Light weight
Good wide to short telephoto range
VR function is excellent
Price very competitively

Focus ring and zoom ring are reversed from other Nikon zooms I own
f3.5 to 5.6 aperture much slower than I would like

Before purchasing this lens, as part of a kit with the D700, I had read some very negative reviews. I however in the short time I've had the lens have been very pleased with its performance. While not as fast as my f2.8 28-70 the VR function has seemed to make up for it. the quality at both ends of the zoom has been much better than I was lead to believe by other reviews. My main purpose with this purchase was to get a lighter weight walk about lens with a good zoom range. To this point the 24-120 is performing above my expectations.

Customer Service

Not need, hope I never do with this lens

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 28-70 AF-S f2.8

On quality of a picture the objective has made upon me sweet enough impression. Though some abuse him for "softness", but laboratory findings say, that rather low sharpness is across the field detected only on long focus, in gamuts from 28 to 85 mm it is sharp enough. Besides, I would not began to consider this feature of an objective as a minus because from it very decent portraits are gained. It is possible to tell, that "softness" in portraits is enough.
If you still do not have accessory lens and you only reflect, what of them to get, I would advise to begin with AF-S Nikkor 24-120/3.5-5.6G VR IF-ED. It is suitable for many views of shooting and quite there matches to measure the price/quality, and system VR partly exchanges a relative aperture.
Certainly, it not the unique solution, after all depending on preferences of the photographer to its services is also another megazoom - Nikkor 28-200. So, if your interests are in telefield, you have a select. If your style demands wide spanning of space, 24-120 - for you. On the other hand, if you are engaged in a wide angle seriously think about something more the wide-angle is better, type 18-45 though such objective can be and second. Technically Nikkor 24-120 it is, of course, most perfect in the class.

The appreciable distortion on short focus which in an urban landscape should be masked somehow is a little unpleasant. (minimal focusing distance - 0,5m) the objective is not intended for macroshooting, and usual 18-55 mm are in this respect better. In general, an objective not for fans of wildlife, its niche - a city, travelings.
Be cautious, shoting from the built-in flash at focus of 24 mm, - there can be a shade from a lenshood. Without a blind the objective of a shade does not give neither at the full pulling out, nor on the shortest focus.
The objective refers to to the transitive generation and approaches any more to any Nikon filmSLR (there is no ring of diaphragms), but without restrictions "has a seat" on DSLR. But here there is a subtlety: if at competitors meet fullframe models all digital Nikon have an APS-format matrix, and, means, objectives give more "long-focus" picture. That is on DSLR this objective works approximately as 37-200 on a film. It, in blanket it is, enough, if to use 24-120 as a regular objective but if you are inclined to wider spanning this gamut can be already insufficient.

In the nomenclature of the company-manufacturer objective AF-S Nikkor 24-120 is carried to wide-angle zooms, but on solved problems it, of course, a normal objective. It also weighs only 575 ?, that should like those who does not like to carry a heavy bag.
Certainly, the objective with relative aperture f/3,5-5,6 cannot apply for the status professional which usually has f/2,8, but corresponding ?????????????? Nikkor with f/2,8 more hard, much more expensively and has a range of focuses only 28-70.
The first objective Nikkor supplied with the silent wave motor of a drive of an auto focus (Silent Wave Motor - SWM) and not concerning the pro-ruler, was AF-S Zoom Nikkor 24-85/2.8-4G IF-ED.
The novelty, besides presence SWM, possesses also the optical stabilizer of the image, allowing to use longer shutter at weak illumination - system VR (Vibration Reduction ), firm working out of company Nikon. After Canon, Nikon - the second firm in the market which began to introduce similar systems in the objectives (since 1999).
And here now owners of cameras Nikon can enjoy job with a "standard" zoom 24-120/3 IF-ED, supplied with system of clearing of fluctuations, which in the sizes even less than the predecessor without system VR. And an objective rather inexpensive.
System VR in any sense replaces high relative aperture - after all it is possible to remove at the maximum focal length of 120 mm even with endurance 1/8. I really tried it, and results have justified expectations. The system is intended not only to remove on completely open diaphragm, - she creates comprehensible depth of sharpness when conditions do not allow as it is necessary to "twirl" a diaphragm on a usual objective.

Customer Service

No

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor AF-S DX 18-55 mm 1:3.5-5.6
NIKON AF 28-105 mm f/3.5-4.5D IF
NIKON AF-S 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 ED-IF DX Zoom-Nikkor
NIKON AF 18-200 mm f/3.5-5.6 ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor
SIGMA AF 17-70 mm F2.8-4.5 DC MACRO /HSM
SIGMA AF 18-50 mm f2.8 EX DC MACRO HSM

Versatility and range. Price. Lens cap.

Not the sharpest tack in the drawer but good enough for 95% of the folks on this planet.

This lens really seems to get a vast variance of reviews....really good and really bad. Well, my experiance has been mostly very good.

I will not get into technical details, the techies can do that, my review is on real world usage.

I have taken over 10,000 images with this lens. It worked great on my F100. I purchased the lens to be used for mountaineering, my 17-35 was just too heavy and did not have the range that I needed, I tried the 18-35 briefly but the range was the real issue. I switched over to the 24-120VR as soon as it was released and have found it a joy. It has been on every mountain that I have climbed since I purchased it. It has been banged, dropped, sank, and lost...and it still keeps ticking. I am impressed with the range and the VR at 120. It can get very windy and cold at high elevations and the the VR helped me in situations that were marginal at best. It has worked fine at 25 below zero and at 110 degrees.

