Blur Shadow
Senior Member
Well, the 24-120mm f/4 has a slightly slower focusing, but it is still very fine.
24 - 120 F4 Opinions ?
- Thread starter Sekundes
- Start date
diediealsomustdive
Senior Member
I am not sure the 18-200 or 28-105 is of the same league as 24-120/4VR. 18-200 is probably in the same league as 28-300, and IMHO the 24-85VR beats the 28-105, and the 24-120/4VR beats them all and lose out slightly to 24-70.
Okay at one point in time I thought this would be the best deal for events - all in one package with a D800. After some shoot runs with this and shooting also with an old 28-85 afd, the cons started to show through. These are 1 weight - it is heavy, 2. sharpness by itself with a little tweking in post it will be sharp but when compared against the older 28-85 afd it is visibly less sharp on capture after tweaks the difference is still there. Shoot a person - the 24-120 has problems giving you details in hair, the 28-85 has no problems. 3. distortion the 24-120 has more distortion, 4. af focusing both will occasionally hunt, the 24-120 seems to do this more with a d800, however the one trial I did with a d600 show the 24-120 is a champion on acquiring focus with that body. a d5100 with the 24-120 also displays the same fantastic focus abilities - so what happened here ?
the 24-120 has issues doing close up shots - without an extra focusing light it hunts.
the 24-70 has its own issues - weight, delicate barrel, some distortion issues.
for most standard events where you do not have to shoot wide open heavy blur - the 24-85 afs vr may be the best choice. You need another 70-210 or 70-300 to cover the other focal length.
Do not take our words on this go rent out a unit to test it out - camera rental has units of this go rent and shoot a mock event or 3 to get feel how it performs.
I do hope that nikon revises the 24-70 soon.
the 24-120 has issues doing close up shots - without an extra focusing light it hunts.
the 24-70 has its own issues - weight, delicate barrel, some distortion issues.
for most standard events where you do not have to shoot wide open heavy blur - the 24-85 afs vr may be the best choice. You need another 70-210 or 70-300 to cover the other focal length.
Do not take our words on this go rent out a unit to test it out - camera rental has units of this go rent and shoot a mock event or 3 to get feel how it performs.
I do hope that nikon revises the 24-70 soon.
For me 24-70 is the only answer, no substitution.
When I need the 2.8 it is there. You can always stop down, but you can never go wider than largest aperture.
When I need the 2.8 it is there. You can always stop down, but you can never go wider than largest aperture.
Well, if you don't need the 2.8, the 24-120 f/4 is a very decent lens for travel and general usage. Difference here is quite on the f/2.8 vs f/4 given all else equal.
diediealsomustdive
Senior Member
Not sure I agree on the 28-85 being sharper than the 24-120, but then I didn't shot them side by side so I won't argue the case. But what I recall is the 28-85 being only acceptable with my limited usage, and the 24-120 being good. Just my opinion.
And comparing 24-70 and 24-120 there is more than just the f2.8.
- 2.8 vs 4 gets u one stop of shutter speed, which may not be significant when you factor in the VR. Significant if you die die need the one stop shutter speed to stop motion.
- the bokeh of f2.8 vs f4
- cost and weight
- the reach 70 vs 120
And the 24-70 focuses slightly faster.
For the record I choose 24-120.
And comparing 24-70 and 24-120 there is more than just the f2.8.
- 2.8 vs 4 gets u one stop of shutter speed, which may not be significant when you factor in the VR. Significant if you die die need the one stop shutter speed to stop motion.
- the bokeh of f2.8 vs f4
- cost and weight
- the reach 70 vs 120
And the 24-70 focuses slightly faster.
For the record I choose 24-120.
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diediealsomustdive
Senior Member
When you need 120 it is not there, but you can always shot wider than the maximum focal length, if you have the 24-120.
To each his own.
BTW if I need f2.8 I grab my 24/2.8, 28/2, 35/2, 50/1.4 or 85/1.8 as the case may be.
Yup exactly... that is why I said "for me".
