I finally obtained a 24-120mm VR Nikon lens. It didn't come easily; I even (semi)seriously considered buying a Canon in the process. That said, I couldn't be happier with the performance of this moderately priced lens.
My favorite feature (besides the VR) has to be the auto-focus with manual override. At first I was taken aback by the rough feel of the focus knob. I quickly realized that the feel is a result of the fact that this lens doesn't disengage from the Silent Wave motor when manually focusing. It almost feels cheap at first, but the roughness is actually caused by magnetic resistance and is not a quality issue.
Focusing with the D1x was fast, silent, and always right-on...even with low contrast, texture-less solid surfaces.
At 24mm the Nikon lens' performance isn't the best, but it is respectable. If I needed the sharpness in a wide angle photo I'd use the fantastic Nikon 20mm f2.8 on a tripod, or monopod. At higher focal lengths the 24-120mm VR lens' performance really picked up. It is nice that Nikon's design saves the best for 120mm, where the VR is the most useful, as is the added sharpness. Nikon claims a 3-stop increase versus a non-VR lens at 120mm, a full stop over Canon's claim for their 28-135mm IS lens at 135mm. I can't say if that is true or not, but...
Here are a couple of images from the 24-120 VR. The subjects aren't my cup of tea, but money talks & I did the shoot. I took these photos hand held, Tony Bennett was 1/30 sec at 100mm and only one shot had motion blur (out of 7). The group shot was 1/125 sec at 50mm, but has the sharpness of a tripod-mounted shot. Color rendition and contrast are excellent for a zoom lens. Chromatic Abberation only showed up at 28mm and was minimal, it disappeared altogether by 50mm. Both images are shot with a Nikon D1x at 200 ISO.
Edited by Sectarian on Oct 11, 2003 at 01:29 PM GMT
Good to get your appraisal of the lens. I've been looking for both the 24-120 vr and the 12-24 and can't seem to find either. On a couple of notify lists, but have yet to here anything. It's my understanding both of these lenses are on backorder from Nikon.
Thanks for the apprasial of the lens, I want to test it vs the 2x more expensive and one stop faster 28-70 AFS lens , if it holds up then I will be very happy as this is a great focal length to have and is about 1/2 the weight of the zoom I have.
I am glad to hear you got yours I am still waiting , I should have bought the one that came in but I thought the grindy feel of the focus was a faulty lens till I got home and figured the ring was engaging the focus over ride , by the time I went back of course it was gone
been too long my friend since we spoke ..........
J
THe images are tac sharp and I bet they loved them
I bought mine from Cameta Camera on eBay. I paid a premium ($100 over B&H price) because it is a US warranty item, available now. But I needed it for this shoot and I made my money back right away.
J-
I know. I've only got a short time to relax as I have more location shoots coming up at the end of the month. This lens is going to be a life-saver for aerial photography.
I should note that I tested the lens while riding in my GMC Jimmy (as a passenger) and shooting out the window at 1/20 to 1/60 second, at all focal lengths. Half the shots were still sharp! It was a much harsher test than mere hand-holding.
My next purchase is going to be the 20mm f2.8, I need a nice, wide prime lens. I'm also considering buying the 12-24 when one is in stock at a discount retailer. How is it working out for you?
the lens deliveres the goods, I wish it were 2.8 but the bonus is that it is flat in the front , all my filters screw right on the 77mm mount. Look here:
Definitely awesome. These are the first shots I've seem that take advantage of the lens and show what it can do. Wow. I can't wait until they are available.
Definitely awesome. These are the first shots I've seem that take advantage of the lens and show what it can do. Wow. I can't wait until they are available.
M
Thanks Mark
I have always loved the wides and there can be no argument made here , Nikon does them better than anyone
There you go...on your reccomendation alone, I will buy the 12-24mm. Thanks.
BTW- I bought iCorrect EditLab on your recommendation and I love it, a true powerhouse of a tool, especially considering how quickly it processes 16-bit files. It shure beats spending big bucks on dual-processors when it is the software that is fast. EditLab probably cut my post-processing time by 75%, with better results. Best $80 I've ever spent.
Sectarian wrote:
There you go...on your reccomendation alone, I will buy the 12-24mm. Thanks.
BTW- I bought iCorrect EditLab on your recommendation and I love it, a true powerhouse of a tool, especially considering how quickly it processes 16-bit files. It shure beats spending big bucks on dual-processors when it is the software that is fast. EditLab probably cut my post-processing time by 75%, with better results. Best $80 I've ever spent.
This piece of software is like cheating it is just too good and too easy
Also you see I got a 50mm now thanks to you , I got 2 really fast primes now and I really love the speed as I do some indoor stuff, man it feels funny to have such a small innocent piece of glass on the camera till I look at the picts which blow !
