Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f / 2.8G ED lens test

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f / 2.8G ED lens test

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Nikon Subjective Lenses Best Nikon Starter Lenses Nikon portrait lenses. Top class Nikon Travel Lenses Lenses with a range of focal lengths from 24 to 70 mm and a constant aperture of F / 2.8 head the line of optics of all manufacturers, and this is not an accidental coincidence. The fact is that it is in the range of focal lengths of 24-70 mm that the vast majority of subjects are shot - from landscapes and architectural photography to portraits and reports. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f / 2.8G ED was created for uncompromising shooting quality, because this lens is bought for a long time and for regular use in a variety of conditions. In this test, I will test the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR24-70mm f / 2.8G ED in several shooting genres and consider in detail the features of its work. Ask for price Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f / 2.8G ED Structurally, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR24-70mm f / 2.8G ED has a mushroom-shaped design with a thin leg and a massive front part. The design uses plastic parts, but the lens weighs a lot. And I was surprised to find that the lens is not too well balanced on the camera (in my case, the Nikon D800). The thing is that in the wide-angle position, a “trunk” with the most weighty optical elements inside leaves out of the case for several centimeters. The weight distribution changes so significantly that, for example, some tripod heads simply can not stand it, and the camera bites its nose. Hours of shooting with this lens can also leave excessive fatigue in the wrists, because the photographer will have to constantly hold the camera with the center of gravity shifted as far forward as possible. The lack of a stabilizer that could partially compensate for the tremor of tired hands does not add convenience. However, the absence of a stabilizer is typical for such lenses and in the lines of competitors. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR24-70mm f / 2.8G ED is perfectly assembled, and its design does not cause concern - the "trunk" does not spontaneously move out and does not extend even with active shaking. There are no backlashes or any other signs of poor-quality assembly, the lens looks and feels a reliable friend, capable of serving the photographer for many years. The dust and spray protection adds confidence, the presence of which is indicated by the rubber skirt around the mount. The remaining security features are hidden from the eyes of the photographer inside the structure. There is only one switch on the case, which is responsible for activating manual focus. There is no stabilizer in this lens, that is, depending on the physical preparation, we can talk about the shutter speed range for guaranteed sharp frames from about 1/30 in the wide-angle position and from 1/80 in the tele-position. On cameras with a high pixel density, such as the Nikon D800 / D810 / D7100, it’s worthwhile to slightly reduce the shutter speed (this can be done in the camera menu in the Auto ISO settings) or use a monopod or tripod when shooting. Optically, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR24-70mm f / 2.8G ED worked out pretty well. Distortions are small. They can be found primarily in a wide-angle position. But problems are automatically fixed by software, for example, with the Lens Correction module, which is in all modern versions of Adobe Camera RAW and Adobe Lightroom. In the wide-angle position, promising distortions are clearly visible. They really can significantly affect the perception of the frame. In the fashion industry and when shooting a report, such distortions are actively used, but when shooting a classic portrait or architecture, they can play a trick. I recommend to definitely get used to working with distortions, using them for the good, and not to the detriment of the picture. For example, this is the situation where distortions are more likely to harm:

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F11, 1/250 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F2.8, 1/160 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

But on these frames, they may be quite appropriate:

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 400, F4, 1/2000 s, 48.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 500, F2.8, 1/125 s, 40.0 mm equiv.

Before the test, when I conducted a preliminary survey of the Nikon AF-S owners of the Nikkor24-70mm f / 2.8G ED about its features, I was warned about the possibility of encountering chromatic aberrations, especially in teleposition, but I did not notice too many of them. They are in a teleposition with a completely open aperture, but they are hardly noticeable and do not have a significant effect on the quality of the picture.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 200, F2.8, 1/4000 s, 70.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 200, F2.8, 1/2500 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 200, F6.3, 1/1600 s, 70.0 mm equiv.

