Last night Nikon announced two new products, the Nikon SB-300 AF Speedlight and the Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Lens. The SB-300 is a smaller strobe designed for on-camera flash with i-TTL support. It has a guide number of 59' at ISO 100 and is compatible with DX and FX sensors with coverage from 27mm-200mm on a FX-format camera. The 18-140mm is a kind of all-in-one zoom lens is compatible with DX format cameras and is aimed at photographers looking for one lens solution.
Designed to be compact, it works well on smaller cameras. And with a weight of only 3.4 ounces, it will not add much to your camera kit. The use of two AAA batteries contributes to this by not requiring the use of AA batteries used in larger flashes. It also comes with the Nikon SS-DC1 Soft Case for storage.
- Zoom flash head provides wide-angle coverage from 18mm in DX-format cameras or 27mm in FX-format
- Recycling time of 4 seconds with alkaline batteries, or only 3.5 seconds with Ni-MH batteries
- At least 70 flashes with alkaline batteries, or 110 flashes with Ni-MH batteries
- Flash-ready light will alert you when flash is ready to fire
- Foot lock lever for secure mounting to the camera
Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Lens.
Nikon's Silent Wave Motor (SWM) autofocus mechanism provides near-silent auto focusing that is both fast and accurate. Combined with Vibration Reduction (VR) image stabilization, the SWM AF system equips the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm for handheld video recording as well as fast-action photography. Additionally, manual autofocus override allows instant switching to manual focus without taking your eye off the subject of interest. A 1.48 ft minimum focus distance and f/3.5 maximum aperture permit macro-style shooting that yields shallow depth of field with pleasant out-of-focus detail.
- Compatible with DX-sized image sensors.
- Versatile 18-140mm zoom range (27-210mm equivalent) covers close-ups, portraiture, and telephoto imaging.
- Vibration Reduction can provide up to 4-stops of image stabilization for sharper handheld photos and video.
- One aspherical and one ED lens element reduce chromatic aberration and help improve image sharpness, clarity, field flatness.
- The Nikon Super Integrated Coated lens system enhances light transmission and reduces lens flare.
- The Silent Wave Motor autofocus mechanism provides quick, quiet and precise auto focusing.
- Manual focus override allows instant switching between AF and MF focusing systems for greater control of focus placement.
Nikon, please make a 50mm f/1.2 with AF instead. :P
I get the small flash, but the 18-140 DX lens?? They have a 18-55 DX lens and a 18-105 VR DX lens (a really nice all round lens). Why build another lens, that has 35mm more reach?? I really don't get 18-140. There is a variable aperture 18-200mm...So why build something in the middle?? Just because you can??
A 18-140 f4 VR DX lens would have been cool, but other than that.......
It looks like it has a metal mount on the bottom, putting it as a (somewhat) valid contender to the 16-85 DX VR. I owned both the 18-105 VR and the classic 18-70 lenses, and I will say the build quality on the 18-70 was far beyond what it would suggest on paper compared to other "kit lenses".
Yes, the 18-105 only has a plastic mount, but I used that lens for about 2 years on my D90. I sold the 18-105 only, because I bought a D700 and the D90 is only a backup now and I "needed" the money/didn't need the 18-105 anymore.
I never had any problems with the plastic mount on the 18-105 and for the price of 1 18-140 you can buy 2 18-105.....
Perhaps they intend for it to be the kit lens option for more rugged cameras like the D7100? If one things is for sure, every company likes to have more options of things for you to spend your money on!
You left out the 18-300. Hopefully the 18-140 is decent optical design. The 18-200 and 18-300 are horrible lenses that are built for a convenience market. Once you stretch out a zoom range that far, the lens is going to suffer optically. By comparison, the "lowly" palstic18-55/55-200 combo have much better IQ. If done right, the 18-140 could be a high-quality standard zoom for the DX market.