Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 10–20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR
£330/$310 www.nikon.com
Nikon has just announced three new wide-angle lenses aimed at three very different kinds of photography. The most exciting, from our point of view, is the new AF-P 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR. This is an ultra-wide-angle zoom for Nikon’s DX-format cameras and it brings three key features – it uses Nikon’s latest AF-P autofocus system, it has Nikon’s VR (Vibration Reduction) system built in, and it offers extremely good value for money.
The AF-P autofocus system uses stepping motors to drive the lens’s focusing mechanism, and we’ve already seen it used to great effect in Nikon’s latest AF-P 18-55mm kit lens. It offers fast, nearsilent autofocus, which is good for stills photography, and even better for video.
Nikon’s VR mechanism is a common feature in the company’s longer focal length lenses, but it’s the first time it’s been used in a super-wide-angle Nikkor zoom. The existing Nikkor 10-24mm DX lens does not have it, and neither does the much older 12-24mm, and both lenses are much more expensive than the new AF-P lens.
This is perhaps the best news of all: Nikon’s new DX format super-wide-angle costs no more than third-party rivals. It’s also designed to be lightweight and is ‘built for travel’.