to a FF you might want to keep your old camera as a backup. Having a good lens for that is not a bad thing.

ArgusSnap1 Loc: Indiana

I have a question--what kind of pictures do you 28-70,24-70 or the 35-70? Since they provide for a narrow range of zoom and at the bottom end comes to a normal lens on a D7000-D7100 or are the for full size sensors only. There are so many choices in lenses out there I get totaly confused about them. Thanks.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

ArgusSnap1 wrote:

I have a question--what kind of pictures do you 28-70,24-70 or the 35-70? Since they provide for a narrow range of zoom and at the bottom end comes to a normal lens on a D7000-D7100 or are the for full size sensors only. There are so many choices in lenses out there I get totaly confused about them. Thanks.

The lenses were designed for FF but can of course be used on crop frame and loose their "wide angle" type opf view.

ArgusSnap1 Loc: Indiana

Thanks Imagemeister--that helps. ArgusSnap1

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

ArgusSnap1 wrote:

I have a question--what kind of pictures do you 28-70,24-70 or the 35-70? Since they provide for a narrow range of zoom and at the bottom end comes to a normal lens on a D7000-D7100 or are the for full size sensors only. There are so many choices in lenses out there I get totaly confused about them. Thanks.

I think the croop multiplier for the D7100 is 1.5 so the equivalent range of a 28-70 FF lens on the D7100 would be 42mm-105mm. Somebody please correct me, if I am off on that calculation.

Jackdoor Loc: Huddersfield, Yorkshire.

dsmeltz wrote:

I think the croop multiplier for the D7100 is 1.5 so the equivalent range of a 28-70 FF lens on the D7100 would be 42mm-105mm. Somebody please correct me, if I am off on that calculation.

:thumbup:

Bram boy Loc: Vancouver Island B.C. Canada

alissaspieces wrote:

I am thinking of buying a nikon 28-70 2.8 mm lens used. It is less expensive then the current 24-70 2.8 and I think it gets great reviews still. Any thoughts? pros cons? Anyone know what the right price used it should be? Thanks!

have you considered a 18-105 VR mm nikon kit len's , a great buy acording to all who test these things . it is not as fast but I never had a problem with
low light yet . it's sharp covers 27-152 mm on a dx and it's a lot lighter , and
covers more mm than 24-70 does on a dx it is not built as strong as the
28-70 but I look after my stuff it's probably taken over 10000 photos in four years . and it's only $350 . compared to a $1000 or more . if you try it and find you don't like it no big deal , sell it , or keep it for when you sell your camera , and sell the len's along with it . they sell quicker with a len's to a new bee , than with out

Leon S Loc: Minnesota

If you are at the point of wanting a 28-70, Don't accept anything less than that or a 24-70. My wife and I bought into other lenses. until we each were able to afford one of the above. Now all of the other lenses we own but a few will be going up on the auction block. We don't use the other lenses. You probably will only three lenses as time goes on. Save your money and buy the best when you can. My goal is now to get a 70-200 f4, but my 70-300 vr holds me back. Between 70 and 200 and some, it probably is as good as the f4. Between those two lenses, and a couple of primes, I never use the rest of the inventory. I wish I had the benefit of UHH advisors before buying lenses I now store.