Nikon NIKKOR AF 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G Lens

The Nikon NIKKOR AF 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G Lens is a compact, lightweight standard zoom lens designed for Nikon F-mount cameras, offering a practical everyday focal range that made it a common kit and budget zoom option for both film and early digital Nikon SLR shooters. The 28-80mm range covers a useful span from moderate wide-angle to short telephoto, making it well suited to everyday photography, travel, family snapshots, and general shooting where flexibility matters more than specialized performance.

Optically, the lens is built from 6 elements in 6 groups, including one aspherical element to help maintain image quality and sharpness, with a variable maximum aperture of f/3.3 at the wide end narrowing to f/5.6 at full telephoto, down to a minimum of f/22. A rounded 7-blade diaphragm helps out-of-focus elements appear more natural, and the lens delivers a diagonal angle of view of 74 to 30 degrees.

Autofocus is driven by the camera body’s own focus motor (screw-drive AF), since this lens does not include its own internal AF motor; as a result, autofocus functions only on Nikon bodies equipped with a built-in focus motor, with cameras lacking one, including the D40-series, D50, D60, D3000-series, and D5000-series, limited to manual focus with this lens (manual focus and automatic exposure remain usable on those bodies). Zoom and focus are controlled via a two-touch design on the lens barrel.

As a G-type Nikkor lens, it lacks a physical aperture ring, relying instead on the camera body to control aperture settings electronically, which limits compatibility to Nikon camera bodies capable of setting aperture through the camera rather than the lens itself.

Build quality uses a lightweight plastic construction, available in black and silver finishes, keeping the lens genuinely compact and easy to carry. It has a closest focusing distance of 0.35m (1.1 ft.), yielding a magnification ratio of 1:3.4 (0.29x), and accepts a 58mm filter thread. The lens measures approximately 64-72mm in length by 66mm in diameter and weighs approximately 194-196g.

As a full-frame-compatible lens, the AF Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G produces its standard 28-80mm field of view on full-frame Nikon F-mount bodies and an effective 42-120mm equivalent field of view on APS-C (DX) bodies.

Key Features
– 28-80mm standard zoom for Nikon F-mount
– Maximum aperture f/3.3-5.6 (variable)
– 6 elements in 6 groups, including 1 aspherical element
– Rounded 7-blade diaphragm
– Screw-drive autofocus (requires camera body with built-in focus motor)
– Two-touch zoom/focus design
– G-type design (no aperture ring)
– Closest focusing distance of 0.35m (1.1 ft.); 1:3.4 magnification ratio
– 58mm filter thread
– Lightweight plastic construction (approximately 194-196g)
– No image stabilization; not weather-sealed
– Compatible with full-frame and APS-C (DX) Nikon F-mount cameras (confirm AF motor compatibility)