Standard zoom advice

[Chairman Bill]

I used the Nikon 24-85 3.5-4.5G with my D700, and it worked fine. Far sharper than it had any purpose being for such a cheap lens, but my D800 reveals its shortcomings and I simply don't use it now.

So, the question is, what do I replace it with? Is the latest VR version noticeably better optically, or should I be saving for a (used) 28-70 or 24-70 f2.8? Informed advice would be most welcome.

[Peter McLennan]

Waiting with baited breath.  My D800s reveal the same shortcomings of this lens.

[armand]

How big, how much?

[armand]

I see no responses so I’ll add what I found so far. I don’t have a D8xx but I might get one so I researched the subject.

Thom Hogan has some recommendations, you can check his site.
The big elephant in the room is the new 24-70 F2.8E . If you are happy with the range, weight and price it is the best option, particularly if landscapes are heavy on the menu.
Of the other Nikon zooms he prefers the new 24-85. If you look on the numbers for lower resolutions bodies it is not better than the 24-120 F4. It might be worth it if you want lighter and don’t need much WR.

I have a love/hate relationship with my 24-120 F4 on a D750. It is very versatile, not that heavy considering the range, ok flare resistance and good overall sharpness. The extreme corners are not that good though, you need to stop significantly. In practice most of the time it is ok. I was looking also into the Sony system and the 24-105 F4 got very good reviews and yet when you look at lensrentals review it doesn’t seem to be that much better than the Nikon, if at all.

If you are looking into third party the new Tamron 24-70 F2.8 is the obvious choice and seems to be competitive.

PS. I see on B&H the older version of the Tamron 24-70 F2.8 has 500 off

[Jack Hogan]

Imo it depends on what you are planning to use the lens for.  If mostly for stills at typical Landscape taking focal lengths and f-numbers (24-50mm, f/5.6+) then the Nikon 24-120/4G is an excellent compromise overall and as good as the 24-70/2.8G with a little extra reach when occasionally needed.  Plus it is lighter and (much) cheaper.  It's no prime but it is the one lens I bring on long hikes. The new 24-70/2.8E apparently gets better corners but it is (much, much) more expensive.

On the other hand if your use cases differ significantly from those above I would take the 24-120/4G out of the running. 

Jack

[Chairman Bill]

Thanks, everyone. I did have the 24-120 f4, but found corner sharpness (at least in the one I had) somewhat lacking. On the D700 it was good and the extra reach over the 24-85 was welcome, but the D800 showed its failings.

I shoot landscapes mostly with my 50mm (it's light) or the 17-35 f2.8, which is superbly sharp (it replaced my Zeiss 25mm) but rather heavy. I could do with some extra reach at times though, and in bad weather, I'd prefer not to have to switch lenses, hence the interest in a new standard zoom. I'd also like to use it for more general use, travel, covering events and the like, where I also don't want to keep swapping the lens.

Maybe I should try another 24-120 or save for the 24-70 2.8E

[armand]

If you can put up with the weight and price it sounds the new 24-70 2.8E is the one for you.

I don't think the 24-120 that you had is different than average, their corners are not that good. I make it work because it's versatile and I was hoping for a better version although looking around at this range they all have some issues. This makes me more tolerant and if I get a D850 this will be the lens that I'll be trying it with.

[Two23]

Thanks, everyone. I did have the 24-120 f4, but found corner sharpness (at least in the one I had) somewhat lacking.

There are two versions of this lens.  The first was not as good as the current version.  My choice would probably be the Sigma 24-105mm OS:
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2018/02/mtf-testing-for-the-sigma-24-105mm-f4-dg-os-hsm-art-series-lens/


I too have thought about what to use on a D800E for mid range, but came away just keeping the Nikon 24mm PC-E, Sigma 35mm f1.4, Sigma 50mm f1.4, and Nikon 105mm Micro VR.  There are times it would make a lot more sense for me to use a zoom to lighten my camera bag or when I'm out with a group, and for that I use a Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 OS on a Nikon D5300.  I'm quite happy with the combo.  If it weren't for the fact Sigma doesn't make a tilt/shift lens, all of my lenses would probably be Sigma Art Series.


Kent in SD

[John Hollenberg]

Waiting with baited breath.  My D800s reveal the same shortcomings of this lens.

What are you baiting your breath with?    Most of us are waiting with bated breath. 

[stever]

These 3 &4x wide to tele zooms are all compromised to a greater or (slightly) lesser degree.  The lensrentals test prompted me to try the Sigma 24-105 "art".  After spending some time testing, all I can say for sure is that it's significantly sharper in the corners at 105mm than my very well worn Canon 24-105 and like the other 24-x zooms it's pretty good overall at 24mm.  Disappointing considering the 82mm front element and amount of glass in the Sigma.

My 24-70 f4 is reasonably symmetrical and generally sharper in the corners - and sharp enough (barely) in the corners at f8-fll to print 17x25 landscapes.  From my experience and review of a whole lot of tests and reviews I think this is all that can be reasonably expected.  Unfortunately more than 24 mpix isn't going to do anything about the corner limitations of these lenses.

If better performance at larger apertures is important, then a 24-70 f2.8 may be worth trying.  i frequently need stabilization but have not tried the Tamron because of lens-lens variation reports (which again is a problem to some degree with all these lenses).  You have to decide what's most important for you use and which compromises you can live with for the zoom convenience. 

[Peter McLennan]

What are you baiting your breath with?   

Money.    I chew ten-dollar bills just before I walk in to the camera store.
Thanks for the correction.

[David Eckels]

I have used my 28-300 Nikkor with good effect on my D800E and now on the D850. I have the 24-120, but since I got the 28-300, it has stayed in my camera bag; not because I don't like it (limitations easily corrected in LR), but because I like the extra reach in the 28-300.

[armand]

If Nikon would come up with a 24-105 F4 in a similar size to 24-120 F4 but with better sharpness it would be gold but I don't count on it, Nikon's priority is not to cannibalize their more expensive stuff, the 24-70 F2.8E in this case.