Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR Review

August 4, 2010 | Zoltan Arva-Toth |

Buy a Nikkor JAA806DA 18 mm - 105 mm f/3.5 - 5.6 Zoom Lens (67 mm Attachment - 0.20x Magnification)

Lowest Price: £658.80

Buy a Nikkor 16 mm - 35 mm f/4 Wide Angle Zoom Lens (77 mm Attachment - 0.25x Magnification - 2.2x Optical Zoom)

Lowest Price: $1,256.95

Sharpness

Sharpness at 16mm

The sharpness tests for this review were carried out using a real-world subject rather than a test chart. The Nikkor 16-35mm f4 VR lens was attached to a Nikon D700 body, which in turn was mounted on a sturdy tripod. Exposure Delay Mode was activated. Slight tonal changes are due to slight changes in natural light during the session. The 100% crops represent about 1/300th of the total frame area.

The full frame at 14mm The full frame at 16mm

At 16mm the centre is already pretty sharp wide open, and centre sharpness peaks at f/5.6. Upon close inspection, the effects of diffraction start to become obvious at f/16 and more so at f/22, but not enough to worry about. The same can be said about the edge crops too.