Nikon 24 70mm f 2 8G ED AF S Nikkor Wide Angle Zoom Lens

The fast, wide-angle to medium telephoto AF-S zoom lens from Nikon is optimized for edge-to-edge sharpness on both the Nikon FX (23.9 x 36mm) and DX-format image sensors, with focus as close as 14.9 inches. Enhanced optical formulas, engineered to produce exceptional sharpness, contrast and color, render outstanding image integrity, while two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements and PGM aspherical lenses futher control chromatic aberrations at even the widest aperture settings It has an exclusive Nano Crystal Coat to reduce ghosting and flare for even greater image clarity. The Nikon Silent Wave Motor (SWM) enables ultra high-speed autofocusing with exceptional accuracy and powerful, super-quiet operation, while the Internal Focus (IF) provides fast and quiet auto focusing without changing the length of the lens and M/A Focus Mode switch enables quick response to changing situations between Auto and Manual focus operation. With all these features, as well as an incredible resilience to dust, water and general wear and tear, the Nikon 24-70mmf/2.8G ED Lens is a welcome way to meet your telephotography needs. Internal Focus (IF) provides auto focusing without changing the length of the lens M/A Focus Mode switch enables quick changing between Auto and Manual focus operation.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Very pleased with this lens
I was frustrated with low light shooting situations, don’t care for flash much, so this was my choice. This lens is the one that just stays on my D5000 body. Travel shots, catching the grandkids at play or whatever, it is the most universal lens I could ask for. It is super fast to focus, produces razor sharp images and the weight helps steady things a bit. I also wanted the new 70-200mm F2.8, but I know I will do more shooting in this range than any other. I love it.

1 Star pronounced front focus on wide end
The copy of the Nikon 24-70 f2.8 lens that I received exhibited gross front focus. The front focus was so severe that no special testing was needed to see the effect. The problem started to decrease after approximately 36mm, but continued throughout the remainder of the focal length. Because the front focus was more pronounced toward the wide end and less severe at 70mm, the use of the fine tune feature in my D300 would only correct one end or the other. I took the lens to a local store and found the problem reproducible with a D300s body. Auto focus or manual focus gave the same results. The problem was the same irrespective of focus point used. I only tried the single shot method, as I rarely use the continuous shooting mode. I had back focus issues with two Canon 5D bodies and the Canon 24-70L f2.8 lens. After sending both bodies and the 24-70L lens to Canon repair facility several times and not getting the back focus issue resolved, I gave up on Canon and switched to Nikon. It has been an unhappy experience so far with Nikon. BTW, I have the LensAlign to test a lens for front/back focus. However, the problem with the Nikon lens was so severe that it was first easily observed in real world picture taking situation. I did use the LensAlign, which showed a front focus issue as well.

Update (December 14, 2009): The lens was exchanged. Unfortunately, the replacement lens was worse for front focus. Besides the D300 body that I own, I tried the replacement lens on two D700 bodies, one D200 body, and one D3 body. The front focus was present with all of the tested bodies. I own five other Nikon lenses and none exhibit front focus problem. One lens out of the five (50mm f1.4) does show ever-so-slight back focus. I also have an inexpensive 12-year old 24-135mm variable aperture third party lens. This lens is not as sharp as the Nikon lenses that I own, however, there are no focusing issues with this lens at all. A brief look at some of the forums online will show that this is not an isolated case. In the end, I would say that this lens is finely crafted and the zoom ring is silky smooth. It takes very sharp pictures, only the focus is about five feet in front of the target that is used to focus (16 feet away)! I have been a Nikon fan since the F3 body days. However, my one-star rating stands mainly due to the fact that this type of quality control is unacceptable in light of the relative cost of the optic.

4 Stars Fantastic, but watch out for quality control
I purchased this lens about 8 months ago. I shoot a D300 with grip. I have traveled to a variety of places and taken some amazing pictures with it. The lens is very versatile in a landscape and portrait setting. There are some times when I wish I was carrying a 14-24mm however, as a main lens for travel and portrait photography it’s fantastic. Additionally, the auto focus is quiet and precise when coupled with manual focus point use. The zoom is smooth and precise as well.

With all that said, there has been one inexcusable flaw and the subsequent fix for this was unacceptable.

