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Nikon
24-85mm AF-S
(2002-2006)
©
2009 KenRockwell.com
Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 G AF-S.You can get them used at eBay, and it helps me keep adding when you use that link. Thanks! Ken.
Note: Most of this review is from shooting this lens on film in 2002. Only some of it has been updated for use on FX, on which it works great as well.
September 2002, November 2010 More Nikon Reviews Nikon Lenses
Sharpness Comparison to all other 24mm lenses August 2010
Introduction top
Intro Specifications Performance Recommendations
I personally buy from Adorama, Amazon, Ritz, B&H and J&R. I can't vouch for ads below.
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This is a tiny, fun and easy-to-use cheesy plastic zoom lens that is also the best performing midrange zoom I've ever used! It is clearly superior to the older 24-85mm f/2.8-4 AF-D, 24-120mm Streetsweeper and 28-105mm AF-D lenses I also bought or tried before I bought this one.
The weird thing is that this les was so good and inexpensive that Nikon discontinud it in 2006, keeping the older and more expensive 24-85mm AF-D version!
This superior, new AF-S lens was introduced at PMA in February 2002. See the press release here.
I have not compared it directly against the 24-120VR. If the 24-120VR works as well as this 24-85AFS and if the 24-120VR has no vignetting problems with a 77mm step-up ring at 24mm on film then, for twice the price, I'll probably prefer the 24-120. Note that many mid-range zooms don't really make me that happy, so until I get my hands on a production 24-120VR for a full film test I cannot be sure.
I bought mine in September, 2002, to replace my previous favorite, the 28-85 AF that I wore out. Nikon ran a $50 rebate through June 30, 2003 so it effectively cost me only $310 back then. In 2007, it sells for about $300.
Oddly, the manual focus ring and overall specs, size and performance of this lens seems almost identical to the very popular Canon EF 28-105 3.5-4.5 USM that many of my friends use and came out 15 years ago and that sells today for $225.
Compatibility
This 24-85mm G and AF-S lens works perfectly with every digital SLR, especially the D3X, D3, D700 and D40, and film cameras like the F5, F6, F100, N80, N75 and N65 etc.
See Nikon Lens Compatibility for details if you plan to use it on an older film camera. This is both an AF-S and a G lens.
Specifications top
Intro Specifications Performance Recommendations
This lens has fifteen elements in twelve groups and has some sort of aspherics.
It focuses directly down to 15 inches (0.38 meters or 1.2 feet) at all focal lengths. This is great because there are no idiotic macro lock out switches like on all the other lenses.
It takes 67mm filters and comes with an HB-28 hood and unique new 67mm lens cap designed so that you can get it on and off from the front with the hood still on.
It weighs 14.3 oz. or 415g. This is really light; it's one of the smallest midrange zooms Nikon's ever made.
It's 2.9" (73mm) around by 2.9" (72mm) long.
It has a great rounded seven-bladed diaphragm and stops down to f/22 - 29.
See Nikon Japan's product data here and Nikon USA's data here.
Performance top
Intro Specifications Performance Recommendations
AF action is fast and silent. Well, it was on the first day I had it. As dust collected inside after the first day of use I now get a slight squeak as it focuses. Ditto for the smoothness of the zoom; after the first day stuff collects inside and it's no longer as smooth. This is a cheap lens and nowhere near as slick as the $1,000 AF-S lenses.
This lens feels like driving a ordinary modern car as opposed to car from the 1950s: it works a lot better at everything but it's all plasticy. The heck with my whining; I love this lens.
The front never rotates, regardless of focus or zooming.
It does not have a black index screw on the lens mount as some AF lenses have. You'll have to look for the smaller white index dot on the lens body.
Distortion
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30
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35
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50
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70
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85
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The brick wall with film or FX.
24mm: strong barrel.
28mm: none (better than other lenses at 28mm setting).
35mm: slight pincushion at far distances and none at 3.'
50mm: pincushion.
70mm: pincushion.
85mm: strong pincushion (worse than 28-85).
This is where there is no free lunch. In exchange for the sharpness and tiny size we get this distortion. It will be very annoying if you are shooting architecture and are not careful to select a focal length with little distortion. Set the lens to 28mm if you need no distortion, and use the 35mm setting at close-up distances. No, there is no 28mm marking, just set it between 24mm and 35mm.
If distortion is important to you then instead get the 28-105 which was not as sharp for me due to AF errors but had much less distortion than of any of these similar zooms.
On a Nikon Digital SLR at 2k resolution the way to correct barrel distortion in Photoshop at 24mm is to
1.) Increase canvas
size from 2,000 x 1,312 to 3,000 x 2,000 pixels
2.) Filter > Distort > Spherize at -7 to -8%
Sharpness
Surprise! It's the sharpest midrange zoom I've used. It is sharp and contrasty, even wide open, at all focal lengths. It's a little less contrasty in the corners on film wide open, which cleans up a stop or two down. The performance is similar at all focal lengths.
On the wide end there is a little secondary lateral chromatic aberration, or very slight green-magenta color fringes in the corners.
Criminy, it's even sharp in the macro range!
On the D1H of course it's sharp at all apertures and focal lengths and positions on the image, but so what, most lenses are. It's easy to be sharp in digital.
Auto Focus Accuracy
AF is dead on at all apertures and focal lengths, which is why it's sharper in real use than all the other modern midrange zooms I've tried. This, along with its size and ease of use, are why this lens is the clear winner.
Remember that all the other tests you read elsewhere are done on a test bench and are focused manually for best results. Those dry lab tests don't show up the sharpness-robbing AF errors I've seen on many of the other lenses.
On the other hand I go out and blew $100 on real film to see what this lens really does, and it shines consistently.
Focus Hold while Zooming
The focus holds fairly well while zooming. This means you're usually OK focusing at one focal length and zooming to another without refocusing. It's not perfect, so for anything critical focus at the final zoom setting.
Ease of Use
It's probably Nikon's easiest to use lens.
This mostly comes from the fact that it's super light and small and the AF-S feature means you can just grab the focus ring at any time and adjust the focus manually, and just press the shutter release lightly to autofocus. There is no need to adjust any M/A switch to do this as with all other non-AF-S lenses.
The only other AF-S lenses are huge, and therefore not exactly fun unless you don't have to carry them. I work in the field so I have to tote everything.
The M/A - M switch only prevents the lens from autofocusing. It allows you to lock the lens in manual focus if you prefer.
There are none of the annoying range limiters or macro lockout switches like the 24-85mm f/2.8-4 has. The close focus range is available at all focal lengths.
All the wide focal lengths are squeezed together at one end of the zoom range making fine adjustment at the wide end difficult. This is the biggest flaw I can find with this lens!
Falloff of Illumination (corner darkening)
It has some light falloff wide open at 24mm on film and FX. Stop down a stop or two and it's gone. It's very mild, even wide open, at longer focal lengths.
On DX digital, since only the center of the image is used, I have seen no falloff.
Here are shots of an expodisc on my D3 in full-frame FX mode. This greatly empasizes any falloff.