Actually, af speed has nothing to do with aperture. A variable aperture lens does not autofocus faster at wide end and slower at tele end. And a 800mm f5.6 does not mean the af is slower than a 18-55 f3.5-f5.5 at the wide end. Some f2.8 lens focuses faster than other f2.8 lens.
When i say speed of af here, im refering to moving of the glass elements inside the lens, which depends on the af motor.
Happyman2801
New Member
24-120mm. Quite a good travel lens. When I stop down to f8 to camwhore with my gf, the VR helps. Have not tried 24-70. But guess u can't get enough depth of field for camwhore at f2.8. Having said that, I'm really tempted to get the 24-70. There is a saying 'those you don't own always seem better' 
24-120mm. Quite a good travel lens. When I stop down to f8 to camwhore with my gf, the VR helps. Have not tried 24-70. But guess u can't get enough depth of field for camwhore at f2.8. Having said that, I'm really tempted to get the 24-70. There is a saying 'those you don't own always seem better'
There are digital cameras to camwhore with...which I always bring along an Ixus for such shots.
Actually for variable aperture lenses, af speed really can be affected ay different ends of the focal length range. This happens at low light and the smaller max aperture causes less light available for the af module.
Blur Shadow
Senior Member
I use iPhone leh... Haha!
Back to the 24-120mm. I think that's why Nikon created 24-70mm f/2.8, 24-120mm f/4 and 24-85mm variable aperture lenses.
I prefer the 24-70mm as well because the weight of such class of lens is hardly an issue for me. (Super telephotos are another question). The image quality is superb, and other than lacking in VR, it is pretty much the lens to get.
Yes i agree, less avail light can affect af speed when u zoom in to tele end. tats y i had mentioned that by speed of af, i had meant the moving of glass elements so as to avoid confusion.
And he was comparing 2 diff lens; 24-85 @f3.5 focuses faster than 24-120 @f4. Im not sure which lens focuses faster, but just looking at apertures ad say f4 af slower is misleading
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I tried it out with my D600+24-85mmVR just before I typed this reply. Using A-mode (to get about 1/10sec shutter speed), AF-S mode, single point (middle cross-type), 24mm@f3.5 was just abt 1/3 sec faster than 85mm@f/4.5 in autofocusing. When set to f/4.5, both focal lengths yield the same autofocus timings. But even then, fast enough, considering my ISO was set to 100 and I was shooting handheld at abt 1/10 sec.
Comparison wise, for sure I cant say which is faster of the 2 lenses unless I do a test at Nikon Service Centre showroom itself (I don't own a 24-120 f/4). But my point is, that 24-120 and 24-70 are in 2 different leagues of their own. I've tested the NSC's 24-70mm lens on my D600 previously, and it's real quick in AF, almost instantaneous even under NSC's fluorescent lighting conditions. I didn't request to test the 24-120mm f/4 at that time, but what I can say is that going by specs wise, the 24-85mm VR is a good alternative to the 24-120mm. The 24-85mmVR would never perform better than the 24-120mm for obvious reasons (Nikon's marketing department would never allow that to happen), but at 1/3 the cost of the 24-120mm and 1/5 the cost of the top performer 24-70mm, the 24-85mmVR provides a lightweight and cheap alternative if TS doesn't really need the benefits of Nano-coated glass technology (reduces flare and ghosting).
At the end of the day, we can say all we want in this thread. What TS really needs to do is to find out himself by making a trip down to Nikon Service Centre showroom and compare these lenses for himself.
diediealsomustdive
Senior Member
This observation cannot be correct, for if it is then the lens set at f8 would AF even slower. Since the late 1950s lenses are operated wide open and stop down only at the point of exposure. So whether you set at f4 or f16 the AF speed must remain the same for the same lens at the same zoom setting, governed by the max aperture not by the shooting aperture.
This is absolutely correct. Aperture remains wide open at max aperture until the moment the shot is taken, final meter reading taken (if no AEL), mirror flip, aperture close down to selected aperture, shutter curtain open.
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