Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

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Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

snapsy
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p.2 #1 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

Here are some "real world" photos I took today with the 24-85mm VR on the D800, at a variety of focal lengths and apertures. I'm also including a link to the gallery where you can view more images and all at full size 36MP. All were shot raw, some sharpened with two passes of USM (large and small radius).

Gallery with full-sized images

This image is copyrighted by the owner

Jul 04, 2012 at 08:51 PM

MackDaddy1962
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p.2 #2 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

Back on topic....

Snapsy:

Those look pretty good to me. This lens may not be "stellar," but for the $$$, size, weight, IQ, VR, decent aperture and useful focal range on FF I think it's a good lens to have. Just me, but I like it thus far.

Happy shooting!

Jul 04, 2012 at 11:31 PM

rd4tile
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p.2 #3 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

I really liked the 24-120 I had on the D800. Other then the obvious distortion it was very sharp with good color. I just found it a little bigger then I wanted to haul around after using it almost 100% on a 2 week trip. If the 24-85 is as good as the 24-120 with less distortion at the ends it will do what I want it to. People seem to be expecting an awful lot from a $600 zoom.

Jul 05, 2012 at 12:00 AM

snapsy
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p.2 #4 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

rd4tile wrote:
I really liked the 24-120 I had on the D800. Other then the obvious distortion it was very sharp with good color. I just found it a little bigger then I wanted to haul around after using it almost 100% on a 2 week trip. If the 24-85 is as good as the 24-120 with less distortion at the ends it will do what I want it to. People seem to be expecting an awful lot from a $600 zoom.

I was hoping the 24-85mm on the D800 would match the 18-105mm's performance on a D7000 across their respective frames, considering they're nearly identical in pixel densities, but for me the 24-85mm begins falling short 1/3 from the edge of the frame even at f/8.

Jul 05, 2012 at 12:09 AM

rd4tile
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p.2 #5 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

Interesting, I tried the 18-105 in DX mode on my 800 and didn't find it to be any better then the 16-85. Both were very good but I didn't feel either was up to the color and IQ of the 24-120 (although 36mp vs 16 might have something to do with that.) Only way to really know will be when my 24-85 get's here. I hope it does the job, it certainly fills the bill for a compact FX zoom with VR.

Jul 05, 2012 at 12:28 AM

DontShoot
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p.2 #6 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

snapsy wrote

This image is copyrighted by the owner

thanks for sharing. Was this shot at min focus distance? i would love to see some really closeup shots from this lens. thanks

also please ignore the haters.. let me hit the report button...

Jul 06, 2012 at 04:58 AM

ChrisDM
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p.2 #7 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

Thanks for sharing snapsy... Funny thing about the 24-120 f4 I couldn't get over, was it seemed the size/position of the zoom & focus rings were reversed. Every time I went to zoom that lens I took it out of focus instead... Is the 24-85 the same layout?

Jul 06, 2012 at 12:23 PM

rd4tile
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p.2 #8 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

ChrisDM wrote:
Thanks for sharing snapsy... Funny thing about the 24-120 f4 I couldn't get over, was it seemed the size/position of the zoom & focus rings were reversed. Every time I went to zoom that lens I took it out of focus instead... Is the 24-85 the same layout?

Good point Chris, that was another niggle I had with the 24-120, that after using it full time for 2 weeks I still had to think about.

Jul 06, 2012 at 02:06 PM

david debalko
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p.2 #9 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

which 24-85 - the f/3.5-4.5G or the 2.8-4D, has anyone ever tested these 2 lenses against each other.

Jul 06, 2012 at 02:18 PM

rd4tile
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p.2 #10 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

david debalko wrote:
which 24-85 - the f/3.5-4.5G or the 2.8-4D, has anyone ever tested these 2 lenses against each other.

we're talking about the new one here but I'm sure we will start seeing tests between the 2 soon.

Jul 06, 2012 at 02:28 PM

MackDaddy1962
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p.2 #11 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

We're focusing in on the new release f/3.5-4.5G VRII version. I can't help with comparison to the older f/2.8-4D unit.

This lens does have a distinct size difference in the zoom, and focus rings. I don't find any issues so far using it.

Jul 06, 2012 at 02:29 PM

snapsy
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p.2 #12 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

DontShoot wrote:
thanks for sharing. Was this shot at min focus distance? i would love to see some really closeup shots from this lens. thanks

I think the flower shots were pretty close to MFD. If I have a chance today I'll shoot a few more images at MFD.

Jul 06, 2012 at 05:00 PM

snapsy
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p.2 #13 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

ChrisDM wrote:
Thanks for sharing snapsy... Funny thing about the 24-120 f4 I couldn't get over, was it seemed the size/position of the zoom & focus rings were reversed. Every time I went to zoom that lens I took it out of focus instead... Is the 24-85 the same layout?

