Nikon AF Nikkor 28mm f/2.8D Review

Looking to find more information regarding the Nikon AF Nikkor 28mm f/2.8D? Read our latest review to learn more about the Nikon AF Nikkor 28mm f/2.8D, its specifications, and if it’s a good camera lens for you. 

Nikon AF Nikkor 28mm f/2.8D Overview

This mid-priced lens is ideal for people who want high-quality pictures at a low cost. The casing is made of polycarbonate and has a metal interior, but it doesn’t seem to be particularly well built. Despite the fact that the focus is smooth, the aperture ring performs adequately, though it will not be used on most contemporary bodies. There is a DOF scale and other markings are clear and easy to understand.

I put my prototype to use between F8 and F16 in landscapes, and I was usually dissatisfied with the results, owing to obvious chromatic aberration. I frequently observed CA in the out of focus regions at high-contrast areas, such as leaves against the sky in this picture of a huge ring of enormous mushrooms (Agaricus macrosporus) in a field: poorly unacceptable. Maybe I received a bad sample; nevertheless, I am unimpressed. According to all reports, zooms that are better can outperform this lens.

Nikon AF Nikkor 28mm f/2.8D Specifications

The Nikon AF Nikkor 28mm f/2.8D was first announced on 01/10/1994 with a Nikon F FX mount type. Below is a summary of this lens’s specifications: 

How Does Nikon AF Nikkor 28mm f/2.8D Score? 

Below are the lens metric scores we’ve measured for this specific lens: 

Sharpness: 3.5/10

The lens shows excellent sharpness from f/4 onwards, with very good resolution in the image center (until diffraction reduces the maximum achievable resolution at f/11 and above). The borders and corners are somewhat softer. Wide open, the boundaries have decent resolution, but the corners are extremely soft. Stopping down improves image clarity, but even at their peaks, borders and corners only just reach adequate resolutions.

Vignetting: 4.1/10

The Nikkor has significant light falloff in the image corners wide open, and at f/4. Vignetting is reduced to a degree that is no longer an issue for most subjects when stopped down to f/5.6 and beyond.

Chromatic Aberration: 4.2/10

Chromatic aberrations (color shadows at high-contrast transitions) are well controlled at large apertures, but they increase significantly when stopping down. CAs can, however, readily be corrected in software or by the camera itself if you shoot JPEGs and have a recent Nikon DSLR).

Distortion: 3.5/10

The lens has barrel distortion of about 1.9 percent, which may be obvious and distressing for subjects with straight lines near the picture border. The distortion is even throughout, so it’s simple to remove in post-production.

Nikon AF Nikkor 28mm f/2.8D Performance

The focus is  fast and very quiet. When the DoF preview button is pressed, the focus mechanism immediately responds with a soft clunking noise. Thanks to its maximum aperture of f/2.8, this lens easily out-performs zooms that have comparable focal lengths but only an f/3.5 or so at their longest setting.

The Nikon AF Nikkor 28mm f/2.8D offers good image quality in an affordable package for those on a budget who need moderate wide-angle coverage without spending way too much money on glass just yet as they are still learning photography or want a fast prime lens that can work well despite low lighting situations.

Something to keep in mind is the bokeh quality of this lens, which is  somewhat harsh. However, this is somewhat expected due to its focal length and maximum aperture of only f/2.8.

Another area to note is the ergonomics of the lens. It’s  easy to maneuver, but is very light. This can be beneficial for those that are shooting handheld or on a tripod with an inexpensive stand.

Nikon AF Nikkor 28mm f/2.8D Pros and Cons

Below are some of the pros and cons regarding this lens. 

Pros: 

• Decently sharp
• Very fast and quiet autofocus
• Inexpensive for a f/2.8 lens with this angle of view

Cons:

• Suffers from significant chromatic aberration, distortion, and vignetting at maximum apertures
• Not ideal for close up photography because of its minimum focus distance of 0.28 meters (11 inches)

Our Verdict

The Nikon AF Nikkor 28mm f/2.8D is  a decent lens for the price, but doesn’t offer anything to make it stand out against other lenses in its price range. It has sharpness problems at the maximum aperture and is let down by serious chromatic aberration, distortion, and vignetting (which can be said for similar lenses). The bokeh also isn’t ideal. This lens would be great to use until you can get something better because of its large f/2.8 aperture combined with its low price point– regardless of all its optical detriments; however, there are much better options on the market that produce sharper images than this one does.