AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR

This lens was purchased for landscape photography and have not been disappointed. Photos are brilliant and crisp.

I am learning about how to take landscape pictures in general. I purchased this lens for this purpose and I was surprised with the pictures it produced. The attached (downsized from the original for uploading) is my first attempt for a somewhat long exposure (30sec) landscape picture at f16, iso64, 24mm. The camera body was d850. It was on a tripod with VR turned off. Even though the image is not as sharp as I wanted due to the vibration caused by combination of wind and the people running past me, it is still acceptable to my eyes. I am ready to give 5 stars.

I spent a lot of time deciding which wide angle lens I wanted to get to use with my D700. I finally decided on the 16-35 and all I can say is WOW! I must have an especially good copy because mine is sharp from 16 to 35, and it performs beautifully on my D700. I bought it for landscapes, and it´s wonderful for that purpose. Sharp, great clarity, superb color. The size is modest and fairly lightweight, and it´s very easy to handle. I like having the constant f4, although admittedly I usually stop it down more. One reason I preferred this lens over the 14-24 is that it can take filters, whereas the 14-24 cannot. The 16mm is wide enough for me, and I like that it extends to 35mm at the long end. I have rather a lot of Nikkor lenses, and I´m beyond delighted with this beautiful lens. It is one of my top favorite lenses and one I will never part with.

I use this lens for real estate photography for several years.

I needed a good ultra wide angle lens for western landscapes, eastern fall color, busy cityscapes, opportunities of the moment, and more. I couldn´t be more pleased by large images created with this lens on a D750. Sharp, with very good detail and contrast, and control of internal reflections. Even handheld, vibration reduced nighttime shots last year with Christmas lights across the frame at a busy Rockefeller Center were crisp with little distortion at f4.0 in the corners. The only possible downside for some may be this lens´ weight and size. But I´ve walked around with it for hours without a problem.

I purchased this lens about 2 years ago, it is incredibly sharp and produces some of the least distorted and crisp images I´ve seen. However, there is a significant flaw with the build quality of this product. At long exposures and high ISO (which I need for photographing the stars) a red band occurs in the same place in each photos. I have read that this is due to a flaw with the VR unit, but turning off VR doesn´t help. This is my second copy of the 16-35 lens and both have had this issue. I´ve included a RAW file in my review where you can see the red banding towards the top. If you won´t be shooting at night this lens is unmatched as a wide-angle, but if you are by all means steer clear and purchase something else.

I needed a lens for a project that demanded large prints, up to 6 foot. I compared all the lens including 1.4 primes for my D810. Decided on the added convenience of the 16-35 F4. I use a tripod and usually shoot at F9 anyways so it no big deal it was an F4. Love the clarity and sharpness, very happy with this lens.

Pros:
- VR is truly amazing when used on this wide-angle lens. 1 sec exposures can be shot handheld.
- Lens feels good. Zoom and focus are solid.

Cons:
- I really want to love this lens, but mine is unevenly sharp. The left-side and center frame are sharp, as expected. But, the right side of the frame is consistently not sharp in many photos. I shrugged it off at first, but then I used it to shoot a full architectural project, and the pattern of softness on the right became more noticeable. The photos are still usable, but is usable good enough?

The Nikkor 16-35 f/4 VR offers wide landscape photographers an exceptional angle to cover very wide to street style photos. The VR works very well and makes the night street scenes easier to capture while hand holding. Out in the wide open spaces or in the big cities with tall buildings, this lens is an excellent choice. A very under-rated lens for what it can do. Some distortion is apparent but manageable in software. Also for you DX users a worthy companion lens using the 1.5 crop = 24 to 53mm equivalent
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A word about Nikon the Company: I have been using Nikon equipment for over 20 years. I dropped, broke my Nikon gear and Nikon fixed it. I sent gear in for cleaning, and Nikon cleaned it. In the new age of electronics I had some Nikon wireless remotes that no longer worked with newer Nikon cameras, no problem Nikon flashed the firmware at no cost to me. No Company is a better role model for customer support than NIKON, and that is way I am a loyal Nikon customer.