The Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF Lens

It's been a while (again) since I've posted. I've actually been out almost every weekend since my last post at the beginning of October, using my Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF lens. It's both a challenge and a pleasure.
 
I read a review by someone else of this lens and they said that after they got it they hardly used any other lens at all. I have to say I am having the same experience. I've put my 70-210 on the camera a couple of times in the last almost 2 months, perhaps only once (there's only one time I'm sure of but there could have been another time I'm forgetting).

The Challenges of this Lens

I have a couple of challenges with this lens: 1) composition, and 2) sharpness.
 

As for composition, there are a few things too watch out for. One of my outings was to Mt. Lemmon just north of Tucson, AZ. I shot some mid-morning pictures, some in high contrast situations. While I like this shot to the left, the wide angle ends up including a lot in the frame. So much so that it's hard to ensure there's something to focus on when looking at the picture. You really need to concentrate on singling out a subject in the image and trying to eliminate as much clutter as possible.
 
It really helps to get as close as possible to whatever you choose as the subject. That will automatically reduce the non-essential items in the frame. Sometimes that isn't easy, however, such as like in this pic where I was nervous putting my $3,000 camera and lens in a creek. And because of that, I'm really glad the lens has a zoom.
 
I've also come to really enjoy the fixed aperture. I often don't have to re-focus when changing the focal length. If I have the lens on auto-focus I don't notice it re-focusing when I zoom in and out. What a pleasure! I wish all of my other lenses were the same!
 
So those are the two biggest composition issues - reducing clutter in the image and getting close enough to something in the foreground to make it pop out. But it's nice having the wide angle available to give me those challenges! 

Sharpness

A number of the pics I've taken don't seem particularly sharp. The reviews I'd read, at least a good number of them, claimed it was a sharp lens except at the ends of the focal length or aperture. I was hoping 17 or 18 mm at f/8 to f/16 would be good, which is what I'd read about being the sweet areas.
 
What I've found out, though, is that on my D610, the best pics are (of course) shot from a tripod using the mirror up. Once I do that the pics really look good.
 
On a bit of a tangent, one other minor problem I have is with getting enough filter. I haven't bought a CPL because I'm not sure how well they'll work due to the wide angle. I have used my Galen Rowell grad ND on the Cokin mount but it's not dark enough. I want a darker GND and a full ND Cokin mount in order to take the "silky" water images with this lens. 

Conclusion

Other folks have written a lot of reviews about this lens with more technical abilities that I have. But I can honestly say I really really like this lens and have zero regrets about spending over $1,000 on it. I really like taking pictures and this lens lets me take pictures I couldn't otherwise take without the wide angle. I'd consider a prime but I'm not sure the Nikon 20mm is wide enough. I end up shooting at 16mm a lot (I try to bump it up to 17 if I remember). For what I do I don't feel limited by the f/4 aperture. One of the claims to fame for this lens is the VR and while I have used it, and it does make a difference when shooting hand held, most of what I do is on the tripod and I have the VR turned off.
 
The bottom line is that between this lens and my D610 I get excited to take more pictures and to try to improve my pictures. The equipment is NOT my limiting factor - my ability is. And that's something I can work on.
 
Here's one more shot with this lens (you should be able to click on it to see a larger version of this picture):
 


Oak Creek, Manzanita Campground, Sedona, AZ