After shooting a panorama at the top of a mountain at very small apertures, I found blemishes in all of the photos. It turns out that from the time that I purchased it to when I took those photos (about 1 week) some sort of internal material had collected on the inside of the rear element. As such I had about 60 photos that needed to be corrected.

Returning to the states, I was told that I would have to send the lens back to a processing center. This in my opinion is grudgingly acceptable, however the policy should have been to replace not repair. The final straw was being told to pay the return shipping and the packaging fee. After spending nearly $2,000 for a lens and finding a flaw the hard way, I would expect at the very least the burden would be on the manufacturer and/or supplier to correct their issue.

I purchased this product from Bromfield Camera Co. in Boston. I had hoped to support a local business, but it seems one simply pays more for the same level of service that you’d get from an online shop.

In closing, inspect the rear element before purchase and during early use – also, take a few blank shots of a white object at f/22 to see if there is an internal contamination for the first few weeks of use.

5 Stars Amazing — Sharp — Solid
I’ve owned this lens for about a month. I’ve owned lots of lenses. I’ve owned lots of SLR’s. Slid this baby onto my D700 when I got it and blew off several dozen frames. I immediately liked the feel in my hands. Solid. Smooth. A tank of a lens. Even the lens hood snaps into place with a definitive button snap. This shade won’t fall off accidentally. Everything was just right. Even comes with a belt/shoulder strap case should you ever make the mistake of taking this lens off the camera.

Turned on the camera and the lens springs to life. Shot several dozen frames around the building. Scenes that were pretty challenging. Hoped to find some meaningful improvements over the images I’ve been shooting. It feels good. Focus was snappy and amazingly quiet. Focus was precise. Focus was decisive. View finder was bright. Balance was very, very good. Burned off a few dozen frames and everything just felt right. Like it never had before.

Of course, the tale is not in the feel of the lens, but in the images. Popped the CF card into the computer tonight, fired up Capture NX2, and started loading images. Wow. I’m really taken aback. I really am.

The focus was sharp, sharp, sharp. After color-correcting for the poor/challenging lighting I had been in, the colors jumped to life. The details were razor. The textures velvety. The depth of field precise. The inflatable bags that had surrounded the box in the shipping carton were soft and cushy on the screen. The cardboard box was cold and cardboardy. The bar code label from the box stood out in gentle relief from the surface of the box. Droplets in a water bottle on the table were wet on the screen. Wow. Just “WOW.” What a joy this lens is already. Really. Really.

I’ve had the lens about a month now. Just got back from Phipps Conservatory where I shot most of the morning. This lens is fabulous. Razor sharp. Sharp, sharp, sharp. And the colors were deep and pure and vivid. No distortion at the corners. Depth of field was spot on.

I can’t recommend this lens enough. I’ve used higher end off brand lenses. And I’ve used lower end to mid Nikon. Always preferred the Nikon. They just worked well and created an image that looked real and consistent. But now… This is the lens. Just wow. If you’re on the fence, get off the fence. This is it. If your pictures aren’t what you’re looking for with this lens, it is not the lens.

4 Stars Great lens overall
This is not a 5 star for me. Here are the reasons: very heavy, no VR, and very expensive. For this price there should be VR, that is the biggest negative I can say about the lens. But if you want a top notch walking around lens with very good optics and zoom flexibility, then this fits the bill. To be honest a 50mm f1.4 lens is of the same quality or better sharpness-wise than this lens, but the 50mm gives you NO flexibility when shooting different things. Thats why I got this lens. In most other areas the 50mm f1.4 is better because it is much lighter, cheaper, and the much larger F stop kicks butt in low light which this lens just can’t match with f2.8. don’t get me wrong, f2.8 is great, but f1.4 is MUCH better for low light and backgound blur….but like I said there is zero flexibility with the 50mm lens. So it really depends on you if this 24-70 lens is right. I am going to keep and use my 24-70 all the time. It will probably be my main lens, but mostly for its 24-70 flexibility. If I just wanted pure clarity/sharpness and low light performance then a 50mm f1.4 is the lens to get. but we all know 1 lens is never the ultimate solution for everything. So check the 24-70 out and see if the weight is an issue or not. I can tell you on a D700 body with a SB800 flash this lens get VERY heavy VERY quick. That is not a “all day” walking around setup. So far sharpness has been on par with my prime 50mm, which is high praise. F2.8 is still pretty good for separation of subject from background. Overall a great lens. So good luck. Hope this helps.

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