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Nikon is a precision optical company with worldwide manufacturing, research and marketing capabilities. The Nikon name is equated with extraordinary photographic performance, innovation, precision and optical quality.PRODUCT FEATURES:Nikon D-Type design provides precise distance information for flash and ambient light exposure processes;Internal Focus (IF) design for smoother focusing and great body balance;2 Aspherical lens element for low distortion;G Type DX Nikkor is designed exclusively for use with Nikon SLR models where aperture is controlled from body;2 Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) glass elements for minimized chromatic aberration;Exclusive Silent Wave Motor enables ultra-high-speed autofocusing with exceptional accuracy and powerful super-quiet operation;New cosmetic design;VR operation offers the equivalent of using a shutter speed 3 stops faster at 120mm;Rounded diaphragm to make out-of-focus elements appear more natural;First Nikon wide-angle zoom lens with Vibration Reduction (VR);Compact and lightweight.
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Technical Details
- G Type DX Nikkor is intended exclusively for NIKON SLRs where aperture is controlled from body- 24-120mm Focal Length
- Maximum Aperture - f/3.5 - 5.6
- Minimum F Stop - f/22 - 36
- Silent Wave Motor enables ultra high speed, accurate and super quiet autofocus operation
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By Busy Executive (Long Island, NY)
I admit to having a love-hate relationship with this lens...
I had the original non-VR version several years ago...now THAT was a soft lens. I sold it on eBay and went with Nikon's pro lenses, but admittedly missed the wide range of the 24-120. Sure, the 24-70 beats it in every conceivable way (it should - it's twice the size and three times the price!), but I found myself lacking that one lens I could comfortably stick on the camera and walk around with all day. For my DX camera, I have the 16-85 (which is also a very, very good lens), but until now, I had nothing similar for the FX body. But every time I stared to think good thoughts about the 24-120, I'd pull out some of the images I took with my older one, and the softness, distortion, poor flare control and so on would bring me back to reality.
Well, one thing led to another and I picked up the latest version of the 24-120, hoping that Nikon made some substantial improvements in image quality since my older version. I also own the very good Nikon 80-400 - also a 5:1 zoom ratio - and I've always been happy with the picture quality it gives me, so I hoped Nikon applied some of this same magic to the 24-120. That, and thinking maybe VR would be a help. Still, after living with the latest 24-120 for a while, I have to say it's been a really mixed result at best.
Yes, the performance of the latest 24-120 is better than the old one by a wide margin - but it's still no superstar. It's convenient, has the VR feature, not too big and heavy - but frankly, the images I get with it on both top end DX and FX bodies aren't all that much better than I get on my point-and-shoot. It's not any one thing, just that very few images I take through this lens have that jaw-dropping "pop" I get from my higher quality lenses. To be fair, there are situations where the 24-120 does an admirable job. I tend to like slightly soft and low contrast portraits, and the 24-120 makes this easy. Indoors with flash and f8 or so, the image quality is also totally acceptable. Outdoors, especially in any sort of partial or fully back-lit subject, and you start to wonder why you didn't just pull out that point-and-shoot.
Sharpness is okay at f8 through f16, and colors and contrast sort of depend on lighting. Darker scenes not back-lit at all tend to be more vibrant. I tend to keep a polarizer on the lens full time to help compensate. The VR system works well, and I can get fairly consistent results at 1/10 second or so at the short end of the zoom range. There's ample distortion at both ends of the range, but nothing you can't fix in Photoshop. In terms of construction quality, the lens is about what you'd expect from Nikon in this price range. It zooms and focuses smoothly and seems built to last a long time - even though not quite to the standards of the true Nikon pro glass.
Still, what are the alternatives? For DX, I'd recommend the 16-85 - no contest. But FX users can't seem to get this range in a single lens at any price. It takes at least the 24-70 plus one other lens (70-200, or possibly just the 105 would be my choice), and now you're into lens-swapping (or carrying two bodies) and several times the weight and cost.
I'd give it a cautious thumbs up, so long as you know what you're getting. This lens is all about trading image quality for convenience - not a bad thing, just be sure that's what you want.
By RonAnnArbor (Ann Arbor, MI United States)
This is a much disparaged lens by many on the Nikon Forums...but I am not sure how many of those complainers took the time to exchange their lens for a better one. There appears to be a tremendous amount of sample variation for this lens. It took me three lenses until I found one that is tack sharp --
And WOW!....On my D700, I use it for almost all my shots now -- and I've tried all the other "pro" lenses in this focal range as well, NIkon and 3rd Party.
