All the cool kids are vlogging these Days I should take up vlogging [Music] All right All right and um Now what Hey it's Dave from the camera store Today we're talking about Nikon's latest Z series lens the 12 to 28 power Zoom [Music] Nikon's been taking content creation Much more seriously especially with the Release of a camera like this is at 30 Which we reviewed about nine months ago But back then we didn't have very many Lenses for it it came with a kit Lanza 16 to 15. it was a decent quality lens For sure however if we wanted to go Wider and really show off our Environment more while we're vlogging we Didn't have really any of the other Options we certainly could adapt some Lenses but we didn't have anything Native so now we have an ultra wide Angle lens which is a 12 to 28 3.5 to 5.6 power zoom lens that's purpose built For vlogging lots to talk about with This lens so let's get into it When you first get your hands on this Lens the first thing you're going to Notice is how light this lens is it's Only 205 grams that's like practically Nothing now as far as the size goes it's
About seven centimeters long about six And a half centimeters wide sporting a 67 millimeter front filter thread when You take a look at the lens here there's Two rings it's very simple there's no Switches or anything on this lens the Closest ring to the camera is a small Knurled ring when that's what we're Using for our focusing and the larger Rubber ring on the outside of the lens Is for our power Zoom now the power Zoom Is interesting because we're not Actually driving the lens itself we're Not actually physically moving anything We're just having a Servo motor to move One way or the other so typically in the Past I'm not a huge fan of power zooms They don't have that same tactile feel There's kind of a disconnect with this And this lens here I'm finding just a Little bit of that but I have to remind Myself of the price point of this lens That it's really not bad at all and it's Very usable now when it comes to the Optics of this lens there are 12 Elements inside this lens in 11 Different groups and Nikon despite the Price point still has got a spherical Element and an EDM in here to help with Image quality this lens also has a seven Blade adapter which is going to give us Some decent background blur but it is a Wide angle lens so we're not going to Get anywhere close to what we get with
Like a nice 85 millimeter so just keep That in mind also inside this lens we do Have a stepless motor which is very good When it comes to shooting video and for Photos on the video side of things it Keeps those Focus transitions really Nice and smooth and there's still things You can see what you can expect as far As focusing speed goes in our wall test Here Now we also have VR on this lens here it Is an ultra wide angle lens but we do Have four and a half stops at image Stabilization you might not notice it as Much on the still side of things but on The video if you're vlogging you're Certainly going to appreciate that Now part of the reason that this lens is So inexpensive and lightweight is the Fact that it's mainly made out of Plastic the Optics are still glass of Course but the rest of the body is made Out of plastic including the rear lens Mount there is some basic weather Sealing to this lens however it's bare Minimum and I would not want to take it Out in the rain whatsoever I'd certainly Take precautions that way despite the Body of this lens being mainly built out Of plastic it has a good feel to it There's a really nice dampening on both Of the zoom ring and the focus ring Which makes it very easy to work with And it feels higher quality than the
Price point suggests so I'm pleasantly Surprised with the build quality and the Fit and finish of this lens despite its Small size and price point however What's it like to work with this lens And now the focal range is really Important this is an ultra wide angle Lens so it's an 18 millimeter equivalent On a full frame body which is really Nice and wide so if I'm Vlogging what This means is that I'm not taking up the Whole frame and I'm really showing off The environment around me I can Certainly zoom in a little bit and get a Nice 42 millimeter perspective Equivalent wise but I'm filling up the Frame quite a bit but it allows me to Put on a tripod and step back a little Bit and have a little more flattering Focal range when it comes to portraits Now I don't want to get too close to This lens if I'm shooting the wide angle Because it's not the most flattering View if you get that close it's only Accentuating facial features or what Have you so keep that in mind when You're using this how you're going to be Vlogging what you're trying to Accomplish now on the still side of Things a 12 to 28 on a crop sensor like This certainly gives you really nice Wide angle and that's great for Cloudscapes and big cityscapes that kind Of stuff we want to show sort of a grand
Sense of size and that 42mm millimeter Equivalent on the long end when you're At 28 millimeters is great for general Purpose photography when it comes to Shooting people in their workplace and Their environment in terms of capturing Life in general so it's a pretty Versatile little lens we just have to Keep in mind that it's wide or wider and If that suits your workflow and the Image style you're going for this is a Very cool little lens So good build quality good functionality What do we expect as far as the image Quality goes from this tiny little lens Now I'm pleasantly surprised with that Again this is a very sharp little lens For what it's delivering for me it's not The fastest lens 3.5 to 5.6 isn't going To break any records when it comes to Low light performance and light Gathering ability and stuff like that However once again impressed with what This lens has given us I mean we're Spoiled nowadays what the quality of Octaves we're getting even in Budget-friendly lenses take a look at This wall test here and you can see that 12 or 28 in the center of the frame We're very very sharp The Wider angle we Do tend to see the edges fall off Slightly however it's not terrible Whatsoever so overall what do I make of This DX 12 to 28 power zoom lens from
Nikon well I was hoping not to like it As much as I am because I'm a lens snob I want 1.4 or wider apertures than that I want better build quality That's my Kind of lens however what I'm finding With this for its intended purpose this Lens performs very very well for a crop Sensor format camera this lens gives you An ultra wide angle perspective which Gives us really nice image quality but It also gives me that perspective and it Really brings my viewers in if that's What I'm trying to do into my world and I can show more of the landscape more of The Interiors whatever I want to show That environment is going to come across Much better with the wider angle I can Also zoom in a little bit and I find That the power Zoom is more intuitive Than I would thought it would ever be so I'm becoming more warming up to the Whole power Zoom thing especially on a Wide to wide angle lens like this Certainly isn't as big of a factor I do Like the image quality I'm getting out Of this I do like the focusing speed I'm Enjoying the whole process because I'm Accepting this lens for very economical Lens and I have to keep reminding myself This is a 500 Canadian lens it's not a Ten thousand dollar lens or a five Thousand dollar lens that I have high High expectations for and I like the Fact that the lens of this value has me
Second guessing is it really just 500 Because it performs well above that in My opinion now I want to know what you Guys think of this lens is it a lens That if you're a content creator and a Vlogger you're going to find yourself Reaching for this lens and switching the Systems potentially or buying this lens If you're already in the Nikon lineup Let me know in the comments down below Follow us both on Instagram and please Subscribe hit that notification Bell We'll catch you again next time [Music] Foreign [Music] If you want to check out more of our Recent content click up here and if you Are Canadian and want to support local Check out the canister.com down here
