"Peter Dziulka" wrote in message <01bcea0e$6dc15600$43f00b81@shrimp>...

>I am new to photography so I need to ask somebody's advice.
>
>I bought a second Nikon FE camera a couple of months ago with a 50mm lens.
>I was quite pleased with my new purchase so I decided to buy a 28mm lens as
>well. I bought a second hand 28mm series E lens at a reputable dealer
>(Techno - UK gives 6 months guarantee on all second hand equipment).
>
>I am slightly disappointed with this lens. I haven't used it extensively
>yet, but it seems to me that the pictures are not as sharp as they are with
>the 50mm f1.8 lens, this is mostly noticeable away from the center of the
>image (most pictures I took so far were taken with large aperatures ,say,
>f2.8 and f4).
>
>The question is:
>Is there something wrong with the lens, should I take it back?
>Are these results to be expected from this type of lens used at wide
>apertures?
>Am I doing something wrong?

You are describing one of Nikon's very few "klunker" lenses (and the early,
non-D version of the AF 28mm f2.8 had the same optics, I think [and the
AF-D is very noticeably better]). I would try it at f11-16 and see if this is
good enough for you (28mm is easier to hand-hold at slower speeds,
so this may not be too bad...) before returning it. BTW, most 28mm
primes and zooms do not perform well at the edges and corners wider
than about f5.6 (many zooms need f11 or smaller to clean up the corners,
if they clean up at all....). The 50mm f1.8 is generally an excellent lens, and
a good reference for judging the image quality of other lenses - though you
may find that many lenses will not be as good, especially at stops wider
than f5.6 or so...
Hope This Helps
David Ruether - http://www.fcinet/com/ruether