Saturday was a dry and warm January day, so we took the opportunity to visit the zoo.
This was the first outing with the new Nikon 18-105mm VR lens. I definitely liked the extra range compared to the 18-55mm kit lens that got stolen last fall. The zoom ring also feels a bit better mechanically. It pushes the lens straight out, compared to the 18-55mm which is a “double trombone” design that extends out up to a point and comes back in.
I can’t say much more without getting some shutter time with it. I suspect that just as with the 18-55mm this lens likes lots of sunlight, which was in fairly short supply yesterday afternoon.
P.S. When I downloaded the pictures to the computer they weren’t as sharp as I would have expected for a camera with VR (Vibration Reduction – Nikon’s name for their anti-shake technology). Then I checked the setting on the lens and realized the VR switch was set to off from the factory. So I’ll test VR on the next outing.
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Bear in mind that VR has limited use. The rule of thumb with 35mm cameras was that your shutter speed should be at least as fast as the inverse of your focal length (i.e., 1/60s for a 60mm lens) to ensure that body shake doesn’t blur what you’re photographing. VR allows you to go a couple of stops slower.
However, VR isn’t going to remove blur from your subject actually moving. When you’re photographing people, you’re usually going to need 1/30 to 1/60, regardless of focal length, just to capture them without blur.
All true. VR doesn’t help with sports, for instance, but for just routine handshake it sure is nice, especially for longer focal lengths where a little movement makes a big difference.