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inexpensive upgrade from Nikkor 24mm f/2.8?


chulster

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I'm not thrilled with the image quality of my Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 (I have the N.C version, same optics as the Ai and AF versions). Edge sharpness is my main beef; i have to stop down to at least f/8 for decent results there.

 

I know that the 24mm f/1.8G is a much better lens, but i'm a cheapskate and don't want to spend the $400 or so for a used one. The f/2.8 only cost me $75 plus shipping.

 

Is there an alternative that is intermediate in both quality and cost? It doesn't have to be a Nikon.

 

I do not have a zoom that goes wider than 35mm, nor do i really want one.

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A Sigma AF "mini-wide" might have marginally better edge/corner quality - if you can find one that isn't too sticky to touch.

 

The huge Samyang 24mm f/1.4 has pretty good IQ all across the frame, but I see its price has doubled since I bought mine.

 

24mm isn't my favourite focal length, and my experience is limited to the two lenses above + the little AiS 24mm f/2.8 Nikkor.

 

Maybe a Tamron? My experience with Tamron lenses has been pretty positive.

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A Sigma AF "mini-wide" might have marginally better edge/corner quality - if you can find one that isn't too sticky to touch.

 

I'm embarrassed to confess i have tried two copies of the Sigma 24mm Super-Wide II. I think you may be right about its possibly having slightly better peripheral acuity. I believe it was what i perceived as muddy colors that turned me off of this lens.

 

The huge Samyang 24mm f/1.4 has pretty good IQ all across the frame, but I see its price has doubled since I bought mine.

 

This one is certainly intriguing but, alas, outside of my budgetary comfort zone for a lens of this focal length.

 

Maybe a Tamron? My experience with Tamron lenses has been pretty positive.

 

Me too. I may look for an Adaptall 24mm—but the reviews of this lens at Pentax Forums aren't as glowing as the ones for other old Tamrons.

 

24mm isn't my favourite focal length

 

I'm thinking likewise. I may just sell the 24mm to help pay for a Nikkor 28mm f/2, finally. $200 seems to be the going price for that.

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I may just sell the 24mm to help pay for a Nikkor 28mm f/2, finally.

My 28mm f/2 AiS Nikkor is certainly optically better than the 24mm f/2.8, but then it isn't a 24mm!

 

Incidentally and FWIW, the ridiculously big 14-24mm AFS Zoom-Nikkor has far better IQ at 24mm too.

 

Merry Christmas!

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I have a couple of 28 f/2 Nikkors. Definitely not great wide open on 36mp, but they get better quickly when stopped down. The f/2 is as good as or a little better than the 2.8AIS IMO, and it renders people in a nice way.

 

The 24/2.8NC I have is at least as good as the AFD I had, maybe better. So I would not recommend the AF version. Optics are not the same.

 

I like using classic glass, but modern wide angles have improved.

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As a super cheap alternative, see if you (OP) can find an old Sigma "filtermatic" 24/2.8 AI for not much money. I bought one in the 70's when I started and didn't have a Nikon budget. Tested it vs a friend's Nikkor 24 using panatomoc film and a tripod, it seemed sharper. I used that lens for years without thinking that it needed upgrading until AF lenses replaced it. Can't test it now, I gave it to a friend that is not around any more.

 

It's probably not a great lens, don't spend much on one, but worth trying if cheap.

Edited by robert_bouknight|1
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As a super cheap alternative, see if you (OP) can find an old Sigma "filtermatic" 24/2.8 AI for not much money. I bought one in the 70's when I started and didn't have a Nikon budget. Tested it vs a friend's Nikkor 24 using panatomoc film and a tripod, it seemed sharper. I used that lens for years without thinking that it needed upgrading until AF lenses replaced it. Can't test it now, I gave it to a friend that is not around any more.

 

It's probably not a great lens, don't spend much on one, but worth trying if cheap.

 

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll keep an eye open for one.

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Vivitar made some fixed mount lenses that were inexpensive and not bad. Don't know if these images will help but I compared one to my Nikkor S 24-70 f/4 on my Z6. Both shots at f/4. The Vivitar is similar in the center and a bit softer at the edges, but really quite usable. The instruments at the right are in the plane of focus but the lenses in the upper right corner are a bit behind. I've only included a full res crop of the upper right, no processing other than mild in-camera sharpening and whatever else it does behind the scenes.

 

Viv24.thumb.jpg.f73c1839284b02073675d912357be6b2.jpg

 

283141403_testshot.thumb.jpg.3d79e614fbe5f8c2dee82acefed2f033.jpg

 

1838461550_SZoomupperright.thumb.jpg.62a7877b6faf2973c8498ec4a95ec90d.jpg

 

 

1671185695_Viv24upperright.thumb.jpg.4209d6a262b86dc1e24f387654499acc.jpg

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Vivitar made some fixed mount lenses that were inexpensive and not bad. Don't know if these images will help but I compared one to my Nikkor S 24-70 f/4 on my Z6. Both shots at f/4. The Vivitar is similar in the center and a bit softer at the edges, but really quite usable. The instruments at the right are in the plane of focus but the lenses in the upper right corner are a bit behind. I've only included a full res crop of the upper right, no processing other than mild in-camera sharpening and whatever else it does behind the scenes.

 

Conrad, that does look quite a bit better than the results from my Nikkor. I will look for this Vivitar. Thanks!

