How do I tell which Nikkor lenses have better IQ

evereti

New member
In the Canon world its pretty simple, kit lenses, usm type lenses, then L series lenses.

Not so clear in the Nikkor lenses.

As an example, I have a standard kit lens 55-200mm ED VR and would like better Image Quality. I am aware of the 70-200 F/2.8 for example but nothing in the product description says its better, apart from the F/2.8 and of course the cost on evilbay.

In this example, it would appear that this lens might be like the Canon L Series, but who knows.

So if I want a better IQ but can't spend $2500 on an F/2.8 70-200, is there something inbetween and how can I tell its better glass.

Cheers
 
Last edited:

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
In the Canon world its pretty simple, kit lenses, usm type lenses, then L series lenses.

Not so clear in the Nikkor lenses.

As an example, I have a standard kit lens 55-200mm ED VR and would like better Image Quality. I am aware of the 70-200 F/2.8 for example but nothing in the product description says its better, apart from the F/2.8 and of course the cost on evilbay.

In this example, it would appear that this lens might be like the Canon L Series, but who knows.

So if I want a better IQ but can't spend $2500 on an F/2.8 70-200, is there something inbetween and how can I tell its better glass.

Cheers


There is one that is around $1200 that should be better than the 55-200 and has one stop less than the $2500 one. It's the 70-200 f4.
 

LensWork

Senior Member
While Nikon does not have an equivalent designation like Canon L, in general Nikkor lenses that bear the N moniker for nano crystal coat are the best optical performers.
 

clarnibass

Senior Member
If I'm not mistaken Nikon puts a gold line at the end of supposedly better lenses.

The N is also a sign, but IME some non-N, non-gold lenses can sometimes be as good as N "gold" lenses.
 

Vincent

Senior Member
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica][/FONT]From the nikon site:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]ED - The lens uses Extra-low Dispersion glass for superior image quality, especially at wide apertures.
that is what you have already, so you will have to find it in other things then glass.
that becomes the coating, indeed as stated before:
[/FONT]N Nano Crystal Coat[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]

I did a selection on N lenses and they all have the golden ring!

But I agree, try to see what other people think (of none N lenses), one might be wrong, but much positive feedback generally make it a safe bet.

[/FONT]
 

Watch72

Senior Member
I too is interested in the answer to the OP question.
From the few replies above it seems - Nikon does not have similar system as Canon in lens classification, but it has it's own which may not totally reflect the level of quality, IQ, etc. of the lens. Regardless of whether gold ring, ED or N notations, these are just indications what the lens has and not so much as its level of designed quality.
 

papa2jaja

Senior Member
I think the best way to determine which lenses are the best is to read the reviews, and check the data at DXOmark.com. Good review sites IMHO are photozone.de (it is in English, don't be mislead by the de domain), Photography Life and also Camera Labs. There are many more, of course.

On DXOmark, don't just look at the 4 'overall' type of ratings, go to the detail pages like Measurements, and check all the sub-items in there as well (Sharpness, Transmission, Distortion, Vignetting, CAs). Also select the proper camera (your camera if available) to see how the lens fares on your camera.

The golden ring indicates what Nikon thinks are their best lenses, and the Nano coating can of course have highly beneficial effects. However, as some of the other posters said, the 'best' lenses are not always those Nikon says are the best. The may have been the best at the time when they were released, but other, better ones may have followed at considerably lower prices.

Two of the best lenses Nikon makes (IMHO, of course) are for example the 50mm f1.8 G and the 85mm f1.8 G. They don't have f1.4, but in many other aspects they beat their more expensive siblings very clearly, as can be seen in reviews which often show test images, so you can see for yourself which lens takes the better images.

So the golden ring or the N spec clearly lead you to excellent lenses. But with a little research, sometimes you may find even better ones, for even less money.

I'm not sure how that is with Canon, but with Nikon, you can find breathtakingly good but very moderately priced top performer lenses.
 

gqtuazon

Gear Head
In the Canon world its pretty simple, kit lenses, usm type lenses, then L series lenses.

Not so clear in the Nikkor lenses.

As an example, I have a standard kit lens 55-200mm ED VR and would like better Image Quality. I am aware of the 70-200 F/2.8 for example but nothing in the product description says its better, apart from the F/2.8 and of course the cost on evilbay.

In this example, it would appear that this lens might be like the Canon L Series, but who knows.

So if I want a better IQ but can't spend $2500 on an F/2.8 70-200, is there something inbetween and how can I tell its better glass.

Cheers

Just like in the Canon world, how did you know that the L lenses were good? Did you do your own test or just took their word for it? Are these so called better category lenses performed well when tested for flare, corner sharpness, and so on? If these L lenses are so good, why did the company had to update them with the Mk 2 version?

Something to think about.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free
 

pedroj

Senior Member
In the Canon world its pretty simple, kit lenses, usm type lenses, then L series lenses.

Not so clear in the Nikkor lenses.

As an example, I have a standard kit lens 55-200mm ED VR and would like better Image Quality. I am aware of the 70-200 F/2.8 for example but nothing in the product description says its better, apart from the F/2.8 and of course the cost on evilbay.

In this example, it would appear that this lens might be like the Canon L Series, but who knows.

So if I want a better IQ but can't spend $2500 on an F/2.8 70-200, is there something inbetween and how can I tell its better glass.

Cheers

Don't you just love these people that talk canon and never hear from them again..
 

Rick M

Senior Member
As mentioned, DXO and also check out photozone.de. I like the resolution charts which measure Center, mid frame and corner resolution. A gold band alone doesn't always mean a better lens. There are some newer consumer lenses can almost match older, pro versions in IQ.
 
Last edited:

evereti

New member
Hi Guys
Thanks for the replies and the very useful info.

In my search for top sharpness in my shots I will be getting the 35mm F/1.8G DX for my closer work and landscapes, but I am still struggling with spending Heaps and Heaps on a longer range zoom.

Re Canon L series, Nikon gold bands etc. I agree that sometimes cheaper lenses are all that's needed. My wife has a Canon 550D and gets unbelievably sharp shots from the kit lenses. She spent lots on a 60mm USM Macro and a 29-135 USM and they do no better than the Kit lenses.

Cheers
 
Last edited:

Epoc

Senior Member
Don't be afraid of 3rd party lenses in your quest for a longer lens. Both Sigma and Tamron make a very good 70-200/2.8 lens and there are plenty of good folk on this forum who own them and produce excellent results with them.
 

papa2jaja

Senior Member
evereti, I don't know which camera you have (and apologies if you are already aware of this), but I think that lens you picked is for DX (APS-C sensor) cameras. If you have a full format camera, make sure you buy FX lenses.
 
Top