I have actually had several people comment on or question me about my beloved Nikkor 180mm f2.8 lately so I thought I would tell everyone a little bit about it. The 'latest' version of this lens- which is the one I use- is the AF 180mm f/2.8D ED-IF which was introduced in 1993. The best thing about this lens is it's compact size and weight compared to lenses of similar focal length. With it's built in hood retracted it fits easily into my smallest camera bag. And when in use it is not intimidating to point at people- they usually are quite comfortable not even realizing you are composing a close-up shot. This is also a plus for candid photography. Here is a picture of it compared to my 70-200/f2.8vr. The 180mm weighs in at just 26oz- compared to the 70-200mm at 52oz- and the 200mm f2 at 93oz. Bjørn Rørslett writes that "This fast medium telephoto lens has, thanks to its ED element and modern optical formula, a superb optical quality. Images are rendered with high sharpness, contrast and vivid colour saturation. Even wide open quality images are produced, and stopped down to f/5.6 it's hardly possible to better the image quality." My personal experience is that I was extremely happy with this lens on my D300- and on my D700 I am even more impressed. The lens is a delight on FX with no vignetting whatsoever even wide open. Focus is not exceptionally fast but is decisive and acurate. It has no problems keeping pace with fast moving shows at the parks. Colors and contrast is good and the bokeh is smooth and pleasing. I sometimes find it difficult to tell which shots were taken with this and which with the 70-200vr. The lens sells new for around $750 but I have seen used copies offered from individuals for $400 or less quite often. KEH typically sells the latest version in EX+ condition for $499.
Now for the fun part- a few images taken with the 180- The first one is almost a 100% crop by the way...
Another plug for this lens- I liked it on my last camera but on the Full Frame D700 it is like magic. :-* Taken over the weekend- not posed or even rehearsed- just a quiet moment immediately after the ceremony waiting on the rest of the bridal party to join them. Shot thru the open door of the church- full size can be seen HERE.
