Review | Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm
The Nikkor 24-70mm was the goal for me. When I made the move to Nikon, it was mostly because of this lens. This lens has such a great reputation among professional and serious amateur photographers, and rightly so. A took me several months of hard saving up the considerable amount of money this lens cost, during which I made do with my only lens being a Nikkor 50mm f1.4 G. I can whole heartedly say the wait was worth it. I use this lens so often; it barely comes off of my Nikon D700.
Read on for my full, in depth review of this lens.
As with all pro-grade Nikkor lenses, you get a nice, shiny gold box, that includes the lens, a 77mm lens cap, a soft carry case and a frankly huge metal lens hood. And for the price, I would expect nothing less.
The full name of the lens gives some clue as to what you can expect for your money.
Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f2.8 ED IF G N.
- AF-S – The auto-focusing motor is built into the lens, and is quick, accurate and virtually silent in operation.
- 24-70mm – The lens has focal range of 24mm to 70mm on FX and 35mm SLR’s. This becomes the equivalent of 36mm to 105mm on DX and cropped frame cameras.
- ED – Extra Dispersion Element.
- IF – Internal Focusing. At no point during operation will any part of the lens move or rotate.
- G – Gelded. The lens has no aperture ring. This restricts the use of this lens of some older Nikon film cameras.
- N – Nano Crystal Coat. – A recently developed glass coating unique to Nikon that improves contrast and greatly reduces flare and ghosting in images.
When you first pick up the Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8, the first thing you will notice is the build quality. Tipping the scales at just shy of 1kg, no one is going to deny it’s a heavy, substantial lens. The outer case of the lens is solid epoxy metal, and the large zoom and focus rings are high quality rubber, with an extremely tight fit. The lens feels solid and well balanced in the hand and of course on the camera. The crowning jewel of this lens is its gigantic front element, which has a large 77mm diameter filter thread. Hidden inside this chunk of metal and glass is a Nikon AF-S, autofocus motor, which provides lighting fast and accurate autofocus for every single shot without making a single sound. (You can see a quick video of the focus speed on my Youtube Channel here)
The focal range of 24-70mm is, in my opinion, one of the great aspects of the lens. The ability to go from wide angle to short telephoto in one lens, while maintaining excellent image quality is testament to this lens versatility. There is so much you can do with this focal range, especially with a faster aperture of f2.8 throughout. This lens can do wide, sweeping landscapes to close, head and shoulder portraits and everything else between. Although not macro lens as such, I still enjoy using this lens for still life and product shots due to it particularly close focusing ability of 0.38m. The Nikkor 24-70mm is a superb all rounder lens, and that’s why it lives on my D700 95% of the time!
The 24-70mm has fast aperture of f2.8, making it great in low light situations, especially where you need the flexibility of a zoom lens. This lens is a favourite of event and wedding photographer everywhere for good reason. I don’t want to keep repeating myself, but this lens is just so damn versatile, no matter what the environment, the amount of available light, or the type of subject, this lens delivers seriously quality images.
So, the perfect lens? The best of the best? For me, absolutely. It’s has unique combination of versatility, reliability and excellent optics that make the Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 worth every penny. If I had to think of one downside, It would be that the lens is a little heavy, and especially so when using it for hours at a time. But maybe that more to me having weak arms, rather than the lens being too heavy!
Overall, I cannot do anything but highly recommend this lens. If you are shooting on an FX camera, such as a D3s or D700, then why the hell do you not already have it!? If you are shooting DX, than seriously consider the Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8, optically it will be superior to anything else you can use, but it will depend upon your own style of shooting if the cropped equivalent view of this lens will become restrictive. If you think you will be, maybe you should consider the DX equivalent of this lens, the Nikkor 17-55mm f2.8.
If there is one thing you can take away from this review, is that you should go for the best. Forget cheaper alternatives, like the Sigma, or Tamron. Avoid the Nikkor 24-120 f4 VR like the plague. It’s not even in the same league as it’s marginally more expensive f2.8 cousin. Please, put the work in, take your time, be patient and save up to get the Nikon 24-70mm f2.8. Once you have it, it will be the best standard zoom lens you will probably own for a very long time!
Focal length | 24-70 mm |
---|---|
Maximum aperture | f/2.8 |
Minimum aperture | f/22 |
Lens construction | 15 elements in 11 groups (with 3 ED glass elements, 3 aspherical lenses and one Nano Crystal Coat) |
Picture angle | 84° – 34°20’ (61° – 22°50’ with DX-format camera) |
Closest focusing distance | 0.38 m/1.2 ft. (with focal length 35-50 mm |
Maximum reproduction ratio | 1/3.7 |
No. of diaphragm blades | 9 (rounded) |
Filter/attachment size | 77 mm |
Focusing | Internal Focusing (IF) system; autofocus with a built-in SWM and manual focus |
Diameter x length (extension from lens mount) |
Approx. 83 x 133 mm/3.3 x 5.2 in. |
Weight | Approx. 900 g/31.7 oz. |
Supplied accessories |
Bayonet Hood HB-40, Semi-soft Case CL-M3
|
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About the Author
Written by Chris Scuffins
Chris Scuffins is a creative photographer and blogger from Gloucestershire. With years of experience in landscape and commercial photography, he now concentrates on capturing creative, natural and beautiful fashion and lifestyle portraiture, as well as photojournalistic wedding photography.
4 Responses to Review | Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm
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This is the blog of Chris Scuffins, a hardworking, creative photographer from Gloucestershire.
With years of experience in landscape and commercial still life photography, his focus now lies on capturing creative, natural and beautiful fashion and lifestyle portraiture, as well as a fun, relaxed approach to photojournalistic wedding photography.
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I agree fully. It’s a great lens. Both it and my 14-24mm f/2.8 are almost always either on my D3s or in my camera bag. The only fault I can find with this lens, and a few other Nikon lenses, is that the rubber grips on the zoom control quickly wear out. I’m on my second or third on my 24-70 and I’ve replaced the one on my 14-24 as well. I’m not sure what’s happening to them. They seem to loose their stretch and just slide around. They’re not very expensive, so I don’t mind replacing them, but I don’t really stress my lenses much so I don’t know why this is happening.
Thanks for your comment! I’ve never come across that problem with a lens before, sounds pretty bad! I was concerned about the zoom “grinding” on the 24-70mm, but my copy seem good. I’ve only had the lens 3 or 4 months, so no signs of problems yet, but if there was I would get it fixed asap. You don’t expect that from a lens of this price. I guess we’ll see how it goes!
As for the 14-24, that’s a lens I really really want, but I have to concentrate on the getting the 70-200mm next I think.
Of course, it all depends on your requirements. My 70-200 is a great lens, but it stays in the closet most of the time. I don’t take pictures of sports events or other venues that require that long of a lens all that often so I don’t get too much use out of it.
Up until recently the 14-24 and 24-70 were my “go everywhere” lenses. However, a few months ago, I picked up the new 35mm f/1.4 G and I find myself using it more and more than the 24-70, especially inside.
Beneficial info and excellent design you got here! I want to thank you for sharing your ideas and putting the time into the stuff you publish! Great work!