Review: Voigtländer Color-Skopar 20mm f/3.5 SL II

I can never seem to stop looking for F-Mount pancake lenses, which are somewhat limited if you’re considering a Nikkor. There’s the 45mm f/2.8 P , the 45mm f/2.8 GN, the second-generation 50mm f/1.8, and the 50mm f/1.8 Series E, the craving for all of which has been satisfied by the Voigtländer Ultron 40mm f/2.0. It’s an outstanding lens.

Samyang 35mm f/1.4 Aspherical UMC

Another extraordinary lens from Samyang…

Samyang/Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 AS UMC for Nikon

Marketed in the US under the Rokinon brand name, this is the latest addition to an expanding line of manual-focus lenses by the Korean manufacturer Samyang. It retails for about $549.00.

First Impressions: Voigtländer Color Skopar 20mm f/3.5 SL II

I had been fighting this for a long time. I’m a big fan of the Voigtländer Ultron 40mm f2.0 SL II, but often need a lens that’s wider. I carefully weighed the differences between the Nikkor 20mm and this lens, and settled on the Nikkor due to it’s additional speed and auto focus capability. The Nikon was also a tad sharper. But I’ve been seeing a lot of great sample images from the Color Skopar, and started to give it some thought.

Review: Nikon 28mm f/2.8 Series E

Nikon’s smallest, lightest 28mm AI-S lens offers impressive image quality at a modest price. Fine color rendition and contrast, no distortion and surprising sharpness make this manual-focus lens a true find on the second market.

Cherry Blossom Festival

Yesterday was the Cherry Blossom Festival in Branch Brook Park, Newark. It’s always a photofest, and the perfect opportunity to put my AF NIKKOR 20mm 2.8D through its paces.

The NIKKOR 20mm f/2.8 in Action

My daughter’s school was having a concert at a local mall today, where she played violin. Naturally my wife and I were there to take pictures, her with her new D3100, and me with my D90. Since she had everything covered with the mighty AF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 zoom, I decided to take along the AF NIKKOR 20mm f/2.8D.

Review: AF NIKKOR 20mm f/2.8D

Let me start out by saying that this lens is not really designed for digital cameras. Oh sure, like most Nikon F-Mount lenses, it will fit and function as it should. But digital camera sensors behave differently than film with wide angle lenses.

First Impressions: AF NIKKOR 20mm f/2.8D

I finally received my Nikkor Ultrawide prime today. I’ve been debating this purchase for a while now, but if I’m going to have at least one AF-D lens in my collection, it might as well be the most compact of them all and be compatible with a wide variety of bodies and uses.