I waited some time before I could get that lens, like many other people. Nowadays, this lens seems to be available in many places, but the first few months, Nikon seems to have seriously underestimated the popularity of the best standard zoom ever.
In the meantime, I used a Tamron 28-75 2.8, a cheap and excellent alternative.
The lens on the D2x camera
The lens compared to other very popular standard full frame lenses, the old Nikkor 35-70 2.8, very popular on film cameras (photojournalism), and the Tamron 28-75, among my favorites.
And... it definitely was worth the waiting. This lens is just amazing. Image quality is wonderful,
pictures are sharp, distortion is low, the performance fully open is just extraordinary.
This is the best offering as of today in that range
This has become one of my favorite lenses, glued on the D3 or even sometimes the D2x. The only drawback is the size and the weight,
it is and it looks like a pro lens.
Pros
- price is not to exaggerated for such a package (compared to primes, previous generation lenses or lower quality lenses)
- excellent sharpness at all apertures even in the corners
- wonderful standard lens on a full frame camera (film or FX)
- build quality is excellent
- very fast AF-S focus
- comes with carrying bag, and lens caps
- sunhood can be reverse mounted and has a clicking mechanism, just like the 70-200VR for instance
Cons
- huge and heavy !
- the lens extends a bit while zooming (the sunhood is fixed however)
- not everybody will be happy with the range (excellent widest focal length, but 70mm is a bit on the short end for an FX camera)
- minimal focus distance is a bit long (not usable for close ups)
- for people who don't want to pay the price, the Tamron 28-75 2.8 is still a wonderful alternative.
A few pics
An example on the D3
An example on the D3
An example on the D2x
