Nikon Nikkor 28-100mm f/3.5-5.6 G AF Lens

For its price it is a good performer - I bought one to put on a previous generation digital camera once retired from main kit and consigned carrying in the boot of the car for that odd one off moment. Range copes with the majority of situations - sharp - light . Disadvantages - no manual focus - mounting flange is plastic not metal so less likely to withstand rough handling.

In summary good value for money and will work on all cameras as it is not a DX lens.

Cautionary note - will not work on D40 or any other body that requires internal focus lenses - check for a small pin located at around the 8pm position looking at the camera from the front - if its not there it will not focus.

The Nikon Nikkor 28-100mm lens is a great, inexpensive little starter lens for a beginner to photography. You can pick one up for about £40, and it provides a good focal length range to play with. The lens has a variable maximum aperture, boasting an f-stop of f3.5 at the widest focal length (28mm) and 5.6 at the telescopic end (100mm).

The lens (from my experience) is not best suited for indoor photography unless using a flash or high-speed film, as the aperture even at the widest focal length simply cannot let enough light in without big shutter speeds.

However, the lens seems perfectly capable of taking nice outdoor shots. It's not bad for taking pictures of buildings and archetechture, and has done some nice landscapes too.

Further on the range of focal lengths, as much as the 50mm provided produces some very nice portraiture shots, due to the f4 (if I remember correctly) limit at 50mm, you're definitely not going to get the same results as say a 50mm prime lens. However, the lens is a cost effective way of covering a nice focal length range. For an amateur, I would say this is a great start to your lens collection.

Selecting a focal length has a smooth action, though the manual focus ring can be a little bit sensative.

The lens doesn't have the best construction in the world. It has a plastic exterior, and although it's not advised to drop lenses anyway, dropping this one would be a irreparable disaster. However, due to the low cost of this lens, it would make a great lens to put on a back-up camera, or a camera which is going to take a bit of a beating. Stick it on a Nikon F65 and you got yourself a nice, inexpesive setup which it's not the end of the world if it gets beaten up.

The camera takes 62mm filters, which I have found pretty expensive compared to my old 46mm 30-60mm lens. If you're not going to use filters, then this won't be a problem. If you are, then I suggest that you check prices before purchasing this lens.

In conclusion, the lens is a great start to an amateur's lens collection. It is my second lens, replacing my 30-60mm that came with my camera. I can't say that it's particularly great at any one thing; it's a jack of all trades to some extent. But what I can say is it gives the user a feel for different focal lengths beyond that which are provided (at least) my standard lens. From this lens, it is possible to decide if you want to go for a more telescopic range, a wide angle, or something prime and in-between.