Nikon 28-80mm G – The underrated SLR camera kit lens

Are you on the hunt for a cheap kit lens for your Nikon DSLR or film SLR? Well, look no further. The Nikon 28-80mm f3.5-5.6 AF-G lens is a full-frame zoom lens that is both affordable and surprisingly good. It is made mostly out of plastic and looks very “amateurish” but the quality of the photos it produces are beautiful. Sold at around Php 2,000 ($40) here in the Philippines, the Nikon 28-80mm is often overlooked (so as other kit lenses) because of its variable aperture. Though if you’re just looking for an all-around everyday carry I highly recommend this lens especially if you are new to photography. Having a zoom lens when starting out lets you play around with different focal lengths, which in the future will let you figure out what prime lens will work for you best should you choose to upgrade.

The Nikon 28-80mm f3.5-5.6 AF-G comes as a kit lens with Nikon’s entry-level film cameras. I got mine as a kit with my Nikon F55 film camera. The best thing about this lens is that it’s a full-frame lens meaning you can use it on a full-frame and APS-C (cropped-sensored) camera. And yes, in case you are not aware, it works in both film and digital Nikon cameras. It is a G lens though (without an aperture dial) so you can only use it on a more modern Nikon film SLR. Mine came in silver which matches my F55 perfectly and gives me a very amateur/touristy vibe when using it. Which is perfect because I like to be inconspicuous when out shooting.

Here are some photos taken with the Nikon 28-80mm f3.5-5.6 AF-G and the Nikon F55.

See, the quality isn’t so bad in fact they all came out great. Also, nothing beats the versatility a zoom lens offers, you can go from wide to tight in no time. The variable aperture makes it not an ideal lens for indoor use but hey, that’s what flashes are made for! Autofocus is a bit louder compared to modern lenses, although accurate and fast enough during my use. No problemo in that departamento if you ask me.

Low light with no flash? No worries! The lens is compact and light enough that you can handheld using slow shutter speeds. By the way, I used a Fujifilm 200 film for these photos which paired with the lens produced beautiful colors and rendition.

So there you have it, a very underrated kit lens from Nikon. Compact, cheap and capable, as simple as that. I might keep this lens for a long time and use it on my autofocus Nikon film cameras unless I get my hands on a Nikon D100 DSLR. Anyway, thank you for reading my blog, more to come in the future so be sure to subscribe here and follow me on my social media accounts. Salamat!