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Nikon 24-120mm f3.5-5.6 VR AF-S IF-ED  PDF Print E-mail
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User rating
3.9
out of 5
Editor's rating
1.0
out of 5
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Reviewed by:
Editor
Thursday, 20 December 2007
Average user rating: 3.9 
29 User reviews
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Lens Summary

Overview

High-power wideangle zoom lens featuring SWM and VR system 2003 Release Click to view lens specs Click to enlarge Main Features SWM provides super-fast, super-quiet AF operation VR operation offers the equivalent of using a shutter speed 3 stops faster (at 120mm)* High-power 5x zoom lens IF (Internal Focusing) technology for smoother focusing and a better balanced handling Two aspherical lenses and two ED glass elements for higher optical performance *As determined by Nikon performance tests. MTF Chart Wide Tele Special Frequencies S: Sagittal M: Meridional 10 lines/mm 30 lines/mm How to read the MTF chart

Lens Specifications

Generic Lens Specifications
Lens Type: Zoom
IS / VR / OS: VR
Min Focal length (mm): 24
Max Focal Length (mm): 120
Number of Elements: 15
Element Groups: 13
Max Aperture: 3.5
Minimum Aperture: 22
Diaphragm Blades: 7
Closest Focus Distance (m): 0.5
Filter Diameter (mm): 72
Diameter at widest (mm): 94
Lens Length (mm): 77
Weight (g): 575

Details




Lens Construction : Nano Crystal Coat : Aspherical lens elements : Super ED glass elements : VR units : ED glass elements

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Editor review : Nikon 24-120mm f3.5-5.6 VR AF-S IF-ED
Overall rating (weighted)
1.0
Sharpness
1.0
Build Quality
1.0
AF Speed
1.0
Value for Money
1.0
Editor review will be updated shortly.
Why should you care what I think?
My relationship with this item: Editor review
Conclusions at a glance
Would you recommend this Item: No

User Lens Reviews

Average user rating from: 29 user(s)

Overall rating (weighted)
3.9
Sharpness
3.8
Build Quality
3.9
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
 

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Fair Performance, Tuesday, 11 May 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
2.8
Sharpness
3.0
Build Quality
2.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
3.0
I rented this lens over the weekend for a locatio shoot. Overall it did alright except for the Vignetting when I used the wide angle 24mm. It's not as sharp as I expected it to be but I like that it does not distort the image so much when used in wide angle.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

met my expectations, Friday, 19 February 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I really like this lens. I'm an advanced non-pro. lens is great for travel; the only one I used on a recent trip to Disneyland. the location of the zoom ring is different than other lenses of this size I've used so I kept turning the focus ring. I use a D100; autofocus and all other features worked great. I would recommedn this lens for what I paid.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Good, but not great, Sunday, 17 January 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
2.5
Sharpness
3.0
Build Quality
2.0
AF Speed
2.0
Value for Money
3.0
I admit to having a love-hate relationship with this lens...

I had the original non-VR version several years ago...now THAT was a soft lens. I sold it on eBay and went with Nikon's pro lenses, but admittedly missed the wide range of the 24-120. Sure, the 24-70 beats it in every conceivable way (it should - it's twice the size and three times the price!), but I found myself lacking that one lens I could comfortably stick on the camera and walk around with all day. For my DX camera, I have the 16-85 (which is also a very, very good lens), but until now, I had nothing similar for the FX body. But every time I stared to think good thoughts about the 24-120, I'd pull out some of the images I took with my older one, and the softness, distortion, poor flare control and so on would bring me back to reality.

Well, one thing led to another and I picked up the latest version of the 24-120, hoping that Nikon made some substantial improvements in image quality since my older version. I also own the very good Nikon 80-400 - also a 5:1 zoom ratio - and I've always been happy with the picture quality it gives me, so I hoped Nikon applied some of this same magic to the 24-120. That, and thinking maybe VR would be a help. Still, after living with the latest 24-120 for a while, I have to say it's been a really mixed result at best.

