Nikon 24-70mm – As Close To A Perfect Nikon Lens As You Can Get?

Reviewed by Ben Lee, http://dslrlensesonline.com editor.

Buy the Nikon 24-70mm from Amazon and receive FREE shipping.

Image quality – Rating:
Build quality – Rating:
Ease of use – Rating:
Lens features – Rating:
Value for money – Rating:

The Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor Wide Angle Zoom Lens is a highly capable lens and has been often touted as the world’s sharpest lens.  It is that good that what this lens doesn’t do isn’t worth knowing about in my honest opinion.

Those of you who like to feel something solid between your hands will enjoy this all metal lens with an engraved zoom ring. Both auto and manual focus are a joy to use and operate and are both highly accurate and fast at finding focus.

There is barely a lens better at having the ability to lock onto a subject with such precision and accuracy.

The 24-70mm enjoys a high degree of compatibility allowing you to use it on all DX and FX sensor bodies, however this rather large full frame lens would be suited to an FX camera.

While this lens will still give you flawless performance on a DX camera, this lens is definitely more geared towards a full frame body as the price and focal range suggests.

At a glance..

• AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens
• Compatible with the D40, D60, D80, D90, and D300
• 36-105mm effective focal length for APS-C sensor cameras
• Versatile zoom range for landscapes, people photography, and everyday shooting
• Minimum focus distance: 16 in.
• Lens construction: 15 elements in 11 groups
• Maximum aperture: f/2.8
• Minimum focus distance: Approx. 1.2 feet (Middle)
• Minimum aperture: f/22
• Maximum reproduction ratio: 1/3.7
• No. of diaphragm blades: 9 (rounded)
• Picture Angle: 61 – 22 degrees 50 minutes (Nikon DX-format)
• Filter attachment size: 77mm
• Dimensions: Approx, 3.3 in x 5.2 in (83 x 133mm) Weight: Aprox. 2.45 lbs.(900 g)

The best feature of this lens is the extraordinary image quality throughout the range., with the only slightly sour point being the noticeable barrel distortion wide open at 24mm.

While it is not the worst case of barrel distortion I have ever seen, it is noticeable. The good news is that it can be easily corrected in photo editing software without affecting the integrity of your image.

Unlike other lenses where you have to flick a switch (accidentally or otherwise) to move from auto focus to manual focus, the 24-70mm f/2.8G ED allows you to simply rotate the focus ring if you would prefer to use manual focus.

This may seem like a small thing, but it is a big plus to me and I know it would be to other photographers out there – particularly in those heat-of-the-moment type situations like shooting wildlife where you need to quickly and accurately switch between auto and manual focus.

The Good

spectacular image quality superb build quality (and a lovely flawlessly operating zoom ring) can be useful for macro shots with the combination of f/2.8 and a relatively close focusing distance fast, accurate auto focus

The Bad

the Nikon 24-70mm may be considered by some to be ‘bulky’ – can often feel like you are using a long telephoto in the field one person who bought this lens complained that the zoom ring was too close to the camera body and can be confused with the manual focus

Who is this lens good for? Anyone really. The highly workable 24-70mm focal range and super fast f/2.8 aperture means this lens can be comfortably used in a wide range of scenarios.

Some have expressed concern of the lack of vibration reduction (VR) technology featured in this lens. My personal opinion is that the relatively ‘wide’ focal range and fast aperture will negate the need for the use of VR in most cases and if not just use a tripod.

Furthermore, the addition of any extra technology may have pushed the price up beyond many consumers reach.

My final piece of advice would be not to buy this lens unless you own (or plan to upgrade to) a FX body. Aside from the extra weight and price that you will incur, the 24-70 is obviously closer to a medium range telephoto on a DX body. Of course the end decision is up to you.. just a little reminder.

Overall Rating:

The Nikon 24-70mm is available now on Amazon and is actually in stock. Some people seem to be under the impression that this lens is hard to find in stock, but this is not the case at the time of writing (July 18 2010).

Related posts:

1. Nikon 70-300mm Review – Discover A Hidden Gem Of A Lens
2. Nikon 50mm 1.8 – Read The Review And Get Excited!
3. The Nikon 80-400mm – Telephoto Performance Without The Bulk Of A Telephoto Lens

Filed under: Nikon DSLR Lenses

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