You can argue forever about the techical attributes of this optic but the 12x18's in my family room attest to the fact that this lens is plenty good enough for me.

I highly recommend it.

Customer Service

None

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 17-35, 18-38, 20-35

Sharp
light
excellent range
VR
good optics
Price

None, as long as you use this lense within its limitations 24-120mm

I purchased this lense for my D200, because I did not want to wait for Nikons 18-200, first off I love the VR system and the range of this lense quite a lot, eventhough I have other faster lenses, this the one that I keep on my D200 most of the times. It is an excellent lense and I no longer long for the 18-200

Similar Products Used:

Nikion 18-35mm
Nikon 10.5mm
Nikon af 80-200mm
Tamron 28-75mm

Very solid compact, look nice design

none

this is a good compact lens and it hangs out uotdoor with me all the time. I use body Nikon D2H with this lens, and it give me more good photos. of cousre, the images quality cannot compare with my other 2.8 wide angle lens cost more than one thousands, but for who traveler or someone hang out all the time. this one is the good compact zoom from 24 up to 120. I laso love VR function. D2H is good camera in low light with this lens' VR.

Customer Service

none

Similar Products Used:

more Nikon and Sigma lenses

VR works great, Relativly Compact Design, Excellent focus lens coverage (24mm to 120mm). Excellent contrast and sharpness in it's price range. Excellent value for the money.

72mm filter thread, distortion at wideangle, G design with no apeature ring.

An excellent mid-range lens, VR feature does help a lot under low light condition but not really good for action shots since people will be moving and blured out regardless of VR. Excellent contrast and edge sharpness compare to it's competitors. AF-s works like a charm - quite and fast, though not as fast as pro AF-s lens with 2.8 aperture.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

AF-d 24-85mm F2.8-4

(1) Awsome contrast and colour saturation far beyond what i thought it would be (2) Fast Autofocus (3) VR works a treat, even when trying to shoot a bird at 120mm using slow shutter speeds still got part of the bird sharp enough and the rest of the bird blurred in motion, which actually looked like i did it on purpose - but didnt obviously. (4) Nice heavy size - feels solid - MADE IN JAPAN - Where all the best Nikon gear is made (5) Easy switch to MA / A mode (via switch) (6) Sharp images with VR on, very impressed (7) Colour rendition is supurb, excellent glass (8) Nice weight balance on my F6

(1) Focus ring abit notchy only if you compare it to a 28-70 F2.8 focus ring, but not a big issue, but could be for fine adjustments (2) Lens Hood is extremely hard to get on and click into place, maybe its just mine, but very very hard (3) when set a 120mm front of the lens is a little wobbly, feels abit cheap when you see this i think, but no issues with it yet.

What i cannot understand is the amount of people saying this lens is rubbish and that they dont get sharp images. I went to the Hunter Valley (wine country) just out of sydney on the weekend. It was Windy, overcast, even sometimes abit of rain, and also some very small breaks of sunshine. Just got the photos back yesterday and i was shocked to see how well this lens really performed. With fast shutter speeds there is no such thing as a non sharp image. I did get images that were not sharp but what do you expect on a cloudy day !!! We all know that when the sun is out this is a photographers dream in terms of having sharp images as we can use slower F numbers and use faster shutter speeds. This lens is a dream (see below)

Similar Products Used:

If you can get this 2nd hand as i did for a bargain GO FOR IT !!!!!!!!! i apid less than half price, and it was the the box new used about 5 rolls of film i was told.

None so far.

Soft focus.

Very soft focus, even with VR. I have returned it for exchange in hopes it is simply a defective lens.

Customer Service

From B&H - great. But be sure you know whether you're going to keep the product before you send in the warranty form. Once it's sent, you can exhange, but not return.

Similar Products Used:

80-400 Nikkor VR 18-70 Nikkor DX

VR is nice.

Good, but not really one of the greats.

Convenient walking around lens. Slow f-stop is not totally offset by the VR. I can see a film user really liking the range, but 24mm isn't that wide with a 1.5x crop factor. Then, 120mm, even at 1.5x isn't that deep. VR is all they say it is. With this lens, I enjoy shooting from moving cars, and airline window photos of city skylines. Overall, and average lens at a decent price, made special by VR.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

50mm f1.4, 20mm f1.8, 105 f2.8 Micro makes a better kit.

Zoom range AF-S VR build quality pic quality from 70-120mm

24-50mm range typical colors, contrast, sharpness for anything more then a 3.5x zoom. f/5.6 (2.8-4 would be a dream here) already f/5 at 50mm

a nice walkaround/holidaylens looking at the technical features. Unfortuneatly I did not like the results from 24-50mm. I tried three different ones within 4 months, I really wanted one, and finally gave up. This VR/IS makes a good one as long as nobody moves (hey, stop, I'd like to take a pic of you). But it does not replace really fast glass like f/1.4 The only use I see for this lens is the replacement for a 28-200G.

Customer Service

kind, fast and good.

Similar Products Used:

18-70 DX (better) 24-85 AF-S (better, but sold)