Nikon Introduces 18-140mm DX AF-S VR, SB-300 Flash, and Coolpix L620

<p>Here is Nikon's summer 2013 new product announcement, and no, there is no D400.</p>

<p>This is a fairly small announcement:</p>

<ul>

<li>18-140mm/f3.5-5.6 DX AF-S VR: Just when you think there are enough variations of those 18-nnn zooms, here is one more. This is the new VR version of the discontinued 18-135mm DX kit lens, with a metal lens mount and a relatively high US$599.95 price tag. I have never even seen this lens, but the higher price point usually means better image quality, hopefully between than those plastic-mount lenses and on par with the 16-85mm DX AF-S VR zoom.</li>

<li>SB-300 speedlight: This is essentially the DSLR and (high-end) Coolpix version of the SB-N7 flash for the Nikon 1 mirrorless cameras. It has a tilt angle for up to 120 degrees and uses two AAA batteries. There is no zoom head so that the coverage of the flash is fixed to the angle of view for 27mm FX or 18mm DX. The SB-300 is i-TTL compatible but not part of the CLS system; i.e. it cannot be a slave in a Nikon CLS set up. As you can see from the image below; the controls are very simple, mainy just an on/off switch. The rest of the controls are from the camera body. The guide number is 18/59 @ ISO 100 meters/feet. The price is $149.95.</li>

<li>Coolpix L620 with a 18.1MP CMOS sensor and a 14x zoom, 25-<strike>250</strike>350mm equivalent. $249.95.</li>

</ul>

<p>The lens and the flash should be available later on in August. The Coolpix L620 is expected in September.</p>

<p>Whether there will be additional announcements in the following month or two remains to be seen. Since there is no Photokina in 2013, Nikon is not limited by any major show schedule this summer.<br>

All images are Nikon news images that they sent us to distribute. Copyright Nikon Inc.</p>

<center>

<p><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17486866-lg.jpg" alt="" /> <br /> Nikon 18-140mm DX AF-S VR<br /> <img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17486868-lg.jpg" alt="" /> <br /> SB-300 front/side view<br /> <img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17486867-lg.jpg" alt="" /> <br /> SB-300 back side</p>

</center>

<p>Here are some links to Nikon Japan's web site on the new products:</p>

<ul>

<li>18-140mm DX: <a href="http://www.nikon.com/news/2013/0806_lens_03.htm">http://www.nikon.com/news/2013/0806_lens_03.htm</a></li>

<li>SB-300 flash: <a href="http://www.nikon.com/news/2013/0806_sb_04.htm">http://www.nikon.com/news/2013/0806_sb_04.htm</a></li>

</ul>

 

<p>the 18-140 looks like it should have been the kit lens for the d7100. wonder why nikon didnt release it with the camera body...</p>

<p>the sb-300 looks like an sb-400 with more bounce/swivel options.</p>

<p>I was guessing the 16-85mm 3.5/5.6 or 17-55mm 2.8 might have been due for an upgrade sooner than a 5mm extension of the old 18-135mm lens. That extra 5mm is not going to make that far-off Tiger much bigger!</p>

<p>Eric, maybe it's the kit lens for the D400? Ho Ho!</p>

<p>If this new lens was a constant f4 @ about $900, I'd be <em>slightly</em> interested.....but it's not. Another example of Nikon not making fast, Pro DX glass and re-enforcing it's 'beginner', amateur status. That's not to say perfectly 'Pro' pics can't be taken with DX cameras, just with someone else's lenses.</p>

<p>I thought the whole DX ethos was smaller, lighter lenses <em>or</em> fast lenses the same size as slow FX lenses, and therefore cheaper? If Sigma can make an 'affordable' 18-35mm <strong>f1.8 </strong>DX, what are Nikon doing??</p>

<p>Hope there's more to come soon.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Just when you think there are enough variations of those 18-nnn zooms, here is one more.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>You read my mind.... except, all the other variations seem to make sense. At $600, this one makes no sense at all, unless they immediately stop selling the 18-200VR, and upgrade the 16-85VR to a more enthusiast spec lens. But as it is now, it's filling a hole in the line-up so tiny nobody knew it existed...<br>

SB300 looks neat, and useful, though (won't get one, but will probably recommend it others more than once).</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Eric, maybe it's the kit lens for the D400? Ho Ho!</p>

</blockquote>

<p>gee, i hope not. if nikon had any balls, they'd put out a d400 with a 17-55/2.8 refresh -- let's say a 17-70/2 VR.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>At $600, this one makes no sense at all, unless they immediately stop selling the 18-200VR, and upgrade the 16-85VR to a more enthusiast spec lens.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>i'm guessing they upgraded the optics to meet the demands of 24mp DX. The 18-200 was ok during the 6mp era, but got outdated as soon as the 12mp bodies came in. the 16-85 <em>should</em> have been f/4, which would make it immensely more appealing, and set a clear demarcation between 2.8 pro (events/PJ) and f/4 (landscape/ casual).</p>

