 One Lens for Vacations, Portraits and Fun |
| Review Date: April 27, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Stephen Green, Colorado Springs, CO United States |
I know what you're thinking: Seventeen hundred bucks or more for a mere midrange zoom?
There is nothing "mere" about this zoom!
Wide open, Nikon's new workhorse is sharper than most prime lenses. That's right -- I shoot all day long at f/2.8 (I like resulting blurry backgrounds) and never, never lack for sharpness. Being able to shoot f/2.8 at night doesn't stink, either.
Colors are vibrant, the bokeh (out of focus areas) is creamy, and you'll see ghosts and flares *only* when shooting straight into the sun. And I've never seen an autofocus do its thing so quickly or with such accuracy. I'm catching a lot of shots I used to miss.
No lens is perfect. This one has exactly three drawbacks.
1. It's pretty darn big for a midrange, so sometimes I miss Nikon's compact 18-200mm zoom. And that's without the massive lens hood in place. Snapped on, a big lens gets even bigger.
2. The zoom ring is too close to the camera body. I've only been shooting with it for a few days, but I keep grabbing the manual focus ring by mistake. There's a learning curve here, and I'm not yet over it.
3. It's in short supply. Good luck finding this beast at the suggested retail price.
On my D300 however, it's as perfect as a giant, expensive hunk of glass can get. It takes all my standard 77mm filters, and its DX-effective 35-105mm (approximate) zoom range makes it a great "walk around" lens. It goes wide enough for most landscape shots, and zeroes right in on my two-year-old's face.
But mostly I can't get over the sharpness, the color, and the responsiveness of the autofocus. I probably paid too much for mine, but it was worth every penny. |
Outstanding quality, as expected
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| Review Date: March 16, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Kyle Lanclos, California |
The image quality from this lens is, as other reviews indicate, nothing short of spectacular. Having used its ancestor, the Nikon 28-70mm f/2.8, I am not surprised in the least. Despite specifications to the contrary, the 24-70mm feels lighter in my hands than the 28-70mm did, and if it is possible, somewhat more responsive. Perhaps the weight distribution is more even in the 24-70mm than it was in the previous iteration.
After using this lens for a few weeks, two things did surprise me:
1. I don't miss VR in the slightest. I was, to put it mildly, dismayed to find out that Nikon did not include VR in their latest evolution of their fixed-aperture standard zoom. I was, to put it mildly, pleased to see that I get proper exposures with 1/100s shutter speed or higher in all the situations where it matters to me. The configurable auto-ISO on the D300 is a life-saver in this respect; I expect this observation will only become more true as camera technology improves. I suspect Nikon planned this all along.
2. The difference between f/2.8 and f/4.5 is substantial. For the longest time, I kept using my trusty 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 lens, because I felt sure that I wouldn't benefit very much from the extra 1/3 to 4/3 stops that the fixed f/2.8 lens has to offer. I was wrong.
I primarily use this lens indoors, and for basic portrait work. For these settings, it is exemplary; my only regret is that this lens may put my 50mm f/1.4 out of business. That would be a sad development.
Another area where this lens shines is quasi-macro work. With a reproduction ratio slightly better than 1:4, you get respectably close to small subjects, and have beautifully out-of-focus backgrounds at f/2.8 and 70mm. Shots of single flowers at close range against an interesting background, for example, turn out quite nicely.
I'm very much looking forward to using this lens for the next decade or two (or more). DX digital, FX digital, film-- whatever your game is, if you need a lens that covers this range, I don't think you will find any better than this for quite some time. |
Just about perfect! Contrasty, sharp, colorful, and versatile!
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| Review Date: February 3, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Roger J. Buffington, Huntington Beach, CA United States |
This is a magnificent piece of kit. The Nikon 24-70 F/2.8 is a professional -grade lens and shows this in every way. The build quality of this lens leaves nothing wanting--all metal construction, wonderful damping of the zoom ring--this is a beautiful instrument.
This is a full-frame lens, which means that it is suitable for FX Nikon cameras such as the new D3. However, this lens also performs wonderfully on the usual DX sensor for the other Nikon cameras such as the D200/300, D70s, D80, etc. When used on a DX camera, like all lenses, the focal length is increased by 50%. This is both good and bad. The "wide angle" end of the lens becomes 36mm rather than 24; on the other hand the 70mm zoom becomes 105mm--a very useful focal length. Overall, I love the range of this lens on a DX camera.
