Adam Trahan: AF Nikkor 18mm f2.8 D

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

The 18mm f2.8 is an interesting lens for sure. Besides being an 18mm f2.8, it has the attention of at least one professional photographer making it to his 10 Worst Nikon Lenses and on top of this, he uses it to produce outstanding photographs.

Personally, I like and own a few crinkle finish lenses and the 18mm f2.8 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, again, 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.

I bought it anyway.

Secretly, I think this is a going to be a great lens to use.

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!”