<blockquote>

<p>If Sigma can make an 'affordable' 18-35mm <strong>f1.8 </strong>DX, what are Nikon doing??</p>

</blockquote>

<p>A mid-end lens with kit lens specs is kind of like runny porridge, as far as the excitement level goes. even if it's super sharp, it's still slow on the long end. maybe that flash will come in handy, hmmm.... if i'm upgrading from an 18-105 or 18-55, where do i go, except to (stabilized) third-party 2.8's? gosh, i'm starting to sound like Thom Hogan now.</p>

<p>The thing is, with new DSLR sales dropping, you've got to do something to keep the people who already have DSLRs interested. i'm not sure nikon has done that here. In fact, it looks like they haven't, at all.</p>

<p><a href="http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/lens/zoom/normalzoom/af-s_dx_18-140mmf_35-56g_ed_vr/index.htm">http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/lens/zoom/normalzoom/af-s_dx_18-140mmf_35-56g_ed_vr/index.htm</a></p>

<p>Gotta say, those MTF graphs aren't great at the wider end. Tele looks pretty good though.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>The thing is, with new DSLR sales dropping, you've got to do something to keep the people who already have DSLRs interested. i'm not sure nikon has done that here. In fact, it looks like they haven't, <strong>at all.</strong></p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>+1 to that!</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Eric, maybe it's the kit lens for the D400? Ho Ho!</p>

</blockquote>

<blockquote>

<p>gee, i hope not.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Actually, many Nikon users would be happy to have the D400 appear with any kit lens, as long as it appears at all. The D300 was sold at stores such as Costco only in a kit with the 18-200mm, an odd combination given the sturdiness of the body and the flimsiness of the lens.</p>

<p>About SB-300: does it swivel? It doesn't look it.</p>

<p>Hector, the SB-N7 doesn't swivel, and the SB-300 looks like the exact same flash except for the hot shoe.</p>

<p>Well, not <em>exactly</em> the same flash. The SB-N7 comes with the SW-N7 diffuser panel, and the flash includes small divots on the sides of the flash head use to mount or stow the panel. The SB-300 doesn't have that. I wonder why not?</p>

<p>Interesting. I already am pretty sure I'd rather have a 16-85 than that 18-140, though... just me, maybe...</p>

<p>The flash would be nice for travel. You could simply stick a radio trigger on it for off camera use.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

<blockquote>

<ul>

<li>Flash color temperature information communication transmits flash color temperature information to the camera for optimal white balance control when a digital-SLR camera is used.</li>

</ul>

</blockquote>

<p>You mean it changes the cameras WB to FLASH?</p>

 

<blockquote>

<ul>

<li>FV lock function with which flash volume is determined based on monitor flashes and saved so that composition may be changed while maintaining the flash value <strong>(not supported by D5200, D5100, D5000, D3200, D3100, D3000, D60, or D40-series cameras;*</strong> among COOLPIX cameras, only supported by the COOLPIX A)</li>

</ul>

</blockquote>

<p>So, how does that tally with...</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>'Developed for use by even those using an external flash for the first time'<br>

</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Their <em><strong>first</strong></em> DSLR is FX or a D7000 series and they're going to put an SB-300 on it? Right!! Not forgetting.....<br>

</p>

<blockquote>

<ul>

<li>Advanced Wireless Lighting is not supported.</li>

</ul>

</blockquote>

<p>What a mixed bag of compatibility!<br>

<br>

* Does that mean it will with my D50, D80, D90 and D300?</p>

<p>I like the flash. I'll probably buy one and sell my SB400.</p>

<blockquote>Coolpix L620 with a 18.1MP CMOS sensor and a 14x zoom, 25-250mm equivalent.</blockquote>

 

<p>Just for pedantry reasons, 25-250 is a 10x zoom, not 14x. Something doesn't make sense.<br />

<br />

Otherwise, nothing of interest to me, but Nikon are allowed to release products for other people occasionally, so I'll let them off. Besides, I need to buy a Sigma USB connector so I can stop my 35mm f/1.4 being useless with phase-detect AF, so my disposable income for buying Nikon products is temporarily lacking.<br />

<br />

Edit: DPReview report it as 25-350, which is indeed 14x. I assume the 250 was a typo?</p>

<p>Andrew, make the L620's lens a 25-350mm equivalent. Sorry about the typo.</p>

<p>I wonder what the asking price of the SB-300 will be in England? In the UK, you'd get, maybe £65 for a 2nd hand SB-400. </p>