Yeah, the zoom ring is about 2.5x the width of the focus ring on the 24-85mm VR. The zoom ring is positioned at the front-element edge of the lens and the focus ring behind it closer to the mount.

Jul 06, 2012 at 05:01 PM

j0sh818
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p.2 #14 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

Hi guys! I just had a chance to play with the 24-85 VR this weekend after getting it last Dec. I like the IQ coming from this lens so far. But I was worried about my VR not working.

I can't find any difference in my viewfinder. On my other lenses, I can find a significant difference when I turn the VR on of off.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Jan 16, 2013 at 04:25 PM

GOVA
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p.2 #15 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

mikesrc wrote:
Get off that target crap. Go shoot some pictures and I think you will find the lens just fine. I have no idea why people buy a good product then do there best to make it look bad. This forum is full of idots like you. Get a life.....

That's a little harsh, but +1 for mikesrc.

Just purchased 24-85 for my D800. Am I supposed to test grids/feel bad?

Jan 16, 2013 at 07:53 PM

jhinkey
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p.2 #16 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

david debalko wrote:
which 24-85 - the f/3.5-4.5G or the 2.8-4D, has anyone ever tested these 2 lenses against each other.

I have the 24-85/3.5-4.5G AFS and the 24-85/3.5-4.5G AFS VR.

The short of it is the non-VR is better at 85mm while the VR version is better at 24mm.

I was very disappointed that the VR version optically was not really any better than the older non-VR version. They both are OK on a D700 at full resolution, on a D800 they are very lacking in resolution.

That being said, for small prints, etc. they do fine. I have not decided which to keep.

I have tested several samples (at least 3) of the 2.8-4D version and found it clearly inferior to the AFS or AFS VR versions. Contrast, sharpness, etc.

John

Jan 16, 2013 at 08:34 PM

snapsy
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p.2 #17 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

GOVA wrote:
mikesrc wrote:
Get off that target crap. Go shoot some pictures and I think you will find the lens just fine. I have no idea why people buy a good product then do there best to make it look bad. This forum is full of idots like you. Get a life.....

That's a little harsh, but +1 for mikesrc.

Just purchased 24-85 for my D800. Am I supposed to test grids/feel bad?

Which would you trust more in evaluating the safety of an automobile during crashes - post hoc studies evaluating survival rates of all crashes without any qualitative weighting done for the level of injury sustained nor the severity of the crash...or selective experiments done which carefully analyze both? I could show you a 1,000 "real world" photographs, none of which demonstrate the properties of the lens which might be important to you.

Jan 16, 2013 at 08:58 PM

binary visions
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p.2 #18 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

GOVA wrote:
That's a little harsh, but +1 for mikesrc.

Just purchased 24-85 for my D800. Am I supposed to test grids/feel bad?

The only "idots" here are the people who have so little imagination that they can't fathom any reason why you might want to objectively test a lens.

Should you shoot in the real world to see if you like it? Sure. Is the benchmark the only measure of a lens? No. Might you still like a lens that benchmarks poorly? Of course.

But to utterly dismiss everyone who wants to test their gear as being stupid or irrelevant is incredibly arrogant. Nobody is telling you that you're stupid for not testing it, so why should you tell anyone that they're stupid for doing so?

Jan 16, 2013 at 09:14 PM

MikeW
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p.2 #19 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

I use the 24-85 in the studio @ F9 & it is great. It free'd up some funds so I could buy a fun lens.

Jan 16, 2013 at 09:25 PM

jhinkey
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p.2 #20 · Nikon 24-85mm VR @ 85mm

GOVA wrote:
mikesrc wrote:
Get off that target crap. Go shoot some pictures and I think you will find the lens just fine. I have no idea why people buy a good product then do there best to make it look bad. This forum is full of idots like you. Get a life.....

That's a little harsh, but +1 for mikesrc.

Just purchased 24-85 for my D800. Am I supposed to test grids/feel bad?

In my opinion everyone should do at least some rudimentary testing of their lenses - especially consumer-oriented-type lenses like the 24-85AFS VR where, let's just say, Nikon's QC is not quite as good as their pro-grade stuff. They'll come that day, especially with the current high MP DSLRs, that you'll want to do a heavy crop to save an image and you may get a surprise due to poor sharpness (especially off-center), poor AF accuracy, flare, etc.

I used to shoot my own test charts, but now I find that there are many suitable outdoor targets that get me 90% of the info I need prior to feeling confident of using a lens (especially on my D800).

Everyone should do what makes them feel comfortable to have confidence in their gear. To "just go shoot" is just silly.

John

Jan 16, 2013 at 09:28 PM

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