Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8-4D AF Zoom-Nikkor

i find this lense very appealing, becoz of its huge and macho feel, i dont want small lenses, but feature wise this lense is practically sharp, im gonna rate it 9.5/10 and it also has a very close focussing distance, like if i put on the hood and place the hood directly ont the table it would still focus and shoot.. :) its like an inch close to the subject or 1.5 " not really sure but thats how i see it.. it uses 72mm filter so thats not so expensive not unlike the sigma 24-70 uses 82mm and thats much expensive... i really love this lense and it does'nt come out of my d300 :) its practically one of my best lense, considering its a 2.8-4 lense, its fast. i cant afford the 24-70 2.8 lense but this lense wont let you down.. id really recomend this lense! :)

japan made, built like a tank!
72mm filter only..
fast lense, 2.8-4
macro capable, 1:2 ratio.
very close focussing at 1-1.5" distance.
good quality pics
very sharp..

heavier than that smaller version non macro lense 24-85 wd 67mm filter
more expensive also, maybe because its a japan lense :)

Note: price paid is 550 Euro's.


This is a great lens, outstanding quality for a zoom of this range and great value for money, but make sure you test your lens before buying! :

Sample variation seems to be the problem with this lens.
I tried out 7 different samples before finding one that worked properly on my D2X. The differences between the samples was not so much a question of optical quality: comparing the lenses I discovered that softness of the image was mainly due to the camera focusing slightly behind of in front of the target with some samples.
The sample I ended up with is sharp beyond belief for a zoom of this price! Center sharpness is outstanding and edge sharpness is more than acceptable even wide open at all focal lengths and that is where this lens is truly worth the money: it is actually usable at f2.8 (24mm) and f4 (85mm). Which makes it ideal for quick changing situations involving portraits and more than one person in the frame when light levels are low.
Stopped down a stop or two the results are comparable to a prime lens.
The macro function is also very handy and actually really usable in spite of the fact that the switch is a bit fiddly to use: you need to refocus the lens to a distance beyond the macro range in order to switch it off.
Distorsion is there: visible barrel distorsion at the wide end and some pincussion at the tele end.

I made some comparisons, but as mentioned above, sample variation is an issue, probably even more so for the cheaper lenses, and if you want to be sure you'll have to test the lenses yourself before buying!

I compared this lens to the nikkors 17-55 2.8, 24-85 3.5-4.5, and 24-50 3.3-4.5, to the Sigma's 24-70 2.8 EX DF and 15-30 3.5-4.5 EX and to the tamron 90mm 2.8 SP macro.
The Sigma's are soft at the edges unless heavily stopped down and had less contrast overall than the Nikkor 24-85.

To make a long story short, the only lenses that gave better results than the Nikkor 24-85, were the Nikkor 17-55 2.8 (which was sharper at the edges, and better corrected for distortion and chromatic aberration but costs three times more) and the tamron 90mm 2.8 (sharper overall and no distortion whatsoever but it's one of the best lenses out there).
This is still a hell of a result for 550 Euro zoom!

I'd say that if you are looking for a quality zoom lens in the range 24-85mm and don't want to spend the 1500 Euro's or more for the Nikkor fixed focal length zooms, and still want to have a usable 2.8-4 aperture, then this is the lens to buy.

f2.8 - f4 are usable in the real world. Sharp and contrasty at all focal lengths. Sharp enough even wide open. Edge sharpness is good enough. Very handy range of focal lengths.

Sample variation.
Chromatic aberration at the edges when wide open. Visible barrel distorsion. Macro switch is fiddly to use.

Nikkor 17-55 2.8, Nikkor 24-85 3.5-4.5, Nikkor 24-50 3.3-4.5, Sigma 24-70 2.8, Sigma 15-30 3.5-4.5

This is the best zoom lens I have owned.The focal length range is really excellent for weddings and for people in general.You can use it indoors and out.Takes the place of 24,35,50 and 85.The speed is very decent and useful.My lens must be one of the better samples.Never a problem.Sharp as a prime lens,all around.If you have a 14mm or a 20mm and this one,you are all set.After that get the 180mm F2.8 to complete your kit.

Very good focal length range and usable,real world speed.Good for digital and film.Works nicely on D70 and becomes a 35mm-120 which is also very usable for people.Compact.

I prefer push-pull to this one which is twist to zoom, twist to focus if you are not in auto focus mode. The lens is a bit large in circumference but it is short,which I like.The flower style lens shade looks weird but is very useful.I never shoot without it.Some lens flare is to be found shooting toward the sun but well controlled.If you want a zoom with no flare get the 35mm-105mm F3.5-4.5AF if you can find one.This one lens takes the place of four primes and almost matches except for the flare,as mentioned.

35-105mmAF,35mmF2,50mmF1.4,20mmF2.8-Nikkors.105mm Micro Nikkor.All AF.

I have owned this lens for three and a half years. Mine is tack sharp. This is a sharp, contrasty, versatile, high speed zoom lens. Very good for travel photograpy and landscape photography.

small size, shapness, high speed, good zoom range from 24mm! suited for travel and ladnscape. also you can get an excellent result for portrait. macro is really convenient while you are travelling.

not so much easy to focus manually with my F3T. But still, I used it at cloudy, dark sea and got an excellent result, all focused correctly.

NIKON AFD28-70, 35-70. Tamron 28-200.

Not used for this product. I've got an excellent experience when my assistant inadvertently dropped my AFD20mm/f2.8 in sand at a coast.

I'm very surprise when reading negative review about this lense. I bought this lens to use with my Nikon F90X & F80 after seeing another photographer in the area use it. The AF is extremely quick and quiet and the pics are very sharp if the lens was stopped down to around f/8-f/11 but at 24mm this lens is fast to F2.8 Certainly we can't compare to the true macro lense, but Macro 1:2 is good in this general zoom lense.

All in one zoom lense. Fast: 24mm f2.8 A very sharp lens with excellent contrast and colour rendition.

A bit soft at 2.8

Nikkor AF 28-105. Nikkor AF 80-200ED f2.8 Nikkor AF 50 f1.4 Tamron AF 28-200 Many lenses Canon MF