<p>I quite like the Meike MK-300 for £39.... no swivel or bounce though. Just a curious/weird looking strobe option in Hz and full to 1/128th power adjustment and i-TTL connectivity (not sure about that claim?) and a mini-USB interface.</p>

<p>Considering there's an 18-105 and an 18-200, I don't get the point of an 18-140 (other than the metal mount). </p>

<blockquote>

<p>Considering there's an 18-105 and an 18-200, I don't get the point of an 18-140 (other than the metal mount).</p>

</blockquote>

<p>The 18-200 is more than twice the price of the 18-105. The 18-140 sits in the middle, price-wise.</p>

<p>Both 18-105 and 18-200 are quite soft at their long ends so IMO they are quite out of date at this point with 24MP DX being the norm. A 18-140 if it gives okay quality at 140mm would be very useful as the one other good slow standard zoom that Nikon makes for DX (the 16-85) is only 85mm at the long end (though that lens is very good). The 70-200's of course offer excellent quality but at a higher cost. The fact that the new 18-140 is priced similarly to the 16-85 suggests that it may be of comparable quality, which would make it a better choice for many DX shooters with 24MP cameras but who have a tight budget.</p>

<p>DRPeview is hinting the 18-140 will be packaged with an as-yet-non-existent body. so maybe it is the d400 kit lens.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I need to buy a Sigma USB connector so I can stop my 35mm f/1.4 being useless with phase-detect AF, so my <a id="FALINK_3_0_2" href="/nikon-camera-forum/00bt6U?start=10">disposable income</a> for buying Nikon products is temporarily lacking.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>andrew, can you say more? what body are you using the 35 on?</p>

<p>Hi Eric. Apologies for diverting the thread... The (new) Sigma 35 f/1.4 is on my D800E, and it appears to have very heavy distance-dependent AF tuning issues. In other words, setting AF fine tune for one distance makes it wildly wrong for another distance. The lens is tack sharp if I use live view to focus, but that's not really what I had in mind for a low light lens. I'm hoping the Sigma dock I've just ordered will let me fix it. I've also had the AF stop working until I removed and remounted the lens - similar to AF misbehaviour issues seen by another poster a few weeks ago; I suspect this is because Sigma use steel contact pins rather than the gold plated ones that Nikon use. I'll try cleaning them, but at least the problem went away after a remount.<br />

<br />

For what it's worth, I believe my 14-24 is showing more field curvature than might be expected, even though Nikon have checked it out specifically for this issue and claim it's ok, and this makes me suspicious that my camera's flange distance may be out of tolerance - a problem reported by another D800 owner last year. I need to take some more photos to confirm whether I'm imagining the field curvature, but if there's something weird going on then it might be throwing the Sigma off. I've only been trying to focus (so far) with the centre point, but I'm not yet entirely blaming the lens. Still, the behaviour I've seen so far is inconvenient - I have several blurry low-light shots from a family wedding last week that are clearly AF misses. Fortunately my 200 f/2 and 50 f/1.8 (with an entertaining price disparity) saved me for speeches and the first dance, so all was not lost. Obviously, nothing Nikon announced today would have helped. :-)</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I like the flash. I'll probably buy one and sell my SB400.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>According to Thom Hogan, the 300 is less powerful than the 400, which i have and like.</p>

<p>@Andrew, thanks for the explain.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>setting AF fine tune for one distance makes it wildly wrong for another distance.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>That's the problem with AF fine tune, isnt it? let us know how the USB Dock thingy works out,ok?</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I've also had the AF stop working until I removed and remounted the lens</p>

</blockquote>

<p>this happens occasionally to me with my d300s, but it's happened with third party lenses as well as my 70-200 VR II. i dont think ive ever experienced that with the D3s.</p>

<p><strong> let's say a 17-70/2 VR.</strong><br>

<strong> </strong><br>

Can you imagine that? Seems that will be all we can do Eric.<strong><br /></strong></p>

<p>The lack of lens innovation from Nikon is really getting depressing.<br>

Would anyone really buy this as a stand alone lens?<br>

Kit lens ebay fodder - nothing more.<br>

The D7100 is an outstanding camera with no Nikon DX lens support.<br>

Sad.</p>

<p>Thank god for Sigma.</p>

 

<p>Andrew, the Sigma Dock did fix my 35mm f/1.4 on the D800E. I hope it fixes yours.</p>

<p>I would love to see a D400, and it would make sense to have decent kit lens with it. So I have hope that the 18-140mm is optically excellent. But with how slow it is I suspect it's already diffraction limited on a 24mp DX sensor even wide open.</p>