Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsExceptional lens!
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2012
About me: Been an avid photographer for over 20 years... I've used Leica, Nikon, Canon SLR's... currently using Nikon D800, and have recently updated my collection of lens and in particular FX lenses.
I have many Nikkor D lenses and few G lenses, but recently I bought this 28mm f/1.8G and the 28-300mm VR lens. Both of these are FX lenses (for full-frame cameras like D4 and D800/D800E), and they have superb sharpness. I use the 28-300mm for my travels, and it's my all-purpose lens, and I got this 28mm prime in large part to (1) large aperture of f/1.8, and (2) the fast focusing.
With regard to the large aperture, there are two key benefits I was looking forward to have and it did not disappoint. First, it gives a beautiful background blur (bokeh) and was able to isolate subjects with sharp focus while producing a creamy background. However, you cannot expect this lens to produce the same bokeh as that from the 70-200mm f2.8G VRII (which I also own). Again, these lenses have different purposes. I use the 70-200mm for sports and portraits (with subjects far away). This 28mm allows me to stay very close to my subject (e.g. lifestyle shots of kids) to get full body portraits while throwing the backdrop off focus. Compared to the 28-300mm at 28mm, the bokeh of this 28mm prime is much nicer as it have a wider aperture than the zoom. The second key advantage of its f/1.8 is the fact that it really allows to shoot at virtually anywhere in the day (indoor or outdoor), and I still get great shots in evening or dimly lit places with my D800.
With regard to focusing speed, my experience has been predominantly with the D800 - which on its own has improved and very capable focusing. Getting the subject focused is not only fast, but also much more consistent in giving great results (sharp eyes in human subjects). In comparison to my other prime D-type lenses, and the G-type zoom lenses (e.g. 70-200mm, and 28-300mm), the 28mm f/1.8G beats them all.
With regard to image quality and contrast, there has already been many reviews on the edge sharpness of this lens and the quality of it at various apertures. You can refer to those provided by DPReview and ByThom (Thom Hogan) for details, but I would attest that the quality of image produced by this lens is exceptional! However, please note that as with all great lenses, it's important to have good glass in front of them if you intend to put a protective filter in front.
I'll be writing more and perhaps uploading some shots on the bokeh (background blur) if people are interested. If this review is of some help to you, just let me know by clicking the "This is helpful" button, and if there's any areas not covered, feel free to include the comments, and I'll update the review. Thanks for reading.
