Nikon Nikkor AF-S DX Micro 40 mm f/2.8G
11. Summary
- very good image quality in the frame centre,
- good image quality on the edge,
- decently corrected chromatic aberration,
- practically zero distortion,
- splendidly corrected coma,
- silent and accurate autofocus.
Cons:
- the build quality could have been at least a tad better,
- noticeable astigmatism,
- slow autofocus,
- huge vignetting at the maximum relative aperture,
- too weak work against bright light.
When it comes to this lens I have mixed feelings. To tell you the truth I don’t know who to recommend it to. When you want to have a standard lens, the Nikkor 2.8/40 on DX sensor gives a bit too narrow angle of view and from that perspective it would be better if you got interested in the cheaper and faster Nikkor 1.8/35 or even more faster but also more expensive Sigma 1.4/30. If you care about a macro lens with 35-40 mm focal lengths the Nikkor can be a good choice but it has a serious rival in the shape of the Tokina 2.8/35 which features a definitely better build quality and is sharper in the frame centre. The Tokina won’t be a good choice only if you own the simplest Nikon reflex cameras because then its autofocus won’t work. If this 40 mm instrument has to be a macro lens and a substitute of a telephoto device in one I would rather recommend buying the Tamron 2/60 – a fully useful device with a good aperture speed of f/2.0
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I suppose the situation of the Nikkor 2.8/40 on the market would become definitely better if its price was lowered to the level noticeably below 1,000 PLN, so it cost like the Nikkor 1.8/35 and the Nikkor 1.8/50. Its build quality and its best performance possible hardly encourage spending above 1,000 PLN on it – and such is the current price.
In order to end this summary in not such a pessimistic way I have to praise the Nikon company for a very skillful development of their system - practically every user, be it an amateur photographer with a limited budget or a professional, can find something interesting in their line-up. I don’t remember the last time when Canon, Nikon’s main rival, launched a fixed-focal lens with a price tag below 2,500 PLN. Nikon, on the other hand, has organized plenty of such launches lately.
Sample shots
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Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/640 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 3.68 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/800 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 6.4 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/160 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 4.66 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/200 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 3.78 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/180 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 4.51 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/400 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 3.9 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/200 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 4.88 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/1500 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 4.03 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/3.2, exp. 1/2500 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 4.93 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/1250 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 4.45 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/800 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 5.53 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/6.3, exp. 1/90 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 4.84 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/750 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 4.96 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/2000 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 5.3 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/250 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 3.8 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/2000 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 4.63 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/1000 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 4.75 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/500 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 4.82 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/1600 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 5.48 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/3.5, exp. 1/500 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 4.9 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/1250 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 6.05 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/250 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 4.71 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/250 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 6.19 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/60 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 2.92 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/11.0, exp. 1/20 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 2.53 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/80 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 2.6 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/50 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 2.77 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/180 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 4.58 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/11.0, exp. 1/25 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 2.95 MB |
Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 40 mm, f/11.0, exp. 1/40 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 3872×2592 pix, 2.85 MB |
