» Nikon 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IF Autofocus VR Nikkor Zoom Lens

Nikon 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IF Autofocus VR Nikkor Zoom Lens Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Very soft lens.
Comment: I was first in line to buy this lens when it first came out. It is a very convenient lens for everyday shooting. However, I was extremely disappointed with how soft the lens is. The center of the frame can be sharp, but there is a rapid falloff to softness in the corners. I wish Nikon would update this useful zoom with better optics. Their 18-200 VR is a great lens for DX sensors, but this one for full-frame cameras isn't worth bothering with.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Very Good Consumer Ouality Lens
Comment: I shoot events for a major university. I use a Nikon D3 and just started to spend some real money on glass. Let me tell you the old adage is true. You get what you pay for. That said, the Nikon 24-120mm 3.5 zoom lens is a very good lens for the money. I have been using it to shoot the events for about three months. Let me tell you what I experienced with the camera stuck to my face all day long. This lens is much sharper then is reported. It is rather slow it's true. However with the D3 you push the ISO and there isn't too much of a problem. There is some vignetting at 24mm which can be corrected in photoshop. The "VR" is terrific and the auto focus is very fast! Just make sure you focus on your main spot in the frame. It is easy to get an out of focus image with this lens if you are not careful! The build quality is good. It is pretty smooth to zoom with and is just light enough to stay on your camera for most of the time. I really like this lens. Much better then the cheap 55-200mm Zoom. That lens feels like it is made out of cardboard! The main reason I just came back from buying the new Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens is that I can't compete professionally with the 24-120mm zoom lens. The Nikon 24-70 is much sharper (razor) and the color renditions are breath taking, not to mention the speed. I have tried to get away with spending a third the price and it just doesn't cut it in the world of pro photography! I will however miss the versitility of the zooming focal length of 24-120mm, what a spread! The 24-120mm is a lens I will take on vacation with a D300 and it will be more then enough to ring back some good shots. Most of my shooting will take place outside in sunlight. If you don't need to compete to make a living in photography, save yourself a lot of money and get the Nikon 24-120mm f/3.5 zoom lens. It's a wonderful lens and will always be one of my favorite fun lenses!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Semi-pro
Comment: I've been a semi-professional photographer since 2004 and have a huge investment in Nikon equipment including a Nikon 200-400 zoom that I paid $5,500 for. I also have the 70-200 2.8, which is another superb lens. However, the 24-120 goes with me everywhere. It is one of the most versatile lenses I own. I use it in the studio under dim lighting conditions and for most of the outdoor shooting I do. The other lens I rely on for outdoor shots is the 70-200, which I cannot ay enough good things about (although it's heavy). Bottom line: the 24-120 is worth every penny you pay for it. Don't think twice about buying one. My $0.02 worth.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: not perfect, but good
Comment: The VR is nice to have, and the images are usually crisp. I have a couple of photos that are almost as crisp as those from my 50mm f/1.4D. I like the zoom range - 5X is pretty flexible. This is a very good walk-around lens for a mid-range price, especially for outdoors shots. The weight is not bad, it feels pretty solid.

My copy is a bit noisy, a bit slow, and a bit dark. It has a bit of slop in the focus ring, but it's not too bad.

I wish this lens were an f/2.8 with a 77mm filter mount.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Disappointing sample
Comment: At the time I bought mine, Amazon was out of stock, and I bought it someplace else. Fortunately that store was good on returns.
My 24-85mm AF-S Nikkor (now discontinued) has been very good on my Nikon D50, but I coveted more telephoto and VR. I'd read so many reviews complaining of problems with some superzooms, that I didn't want to overdo it, and I figured the 24-120mm should be perfect. It wasn't. At 24mm f3.5 image softness away from the center was very unsatisfactory. I compared side-by-side twice with my 24-85, and I got the same result. Stopping down gave better image quality, but 24mm f3.5 is a setting I do find too useful to sacrifice.
I returned the lens for refund.

I have looked at a store sample of the 18-200mm Nikkor, and that looks more encouraging. I ordered one from someplace less expensive than that store.

Maybe a different sample of 24-120 would do better than the one I tried. Maybe not. If you miss out on the chance to get a discontinued 24-120 before they disappear, you probably have a better choice from among current models.

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