From time to time I fall into a habit of only using certain lenses and overlooking other ones that are in my bag. Recently I was out doing some extension tube testing and I only brought my 1 Nikon 30-110 mm f/3.8-5.6 with me as this is my ‘go to’ lens for this application. I hadn’t used this lens as a regular telephoto zoom for quite a while. Circumstances led me to Bird Kingdom where I ended up using the 1 Nikon 30-110 mm without extension tubes to capture some bird images. The experience reminded me of the importance of reconnecting with camera gear we may not have used in a while.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.

Looking back it was my purchase of the 1 Nikon 30-110 mm f/3.8-5.6 that really put me on a path to use the Nikon 1 system extensively.

I can still remember how amazed I was that such a small lens could provide such good reach and image quality. Especially at such an affordable cost (about $280 Cdn).

The 1 Nikon 30-110 mm was the lens that initially got me grabbing my V2 more often, and going out to have some lightweight fun.

It didn’t take long before I began to better understand some of the capabilities of the Nikon 1 system including fast, accurate focusing and wonderful AF-C bursts at 15-fps with full auto-focus. For me, buying the 1 Nikon 30-110 mm ended up being a pivotal moment in my eventual choice of a camera system.

Many of us who shoot with the Nikon 1 system own the 30-110 mm f/3.8-5.6, and many of us also have the 10-100 mm f/4-5.6. If you’re like me you likely use the 10-100 mm much more than the 30-110 mm as it offers such a practical and useful focal length range.

In a way it’s too bad that the 10-100 mm f/4-5.6 is such a great walk-around lens as it makes it easy to overlook the 30-110 mm which is really a wonderful, little lens.

For folks who are just starting out with the Nikon 1 system and likely have a body with one of the 10-30 mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lenses, adding the 30-110 mm is a great way to extend the shooting capability of your system at very little cost.

My wife has recently become quite interested in photography and she’s using one of my Nikon 1 V2s as she prefers a camera with an EVF. She likes the convenience of the 10-30 mm f/3.5-5.6 PD zoom and it makes no difference to her that the lens will not accept filters. While on our recent photography tour she had the opportunity to use the 30-110 mm and she really loved the small size and added reach that the lens provides.

Luckily I was able to find a new, ‘open box’ 30-110 mm on sale and purchased a second copy for my kit as this will extend the life of my system when shooting macro-type images with extension tubes. It will also give us some added flexibility when we are out photographing together.

Regardless of the camera format that you may have chosen, you may have some lenses that you have not used in a while. If you do, I encourage you to reconnect with that gear. You may discover a past love with whom a renewed romance may blossom!

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