Pallas FMC 23mm f/3.5 Auto

Unbeatable convenience and acceptable image quality You can't beat the convenience of this lens. It goes from 28mm all the way to 300mm and is respectably sharp at f/8 at the long end and f/5.6 at shorter focal lengths. It's not as sharp as my pro glass, and the contrast isn't quite as good, but it's a miracle that it is as good as it is given that super zooms are always optical compromises. VR is good enough that I can get sharp photos most of the time at 1/30 of a second, and maybe 50% of the time at 1/15-1/20. My copy had a slight front focus that needed +1 AF Fine tune to correct. I will say that if you are a hard core pixel peeper who uses professional glass, you might not be happy with this lens. But if you aren't the kind of person who looks at their photos under a magnifying glass, you will love the versatility and convenience it brings. I have included a handful of pictures I snapped with it tonight. All handheld, the VR is pretty good and when combined with the high ISO capabilities of modern cameras lets you shoot in fairly low light levels, as long as your subject is still.Read full review

Good overall, walk-around lens but not good in low-light. I'm satisfied overall with this lens, it's sharp, the images are clear for the most part but when zoomed in all the way to 300mm it's not perfectly sharp. It's not good in low-light because of the 3.5 maximum aperture but you have to know what you are getting. If you shoot with ISO 600-800 you'll be fine with the low-light but the image quality suffers just a bit. Not happy with the focus noise of the lens when making a video in continual auto-focus. That's just obnoxious.

The Nikkor 28-300mm VR AF-S I received this lens a few weeks ago. I briefly read the instructions and put it on my Nikon DF. There is a small lake just west of my house. There were a couple of families of geese that were spending their time swimming in the Lake and walking along the shore. I turned on the Vibration reduction and extended the lens to its 300mm. I am a victim of familial tremors. The VR system worked so well that the image was very clear hand held!!! I tried several other shots and they were all great. I have used the lens in other situations, and, considering its extreme zoom range, the results are extraordinary. At the extreme short focal lengths there is noticible barrel distortion, but it is not severe. The price of this lens is very reasonable when one considers its complexity, and overall quality. It looks like an extremely good lens externally, and its function seems to confirm that. It is rather heavy, but there really is no way to make a lens like this come out light. Optical diagrams and specifications make it plain that it is extremely complex, so really is amazing that it is as light as it is. It weighs around 800 grams, similar to the Nikon DF. Because of its extreme focal length variation it is somewhat like having a whole case of lenses at the fingertips. The lens mounts on the camera properly. The zoom collar is neither too stiff nor too weak. It is easy to hold. It extends a lot as the focal length is zoomed to 300mm, but that is the result of optical principles. It does not have a tripod socket, but it woud be difficult for the manufacturers to find a place to put one! It seems to be an unusual value with a lot of quality for the money.Read full review