Lenses for S2Pro

[memobug]

The S2pro supports nearly the entire range of Nikon F-mount lenses, including the AF-S or "Silent wave" lenses that were not supported by the S1.

SILENT WAVE (AF-S) Lenses
http://www.nikonusa.com/images/products/1993NAS_180.jpg
Nikon's 80-200 f/2.8 ED-IF AF-S Zoom Nikkor (photo ©Nikon)

The AF-S lenses incorporate ultrasonic motors for fast, quiet focusing. The S2pro is also compatible with the "G" series lenses, which lack a stop down aperture ring.

VIBRATION REDUCTION LENSES
The S2pro is compatible with the recent 80-400 ED VR lens, and can be expected to be compatible with future releases in this series.
http://www.nikonusa.com/images/products/1996NAS_180.jpg
.Nikon's 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED VR AF Zoom-Nikkor (photo ©Nikon)

MANUAL FOCUS LENSES
Many of the manual focus lenses can be used as well, but certain lenses may cause camera's internal meter may not function. This applies to those lenses that are unable to communicate aperture data to the body.

The S2pro finder does not have the traditional "split grid" focusing aid found in many manual focus cameras, so it will be necessary to watch the focus indicator LED in the display as an indication of focus.

As a general rule, the S2Pro is compatible with any lens usable on the Nikon N-80, upon which it is based.

You can find a complete listing of currently marketed lenses on the
Nikon website (http://www.nikonusa.com/usa_group/group.jsp?cat=1&grp=5).

Third party manufacturers like Sigma (http://www.sigmaphoto.com/html/lenses.htm), Tamron (http://www.tamron.com/frame.htm), Tokina (http://www.thkphoto.com/) and Vivitar have offered lenses in the Nikon F-mount.

[memobug]

The lens selection you make for your camera will probably have more impact on the quality of your pictures than whether you bought a D100 or an S2pro. It's that important!

Too often buyers blow their entire budget on the camera and have little left over for lens selection, so they buy the cheapest third-party, super zoom they can find, slappy a cr@ppy single or uncoated filter on the front and complain of image softness.

Don't let this happen to you. Here are some options:

1. Don't blow your entire budget on the camera body. If it comes down to it, buy a less expensive D100 and add the $400 difference to your lens budget. The image quality of these cameras will make lens quality an issue. Cheaper lenses have lower contrast and are prone to flare.

2. Forego the cheap zooms and get one or two decent prime lenses. On the S2Pro, the 50mm 1.8D or PC-Nikkor 60 are great moderate telephoto lenses.

3. If you choose to use a filter to protect your lens, get a high-quality multicoated filter from Hoya, Nikon or B+W.

4. Buy shorter range zooms. Forget the 8: or 10:1 superzooms. The shorter range zooms are generally better optically corrected. They often have wider apertures, which can be important in low light. If you need that extra reach, keep in mind what you are giving up in image quality.

IF I HAD JUST ONE LENS OPTION for a mid range zoom on a budget, I'd be looking at the 24 - 85 F 3.5 / 4 AFS G LENS (http://www.moose395.net/justout.html) At about $360 (street price) you get 35mm effective coverage from 36-127mm, silent wave function, and a $35 rebate to boot. What more could you want?

5. Consider buying a quality lens used from a reputable supplier.

6. Depending on your intended shooting style and subject matter, you may opt for a few prime lenses, a couple of short range zooms or a single general purpose zoom. Whichever way you go, get the best you can afford.

7. Don't overlook the third party options like Sigma and Tokina, but do compare and test them so you know what you're getting. Look for contrasty conditions and backlight to see what a lens can do when you push it to the limit. Look at how the out of focus highlights appear and shoot some tree branches backlit by the sun to look at chromatic problems and color fringing. Be aware that sometimes quality control suffers with aftermarket products especially. Test the lens you buy very well.

8. Many lenses have a "sweet spot" Keep in mind that most lenses are sharpest when they are "stopped down" 2 or more stops. See where that leaves you in terms of shooting aperture.

My personal experience:

I brought a Nikon 80-200 AFS lens from my F100 and two sigma EX lenses an 17-35 and 28-70 zoom. I found the Sigmas were very good in most conditions, but when backlit were subject to a lot of flare and reduction in contrast. I tend to shoot a lot of backlight, so I replaced both lenses with the Nikkor equivalents. But that cost me more than my S2 camera!

I like to keep in mind that the lenses hold their value much better than the camera. I saw the used Nikon lenses selling for 80% of their new price on ebay, and a typical digital camera will be 50% or less a year down the road!