What the lens manages to perfection is tracking autofocus: there simply cannot be any comments here - all the frames that I planned to shoot with this lens turned out.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 200, F4.5, 1/800 s, 70.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 400, F4, 1/3200 s, 60.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 400, F4, 1/1600 s, 70.0 mm equiv.

Moreover, shooting in difficult conditions with a small amount of artificial light showed that autofocus is the last thing to worry about with the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR24-70mm f / 2.8G ED. Sharpness steadily hit where I pointed. Perhaps the most extreme test of the lens is shooting a runaway alarm robot at 4 in the morning under the light of a desk lamp. And nothing, tracking autofocus did the trick!

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 6400, F4, 1/125 s, 70.0 mm equiv.

In the case of shooting with backlight, the anti-reflective coating of the lenses takes care of protection against spurious flare and glare, but nevertheless sometimes it passes them. When shooting with backlight on the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR24-70mm f / 2.8G ED, a backlight effect sometimes appears, which, however, adds an artistic film effect due to a uniform drop in contrast over the entire field of the frame, rather than harming a good picture.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 200, F4, 1/250 s, 60.0 mm equiv.

The sharpness and detail at the edges of the frame are not too great, but only at open apertures. Starting with F / 5.6, we can talk about a qualitative leap. The picture does not lose quality up to F / 14. We do not recommend using large aperture values because of a drop in sharpness due to diffraction, it is better to get a good ND filter. Well, in the center of the frame everything is fine already with F / 2.8 - for a reason this lens is called legendary in the Nikkor line of optics. Snakes made at a focal length of 24 mm to assess sharpness at various aperture values:

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F2.8, 1/800 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F3.5, 1/500 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F4.5, 1/400 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F5.6, 1/250 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F7.1, 1/160 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F9, 1/100 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F11, 1/60 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F14, 1/40 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F18, 1/25 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 200, F22, 1/25 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

Sneakers made at a focal length of 70 mm to assess sharpness at various aperture values:

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F2.8, 1/640 s, 70.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F3.5, 1/500 s, 70.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F4.5, 1/320 s, 70.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F5.6, 1/200 s, 70.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F7.1, 1/125 s, 70.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F9, 1/80 s, 70.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F11, 1/50 s, 70.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F14, 1/30 s, 70.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 200, F18, 1/40 s, 70.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 200, F22, 1/25 s, 70.0 mm equiv.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f / 2.8G ED is very good in terms of shooting with blurring foreground and background. Thanks to a successful optical design, constant f / 2.8 aperture and short MDF (only 38 cm), this lens allows you to take frames with a very beautiful blur. Even a slightly covered diaphragm does not spoil the bokeh, and the optical design guarantees blur without unpleasant scales. When shooting a female portrait, the color and plastic of the skin are well conveyed, but the detail does not suffer.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 200, F2.8, 1/400 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 200, F2.8, 1/320 s, 70.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 500, F2.8, 1/125 s, 70.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 200, F2.8, 1/1250 s, 70.0 mm equiv.

I’ll separately explain about MDF (minimum focusing distance) - this parameter affects several factors, including blurring the foreground from the background when shooting close-up objects. Among the 38 cm MDF zooms, this is a good indicator that guarantees significant blurring of the background when shooting from a minimum distance. The same parameter also affects the macro-capabilities of the lens, but here the scale of the subject even with a focal length of 70 mm is still small - only 0.27x, because we have a universal zoom in our hands, not a macro lens.

NIKON D800 Installations: ISO 100, F5.6, 1/250 s, 66.0 mm equiv.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f / 2.8G ED can be recommended for all connoisseurs of beautiful reportage shots, studio photographers, amateurs to take street portraits, and of course, wedding photographers. This is an optically perfect model with only one small feature: when shooting in backlight, the anti-reflective coating of the lenses allows some loss of contrast. But even this looks beautiful, and in most cases the trouble is easy to fix in a graphical editor. Another important factor is the peculiar weight distribution of the lens. This feature can be offset by buying a battery pack for your camera and installing an additional battery there. Otherwise, train your wrists or use a monopod. Pros: