Nikon 16-85mm VR Review: Why I Don't Recommend This Lens

I get a lot of questions about this lens.

The Nikon 16-85mm VR is a bit of a puzzle as it doesn't excel at anything, and although it is a good lens, it's quite pricey for what it offers.

The problem the Nikon 16-85mm VR faces is some pretty tough competition from the Nikon 18-105mm VR (and even the Nikon 18-55mm VR) which cost a lot less.

Here's my review and thoughts on the Nikon 16-85mm VR, and why I don't recommend this lens.

Nikon 18-105mm Review: More Than You'd Expect for the Price

Following my review of the Nikon 18-55mm VR, the logical progression is the Nikon 18-105mm VR.

The 18-105mm VR is the next up in the line-up if you're considering an up-grade from the 18-55mmVR, and it's a pretty significant up-grade in several ways.

Here's my review of the Nikon 18-105mm VR, a lens that offers more than you'd expect for the price.

Nikon 18-55mm VR Review: An Under-Estimated Lens That May Surprise You

A lot of readers have been asking me about the Nikon 18-55mm VR, as well as the non-VR version, and whether it's worth buying.

In this video review, I take a look at the little Nikon 18-55mm, and go over it's strengths and weaknesses. You may be surprised at how well this little bargain performs.

4 Reasons to Buy the Canon 60D Over the Canon 550D (T2i)

Since the venerable Canon 60D arrived, a lot of readers have been wondering whether they should spend the extra money and get the 60D or save their cash and buy the 550D (T2i).

Here's 4 reasons to buy the Canon 60D over the Canon 550D.

Related posts...

Canon 60D: First Impressions After a Few Hours Shooting

How to Make Your Canon 550D or 60D Video and Photos Look Like It Came From a Canon 5D MkII - Part 3

How to Make Your Canon 550D or 60D Video and Photos Look Like It Came From a Canon 5D MkII - Part 2

How to Make Your Canon 550D or 60D Video and Photos Look Like It Came From a Canon 5D MkII - Part 1

Nikon SB-900 Speedlight Review: A Look at Nikon's Flash Flagship and Why You Might Want to Up-Grade

Reviewing the Nikon SB-900 Speedlight and looking at the new features and reasons you may want to up-grade from the SB-800 to the SB-900.

Next in the Nikon Speedlight series... a look at the new Nikon SB-700.

Related posts...

Nikon SB-700 Speedlight Flash: Much More Than Just An Up-Date to the SB-600

Nikon SB-800 Overview: Two Big Reasons to Step Up to the SB-800 Over the SB-600

Nikon SB-600: A Great Speedlite Flash For New Nikon DSLR Shooters To Start Off With

Nikon SB-800 Overview: Two Big Reasons to Step Up to the SB-800 Over the SB-600

In this, the 2nd installment in our series on Nikon Speedlights, I look at the SB-800, it's features, and why you might want to step up to the SB-800 from the SB-600.

Next up in the series... a look at the new Nikon Speedlight flagship, the Nikon SB-900.

Related posts...

Nikon SB-600: A Great Speedlite Flash For New Nikon DSLR Shooters To Start Off With

Related posts...

Nikon SB-700 Speedlight Flash: Much More Than Just An Up-Date to the SB-600

Nikon SB-900 Speedlight Review: A Look at Nikon's Flash Flagship and Why You Might Want to Up-Grade


Nikon SB-600: A Great Speedlite Flash For New Nikon DSLR Shooters To Start Off With

Nikon SB-600: A Great Speedlite Flash For New Nikon DSLR Shooters To Start Off With

I've had some reader requests to do a series on Nikon Speedlights and the Nikon CLS Speedlight system, and I thought this was a great idea!

This is the first in the series, and what better flash to start with than the Nikon SB-600! It's well featured and a great price for those wanting to start expanding their lighting system.

Stay tuned as I'll be covering the Nikon SB-800 Speedlight next!

Related Posts...

***NEW*** -Nikon SB-800 Overview: Two Big Reasons to Step Up to the SB-800 Over the SB-600

Nikon Lens Recommendations for New Nikon DSLR Owners

I've had a lot of readers asking about lenses and what lens they should buy with their first Nikon DSLR.

There are a lot of Nikon lenses to choose from, and it's easy to see how it could be a daunting task for the newcomer.

Here's a short video on my Nikon lens recommendations for those of you that are just starting out with a Nikon DSLR, are considering buying one, or are trying to decide what your next lens purchase should be.

Christmas Gift Ideas for the Photographer on Your List

With Christmas coming up, people are always looking for gift ideas, and it can be hard to buy for the photographer (s) on your list if you're not a photographer yourself.

That said, here's some great Christmas gift ideas for the photographer (s) on your list.





Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 (Win/Mac), Adobe Photoshop CS5, or Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 (depending on your budget). Adobe makes the industry standard software for image processing, and all of these programs are top notch.






Rode Shotgun Microphone - if the photographer on your list uses their DSLR for video, then they'll love this shotgun style microphone. I have one and use it all the time. It delivers EXCELLENT quality audio for your video production.






Professional Heavy Duty Ball Head with Quick Release Plate - these are a fantastic value and precision made. I recently bought one and just love it!






Every photographer can use more memory! Transcend makes excellent quality memory cards. They have a lifetime guarantee, and I've been using them exclusively for several years now with no problem.






Photographers love camera bags. You can never get enough! I have WAY TOO MANY, and I just bought a new one a couple weeks ago! This LowePro Slingshot is a great little bag that's light and perfect for quick access.





And of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't put in a shameless plug for our Art of the Image Speedlight Softbox! The perfect gift for any photographer who wants to take their portraits to a whole new level. Check out our Christmas Speedlite Softbox Sale for some great deals!

Christmas Speedlite Softbox Sale Is Here!

The Christmas Speedlite Softbox Sale is on now! Get a Speedlite Softbox for that someone special for ONLY $88.00 each! Buy 2 and get FREE Shipping!

Say Merry Christmas to that special photographer on your list and SAVE!

This is our BEST SPECIAL EVER! At $88.00 with FREE SHIPPING when you buy 2 or more, you can't afford to miss this deal!

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Nikon D7000 One Month Review

I've been shooting the Nikon D7000 for a month now. Everything from weddings to portraits, landscapes to wildlife, macro, and walk-abouts, so I thought it was time to post a D7000 One Month Review.

Here's my thoughts and observations on the D7000 after shooting it for a month.

Video is awesome. The 1080HD video on the D7000 is top notch. I thought I might miss the 30fps and 60i settings that my Canon T2i 550D has, but I don't. The 24fps 1080HD setting on the Nikon D7000 is great.

The D7000's LiveView switch is killer! I love it! So much so that when I was switching between T2i and the D7000 to shoot video, I found myself really missing the D7000 switch when using the T2i. It's just so convenient and easy to use. One of those things that just works great, and once you start using it, you don't want to be without it.

The D7000 video quality is excellent. I've found it to be even better than the video from the T2i (and by inference the Canon 60D and Canon 7D which all have the same video quality). The D7000 video has greater dynamic range than the Canon video and doesn't bunch up the blacks the way the Canons tend to.

The D7000 video is so good that I've since sold my Canon T2i. I'd originally bought the T2i solely for video use, and I was very pleased with it. The D7000 is just that little bit better, and I found I no longer needed the T2i.

Photo image quality on the Nikon D7000 is superb. The extra 4 megapixels on the new 16 megapixel sensor are great. The extra resolution translates into finer detail, more ability to crop tighter, and a better file over-all. The beauty is that it comes at no loss of image quality.

The D7000 high ISO is excellent. The D7000 is now the TOP crop sensor DSLR for high ISO image quality. It beats the Nikon D300s, the Nikon D90, the Canon T2i, the Canon 60D, the Canon 7D, the Pentax K5, and all the Sony DSLR's for high ISO image quality. Check out the rankings at www.DXOMark.com.

My observations are that my D7000 is within a stop to a stop and a half of my Nikon D700 for high ISO image quality. Simply incredible for a DX sensor with 16 megapixels!

Color is beautiful on the D7000. It renders accurate, pleasing tones.

White balance is the best I've seen of any Nikon DSLR to date. Auto white balance works great, and the colors are pleasing.

Focus is fast and accurate. The D7000 locks on quickly and is super sharp. From my observations, the D7000's auto focus is on par with my Nikon D700. The new 39 point auto focus system delivers in spades.

After shooting with the Nikon D7000 for a month, I'm VERY impressed. It delivers on everything it promised and then some.

In fact, the D7000 is SO GOOD that I'm considering selling my Nikon D700 and adding a 2nd D7000 so that I'm shooting with a pair of D7000 bodies. For those of you that know how good the D700 is, that's high praise for the D7000.

I give the Nikon D7000 a hearty 2 Thumbs Up for the D7000 One Month Review. Stay tuned and I'll keep you posted as I continue to put the D7000 through it's paces.

Related posts...

Nikon D7000 vs Nikon D700 High ISO Shoot-Out

Nikon D7000 Unboxed Video

Nikon D7000 - The New Crop Sensor DSLR King!

Is the Nikon D7000 replacing the Nikon D300s / D400?

Nikon D7000 Spec Rundown