Yes, the performance of the latest 24-120 is better than the old one by a wide margin - but it's still no superstar. It's convenient, has the VR feature, not too big and heavy - but frankly, the images I get with it on both top end DX and FX bodies aren't all that much better than I get on my point-and-shoot. It's not any one thing, just that very few images I take through this lens have that jaw-dropping "pop" I get from my higher quality lenses. To be fair, there are situations where the 24-120 does an admirable job. I tend to like slightly soft and low Contrast portraits, and the 24-120 makes this easy. Indoors with flash and f8 or so, the image quality is also totally acceptable. Outdoors, especially in any sort of partial or fully back-lit subject, and you start to wonder why you didn't just pull out that point-and-shoot.

Sharpness is okay at f8 through f16, and colors and contrast sort of depend on lighting. Darker scenes not back-lit at all tend to be more vibrant. I tend to keep a polarizer on the lens full time to help compensate. The VR system works well, and I can get fairly consistent results at 1/10 second or so at the short end of the zoom range. There's ample distortion at both ends of the range, but nothing you can't fix in Photoshop. In terms of construction quality, the lens is about what you'd expect from Nikon in this price range. It zooms and focuses smoothly and seems built to last a long time - even though not quite to the standards of the true Nikon pro glass.

Still, what are the alternatives? For DX, I'd recommend the 16-85 - no contest. But FX users can't seem to get this range in a single lens at any price. It takes at least the 24-70 plus one other lens (70-200, or possibly just the 105 would be my choice), and now you're into lens-swapping (or carrying two bodies) and several times the weight and cost.

I'd give it a cautious thumbs up, so long as you know what you're getting. This lens is all about trading image quality for convenience - not a bad thing, just be sure that's what you want.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Much Disparaged lens has Sample Variation -- Good , Wednesday, 18 November 2009


Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
This is a much disparaged lens by many on the Nikon Forums...but I am not sure how many of those complainers took the time to exchange their lens for a better one. There appears to be a tremendous amount of sample variation for this lens. It took me three lenses until I found one that is tack sharp --

And WOW!....On my D700, I use it for almost all my shots now -- and I've tried all the other "pro" lenses in this focal range as well, NIkon and 3rd Party.

I'm find the lens has great range for walk-around purposes and for event shoots. It renders colors brilliantly, and it is sharp with very little putzing around needed with your settings. Half of the shots at my website at RonAnnArbor at [...] in the D700 gallery are taken with the 24-120. I will bet you can't tell which were taken with it, and which were taken with the Nikon 24-70.

I would highly recommend this lens -- but I would also add the caveat that you have to be persistent. If you get a lens and it is soft - exchange for a new one, and try again. You will eventually find a really sharp lens that you will be very happy with. I am very happy with mine, even though I was also one of the original disparagers of the lens at first!....
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Sharp and versatile, Thursday, 03 September 2009


Overall rating (weighted)
4.3
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
This lens came with my D700 kit. For the longest time, I did not have a term for comparison. I finally acquired a Nikon 80-200 2.8 (push-pull), which is supposedly much sharper than this lens (in the overlapping focal range). Surprise - it isn't! Even when pixel peeping, I could not see the difference in sharpness when shooting at the respective lens optimal aperture. Now, this lens is NOT as sharp as a prime (compared with a 50mm 1.8), but neither is the more expensive 24-70mm 2.8.
Pros:
- Good image quality for a 5x zoom.
- Reasonably wide on FX - it was definitely an eye opener after the 18mm typical wide end of most DX midrange zooms.
- good build quality for the money (except for the butterfly hood thread). I'd say this is solidly in the 'middle' class of the Nikon lens universe - in between the likes of 18-55, 55-200 DX on the low end and the fast zooms on the high end.
- VR works like a charm.
- relatively light for the focal range covered
- AF is fast and silent.
- Front element does not rotate - good for polarizing filters.

Cons:
- Visible distortion at the wide end.
- Won't replace wide angle and normal primes in terms of sharpness, but this is the compromise you make for flexibility.
- Slowish lens, but that's to be expected for the size / price.

