How good is the Nikon 24-70mm?

simonfw

simonfw

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Simon
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Have read many reviews - nearly all good. The thing is £1000+ is a lot of cash and it would at present sit only on my d5000. Soon(ish) to get a d700(no update till next year -say Nikon?)

Should I splash the cash and how would it sit on a d5000?
 
You will see a big improvment on the kit lens as it is, as per the reviews, astounding. Glass is more important than body so it will still produce great pics. If you can afford it go for it.
 
sits on my d90 just fine. awesome lens and defintely a keeper. It's is the first part of my 'masterplan'

next christmas it'll be a 70-200, oh yes.

i think my d90 will be the last thing to upgrade.

One thing though, its a beast of a lens. doesn't bother me as i'm 6ft and 16st, but it might bother some.

Al
 
I feared I might get these replies...

Do you think the d5000 will take the strain of the weight of this lens?
 
simonfw said:
I feared I might get these replies...

Do you think the d5000 will take the strain of the weight of this lens?
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Yep, will fit on any Nikon. Always best to invest in glass......
 
Cheers

I like the look of your camera bag Cowasaki - a good mix of lenses. Anything you would add/change? I suppose I should get the d700 sooner rather than later too..
 
simonfw said:
I feared I might get these replies...

Do you think the d5000 will take the strain of the weight of this lens?
Click to expand...

believe me i tried to find someone to tell me not to buy mine, but it wont happen unfortunately.

And is wondering if the d5000 is too flimsy to support this lens your final attempt to justify not buying it :lol:

if weight is a fear, and you arent looking at going ff in the near future, then have you looked at the tamron 17-50 f2.8 ? my buddy Mr Mike has this lens. Better suited to a crop camera and much much lighter. Pin sharp too and a fraction of the cost.

Al
 
Good point - but looking to add a d700 very soon! I hear second hand from a Nikon rep that a replacement will now not come until next year -too long to wait!
 
simonfw said:
Cheers

I like the look of your camera bag Cowasaki - a good mix of lenses. Anything you would add/change? I suppose I should get the d700 sooner rather than later too..
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Nope, not really.

I have the main range covered by the 24-70 and 80-200 then I have the 1.4TC in order to make the 80-200 into a 112-280.

Then I have the really fast 50mm 1.4 for general purpose/fast/low light; the 20mm sigma for wiiiide and the 105mm for macro etc

I use a D200 for work which is mainly with the 105 macro or 18-55.

So basically I have everything that I want covered, I would love to change the 80-200 for a 70-200 at some time and will probably do so next year but that is only really for focus speed etc.

Oh yes I really fancy a fisheye lens at some point but not sure when.
 
simonfw said:
Good point - but looking to add a d700 very soon! I hear second hand from a Nikon rep that a replacement will now not come until next year -too long to wait!
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prepare yourself for the d700 replacement by gathering the Nikon holy trinity in the meantime.

14-24
24-70
70-200

why not :shrug:

i love my d90 too much to part with it so soon.
 
seventythree said:
prepare yourself for the d700 replacement by gathering the Nikon holy trinity in the meantime.

14-24
24-70
70-200

why not :shrug:

i love my d90 too much to part with it so soon.
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You could probably do without the 14-24 part of that unless you want really wide. The 24-70 is the same rangeISH as the 18-55 kit lens on a crop.
 
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Damn you lot.....

It sounds so sensible and I know its right. Bank balance set to take a big hit. Although funds from my Canon sale (the lot went) will help!

Best places to buy any tips -will check camerapricebuster too......
 
simonfw said:
Damn you lot.....

It sounds so sensible and I know its right. Bank balance set to take a big hit. Although funds from my Canon sale (the lot went) will help!

Best places to buy any tips -will check camerapricebuster too......
Click to expand...

Seriously phone round if you want but make sure you give Stuart a ring/email at Digital Depot and tell him we sent you :) I bought a D700, D300, 24-70 and 50mm f1.4 off him plus a P&S and other bits. His prices are great and being a Nikon pro dealer you get full uk warranty and all the nikon offers etc.....
 
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simonfw said:
I feared I might get these replies...

Do you think the d5000 will take the strain of the weight of this lens?
Click to expand...

If your concerned about the weight of this particular lens, then why not look at the Excellent Tamron 28-75 version which is just as good(not so much in build quality compared the the Nikon) but for sharpness it's fantastic!!!

Mike.
 
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simonfw said:
I feared I might get these replies...

Do you think the d5000 will take the strain of the weight of this lens?
Click to expand...

You'll be supporting the lens with your left hand when shooting, rather than just holding the camera body with both hands - if you're doing it properly, that is...
 
Superb lens. But you wouldn't go wrong with a good secondhand 28-70mm Nikon. Another beast of a lens.

