Review: Nikon 28mm f/2.8 Series E

Nikon’s smallest, lightest 28mm AI-S lens offers impressive image quality at a modest price. Fine color rendition and contrast, no distortion and surprising sharpness make this manual-focus lens a true find on the second market. It even comes in two styles; the first generation with a ribbed plastic body ring, plastic focus ring and aggressive block grip pattern, and the a second generation with a silver metallic body ring, metal focus ring, and traditional NIKKOR grip pattern.

The E-Series lenses have a rather ambiguous reputation. On one hand, they were criticized for their use of plastic. On the other, photogs willing to give them a chance discovered that they were really quite good. And because of their compact size and light weight, they filled an important niche. Despite their extensive use of plastic, these lenses offer comparable build quality to their NIKKOR bretheren. The 28mm f/2.8’s simplified five-element design keeps down its size and weight yet still offers sharp imagery at f/5.6 with edge sharpness tapering off at wider apertures. Many were concerned about the durability of the E-Series, but today, 32 years later, this lens is still going strong.

Sadly, the 28mm seems to be the least celebrated of the E-Series. If this is true, then the others in the series must be very good indeed because I have nothing but positive things to say about this lens. I think we’ve all been a bit spoiled by the excellence of most Nikkors. 

I say sadly, because this lens perfectly fills a major gap. There’s no 24mm in the E-Series, probably because Nikon chose designs that could be manufactured cheaply and still maintain a practical level of quality, so this is the widest in the series. Nikon couldn’t have known this back in 1979, but they were creating the perfect “normal” focal length for the DX digital format. The diagonal measurment of a 35mm frame is 43mm, and this lens translates to 42mm when you apply the APS-C 1.5X crop factor, making it “true” normal. 28mm has alway been in sort of a “no-man’s land” for me, but after working in this length for a while, I’ve come to realize just how versatile it is. I simple don’t feel the need to reach for a zoom as much.

In order to use this lens with the D90, I have to shoot in manual mode, without metering, using the aperture ring instead of the sub-command dial. So using this or any other manual focus AI-S lens forces me into a whole different shooting style. It forces me to think about the exposure as I’m taking the picture. If I change the aperture, I have to consciously think about how I adjust the shutter speed. Should I click down six thirds of a stop, or only five to give the image a nice richness and saturation? It’s one of the things I really like about using manual focus AI-S lenses on the D90.

There are a lot of things to like about this lens. It has great color and contrast, practically no distortion, and it’s quite sharp. The focus is buttery smooth and quick, and the click of the aperture ring satisfying. For all its economical design, features like the usual color-coded hyperfocal scale, infrared index and hard infinity stop have not been overlooked. Vignetting is quite low, and the bokeh is quite pleasing for a wide angle.

I’ve been very pleased with the photos taken with this lens, and would recommend any of the E-Series, first or second generation.

Build Quality ★★★★

Despite its plastic components and simplified construction, this lens has a solid build, comparable to but slightly better than today’s AF D series. Molded-in, paint-filled markings give it a quality appearance. At only 5.3 oz (152g) and 1.4" long (3.6cm) it’s one of Nikon’s smallest, lightest lenses.

Compatibility ★★★★

Like all AI-S lenses, this lens will fit all Nikon manual and auto focus 35mm and digital SLRs. With consumer models, you may not be able to meter or use any of the autoexposure modes due to the lack of a CPU chip. In this case, for digital use the histogram and for film use an external meter such as the Gossen DigiSix.

Focusing ★★★★★

Buttery-smooth and perfectly damped. Short-travel (less that a quarter turn) gives it a quick response, and the included color-coded hyperfocal scale and infrared focus index are subtle details that belie it’s no-frills attitude.

Optical Quality ★★★

Surprisingly sharp, with excellent color rendition and contrast. Pleasing bokeh for a wide-angle lens. Edges soften at f/2.8, but that’s to be expected in a lens of this wide angle.

Value ★★★★★

As it was when these lenses were first conceived, they offer a lot of performance for your dollar. If you’re looking to explore manual shooting, they’re a perfect entry point.

Diaphragm

7 straight blades

Filters

Accepts 52mm filters in its metal, non-rotating filter threads. The Hoya Pro1 Digital MC UV(0) is highly recommended.

Hood

Nikon’s HR-6, screw-in rubber hood is original equipment for this lens, but if you can’t find one, the Hoya 52mm Screw-in Rubber Zoom Lens Hood is an excellent replacement.

History

The E-Series lenses were first introduced in 1979 along with the Nikon EM, FG and FG20 as an economical alternative to NIKKOR lenses in order to compete with third-party manufacturers. The E Series were a little ahead of their time, and initially not well received. So in 1981, Nikon upgraded their cosmetic appearance to look more like their NIKKOR counterparts, and included more metal components with the same optical formulas. Production of E Series lenses ended around 1983.

Although this lens has been referred to as a pancake lens, I’m not sure I would place it in that category. Certainly the 50mm f/1.8 E is. Another standout in the series is the 100mm f/2.8 E. This lens has received consistently good reviews, and would be an extremely compact and fast 150mm telephoto on a D90.

Sample Images

1/125 sec. @ f/5.6

1/15 sec. @ f/8

1/60 sec. @ f/5.6

1/125 sec. @ f/5.6

1/320 sec. @ f/5.6