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

Just got the lens the other day. I had about 2-3 hrs. shooting things around the house to get a feel for it with different lighting etc., and had to shoot a retirement party that night. I mainly shoot College sports with a D700 and the 70-200 2.8. I usually carry the 50mm 1.4G also.

As a back up, and ´´wide´´ zoom I have been using a D200 and the 18-200mm VR.

I have been wanting an FX wide zoom for quite some time now and was torn between the offerings! I finally decided on the 16-35mm 4.0 VR. Cost and being able to use filters entered into the equation. This thing loves the D700! The higher ISO´s and VR definately make up for the f4 of this lens. Plenty of capability! True, the barrel distortion is there at 16 to 19, but either composition or Photoshop can eliminate it!

My images came out sharp, and the AF worked flawlessly for me. The color rendition was great! This will probably become my new ´´walking around´´ lens! It just feels ´´right´´ on the D700! I wish now I hadn´t waited so long to pull the trigger on this one, but I´m really glad it´s in my bag now!!

Very sharp lens and VR feature make it perfect for low light situation. A good alternative to the venerable 14-24 lens.

Fantastic lens with great build quality. Relatively light for the size. Great aperture as I feel there is no need to own a f2.8 wide angle lens as I rarely shoot at this focal length in low light conditions requiring a faster lens. Only complaint is the length as it would be nice if it were a bit more compact allowing it to fit easier in the bag.

I bought the 16-35 a year ago for my D700, to replace the 20-35/2.8. Needless to say that the 16-35 outperforms the old 20-35/2.8 in every aspect: no color aberration, improved corner sharpness, better colors and more ´´pop´´ to the images. I carry this lens where ever I go. It´s excellent for landscape, with a very useful zoom range.
The close focusing ability allows great perspectives. I shot a rhino at a safari park from 10´´ distance capturing the entire rhino at an incredible angle - and you can see every detail on the skin of the animal.
Distortions are noticeable at 16mm when shooting straight lines / buildings, but can be easily fixed in PP.
VR has allowed me to shoot the Vegas strip at night with no tripod, where others had to use tripods.
Colors and contrast are superb. At f4 one can even isolate subjects and the lens produces a nice, unobtrusive bokeh.
In addition to landscape work, the lens renders itself equally well for tight indoor shots - family gatherings and group shots indoors, as well as museums, churches, etc. VR is a real bonus here.
It also works well with bounced flash - the metering on a D700 is always spot on.
About metering - I feel that this lens requires less metering correction than for example the old 20-35 or the 70-300 VR, the latter of which tends to overexpose in bright sunlight and contrasty scenery. It might be because of the wide angle view, but definitely something I noticed.

In the past year I have turned to prime lenses for most of my shooting, EXCEPT the 16-35/f4. It balances well on the D700, though it could be a bit smaller. Though it´s almost the size of the 24-70, it is less heavy and easier to carry around.

This lens together with 2-3 prime lenses (50/1.4, 105/2.5 and 180/2.8) make a relatively lightweight kit and are my everyday tools for what I shoot: travel / landscapes / cityscapes, people / portraits and available light (including night) photography.

I can definitely recommend this zoom.

My first FF wide zoom was the 14-24/2.8, which is an incredible lens, but the limited range and lack of filters keeps it from getting into my bag very often. I got the 17-35/2.8, thinking it would fit the bill, but it just doesn´t have the same level of sharpness. When the 16-35/4 was announced, I thought it might be the one. I´ve had it now for about 9 months and it goes with me everywhere. It´s wide enough, but has the range to be useful in many situations. And I can use the very thin 77mm Nikon Circular Polarizer! And it´s very very sharp. Much has been made of the relatively high distortion, but I´ve never noticed it in real world shooting. Seldom does the f/4 maximum aperture limit my shooting. On my D700, there always seems to be more ISO to use, and the VR also helps when using slower shutter speeds.
It´s a really great lens!

Excellent lens, lightweight, VR works very well. Sharpness is excellent. There is some distortion in the widest settings but easy to correct (or even automatically). Now we need f/4 versions of the 24-70 mm and 70-200 mm with VR and an updated 80-400 mm!

Great lens for scenics and shooting in cramped interiors. Focal length range is a short, but still very useful. Allows for very short camera to subject distance with distortion very well-controlled at all apertures and focal lengths. Great depth-of-field. Internal focusing means the physical length of the lens doesn´t change when focusing or zooming. Solid build.

I love this lens. Dead sharp. Fast focus. All my filters fit it. I never need anything wider than f4. Terrific price.

Exceptionally sharp. Great for landscapes. Has become one of my favorite lenses.