Nikon Adds 3 New Lenses To Its DSLR Lens Lineup

By Tim McGuinness Ph.D. on February 4th, 2008

Nikon has always prided itself in creating the Nikon F-mount, which despite being nearly 50 years old, is still used in Nikon’s latest most advanced film and digital SLR cameras. The F-mount was introduced in 1959 on the Nikon F film camera and since then became the standard lens mount for all Nikon SLRs. This allows Nikon cameras to use Nikon lenses manufactured across generations. Nikon’s lens lineup remains vast, but compatibility between the newer cameras and the older lenses are slowly being affected.

With Nikon’s new digital SLRs featuring new advancements in exposure control and auto-focusing, the old lenses are literally showing their age. While the Nikon F-mount is still here to stay, updated lenses that take advantage of the new camera features are definitely needed. The move to a fully electronic control for exposure and auto-focusing has left some of the Nikon cameras with limited choices for lenses.

Nikon adds three new lenses to their lineup, the AF-S DX Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G VR 5.3x zoom lens, AF-S Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G ED prime, and PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5D ED tilt-shift lens. Nikon says it will also announce two additional tilt-shift lenses during the summer of 2008.

Nikon’s latest lens which is specifically designed for digital SLRs that use the DX-format sensor (24mm x 16mm) is the new AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens which gives an equivalent coverage of a 24-127.5mm lens on a 35mm format camera. This compact lens offers an array of versatile Nikon technologies, including VR II (Vibration Reduction II image stabilization), which allows photographers to shoot at shutter speeds up to four stops slower than would otherwise be possible, while dramatically reducing the image blur caused by camera shake in handheld photography. The lens also features Nikon’s compact Silent Wave Motor (SWM) technology for quiet, fast and accurate auto-focus performance that ensures every moment is captured crisply.

Nikon’s second offering is the updated AF-S Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G ED prime which is the first Micro Nikkor to use aspherical elements. It also incorporates an ED element, Nikon’s Nano Crystal and Super Integrated coatings for enhancing image quality while reducing ghosting and flare, and a ring-type Silent Wave Motor. The new Micro Nikkor can focus at a distance of approximately 0.6 feet, and offers 1:1 magnification (life-size).

Nikon’s last wide-angle perspective control lens was introduced way back in 1981. The introduction of the latest tilt-shift lens from Nikon will definitely be welcomed by Nikon users who are into architectural photography. It features the new “E” designation, which denotes an electromagnetic diaphragm that automatically controls aperture with the latest Nikon digital SLR cameras.

A special tilt/shift mechanism gives users up to +/- 11.5 mm shift and +/- 8.5-degree tilt for perspective control. When shooting with a conventional lens, some objects, such as tall trees and buildings exhibit rectilinear distortion. The 24mm Perspective Control lens corrects this issue with convenient side-mounted controls at 1mm / 1-degree intervals that will adjust the focal plane with shift and tilt adjustments.

“Nikon optical engineers successfully overcame a number of design challenges while developing a new 24mm Perspective Control wide-angle lens that delivers in a variety of applications and fulfills the needs of photographers whose work demands the type of image control that only a lens of this design can provide” said Edward Fasano, general manager for Marketing, SLR System Products at Nikon, Inc. “This lens represents a significant addition to the field-proven NIKKOR lens lineup and allows photographers to create images that would, in many instances, not be possible otherwise. Additionally, many photographers will appreciate the ability to more effectively correct images while shooting, significantly reducing the time required correcting images afterwards with image editing software.”

Contributor: Carlo Guerrero, TigerDirect Correspondent

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