Nikon D7000 Lens Test - ©2016 Bob McMicken - Forensic-Photography.Com
Conditions: Late morning on a sunny day in Woodland Park, Colorado, elevation 8,500 feet. Temperature in the mid-20s with
snow in the forecast. Nikon D7000 ISO 400 aperture preferred at f/8, 50 mm focal length except as noted. Shutter speeds
varied from 1/800th to 1/1,000 the depending on the lens and the light at any given moment. Auto white balance works
perfectly on sunny days. Handheld, which is the way I'd shoot a traffic accident under similar lighting conditions. Levels
adjusted in FastStone to provide similar brightness and shadow detail. Sharpness adjusted in FastStone using Unsharp Mask,
Amount 50 Radius .5. Viewed on a 24" monitor, the crops approximate what you would see viewing a 20 x 30 inch print at
arm's length.
18 - 105 f/3.5 - 5.6 AF-S VR - The usual lens on my D7000. Purchased in E+ condition from keh.com for $215.00 in 2014.
18 - 70 f/3.5 - 4.5 AF-S - The usual lens on my D70. It came with the camera.
18 - 55 f/3.5 - 5.6 AF-S - A spare originally purchased with a D40, since sold.
28 - 70 f/3.5 - 4.5 AF-D - The usual lens on my F100, since sold. Produced from 1991 to 1999.
28 - 105 f/3.5 - 4.5 AF-D - The usual lens on my F4, since sold. Produced from 1998 to 2006.
50 mm f/1.4 AF-D - The "normal" lens in my F100 kit. Purchased in 1993. Introduced in 1986 and still in production.
50 mm f/1.8 AI - The usual lens on my FM, since sold. The f/1.4 AI-S version introduced in 1981 is still in production.
35 mm f/2 AF-D - The "normal" lens in my D7000 kit. Introduced in 1989 and still in production. Purchased in 2015.
28 mm f/3.5 AI - The wide angle in my FM kit, since sold. The f/2.8 AI-S version introduced in 1981 is still in production.
24 mm f/2.8 AI - The wide angle in my F100 kit, since sold The f/2.8 AI-S version introduced in 1977 is still in production.
1. Viewing "actual pixels" on a 24" monitor, the 18 - 105 is the sharpest of the bunch by a very narrow margin.
2. The Turbo Diesel badge tells the tale but you'll need a 24" monitor or a wide carriage printer to see the difference.
3. The ten year old 18 - 70 delivers superlative results in actual picture-taking. See pages 13 and 14.
4. Printing each photo at 6.7 x 10 inches on 8.5 x 11 premium glossy photo paper, there isn't ten cents worth of difference
between any of these lenses shooting outdoors on a sunny day at an intermediate aperture such as f/8.
5. With good technique, you might need to make 20 x 30 prints to see a real difference in picture quality.
6. I've used all of these lenses long enough to know that they can hold their own under adverse conditions if you use flash
or a tripod as required. Lenses that fail to impress under less than ideal conditions are soon sold.
7. Click HERE and HERE to get the straight scoop on lens quality and repairs.
8. The f/1.4, f/2 and f/2.8 primes are indispensable for low light work.
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Guide Print 18 -105 mm f3.5 - 5.6 AF-S @ 50 mm f/8 with vibration reduction on.
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18 - 105 f/3.5 - 5.6 AF-S @ 50 mm f/8 with VR On Cropped (This was the kit lens on the D90 and the D7000.)
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18 - 70 f/3.5 - 4.5 AF-S @ 50 mm f/8 Cropped (This lens, now discontinued but available for $150 postpaid in E+ condition
complete with lens hood and body caps from keh.com, is sharper than some of today's newer, more expensive lenses.)
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18 - 55 mm f/3.5 - 5.6 AF-S @ 50 mm f/8 Cropped (Now a spare, this was originally the kit lens on a Nikon D40 circa 2006.)
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28 - 70 mm f/3.5 - 4.5 AF-D @ 50 mm f/8 Cropped (This the original kit lens on early Nikon F100 film cameras)
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28 - 105 mm f/3.5 - 4.5 AF-D @ 50 mm f/8 Cropped (This was the kit lens on later F100 film cameras.)
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50 mm f/1.4 AF-D @ f/8 Cropped (This lens was purchased with a Nikon F4 in 1993.)
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50 mm f1.8 AI @ f/8 Cropped (This manual focus lens was purchased with a Nikon FM in 1978.)
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35 mm f/2 AF-D @ f/8 Cropped (This is a "normal" focal length on an APS-C camera such as the Nikon D7000.)