I'm find the lens has great range for walk-around purposes and for event shoots. It renders colors brilliantly, and it is sharp with very little putzing around needed with your settings. Half of the shots at my website at RonAnnArbor at [...] in the D700 gallery are taken with the 24-120. I will bet you can't tell which were taken with it, and which were taken with the Nikon 24-70.
I would highly recommend this lens -- but I would also add the caveat that you have to be persistent. If you get a lens and it is soft - exchange for a new one, and try again. You will eventually find a really sharp lens that you will be very happy with. I am very happy with mine, even though I was also one of the original disparagers of the lens at first!....
By Nick (DC)
This lens came with my D700 kit. For the longest time, I did not have a term for comparison. I finally acquired a Nikon 80-200 2.8 (push-pull), which is supposedly much sharper than this lens (in the overlapping focal range). Surprise - it isn't! Even when pixel peeping, I could not see the difference in sharpness when shooting at the respective lens optimal aperture. Now, this lens is NOT as sharp as a prime (compared with a 50mm 1.8), but neither is the more expensive 24-70mm 2.8.
Pros:
- Good image quality for a 5x zoom.
- Reasonably wide on FX - it was definitely an eye opener after the 18mm typical wide end of most DX midrange zooms.
- good build quality for the money (except for the butterfly hood thread). I'd say this is solidly in the 'middle' class of the Nikon lens universe - in between the likes of 18-55, 55-200 DX on the low end and the fast zooms on the high end.
- VR works like a charm.
- relatively light for the focal range covered
- AF is fast and silent.
- Front element does not rotate - good for polarizing filters.
Cons:
- Visible distortion at the wide end.
- Won't replace wide angle and normal primes in terms of sharpness, but this is the compromise you make for flexibility.
- Slowish lens, but that's to be expected for the size / price.
My only regret is that I didn't buy this second hand - you can find them for around $300 on craigs or ebay - from people dumping them for no good reason. If you have one, I'd recommend holding on to it, it will improve its resale value once Nikon stops offering this as a kit lens.
By R. Lanthier (Vienna, VA United States)
I was wary of this lens given the very strong negative reputation it had among DX and FX Nikon shooters. For the FX shooter, there just isn't a very compelling Nikon-made modern walk-around lens solution and the 24-120VR hits all the requirements: wide to tele focal length; stabilization; light; quick and quiet autofocus. Now, this lens is not fast and it gets slow rather quickly in the zoom range, but I have found the lens to be an excellent party lens, hiking lens, or general vacation lens. While I absolutely love my 24-70, it does get heavy, and at times you want that extra reach. I find the lens adequately sharp, and produces images with good color and contrast as well. Some have thought that this lens actually works better on FX sensors than DX ones (why this would be the case is not clear). Others have argues that with the release of the D700 Nikon tweaked the optics a bit so it performs better. So my advice is that if you are shooting FX and looking for that walkaround/ vacation/party lens, then give this a try. But do be aware of its limitations and don't expect image quality you'd get from the Nikon zoom Trinity (14-24, 24-70, & 70-200)
Is it the best? No! Is it as bad as its reputation? NO!!!
Enjoy.
By J. Haynes (San Jose, CA United States)
Nikon 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IF Autofocus VR Nikkor Zoom Lens
Since my photographic interest cover a verity of different genres' I was looking for a high quality lens that could accommodate my varied requirements providing wide angle, candied and personal one on one casual photos. Since my purchase I have had the opportunity to test this lens extensively and am delighted with the results. I have used it to take over 400 photographs ranging from landscapes at Yosemite and the Monterey coast to candied private gatherings and even shot a couple of advertizing layouts for one of my web sites. All in all I am pleased to say the lens lived up to and in some cases exceeded all my expectations. This lens, at around $700 +/-, is not cheap but in my opinion it provides great value when compared to the other candidates hanging in the rather pricy $2000 neighborhood. I should add however if your needs are more casual and you are using one of the excellent DX series (D80 to 300) Nikons there is another Nikkor lens at about half the price. It is the 18-135mm which I have also used extensively with very good results. For whatever it is worth, I would highly recommend both lenses depending on your needs and your budget.
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Buy Nikon 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IF Autofocus VR Nikkor Zoom Lens Now
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