Original Nikon AF 28mm from 1986, one of the first AF Nikkor lenses — affordable autofocus wide-angle.
The Nikon AF Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 is the original autofocus version of Nikon's popular 28mm wide-angle prime from 1986, one of the first AF Nikkor lenses produced. It brought autofocus convenience to the most popular wide-angle focal length, part of the initial AF Nikkor lens lineup.
The optical design is similar to the manual focus AI-S predecessor, delivering sharp images with Nikon's clean wide-angle rendering. The screw-drive autofocus provides focusing via the camera body's AF motor, and the 28mm perspective covers the classic wide-angle field of view for everyday wide-angle photography.
Build quality is early AF Nikkor standard with a compact barrel and the screw-drive coupling. The lens lacks the D-type distance information of the later 28mm f/2.8D, but otherwise provides similar optical quality and handling characteristics.
The original AF Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 is slightly cheaper than the D version on the used market, offering autofocus wide-angle capability at the lowest possible cost. The optical quality difference versus the D version is negligible — the main distinction is the absence of distance information for 3D metering.