The Nikon D3100 is an entry level camera with a 14.2 megapixel DX format CMOS sensor. Even though Nikon’s been out of the megapixel race for a long time, they decided to upgrade this camera’s predecessor’s sensor by a full 4 MP. It also has 1080p video recording, a built-in HDMI port, an expanded ISO range up to 12,800 and 11-point AF.

The AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR continues Nikon’s march into Canon’s territory of professional grade f/4 zoom lenses, which it began in February with the 16-35mm f/4.

Nikon’s also upgraded their much-loved fast portrait lens with the AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G. Among the features added to this new lens are silent wave focus, Nano Crystal coat, and a whole new optical system.

Finishing off Nikon’s announcement are two super-zoom lenses: the AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR for FX cameras and the AF-S NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR for DX cameras. Both have ED glass and Vibration Reduction.

Photo credit: Nikon

Here’s the rundown on this new glass:

Nano Crystal Coat

I have heard many Nikon shooters rave about how the ED coating does a great job of reducing ghosting and flare.

VR

Vibration Reduction helps stabilize the lens, reducing blur from hand shake (but not from moving subjects).

f/4

A constant minimum aperture of f/4 throughout the zoom range. It can also be closed down to f/32.

Focusing

Auto-focuses as close as 2m, manually focuses as close as 1.95m.

Head to Nikon’s page for this lens if you’re interested in the nitty gritty such as MTF charts and construction diagrams.

If you have not used one of these lenses before, it’s pretty big. With the hood and all, probably as long as your arm. A friend of mine owned one for a while, and he had a specific backpack just for this lens.

Differences from the original model

This is an update to the original 200-400mm lens. They’ve added the Nano Crystal Coating and improved the VR from a 3 stop advantage to now 4 stops. An AF/M mode has also been added and is intended to prevent the photographer from accidentally switching from AF to manual focus mode.

This is an FX lens.

Availability

The AF-S 200-400mm f/4 ED VR II is available for pre-order on Amazon for a cool $6,999 USD. It is not appearing in B&H’s catalog yet, but I will update this page when it does. Release is scheduled for late May.

It turns out the rumors of Nikon making moves on Canon’s lens territory were true. The ‘net is buzzing with Nikon photographers talking about the two new lenses: the AF-S NIKKOR 24mm f/1.4G ED and the AF-S NIKKOR 16-35 f/4G ED VR.

As I previously wrote, these new lenses fill out two gaps that separated Nikon’s lens lineup from Canon’s: the lack of wide fast primes and light f/4 zooms. Both lenses feature Nikon’s nano coating which improves image quality by reducing glare.

Now that we know what this means for Nikon’s lense lineup, what does it mean for your wallet? About $2,200 for the 24/1.4 and $1,260 for the 16-35.

Where to get these lenses

At the moment, the 24mm f/1.4 is marked as “unavailable” and B&H while the 16-35 VR is “available for pre-order”. If you’re thinking of picking up either of these lenses, consider using our B&H links:

• Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24mm f/1.4G ED Wide Angle Lens at B&H
• Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR at B&H

I get most of my own gear from B&H, although I don’t plan on buying these specific lenses because I don’t shoot Nikon.

If you spend any amount of time researching the differences between Canon and Nikon, you’re guaranteed to hear the following in Canon’s favor:

• Canon has a strong line of high-quality f/4 zoom lenses, many of which feature image stabilization.
• Canon has a solid lineup of fast, high-quality wide angle prime lenses.

The f/4 zooms are lightweight and versatile. The 24-105 f/4 L is the kit lens for Canon’s prosumer EOS 5D line, and considered one of the best all-around lenses one can purchase. And then there’s the fast, wide primes — lenses like the 24mm f/1.4 L and 35mm f/1.4 L are pretty much like carrying around night vision for your camera.

So now Nikon is rumored to be coming out with a 16-35mm f/4 VR and a 24mm f/1.4. If that is so they are doing a great job of listening to the photography community and using that information to close up whatever gaps their may be between them and their main competition.

So … when will we see a full-frame professional body from Canon with a high frame rate and mind-bending ISO capabilities?

Link via Calanan Photography.

Update: The rumors were true

It turns out the rumors were true and Nikon did release these two lenses. If you’re looking to pick these up when they become available, consider getting them from B&H:

• Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24mm f/1.4G ED Wide Angle Lens at B&H
• Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR at B&H

I don’t have a review of these lenses available and I don’t plan on buying them (seeing as I shoot Canon), but if you plan on it I suggest B&H. That’s where I get most of my equipment.

On February 9^th Nikon announced a new lens aimed at their entry-level customers: the AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G. This is prime glass boasting a wide f/1.8 maximum aperture, small size & light weight and an attractive price tag.

Nikon’s new 35mm f/1.8 is an introductory fixed focal length lens aimed at owners of Nikon’s entry-level cameras (the D40, D60 & D90) who are looking to experiment with this sort of equipment. Its wide f/1.8 maximum aperture enables low light shooting without a flash and allows for a shallow depth of field to isolate subjects and produce soft out-of-focus backgrounds. Plus the lens’ small size and weight makes it very portable.

Nikon’s release of the 35mm f/1.8 DX is a throwback to the SLR film days in that its field of view on a cropped DX sensor is approximately equivalent to the “normal” 50mm lenses that are prevalent among 35mm and full frame shooters. A 50mm f/1.8 lens is available from Nikon, but its field of view becomes slightly telephoto with the DX format of these entry-level DSLR cameras ands its auto focus system is not compatible with every Nikon DSLR. You can read more about why Nikon thinks their entry level customers want a normal prime and why “DX is not dead” in “35mm F1.8 for DX? What is Nikon up to?” by Digital Photography Review (link via Benjamin Golub on FriendFeed).

Last but not least is the 35mm f/1.8 DX’s price tag — an attractive $260. Good glass gets very expensive very quickly, which has had the side effect of creating a large market for cheap fast primes like the “nifty fifty” 50mm f/1.8 lenses (which run under $100.00). By engineering the 35mm f/1.8 as an accessible consumer-grade lens instead of professional glass, Nikon should be able to capitalize on two photographic effects that a great many SLR shooters fall in love with at first sight: ambient light shots and shallow depth of field.

In “D700 Field Report from Web 2.0 Summit”, Canon user James Duncan Davidson reflects on his experience shooting the Web 2.0 Summit with the new Nikon D700. Duncan has many compliments for the D700, and was pleasantly surprised to find that he gained stops not only from ISO, but also felt more comfortable using wider apertures while maintaining sharpness.

The D700 is Nikon’s entry in the “prosumer” DSLR category with a full frame sensor inside a standard body size.

Link via “Duncan Davidson’s Nikon D700 Field Report” by Daring Fireball. Photo by Mariano Kamp.