24mm f2.8 on a D80?

I was just wondering how well the Nikon 24mm f2.8 lens works on the Nikon

DSLRs? I'm working on buying a D80 and am wondering if this is a good lens to

keep or if it's better to sell it and use the money towards a new lens. I'll

eventually be going for the Sigma 10mm-20mm for my wide angle lens on the

DSLR. Thanks for the help,

-bryan

Since you already have the 24mm, you might as well try it on the D80 when that camera arrives and decide then. The 24mm/f2.8 is a fine lens and I assume you have an AF version so that you have metering with the D80. Whether you'll like the angle of view for a 24mm on a DSLR can only be determined by you yourself. The 24mm is only a very moderate wide angle on a Nikon (small sensor) DSLR.

I love the 24mm f2.8. On a recent trip overseas, I found that it was my lens of choice most of

the time. It has a nice low profile, great for low light areas, and good and sharp. I prefer it

almost to a zoom lens. If i need to get closer, I move forward. Simple. I used it with the d200,

and have used it with a D70. I'm sure the D80 will be a nice match for this lens.

I've recently used an AIS 24 and 28mm on my Nikon D200. Image quality was outstanding - had to remember to manually focus the lenses every once in a while. But to be honest, I usually keep a Tokina 12-24 on the camera with a 28-105 D lens and a 50mm 1.8 (outstanding portrait lens on a DSLR!) in the bag. Zooms cut down on the potential exposure to dust, dirt, and other grime which is no fun when you return from vacation and see a couple of hundred images with the same hair tree in them.

Thanks for the responses everybody. It was definitely my favorite lens on my last big trip. I loved the angle of view on my F80, now I'll have to find a wide lens for digital that I like just as much. How would the Sigma 10-20 compare?

I agree with Paul. A zoom lens can be the preferred way to go with digital.

 

When I first got my D200 I was changing lenses frequently and soon I realized I was going to start having dirt problems on the sensor if I kept changing lenses with some frequency (though being careful about changing a lens in windy or otherwise unsettling places).

 

So I bought an ultra-wide zoom with a little extra wide short end that I didn't have in a prime lens.

 

Now the zoom stays on the camera most of the time and sensor dirt is not a concern.

The 24mm 2.8 works great on my D200. I prefer it to a zoom when I'm not in a terrible rush.

24mm/2.8 AFD is not a bad lens, but not an outstanding performer either. On a digital camera it has more chromatic aberration than 12-24/4 DX and 18-70 DX Nikon zooms and I don't see any sharpness advantage on D70. On film it isn't among my sharpest lenses either, my 35/2 AF-D is much sharper than this lens. Lastly it has a high tendency for flare and ghosting. Surely it is not among the legendary Nikon wide angles. I would sell it and get the 18-70 DX zoom.

it's especially good up close (under 6ft), not so great at infinity. We need DX wides, and fast ones... t

"Surely it is not among the legendary Nikon wide angles." Actually, it is. The late

Galen Rowell said that he could have used just this lens and the 80-200 and had just

as many keepers over his long and very distinguished career. Nikon introduced CRC

with the 24 2.8 back in the '60s and it has been in the line ever since. The CA

problem when it is used on digitals is slight enough to ignore if you are shooting for

a newspaper or magazine, and can be easily eliminated in post processing for fine art

prints.

I've had excellent results with the 24mm 1:2.8 AF-D on a D70, a D50, and a D200. On 35mm film, the 24 and 35 were my favorite FOV's. Now on Nikon digital, the 24 replaces the 35. A shorter prime is an expensive proposition, however. You should try the 24 out rather than rely on us-- only you can decide what you like.

I use the AI version on a D200 and its great, quite sharp, nice 35mm equivalent lens. Solid. Especially if you want to work in lower light without raising the ISO too much. Generall for walking around and even for gigs, I really do like the 18-70 DX, the best 300 dollar lens in the world if you were to ask me.

I have a 24 2.8 Nikkor that I sometimes use on my D70. To my sharpness seems decent,

but nothing outstanding. I agree 100% with the others that the 18-70 would be much

more versatile on the any Nikon DSLR.

 

Besides that, I prefer AFS lenses as the focus speed is much faster and quieter. That being

said I do use miss using my 50 1.4. But if you had to put one lens on the D80, probably

should make it a zoom, preferably one that starts at at least 18mm, i.e. 18-70, 18-135,

17-55 2.8, 18-200 VR, etc.

 

Hope this helps