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28 mm f/3.5 AI @ f/8 (This was a well-regarded professional lens when purchased in 1979. The 28 mm f/2.8 AI-S version
introduced in 1981 is still in production and available from B&H for $535 postpaid.)
The top photo is a tight crop from a photo taken with the 28 mm f/3.5 AI mounted on a Nikon D7000. 28 mm on a full frame
camera is equal to 43 mm on an APS-C camera. The bottom photo is a tight crop taken with the 18 - 105 mm lens zoomed to the
28 mm setting and taken from the same position, providing the same angle of view. This is what you would see if both photos
were enlarged to 20 x 30 inches and viewed at arm's length.
Viewing both photos as 6.7 x 10 inch prints on premium glossy photo paper and as "actual pixels" on a 24" monitor, the photo
taken with a plastic zoom lens purchased second hand for $215 is clearly the better of the two. I would expect a better showing
from the 28 mm f/2.8 AI-S version but not by much. I recently purchased an auto-focus 28 mm f/2.8 AF-D and returned it on the
following day. The manual focus lens purchased in 1979 was better optically and mechanically. You can't go by name alone.
You've got to test each and every lens to make sure that it is adequate for the intended purpose and worth the price that you paid.
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24 mm f/2.8 AI @ f/8 Cropped (This is a manual focus F-mount lens circa 1965 factory-converted to the AI standard in 1977.
The AI-S version introduced in 1977, which I couldn't afford at the time, is still available brand new from B&H.)
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Nikon D7000 with 18 - 70 mm lens ISO 100 at f/8, 1/160th of a second. This photo was resized to 20 x 30 inches at 300 PPI in
Photoshop and made a fine display print. On a good interchangeable lens camera with an eye level viewfinder and a sensor
micro four thirds or larger, any lens from a major manufacturer should give you good results in good light. The trick is
taking good pictures when the light is poor to non-existent. Don't overlook the importance of your flash and your tripod.
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This crop is what you'd see looking at a 20 x 30 inch print from the photo on the previous page. If your pictures are not as
sharp as you think they should be, take test shots in good light at an intermediate aperture such as f/8 with the camera mounted
on a sturdy tripod to eliminate as many variables as possible.
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Take a look at the photo on page 12 taken with a 24 mm manual focus lens manufactured fifty years ago and
factory-upgraded to the AI standard by the original owner in 1977. It's as sharp as anything made today, with less
distortion than professional zoom lenses costing thousands of dollars.
I bought it in 1978 and I've been using it ever since on a variety of cameras, both film and digital. With few exceptions,
all advanced Nikon DSLR cameras such as the D7000 work just fine with manual- and auto-focus lenses from the film era, as
long as the lens in question meets the AI, AI-S, AF, AF-D, AF-S standards. Click HERE for a clear explanation of Nikon
nomenclature.
Nikon makes and B&H still stocks a number of lenses originally introduced twenty or thirty years ago because nothing
that has come along since can take their place. The only lenses arguably better cost well over $1,000 and many of these are
G-type lenses that will not work on older cameras, many of which are still in current use.
The 18 - 55 mm kit lens originally purchased on a Nikon D40 in 2006 is sharp enough to hold its own in fast company. I
got rid of the camera but kept the lens because it's always nice to have a spare on hand. Although short on reach and not the
fastest or most durable auto-focus lenses that money can buy, the newer 18 - 55 mm kit lenses with VR are even better.
There isn't a significant difference between well-made lenses shooting in the center of their zoom range under daylight
conditions at an optimum aperture such as f/8. Differences, if any, will appear when shooting at either end of their zoom range
and/or at the largest or the smallest apertures. You will see more problems in the edges of your photos than you do in the center.
If you're fortunate enough to have a fast prime or two at your disposal, you'll find that they focus faster and more
accurately under low light conditions, even if you're obliged to stop down to capture adequate depth of field.
A good lens will usually outlast several cameras. You don't have to spend an arm and a lung, nor do you need to buy
"designed for digital" lenses promoted by third party manufacturers such as Sigma, Tamron and Tokina. If you're a full time
professional, you know what you need. If you're like the rest of us, a good zoom covering the focal lengths from 28 - 105 mm
on a full frame camera (18 - 70 mm on an APS-C camera) plus a macro and a fast normal prime (with perhaps a telephoto if
you're so inclined) will cover all but extreme requirements.
Purchasing lenses designed for APS-C cameras will save a few dollars. However, I've kept most of my film-era lenses on
the assumption that I'll eventually purchase a full frame DSLR. I can drop a D810 into my kit and never miss a beat.
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Reality Check
1. Introduced in 2010, the 16 MP Nikon D7000 is still state of the art. The $6,500 Nikon D4s is a sixteen megapixel camera
because sixteen megapixels is all you need for a National Geographic cover or a two page spread in Sports Illustrated.