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I'm not thrilled with the image quality of my Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 (I have the N.C version, same optics as the Ai and AF versions). Edge sharpness is my main beef; i have to stop down to at least f/8 for decent results there.

 

I know that the 24mm f/1.8G is a much better lens, but i'm a cheapskate and don't want to spend the $400 or so for a used one. The f/2.8 only cost me $75 plus shipping.

 

Is there an alternative that is intermediate in both quality and cost? It doesn't have to be a Nikon.

 

I do not have a zoom that goes wider than 35mm, nor do i really want one.

 

The 24/2.8 was reformulated in 1977 to be 9 elements in 9 groups. Your lens has different optics, 9 elements in 7 groups.

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The 24/2.8 was reformulated in 1977 to be 9 elements in 9 groups. Your lens has different optics, 9 elements in 7 groups.

 

By gum, you're right, Brian. The comprehensive Nikkor pages at Photography in Malaysia back you up on this. I'm sorry to have posted under false pretenses.

 

Perhaps I'll just trade my N.C version in for an Ai/Ai-S.

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If anybody cares, here are some test shots from my Nikkor N.C 24mm f/2.8, exported at 8 MP with no sharpening. (Click a thumbnail for the full-size photo.)

 

The first four are of my standard flat-field test target, taken from f/2.8 to f/8, distance about 1 meter.

 

DSC_5878.thumb.jpg.938142e6a5fd985406989ebbd30d67c6.jpg DSC_5881.thumb.jpg.2eadd74899f1b4b0cf9b538234ff20a8.jpg DSC_5882.thumb.jpg.ef5d310b2675b8f3afe47679d0f5db09.jpg DSC_5883.thumb.jpg.1ad2f805ae8f91e73f4f074005117125.jpg

 

And the last was taken at f/4 at 40cm:

 

DSC_5895.thumb.jpg.90530b8c055ae9e19c8e825822bdb690.jpg

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I owned the AF version - wasn't convinced using it on a DX body and sold it. Instead of the Ai/Ai-S version I owned the Tamron Adaptall 24/2.5 for many years and was quite happy with it.

 

That seems to be another option, one that i'll consider. The only drawback to the old Tamrons is the backwards focus rotation.

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If anybody cares, here are some test shots from my Nikkor N.C 24mm f/2.8, exported at 8 MP with no sharpening.

I think they're not too bad at all.

The edge softening is what I'd call 'genteel', with just an out-of-focus look, rather than the directional smearing you get with some lenses.

So I'm not sure that changing to the Ai-S version would be an upgrade.

 

I was never happy with my 24mm f/2.8 Ai-S Nikkor. It delivered some of the dullest looking pictures I've ever taken. And believe me, that's dull!:(

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I think they're not too bad at all.

The edge softening is what I'd call 'genteel', with just an out-of-focus look, rather than the directional smearing you get with some lenses.

So I'm not sure that changing to the Ai-S version would be an upgrade.

 

I was never happy with my 24mm f/2.8 Ai-S Nikkor. It delivered some of the dullest looking pictures I've ever taken. And believe me, that's dull!:(

 

Given it's not a bread-and-butter lens for me (not that any other is, as i'm not a pro), i guess it's really not that bad.

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  • 2 weeks later...

After much deliberation, I decided to keep the Nikkor-N.C 24mm f/2.8 and also buy a 28mm f/2 Ai-S, a lens I had long wanted. Alas, I think I've picked a bad copy of the 28/2. It's disappointingly soft wide open and has much more field curvature than I've seen in any other lens—even an AF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6G that cost me $25. I'm going to return it unless someone can convince me that the lens is performing normally.

 

Here are two pairs of test shots I want to share. I hope you will view them at full size. Although exported at full width from my D810, they are cropped to thin strips to save on file size. The first pair were taken at infinity focus at f/2 and f/4. The f/2 shot is mushy all over the frame, and sharpness declines continuously from the center to the edge. The f/4 shot is much sharper in the center...but if you look at the edges, they're hardly improved over the f/2 shot.

 

DSC_7303.thumb.jpg.f145cf1f91777583acf37d943e0e8daa.jpg

f/2

 

DSC_7308.thumb.jpg.76b072311c6e248c76cafd9644f6e268.jpg

f/4

 

To prove to myself that the sharpness gradient was due to field curvature and not something more sinister, I took the second pair of photos, below. Both are f/2.8. The first photo in this pair was taken parallel to the bookshelf. Note the blurry edges. The second photo was taken at a rather large angle with respect to the bookshelf, so that the right edge is much closer than the left. Notice how sharpness is much more consistent going from the center to the right edge compared to the straight-on image.

 

DSC_7320.thumb.jpg.181d369d6f9a89cc7ae449efa16c5d6a.jpg

DSC_7388.thumb.jpg.365ff7b0147bfe9cc7eba80e8fc35e7c.jpg

 

What do you think? Is it a bad copy of the 28/2? Or is this how they all are?

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I have several 28/2 lenses, and like them. None are good at f/2, especially at the edges, there is a steep fall off in sharpness at the last portion of full frame. A little cropping can fix. I treat the lens as a f/2.8 with an emergency f/2.

 

I don't remember having concerns about using the lens at f/4. But, I don't tend to shoot landscapes, more often people photos. I will admit that I don't typically worry much about edge/corner sharpness. I have a tight schedule today, but may be able to see what my 28/2's can do tomorrow.

 

Also, could you repeat the angled test shot the other way to see if edge sharpness improves symmetrically?

Edited by robert_bouknight|1
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