The image quality of this lens leaves nothing discernible to ask for. This is a razor-sharp lens at all apertures including wide open at F/2.8. Images on my D80 are colorful, contrasty, and did I say razor-sharp at all apertures? This lens is as good within its entire focal range as any prime lens I have seen, used, or heard of. Of course, the price of this lens reflects this, alas.
This is an AF-S lens, meaning that it contains an integral focusing motor (supersonic wave motor, or "SWM"). This, combined with the fact that this is an F/2.8 lens, causes it to focus lightening-fast. So this lens is great for action shots or low-light shots. Since this is an AF-S lens, it will autofocus on the D40/D60 series of Nikon bodies.
Some Nikon afficianados have complained that this lens does not have VR (Vibration Reduction) but VR is probably less important for a 24-70 focal range than for a longer zoom, and since this is an F/2.8 lens, it is usually feasible to increase the shutter speed of the shot to "freeze" the action.
A few points. The outer element of this lens extrudes, but not past the petal-configured supplied lens hood, which does a perfect job of protecting the front of the lens. Neat. One thing I am not crazy about is the relative placement of the manual focus ring and zoom ring. I sometimes confuse the two, and I think that given the fact that most people will use this lens in auto-focus mode rather than manual mode, Nikon might have placed the manual focus ring in a more out-of-the-way place. Not a big quibble.
This one is destined to be another Nikon legend! |
Wow!!!!!
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| Review Date: July 23, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Pamelot, WashingtonDC |
I've had the Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 for a while now, and it gave me such a problem! The pictures that lens took were so beautiful and sharp that I couldn't bring myself to use any other lens. Caused such difficulty when I wanted to take portraits. I had to step so far back that, frequently, I would miss the shot! Went to my son's pre-school graduation. The kids were all standing together, perfect opportunity for a picture. But I had to get so far away that all the other moms with their point and shoots were walking in front of me and blocking my shot! This happened time and time again--at school events, little league games, swim meets, and on and on... The Nikon 24-70 has solved my problem! Finally, a lens to compete with, and possible surpass, my beloved 70-200! It produces pictures that are every bit as beautiful as those produced by the 70-200. Indeed, they are indiscernable. So now, I can get right up there with the other moms and take wonderful portraits of my kids. Only problem now is that now I want a 2nd body so I can pull out this lens for portraits, and quickly switch to the 70-200 for action shots.
This is a great lens, and a perfect compliment to the Nikon 70-200. Unless you're into landscape photography (which I'm not), those two lenses should be all you'll need.
6/23/2009
It's been a while since I wrote this review, and I've now gotten that second body--a D700 (to go along with my D200). Now that I've had a chance to use the lens on the D700, I have to say that the pictures the combination produces far outshine those produced by the lens on the D200. That's saying a lot because I loved the pictures I took with this lens and the D200. But the D700 is such a superior camera that, coupled with the Nikon 24-70mm, it takes some of the most beautiful pictures I've ever seen. |
No need for prime
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| Review Date: September 30, 2008 |
| Reviewer: T C Knight, Arkansas |
For those of you who are satisfied with your 18-200 VR. You don't need this lens. I stuck with my f3.5-5.6 zoom for a long time because, heh, I took "good pictures". I adapted to low light, didn't miss f2.8. I was not convinced that a "pro" lens could make any difference visually...only if examining test shots of test patterns with a microscope.
I've been wrong before but this was a doozy. There is SUCH a HUGE visually noticable difference between shots made with this lens (and the 70-200 f2.8 VR) and my old stanby lenses that I about fell out of my office chair. My "good pictures" have become "great photographs". I now own both this and the 70-200. I sold my favorite lens of all time, a 24 mm prime, on a website. I'll never go back. You will get these two lenses from me when you pry them out of my cold dead fingers.
One more note. If you are like me and constantly read pro blogs and photo how-to books you will see most of the pros say something along the lines of "I don't use mid range zooms, I use wide angle for landscaps and long telephoto for close ups". I bought that for a while until I started looking closely at the metadata for photos they exhibit on their websites and books. Check it out, 6 times of 10, the lens is shown to be a 24-70 zoom. I use this lens almost exclusively for landscapes and lifestyle photos. I rarely go to a wider angle unless trying to make a visual "statement". So, here's one pro who says "I USE MID RANGE ZOOMS", and the Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 is usually the one on my D3 when I pick it up. |
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