2. I have no problem coaxing good 20 x 30 inch prints out of my D7000. I have no problem making nice 12 x 18 inch prints
using a 6 MP D70 purchased in 2005 or using a manual focus Nikon FM purchased in 1978 with Kodak Portra 400 film
scanned to 16 MP by Northcoast Photo Services. This level of picture quality satisfies my every requirement.
3. I purchased my D7000 in December of 2013 at a closeout price, following the introduction of the 24 MP D7100. Since
many professionals are still shooting twelve megapixel cameras such as the D3 and the D700, sixteen megapixels should be
good enough for any purpose short of making fine art prints good enough to sell in a boutique gallery.
4. New cameras often have bugs. Never buy anything until it's been on the market for a few months. You'll usually save
money and get a better camera buying towards the end of a given model's life cycle. There is rarely enough difference
between last year's closeout model and this year's supposedly new and improved model to generate much excitement unless
you have a specific requirement.
5. The 18 - 105 VR lens on my D7000 was originally the kit lens on the D90 in 2008. The newer and more expensive 16 - 80
VR and 18 - 140 VR lenses are indisputably better optically and mechanically. For $215 postpaid in E+ condition from
KEH, I think I got my money's worth.
6. If you have $1,250 to spare and want a professional APS-C lens to go on your Nikon APS-C camera, the 17 - 55 lens
introduced in 2003 with a constant f/2.8 maximum aperture at all focal lengths is the only game in town. You lose VR but
you gain an APS-C lens built to the same standards as Nikon's full frame professional lenses.
7. With the introduction of the D500, we now have a professional APS-C camera worthy of a professional lens.
8. Buying today, having sold off all of my manual focus lenses from the film era, I'd look for an auto-focus 24 mm f/2.8 AF-D
and replace my 70 - 300 mm f/4 - 4.5 AF-D with a 70 - 300 mm f/4.5 - 5.6 G-VR. These upgrades will let me get some
shots that I might otherwise miss. For serious crime scene work with my employer footing the bill, I'd replace my 18 - 105
with a new 16 - 80 f/2.8 - 4 to take advantage of the wider field of view in cramped quarters and the fast maximum aperture
in low light situations.
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Things To Look For
1. The 16 - 80, the 16 - 85, the 18 - 70 and the 18 - 140 are Nikon's only APS-C lenses with a gasket to seal the gap between
the camera body and the lens mount, keeping dust and moisture away from the camera's innards. You won't find this feature
on older lenses from the film era because dust wasn't a problem when every turn of the film advance lever give you the
functional equivalent of a new sensor. You won't find this feature on the cheapest lenses found on entry level cameras
because these cameras intended for occasional users are built to sell at a price that can compete with point and shoot bridge
cameras.
2. Lenses frequently used under adverse conditions have Hoya SMC UV filters. The lenses occasionally used for landscape,
pictorial and closeup photography do not. I can't tell the slightest difference one way or another. If I have to wipe off grit,
grime, rain and snow with a dirty shirttail, I'd rather wipe an easily replaced filter than an expensive lens element. I trust
the Canon, Nikon, Hoya, Tiffen and B&W brands. Avoid off-brand filters like the plague.
3. Dust and smudges are inevitable. Consequently, you'll need a Lenspen, a one ounce bottle of ROR Residual Oil Remover
lens cleaner and a microfiber cleaning cloth in your camera case. The one ounce bottle has a leak-proof screw cap. The two
ounce bottle has a spray cap that tends to leak. Save the spray bottle for your desk.
4. All of my lenses, including old manual focus primes from the film era and recent APS-C zooms from the digital era, have
lens hoods. If your lens came without a hood, you can buy whatever you need from B&H and Adorama. If they don't have
the factory hood in stock, B&H sells the Vello brand while Adorama sells the Promaster brand. I've used them both and
found them to be equal to but less expensive than factory-original Canon and Nikon lens hoods.
5. Lens hoods shield your lenses from stray light that could cause flare and ghosting. Perhaps more important, lens hoods
shield your lenses from smudges, fingerprints and minor impact damage. I like lens hoods that can be left in place while
using a front lens cap during transport.
6. Carry your camera, lenses and flash unit in a weather-resistant Pelican case with a Pelican desiccant cartridge to absorb
moisture. While living in Houston's hot and humid climate, I lost several lenses to fungus growing inside the lens body. At
one time, lens elements were cemented together with an optical grade of Canadian Balsam. Today, many manufacturers are
using UV-cured resin adhesives that do not support mold growth but for fifteen bucks, it's worth putting a desiccant
cartridge in your camera case just to be on the safe side.
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