I can go far with this lens but I'll stick to the facts. D40 camera, lens was 1 year+ and we took over 200-300 photos with it. I have two other lenses in my bag: 35/1.8 and 55-200 Nikkor. I mostly shoot with it outdoors - landscapes, mostly cars, flowers, some snaps + Sharpness is good even at 12mm as long as you stop at f/5.6 or higher. At f/4 the corners are noticeably soft at every length + - vignetting at 12mm - there is a trace but I don't realize I'm dying from it. Other reviewers might be pickier than me. Purple border - it is special with a small opening at the edges. Maybe this is (by 2013 standards) primitive D40 software, I'm not sure. Pay attention to the framing. + autofocus, focus breathing, pre/post focus - nothing noticed - colors - 80% of the time - crappy compared to a 35mm prime lens (ie rotate saturation when changing lenses). But the other 20% of flowers can be great. Exposure - typically overexposed by 0.7-1.0 stops; I mostly shoot these at -1.0. This may be an issue with my own sample and of course depends on the lighting angle / metering of the camera / focal length, but that's arguably my biggest criticism of this lens. Low light - forget about shooting indoors or high ISO etc. Maybe a better body but not practical with a D40. Conclusion: This lens requires significant technical and artistic skills. Composition, light source position, background and foreground, framing, time of day, apertureβall of these must be considered. I have very few holders with it and most of the time it's not the lens' fault, it's my fault. I've thought long and hard about bringing it back but there weren't any better options and I see this lens as a learning opportunity/challenge. So I can't recommend it for the average photographer who just wants good shots (on full auto the results will be disappointing), but if you know your stuff and need a wide-angle zoom, it's not a bad lens for the price.
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