Kev.
 
kevshore said:
Superb lens. But you wouldn't go wrong with a good secondhand 28-70mm Nikon. Another beast of a lens.

Kev.
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Very true - I've used both and actually prefer the older, heavier lens as it renders colours better to my eye...
 
I have the 24-70 mm from Nikon and the Sigma GD HSM version of it. Sigma is shorter and from the tests I have done cannot tell the difference between them. I'm only quite small though and find the Nikon a little heavy after a while!
 
i feel a song coming on

Simply the best, better than all the rest

Buy it if you can and you will never look back and that is a promise.
 
Very :)

And don't worry about the weight, I'm 5'3" and use 2 D700's with 24-70 and 70-200 on for 8-10 hours on a wedding and don't have a problem with them. As Arkady says, just use them properly in the way you stand and the way you support them. I will try to use a monopod at some points during the day both for stability and support.

Do it, you won't regret it and beans on toast is not bad :)
 
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Have a look on NikonCafe, (Show-off Pics Nikkor 24-70 G's f/2.8)
I personally love this lens and with a D700 + grip it feels very evenly balanced. :thumbs:
 
hopefully very.....come on mr postman

annoying really that they generally wake me up at 7.30 for boring letter and other peoples parcels but are quite happy to make me wait for what i want >.<
 
Very good lens but make sure you get a good 'un. My first 24-70 was nowhere near as good as the one I have now. It might be worth trying a couple when you go to buy to make sure you get a good quality one.

Don't want to scare anyone but it's worth making sure you don't get one that is less sharp than it could be :)
 
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Sorry to hijack this thread a little but hopefully it is still relevent to the OP as I want to know about the image quality of this lens.
I'm using a D300 at the moment and when I move to the D700 (probably next year) I will definately get the 24-70.
I'm currently planning on buying a 24-70 when I get it depends on the outcome of a few sales on ebay of unused gear. I just wanted to know if I need to rush to replace my curent 17-55mm with the 24-70mm will I notice much difference in image quality?
 
I love my 24-70 :love::love::love:

And to think I only bought it to have something to screw by B+W ten stop filtet to :shake::shake::shake:

It's as sharp as a very sharp thing sitting on a razor, whilst being made sharper with a leather strap, sucking a lemon :bonk::bonk::bonk:
 
Thanks guys - a rip to Jessops and 12 months interest free me thinks!!
 
As mentioned earlier. You might want to consider a used 28-70 Nikkor 2.8. I've got one and it's truly fantastic. Good examples seem to go for £650-£700 on eBay. For me I don't miss the 24-28 range at all. But it is a Beast of a lens.
 
Just to give you the opposing argument to the 24-70 - it's an incredible zoom, but f/2.8 is slow by prime lens standards and good primes (and they'll have to be good to best the 24-70) will typically be marginally sharper and have less geometric distortion, etc. 24-70 is a convenience length, and therefore best-suited for general walkabout and wedding photographers etc, but a normal length prime (perhaps with a wide prime in pocket) will give you more light-gathering ability, a much lighter pack, and maybe change in your pocket. I say maybe because to go faster than f/2.8 on a wideangle prime from Nikon you're looking at third party, old AI lenses, or the silly-expensive 24/1.4...so bear in mind I'm playing devil's advocate to some degree. The N coating on the 24-70 is also a really nice feature for flare resistance...so I'm not sure whether I'm talking you into primes, or myself out of them :p
 
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seventythree said:
14-24
24-70
70-200QUOTE]

The only change I would make to this is the 14 - 24 which has no thread for a filter. I would change that to a 17 - 35 which will be more than wide enough for your future D700 and you can still get a filter on.

I have all three and use them regularly.

Regards

Chris
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simonfw said:
Have read many reviews - nearly all good. The thing is £1000+ is a lot of cash and it would at present sit only on my d5000. Soon(ish) to get a d700(no update till next year -say Nikon?)

Should I splash the cash and how would it sit on a d5000?
Click to expand...

I love this forum! This was the exact question that I have got - now all I need to do is get authorisation from the Mrs!!

Thanks everyone for their input!
 
You don't believe how sharp this lens is until you actually use it. Mine's pretty much stuck to my D700 now apart from when I use the 50, I haven't actually tried it on the crop body D90.

The 70-200 will compliment it well, that's next on my list, followed by the 85mm 1.4 AF-D, the 16-35mm f/4, the 10.5mm fisheye, and on and on it goes.....
 
Anyone know of the best place to get a 24-70mm from?

Jessops and Amazon are at £1,189

Any help would be great!
 
jedipie said:
Anyone know of the best place to get a 24-70mm from?

Jessops and Amazon are at £1,189

Any help would be great!
Click to expand...

I got mine through Jessops as there's one just up the road from me. If you go instore to buy it, make sure you go online and reserve it to collect as you'll save £40 on the store price, which I believe is still £1229.
 
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