Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AI-s
(1977-today)
© 2008 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AI-s. enlarge. You can still buy these brand-new at B&H Photo-Video, which is where I bought mine back in 1984.

July 2008      More Nikon Reviews   Nikon Lenses

Sharpness Comparison to all other 24mm lenses August 2010

Introduction

This used to be a very popular lens. It's sharp, compact and very well made. As most Nikon AI-s lenses of its era it is a masterpiece of mechanical construction.

Specifications

It has close-range correction (CRC) and has the usual Nikon barrel distortion.

It focuses to one foot or 0.3m.

It has a seven-bladed diaphragm stopping down to f/22.

It has nine elements in nine groups.

Filter thread is 52mm.

It is 2.2" (57mm) long by 2.5" (63mm) around and weighs 9 oz. (250g).

Performance

It has the usual Nikon wide-angle performance: great performance all over when stopped down and great in the center at all apertures.

It has the usual light falloff and fuzziness due to coma in the corners at full aperture that improves a stop or two down.

Once stopped down a couple of stops it's great.

I find the Minolta MD Rokkor-X 24mm f/2.8 (55mm filter thread) is superior due to lower distortion and less coma wide open. The Minolta lens also has CRC.

Recommendations

If you want an inexpensive high-performance manual-focus 24mm lens, go for it!

Nikon still makes them, and B&H Photo-Video still sells them brand-new in 2008.

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