Home»All Photographs»Misc»Tech»Nikon 16-85 Evaluation at f5.6

We are comparing the Nikon 16-85VR 3.5-5.6 with the Nikon 18-200VR 3.5-5.6, The Tamrom 17-50 2.8, and a old MF Nikon 50MM 1.8 prime. (Added some 18-70 3.5-4.5 Nikon at 18 and 35mm on 4/26/08. Minor color variation due to sky conditions).

Shooting conditons were D300, Iso 200, Standard Picture Control (Brightness -1, Contrast 0, Sat 0, Hue +1), Sharpening +3. All shot Raw and converted with Capture NX. The images were cropped to the 1200X1600 upper right corner , except for the first, which is the full frame at 16mm focal length. One issue with many lenses it that they may be sharp in the center, but poor near the edges, which is quite annoying in landscapes (but OK in portraits and similar applications).

I picked 5.6 as it was a common aperture range for all the lenses, and is usually the sharpest area for most "good" lenses (the 18-200 being an exception. I have included another image at 35mmfl and f8 for this lens - still poor).

Focusing was done with single point, in the center, which was focused on the top of the antenna, and then the picture recomposed. The 18-200 looks like it is out of focus, but I checked it several times.