I bought a refurbished 17 - 35 2.8 from nikonusa.com for my D810 and it is like new extremely sharp and best of all it’s Nikon glass.
The Nikon 20mm 1.8 is your best choice by a long shot over any zoom lens.
I would be looking into the pictures I take and see if they are any good as to quality of subject and salability. It's like a cook looking for scratches in a pot or pan.
Sorry i'm this way but i'm into pictures not equipment.
Thanks for all the input. I'm surprised no one is mentioning Zeiss lenses. Am I missing something? They seem to come in at the top or close to it in most of the testing I am seeing...
CamB
Loc: Juneau, Alaska
Until you need to zoom a little, in or out, for composition or other reasons.
... Cam
DennisC. wrote:
The Nikon 20mm 1.8 is your best choice by a long shot over any zoom lens.
CamB
Loc: Juneau, Alaska
If you have exhausted DXO and have been looking around and reading, and still need more info, I think you may be looking at the bark with a microscope in preparation for a shot of the forest. Every lens from a big name, bought from a reputable dealer is going to be sharp unless there is something wrong with it. Nikon, Sony, Cannon, full frame, smaller, zoom, prime, are all going to be sharp. These companies don't sell unsharp lenses. Buy a well rated lens and start taking pictures. You'll be fine.
...Cam
cathy.nordstrom wrote:
I am doing a lot of research on lenses for a Nikon D810 I have bought. I've exhausted DXO Mark. Does anyone know of other companies that test lenses and provide accurate data about lens sharpness, chromatic aberrations level, etc? I'm ultimately looking for a 21mm wide angle that is crazy sharp but am having a hard time finding one I think I would be satisfied with. Any help appreciated.
I doubt you can find a true across the board consensus on any lens. I was told they can vary from lens to lens and perform differently on different model bodies. I can personally confirm the latter, not the former.
The former is called sample variation and all brands suffer from it to one degree or another.
sirlensalot wrote:
I doubt you can find a true across the board consensus on any lens. I was told they can vary from lens to lens and perform differently on different model bodies. I can personally confirm the latter, not the former.
cathy.nordstrom wrote:
Thanks for all the input. I'm surprised no one is mentioning Zeiss lenses. Am I missing something? They seem to come in at the top or close to it in most of the testing I am seeing...
Zeiss glass has been around for a long time. Very well respected. Not sure that a Zeiss 21mm would be any "sharper" than a Nikkor 20mm though.
cathy.nordstrom wrote:
Thanks for all the input. I'm surprised no one is mentioning Zeiss lenses. Am I missing something? They seem to come in at the top or close to it in most of the testing I am seeing...
Well the Zeiss can run as high as $4,000. Since you have provided no budget or use data it is hard to recommend a specific lens. Also your OP was about testing companies not lens recommendations. If you want a lens recommendation you might want to provide a budget range and an intended use. A recommendation for astro-photography might be different than one for close up work.
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