Happy with Nikon AF 24-85mm f2.8-4 D Macro

I just want to say how happy I am with the Nikon AF 24-85mm f2.8-4 D IF Macro I bought from

Adorama for $550. I find it to be very sharp, fast, and has a good macro ability. When I bought my D70s

last year, I debated about the kit lens, so I looked at the Nikon web site for alternatives, found the 24-85,

did some research and saw some good reviews, so I went for it. (Since then I bought the new AF-S

70-300mm f4.5-56 G VR, another D70s body, and just recently bought the Tokina 12-24mm f4 DX.)

Here are samples scattered on my photo web site::

 

http://www.kohanmike.com/photography.htm

Well done Michael.

 

I have this lens too, and find it one of my most used optics. Has a good weight and feel to it and the wide end has a very useful f2.8 max aperture which is used by me for indoor candids.

 

All the best,

 

Ian

How do you find the performance (color/contrast/saturation/sharpness) of your Tokina 12-24mm compared to your Nikon lenses. I have decided to get this focal length but don't want to lay out $1000 for the Nikon version, and vowed I would never get a 3rd party lens again after performance issues with my last Tamron lens a few years ago.

Elliot, every review I have seen rates the Tokina 12-24mm right up there with the Nikon version. But as you know, nothing beats your own tests. I would love to see you test both lenses to see if your results are the same.

Yes, I like my 24-85mm as well. After reading various mixed reviews of the lens I performed a variety of tests to 'pixel peep' the resulting images... which are surprisingly sharp across the focal range. Perhaps there is some sample variation with the lens, not sure.

 

My Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AF prime is just a smidgeon sharper (and much lighter to carry), but the zoom holds its own quite well.

Concerning the 12-24mm/f4, since Elliot uses the D40 a lot, once again we need to keep in mind that Tokina has no AF-S equivalent at this time; therefore, all Tokina lenses cannot AF with the D40 family. If one doesn't care about AF, this is not necessarily an issue.

I've only used the Tokina once in the last 2 weeks at a car show, and have not put up the

photos. I also accidently had the ISO set to 1600 in broad daylight, so some of those shots

are 'grainy'. With that though, I find the lens to be sharp and does not have any of the wide

distortion I was expecting.

 

I'm going to a motorcycle show next week and will put up all the photos after.

I've been extensively using the 24-85mm f2.8-4D lens for about three years now, and I also love it. The results are great, with really sharp pictures most of the time. The one thing that would have made it even better (but also bigger and heavier) would have been a wider aperture at 85mm. Of course that's why there are such great lenses like the 80-200mm f2.8 when low depth of field is needed for tele shots.

 

I also own the Tokina 12-24 f4.0 and I am very unhappy with it. It is not even nearly as sharp as my other two lenses, even when using a tripod and appropriate aperture settings. Maybe I just have a bad copy, but I definitely wouldn't buy it again - I'll stick to Nikkor lenses as of now.

 

Best,

Michael