Some overview on four new Nikon Lenses at B&H Photo

The 28-300mm f3.5-5.6 VR and the DX 55-300 f3.5-5.6 VR don’t interest me at all at this point, so I’ll just briefly comment on the 85/1.4 and the 24-120/4VR. It looks like although technical reviews from sites like photozone.de didn’t give the old 85/1.4 much accolades, it was by all accounts a phenomenal portrait lens and has been the reigning Nikkor king of bokeh (aka “the cream machine”). It was an older design that perhaps was due for a re-vamp… but what could Nikon improve on that lens? Will they succeed? Will the legendary bokeh remain? Will it turn out to be another if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it outcome? So many questions going through my mind at the time the announcement of the new lenses was made.

Continued…

I really liked the rugged look of the old 85/1.4, though I only actually own the 85/1.8. I would have jumped at the 1.4 version if I could afford the price difference at the time. And that brings me back to the new one: $1700!!! Wow! First, the 24/1.4 for over $2K, and then this? I bet some pros and the wealthy enthusiasts will scoop this new lens up, regardless of the price and how it initially reviews. But for anyone else that would be content with the older one, yes it might put more used ones on the market, but I doubt the prices will drop, as counterintuitive as that seems. All the talk about the new release will garner attention, but my bet is that much of the talk on forums and such will be along the lines of the old one having better bokeh, and stuff like that. And since the new one is released at a substantially higher price, it will drive a good bit of attention to the old one. This shift will be enough to compensate for the supply side of the equation- the photographers that are making the “upgrade” for whatever reason, and putting their old ones on eBay. And once all the existing stock of the old version is cleaned out from stores, this will result in even more of a used seller’s advantage.

Take the old 35-70/2.8D for example. It’s a bit of a different story, but a few years ago that lens could be had, even new, quite cheaply. It was, afterall, no longer in production- discontinued in 2006. Then fast forward a few years and the D700 comes out and makes full frame more affordable to more photographers, and then the new 16-35/4 comes out, and all of a sudden this 35-70/2.8 is selling at prices unseen since it’s release probably over a decade ago. Never underestimate the lightning fast reaction of the marketplace any opportunistic “blip” in demand or interest.

Anyways, the only one of these lenses that I might actually be interested in purchasing, and I’m very anxious to see some real user reviews on, is the 24-120. With that excellent focal range (on FX at least, 24mm wouldn’t be wide enough on DX), VR, and gold ring perks such as nano coating, some weather sealing, and IF, this is a very interesting lens for me. It could be the one that stays on my camera nearly all the time. I like this because it will help me in my war against lens changes and sensor cleaning… And yes, of course I would prefer 2.8 max aperture, but we all know the trade-offs. On this lens, going 2.8 would mean one or more of the following (probably all): higher price, bigger and heavier, reduction of focal range, etc. Even if Nikon re-released the 24-70/2.8 as a VR lens, it would get bigger and more expensive…. and it’s already both as it is!

But since I can only see one more major lens purchase in the years to come, it has to be either this 24-120 or, since I already have 16-35 and 35-70 covered, keep saving for the 70-200/2.8VRII. I’ll have to rent one of these 70-200s to get a feel of how I’d get along with it’s obnoxious size and weight….