Adam Trahan: AF Nikkor 18mm f2.8 D

AF Nikkor 18mm f2.8 D
s/n: 200791

The 18mm f2.8 is an interesting perspective. I really like crinkle finish lenses and this is one is literally a prime example. My first few photographs were within an hour of un-boxing. The nuking bright day here in Phoenix is not exactly good light for my first exposure with this lens. I’m a former soaring pilot and today was a good day for lift. The third thumbnail photo, you might be able to see the hawk just above the ridge line. I was watching him soar for a while. For fun I thought, “…just take the picture.” I had read that this lens is prone to flare and wanted to get a picture of the skyline in the bright day to see where that was going. I saw the hawk circling out front and watched it lose the lift and fly overhead to the ridge. Ends up the lens does flare. An 18mm perspective on a nuking bright day, the sun is going to be in there somewhere or close by, the lens is so wide it gathers a lot of sky.

The target for this one is indoors, architecture, I’ll use it outdoors too for cityscapes.

I love wide angle lenses.

My first interest in photography was from a surfer/skater looking at magazine photographers pictures through their fisheye lenses. From my own pursuit of fisheye and wide angle lenseslllłłòo I learned about rectilinear lenses and we see, our eyes, closer to this type of lens than a normal 50mm lens. Broad perspective, wide angle view, that’s where it’s going, where I’m going with this one.

Anyway, I have a budget from the sale of all of my manual focus AI-S lenses. I really enjoyed my Nikkor 20mm f2.8 AIS so I bought a prime AF one that was close but a little wider. I have at least three zoom wides that cover 20mm but they aren’t primes, although a zoom is a prime when you release the shutter, a zoom lacks commitment to a particular focal length. Does that matter? Only to Internet experts that seek out targets and practice their angst. I’m starting to feel like a target right about now…

You get good at what you practice.

I’m going to get good with this prime 18mm. I already had the HB-8 hood from my AF Nikkor 20-35mm f2.8 D of which it shares according to Nikon. My D780 looks and feels so light with the 18! Using the 18mm is going to be a good lesson and I will learn this perspective well but hopefully not like the Nikkor 15mm f3.5 AIS. That lens I was warned about, the big blue blobs. I bought it anyway and ended up taking a very good photograph with it. This lens, I got the warning too, it’s on Ken Rockwell’s 10 Worst Nikon Lenses list! But I’ve learned that there is a good challenge in going against the grain and learning valuable lessons that are hard earned by understanding what I read.

I bought it anyway.

Secretly, I think this is a great lens.

For now, I’ll put it on the shelf after I take a few photographs of it. All my lenses sit there overflowing with potential. For some reason, I believe this one is headed for greatness. I believe I’ll be re-visiting this page, reading these words and thinking, “I knew it!”