Thoughts on the Nikkor 24-85mm 3.4-4.5?

[zoeica images]

Just wondering if anyone has an opinion on Nikon's 24-85mm 3.5-4.5

lens. I'm looking to use one on a F100 and I really do not need

extra speed, 3.5 is fast enough.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Chris

[haris_ashraf]

If you are talking about the AFS G version then I have one and I like it a lot. I use it with mu N80 and D100. However, it is made of plastic and may not be as rugged as the F100. Image quality is pretty good. Distortion is moderate.

 

Haris

[AntonioC]

Agree on everything the previous poster said, BUT the distorion. By no means it can be described as moderate, it's awful, both at the wide and tele end. It can severely ruin an architectural shot. I have the lens and love it, but this is a serious flaw, IMHO. Note, even on a D100 which crops the borders it's extremely noticeable, and it can only be worse on an F100.

Cheers

[hugh_t]

I like it too, it flares a little too much into the sun, but other than that it's great. I try not to use it extensivly at either extreme, between 28 and 70 I think it's at its best, but it's not terrible at 24 or 85. It's very fast with the N80 so it should fly with the F100 (I want one bad). No problems with sharpness. I think it's a winner.

[dlridings]

Chris,

 

I've had one for over a month now. It's a good lens. You _will_ and I repeat, _will_ see curved horizons if they are too close to the top of the frame in a horizontal shot (barrel distortion), but that's one of the few times you'll notice it.

 

It's sharp, sharp enough. It's quiet ... a good lens and if I had to make the same decision again, I'd still go with it.

[zoeica images]

Thanks for the help on the lens. I'm assuming the distortion is the most at 24mm? No big problem since I would most likely use it more at 50-85mm range. I use Leica for my wide shots. Good to see a PAW member respond!

[ShunCheung]

This distortion issue has been discussed many times. Unless you get one of those expensive 17-35 or 28-70 AF-S zooms, you'll see some distortion on the wide end in the less expensive zooms that reach 24mm or so. Even my 24mm/f2.8 AF-D "prime" has a bit of barrel distortion. I used to have a 24-50mm AF that has serious barrel distortion on the 24mm end. It took me several years before I finally had an image with the horizon near the top of the frame to notice the problem.

 

In other words, I wouldn't use this lens for architecture, home interior type shots or any landscape with the horizon near one edge. Otherwise, in mose practical cases some barrel distortion is simply not noticable as long as there is no straight lines near the edge of the frame. Therefore, I wouldn't too concerned about any distortion issues, and I would guess that any alternative in the same price range, such as the up-coming 24-120 VR, will have the same problem anyway.