My only regret is that I didn't buy this second hand - you can find them for around $300 on craigs or ebay - from people dumping them for no good reason. If you have one, I'd recommend holding on to it, it will improve its resale value once Nikon stops offering this as a kit lens.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Good for what it is intended..., Monday, 10 August 2009


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
I was wary of this lens given the very strong negative reputation it had among DX and FX Nikon shooters. For the FX shooter, there just isn't a very compelling Nikon-made modern walk-around lens solution and the 24-120VR hits all the requirements: wide to tele focal length; stabilization; light; quick and quiet autofocus. Now, this lens is not fast and it gets slow rather quickly in the zoom range, but I have found the lens to be an excellent party lens, hiking lens, or general vacation lens. While I absolutely love my 24-70, it does get heavy, and at times you want that extra reach. I find the lens adequately sharp, and produces images with good color and contrast as well. Some have thought that this lens actually works better on FX sensors than DX ones (why this would be the case is not clear). Others have argues that with the release of the D700 Nikon tweaked the optics a Bit so it performs better. So my advice is that if you are shooting FX and looking for that walkaround/ vacation/party lens, then give this a try. But do be aware of its limitations and don't expect image quality you'd get from the Nikon zoom Trinity (14-24, 24-70, & 70-200)

Is it the best? No! Is it as bad as its reputation? NO!!!

Enjoy.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Best of Two Worlds, Tuesday, 02 June 2009


Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Nikon 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IF Autofocus VR Nikkor Zoom Lens
Since my photographic interest cover a verity of different genres' I was looking for a high quality lens that could accommodate my varied requirements providing wide angle, candied and personal one on one casual photos. Since my purchase I have had the opportunity to test this lens extensively and am delighted with the results. I have used it to take over 400 photographs ranging from landscapes at Yosemite and the Monterey coast to candied private gatherings and even shot a couple of advertizing layouts for one of my web sites. All in all I am pleased to say the lens lived up to and in some cases exceeded all my expectations. This lens, at around $700 +/-, is not cheap but in my opinion it provides great value when compared to the other candidates hanging in the rather pricy $2000 neighborhood. I should add however if your needs are more casual and you are using one of the excellent DX series (D80 to 300) Nikons there is another Nikkor lens at about half the price. It is the 18-135mm which I have also used extensively with very good results. For whatever it is worth, I would highly recommend both lenses depending on your needs and your budget.

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Review Nikon 24-120mm lens with AutoFocus and VR, Wednesday, 20 May 2009


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I purchased this lens for the vibration reduction. My D80 came with the same lens without VR and I take a lot of pictures where flash is not allowed. This lens fills the bill perfectly.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

A very underrated lens...., Sunday, 05 April 2009


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Despite what certain self-appointed web pundits have said about this lens, it's actually a highly useful piece of glass. On a Nikon D700, its sharpness ranges from acceptable to impressive. Predictably, it works best in the middle of its zoom range. I recently compared it pretty carefully in the 50-55mm range with a 55mm Micro Nikkor f/2.8 AIs and a 50mm Nikkor f/1.4 AI. The 24-120 matched those lenses at both the center and the edges from f/4.8 (wide open on the 24-120) on out. In fact, it beat the 55mm Nikkor much of the time, especially at the edges. I've had similarly impressive results comparing the 24-120 to a 35mm Nikkor f/2 AI. At its extremes -- 24mm and 120mm -- center performance is very good but edge performance doesn't match prime lenses or even some zooms, though it's still acceptable. Chromatic aberration is surprisingly well controlled and the vibration-reduction (VR) feature seems to help. Focusing is quick and silent. Admittedly, the 24-120 is a lens with peculiarities -- like the fact that it reverses the usual positions of focus ring and the zoom ring. But it's an autofocus lens, right? Who cares about the focusing ring? Considering the overall capability, convenience and relatively low price of the 24-120, I consider it a strong lens. In fact, I got my 24-120 for $280 as part of the D700 kit from Amazon before Christmas 2008, so I'm very pleased with myself.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Loose lens barrel, Sunday, 22 February 2009


