Nikor 24-85 F2.8-4 D macro

any thoughts on this lens? im looking to replace the 28-80G lens that

came with my N80 and would like something with a similar range, I

already have a 50mm f/1.8 and it is awesome but i would like a better

quality zoom for when i need to use it, and also the Macro ability is

interesting to me. KEH has them for a decent price used, so anyone

with an experience with this please LMK what you think, and or suggest

something else

wasnt impressed wide open and macro is poor. better when stopped down. tamron 28-75mm is alot better

Very nice lens, good balance of features. Works well on a Nikon Digital SLR. Is fairly light in weight, should balance well with the N80. I use the wide aperture frequently. I have used the Macro and has been quite happy with the results. I find it a good all around travel lens. For the weight and cost I do not know of another similar lens I would want for this range. See:

 

http://www.ardingerphoto.com/ireland2003/index.html

 

All the images were done with the 24-85 f/2.8-4 (on a D100)

 

Robert

Thank you robert thoes pics look great, im looking to get a DLSR prob a D70 and this lens will ge me a goor range even with the 1.5x factor, glad to hear it works good on DSLR's do you happen to have any pics you have taken while useing it in macro?

Adam, The only one I could easily find is this small flower my wife wanted an image of. The focus is on the white pattern on the petals. The center portion is soft as the lens was at f 2.8 or f4 and the center part comes out of the plane of focus. A blurry, out of focus background was an intent. This was also hand held. I did a couple of the usual tests early on (coins, dollars, etc. but may not have saved them). Robert

well that looks great to me, thanks

Hi Adam,

 

I own this lens and use it as a mainstay for general photography within that range. This includes landscapes, large wildlife at close range, portrait type snapshots of my nieces, and some closeups of flowers and such. There are several photos with the lens in my portfolio = the landscapes and the flower.

 

Some people have been very pleased with the 24-85 (like myself) while others have opted for other lenses. I was wondering how sharp the lens would prove to be when I switched to a DSLR, so I took some shots in the street at 24mm of houses with cars parked in front. I found that I could take the image to photoshop and read the liscense plates as clear as day (surprised me how good) as well as the addresses on the curb, front of house, etc. This was more objective to me rather than just try to infer sharpness from the regular subjects. So, I decided my 24-85 is doing the job and will keep it.

 

For candid photos of people I have never felt it was soft... likewise the AF has been true.

 

Cheers,

Greg

thanks greg thoes pics look great, but ive been doing a lil reseach and now im stufk between this lens and the 35-70 F2.8 D MACRO, sooo many lenses i think my head is going to expload

Hey Adam,

 

I purchased this same lens last year after getting a D100. I originally purchased the 24-85 AF-S ED G F3.5-4.5 lens but ended up trading in for the 24-85 AF-D F2.8-4.0 your considering. I've never regretted it. The reason I returned the AF-S was I noticed the front barrel being very sloppy and the image in my viewfinder was shifting slightly when manually focusing from out of focus to in focus then out of focus again. Seemed like maybe a loose element or something. I also noticed the same thing while looking at two seperate 50 f1.8 lens. I purchased the 50 f1.4 not just for the larger aperture but the obvious better build quality. The manual focus is much nicer on this lens. Call me picky, but I expected a little better from a Nikon Lens. I did like the quitness and on-the-fly manual focus but when I looked at the AF-D. I felt the build quality was much better and I do like the macro; it's not bad. Some people have complained about softness and distortion. I did notice a very very slight sharpness difference but never noticed it since I started using it. It's very versitle and built well. I've also include a couple images taken with my D100 and 24-85 AF-D f2.8-4.0 lens.<div></div>

I assume you're familiar with this site, but just in case you're not...

 

http://www.photographyreview.com/35mm,Zoom/PLS_3128_780crx.aspx