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Nikon
28-70mm f/3.5-4.5
Nikon AF Nikkor 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5D. enlarge I bought this one used here. I get my goodies at Ritz, Amazon and Adorama. It helps me keep adding to this site when you get yours from these links, too. September 2007 update, original page from 1999. Top Specs Performance Recommendations This Nikon 28-70mm is a very compact, and also very high quality, midrange zoom. It works great on all DX and FX digital and film cameras. This little gem was introduced to allow people to use a camera's built-in flash even at 28mm. Previous lenses, like the excellent 28-85mm f/3.5-4.5 AF were so big that the lens would cast a shadow into the image from a camera's built-in flash at 28mm. This 28-70 is probably the fastest and best super-compact midrange zoom made by Nikon. All the others made today in this size are only f/5.6 at the long end, and are much cheaper. This was Nikon's first hybrid aspherical lens. Price As of fall 2007, I bought one here with a warranty and return privilege for $99 and they sell privately for an average of $67. Back in the 1990s. they sold new for $355 at discount in NY City. Compatibility This 28-70mm is perfectly compatible with every DX digital Nikon (you need to focus manually on just the D40 and D40x). It's also great for every film camera, and works perfectly on the Nikon D3 FX camera. See my Nikon Lens Compatibility Chart for specifics. This is a traditional AF (screw) type lens and works on almost every camera Nikon has made since 1959. Top Introduction Performance Recommendations Name: Nikon calls this the Nikon AF Nikkor 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 D. AF: Autofocus. D: Sends focus distance information to the metering system. Aspherical: Specially shaped elements greatly improve sharpness at large apertures, in the corners and allow for a much smaller lens. All this and more explained in greater depth on my Nikon Lens Technology page. Focal Length: 28-70mm. Used on a DX camera it gives angles of view similar to what a 43-107mm lens would give on an FX or 35mm film camera. See also Crop Factor. Maximum Aperture: f/3.5 - 4.5. Optics: 8 elements in 7 groups. One of these is a hybrid aspherical element, meaning Nikon glues a very thin piece of aspherical plastic to a conventional glass element to give it an aspheric shape at a price of under $1,000. This 28-70mm is Nikon's first such lens, which is why it gives such great performance in such a small package at an affordable price. This was a $350 lens in the 1990s. Every other aspherical Nikon lens before this cost over $1,000.
Exquisite 9-bladed diaphragm. Diaphragm: exquisite 9 blade, stopping down to f/22-29. Nikon reserves 9 bladed diaphragms for their very best lenses. 9 blades gives a circular aperture at every setting, and the reason I care is that I get incredible 18-pointed sunstars. Filter Size: 52 mm. Yay! This has been Nikon's standard small filter size since 1959, making it trivial to carry and buy many filters. This is the same size as most manual focus and small AF lenses, although most of today's larger lenses use larger sized filters. Close Focus: 1.3' or 0.4m from the image plane (the back of the camera), marked, at every focal length without any need for a macro switch. Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 1:4.6. Infrared Focus Index? Yes, at 28 and 70mm. Size: Set to 50mm and focused at infinity, mine measures 2.666" diameter and extends 2.779" from the mounting flange (67.72 x 70.59mm). Nikon specifies 2.7" around by 2.8" long. It gets longer in actual use.
Nikon AF 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5, set to 28mm and its closest focus distance. The front group extends as you zoom away from 50mm, and the front group also extends as it's focused more closely. It's the longest at 28mm and the closest focus distance. The front group extends an additional 8.23mm when focused at 0.4m. The front group extends an additional 3.77 at the 70mm setting and extends an additional 12.65mm at the 28mm setting. Therefore, set to 28mm and focused at 0.4m, the Nikon 28-70mm f/3.5 grows an additional 12.65 + 3.77 = 16.42mm, or extends a total of 87.01mm from the lens flange. Weight: 12.450oz. (352.9g), measured, naked. 12.5 oz (350g) specified by Nikon. Hood: HB-6 plastic bayonet. I have no problem with flare, so I don't bother with a hood. Production and Dates: Nikon made about 70,000 non-D versions from about June 1991 through September 1992. The D version, seen here, came out in September 1992 and was made through about 1999. Nikon made about 325,000 of the D versions. My lens seen here was made about March 1998. Price: No longer available new. Sold new for $355 in New York in December 1996. Sells used in 2007 for $60-100. Top Introduction Specs Recommendations Operation Overall The 28-70mm is one of Nikon's easiest lenses to use, which means it doesn't get in the way of a good photo as many other lenses do. Focusing The Nikon 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 AF focuses continuously down to 1.3 feet (0.4m) at every setting. I wish every lens worked this well. There are no annoying macro switches to get in the way. The macro range is continuous and works at all focal lengths. AF Speed AF speed is on the slow side of normal. One full turn of the AF screw focuses the lens from infinity to 8.' AF Accuracy Autofocus is dead-on. My first sample was a little off at 70mm on my F100, but as of 2007 my newest sample is right-on on my F6 and D200. Zooming Zooming is much better than most other lenses because the focal lengths are properly spread out along the zoom ring. There is no bunching-up at the wide end, as on my AF-S 24-85mm. Filters The plastic filter ring rotates and extends with focusing. The ring doesn't rotate with zooming, but it does go in and out. Standard 52mm filter size. Manual Focus Cameras The 28-70mm AF is easy to use on manual focus cameras. Manual focus and zoom work great. Mechanics and Construction The Nikkor AF 28-70mm f/3.4-4.5 has mechanical quality typical for the $355 AF lens it is. It has the usual cheesy plastic filter threads. It is much better than the other toy-store grade lenses Nikon makes in this size, and also costs twice as much as they do. I have not tried any of the $150 Nikon zooms. This 28-70 shares the small size with the super-cheesy $100 lenses, and the quality with the other $300 lenses. This is good. Sharpness On my D200, it's a little soft and lower in contrast wide open, but sharpens right up to being excellent at f/5.6 at every focal length. Used wide-open in daylight, which of course is silly, mine takes on a slightly dreamy look from the spherical aberration. Color Fringes I see no color fringes on my D200. Distortion: DX digital cameras There is some minor barrel distortion at the wide end, and none at the tele end. When used on a DX digital camera, plug these figures into Photoshop CS2's lens distortion filter to correct the distortion:
Distortion: Film and FX digital cameras This lens has more than usual barrel distortion at 28mm, and almost no distortion at 70mm. Even in the macro range there is no distortion at the tele end. Exposure Accuracy Aperture calibration is accurate on mine. I need to check again for slight overexposure at 70mm. This varies from sample to sample on every Nikon lens. Light Falloff (darkened corners) On film, it doesn't have much falloff, which is good. It does have some falloff in the tele end at macro ranges. I can't see any falloff on DX digital cameras. Top Introduction Specs Performance This 28-70mm zoom excels optically and ergonomically for its small size. If ease of use and size are your prime concerns, get it. If sharpness wide-open and distortion are your prime concerns, then the the old 28-85 AF is better. The new AF-S 24-85mm zoom is also sharper wide open and faster focusing, but the zoom ring is cramped at the wide end and distortion can be a wild ride. PLUG If you find this as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone. Thanks for reading! Ken
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