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Nikon D3100

The Nikon D3100 is Nikon’s latest offering to the consumer entry-level line and successor to the Nikon D3000. What’s particular exciting about this camera is that this is Nikon’s first full HD dSLR. Previous Nikon dSLRs including the professional D3s only do 720p so this is particularly exciting for those who use Nikon and like to do video with their dSLR. There’s also a nice little bump in resolution from 10.2 MP to 14.2 MP, which isn’t necessarily a good thing. A very simplified explanation, when more pixels are packed tightly together on the same size sensor, each pixel’s light gathering capability is diminished because the pixel size has to be reduced to fit more pixels on the sensor. That’s why the Nikon D3s (12 MP on a full-frame sensor) has such incredible low-light capability. Other added features is one more stop in the ISO range (12,800 versus 3200), Live View, a faster processor (EXPEED 2), and a HDMI port. MSRP price for the Nikon D3100 with 18-55 kit lens is $699.95 and available for pre-order at B&H here.

Our Recommendation: If you’re looking for an affordable, feature rich, easy to carry around camera for family vacations, day trips, photographing your children/family/friends/significant other, then we certainly recommend this camera for you.  The Nikon D3100′s small size and ability to use some 100+ Nikkor lenses make this a killer choice. With 1080p HD video, you can capture important memories such as your child’s first step or record a heart-felt message for your boyfriend/girlfriend to share on Facebook.

Nikon Nikkor AF-S 85mm f/1.4G

For professional photographers and serious amateurs who use Nikon, this is probably the most important announcement of the four lenses. Many Nikon photographers have been waiting for a much needed update to the Nikon AF 85mm f/1.4D and it has finally arrived. The new Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G now has AF-S for faster focusing, loses the aperture ring, features the Nano Crystal Coat (eliminates lens reflection, ghosting, and flares), and has full-time manual focus. Like the previous 85mm f/1.4D, the 85mm f/1.4G also has a 9-blade diaphragm meaning that you can get nice circular bokeh as well as nice pretty sun-stars. This lens will work great on FX or DX Nikon bodies. The Nikon 85mm f/1.4G will be available on September 2, 2010 with a MSRP of $1,649.99.

Our Recommendation: If you don’t already have a 85mm, you definitely need one. The 85mm is a great focal length for portraits and well as limited telephoto shots. Also having fast glass means you can shoot in lower-light situations or you can isolate your subject from the background easily. A definite must buy in our book. If you already own the 85mm f/1.4D, you might find that you’re hard-pressed to upgrade given the cost, but the increase in focusing speed will certainly make up for the cost. If you’re just an amateur photographer, we recommend skipping this lens and getting the more affordable Nikon AF 85mm f/1.8D and save yourself ~$1,000+. The 85mm f/1.8D is definitely no slouch and will be more than plenty for many folks.

Nikon Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR

One of types of lenses that Nikon has been lacking are pro-sumer/professional carry-around lenses. Canon has long offered a secondary professional line that combines the build quality and optics of the L lenses, but in a lighter and more portable package such as the 17-40mm f/4L, 24-105mm f/4L IS, and 70-200mm f/4L IS. Nikon has upped the ante and have started introducing this same line, first seen with the 16-35mm f/4 VR and now the 24-120mm f/4 VR; this is not to be confused with the consumer grade Nikon AF-S 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6ED-IF VR that was not very highly rated. This 24-120mm is all pro with Nikon’s latest 4-stop image stabilization and constant aperture of f/4 throughout the zoom range and works great on full-frame (FX) or crop-frames (DX). MSRP is $1,299.95.

Our Recommendation: If you’re type of photography doesn’t require photographing in low-light situations, save yourself the money and weight by buying this lens. In comparison to the Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED, this lens only weighs 25 oz versus 31.75 oz, that’s quite a noticeable difference. So if you’re looking for a light-weight professional lens with wide-angle and reach, this is the lens for you. I can certainly see this lens being used in the studio where studio strobes are being used, on vacations, photoshoots outdoors with decent-to-plenty of light, and as a general carry-around lens. This lens will certainly become very popular and we recommend you pre-ordering one now or else you’ll be waiting a long time for it.

Nikon Nikkor AF-S 55-300mm f/4-5.6G ED VR DX

Not to leave the photographers who use DX bodies out in the cold, Nikon has released a new DX-only lens, the AF-S 55-300 f/4-5.6G ED VR DX. This lens also uses Nikon’s latest generation VR, 4-stop image stabilization. Weighing only 18.7 oz, this lens is light but has a lot of reach making this an ideal lens for traveling. At 55mm, you’ll still be able to do shots of couples and groups (provided you can stand back far enough) and with a reach of 300mm, you’ll be able to get some nice tight crops of landscapes and scenics. MSRP for this lens is $399.95 and available for pre-order on B&H here.

Our Recommendation: While this lens has a lot of nice range, it’s biggest draw back is the slower aperture meaning you’ll need more light to avoid getting blurry pictures. The good news is that many new Nikon bodies can go into the higher ISO range which means you can increase your ISO to get more light sensitivity to compensate for the slower aperture at the cost of noise. If you do a lot of traveling and looking for a single lens that will let you shoot far, this would be it. This lens will also work great for out-door well lit portraits. Otherwise, skip this lens. If you try to use this lens for, say, trying to capturing you son or daughter’s basketball game, you won’t be very happy with the performance.

Nikon Nikkor AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR

Have a Nikon D700 or even a D3s and looking for a single lens solution for daily carry around, then this lens, the Nikon AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR might be for you. With it’s incredibly 11x zoom ratio, you can photograph groups and wide mountains and zoom into a bird in flight. What makes this lens stand-out from say the Nikon AF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G is that this lens can be used on a full-frame camera whereas the 18-200mm is limited to DX bodies. This lens will work great for many purposes. Going on a day-trip and not quite sure what you want to shoot, grab this lens. Going trail hiking, grab this lens. Spend the day in San Francisco with your boyfriend/girlfriend/family, this is the lens. Vacationing? You can’t go wrong with this lens either. The only thing this lens won’t do well at is low-light shooting with fast moving subjects/objects.

Our Recommendation: I’m personally not a big fan of “super-zoom” lenses because you sacrifice a lot. For a “super-zoom” lens like this, you lose image quality, deal with higher distortion, slower aperture, and it also makes you a lazier photographer. That’s right, a lens like this will diminish the artistic quality of your images because instead of training your brain to look for different perspectives, you can just zoom into your subject or object. But if you’re looking for a “snap-shot” lens, a lens that you can just take pictures with, here it is. For only $1,049.95, you can’t beat the range you get. If I had a D700 or D3s, I guarantee you, it will never see this lens. Cameras of that professional quality would benefit from a better lens like the Nikon 24-120mm (above) and that is the lens I would recommend for you to get instead of this one. Photographer Bob Krist seems to like this lens. Read his review here.