Overall rating (weighted)
1.8
Sharpness
2.0
Build Quality
3.0
AF Speed
1.0
Value for Money
1.0
I purchased two of the above lenses and both had inner barrels, (the coaxial mounted inner barrel which moves when zooming) that had too much slop in the clearances. On both lenses, I could grab the end of the lens and move it back and forth from side to side and up and down. Both lenses were made in Thailand. I will attempt to find a store selling the Japanese made units. Hopefully they will have better fit and finish.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Great "Kit" Lens (Not your typical kit lens), Friday, 06 February 2009


Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1NUPXIAK8VHLR Great "Kit" Type Lens. I am very impressed with this lens not your typical kit type lens. No flaring, super quiet focus. Quick focus!! Excellent lens!!
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

len review, Monday, 12 January 2009


Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I gave this lens to my daughter for the holiday. This lens is fantastic for zoom shots. We loves it very much. Actually she was overwhelmed with what I got for her. It was a great experience (my first time actually) purchasing something from Amazon and I look forward to further purchases. The whole process from ordering to delivery was very professional, they were very much interested in my overall satisfaction with them and my purchase, which means a lot to me. So far the lens is great, she loves taking pictures with it and I look forward to buying other things from them. Kathy
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Very soft lens., Friday, 22 August 2008


Overall rating (weighted)
1.8
Sharpness
2.0
Build Quality
2.0
AF Speed
2.0
Value for Money
1.0
I was first in line to buy this lens when it first came out. It is a very convenient lens for everyday shooting. However, I was extremely disappointed with how soft the lens is. The center of the frame can be sharp, but there is a rapid falloff to softness in the corners. I wish Nikon would update this useful zoom with better optics. Their 18-200 VR is a great lens for DX sensors, but this one for full-frame cameras isn't worth bothering with.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Nikkor 24-120mm, Wednesday, 25 June 2008


Overall rating (weighted)
2.8
Sharpness
3.0
Build Quality
3.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
1.0
I bought this lens for wider angle indoor shots. Many many people may find the 28-120mm adaquate for family photos, however, the sharpness of my images compared with my 70-300mm VR was very poor. I was shipped two of these lenses by mistake and both lenses were poor. I only kept the lens for a few days, but the problem was evident at all settings I tried. Further, the VR is first generation and much less effective than the newer VRII. I would not recomend this lens to anyone at the price I paid ($550). My opinion is that Nikon should discontinue this lens.
Why should you care what I think?
My relationship with this item: I used to own it
Where did you buy this item?: Amazon
Price paid: 550
When did you buy this item?: Jan 2008
Conclusions at a glance
Would you recommend this Item: No
Pros: light, easy to use
Cons: Poor image quality -- not sharp
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Very Good Consumer Ouality Lens, Tuesday, 24 June 2008


Overall rating (weighted)
4.3
Sharpness
3.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I shoot events for a major university. I use a Nikon D3 and just started to spend some real money on glass. Let me tell you the old adage is true. You get what you pay for. That said, the Nikon 24-120mm 3.5 zoom lens is a very good lens for the money. I have been using it to shoot the events for about three months. Let me tell you what I experienced with the camera stuck to my face all day long. This lens is much sharper then is reported. It is rather slow it's true. However with the D3 you push the ISO and there isn't too much of a problem. There is some vignetting at 24mm which can be corrected in photoshop. The "VR" is terrific and the auto focus is very fast! Just make sure you focus on your main spot in the frame. It is easy to get an out of focus image with this lens if you are not careful! The build quality is good. It is pretty smooth to zoom with and is just light enough to stay on your camera for most of the time. I really like this lens. Much better then the cheap 55-200mm Zoom. That lens feels like it is made out of cardboard! The main reason I just came back from buying the new Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens is that I can't compete professionally with the 24-120mm zoom lens. The Nikon 24-70 is much sharper (razor) and the color renditions are breath taking, not to mention the speed. I have tried to get away with spending a third the price and it just doesn't cut it in the world of pro photography! I will however miss the versitility of the zooming focal length of 24-120mm, what a spread! The 24-120mm is a lens I will take on vacation with a D300 and it will be more then enough to ring back some good shots. Most of my shooting will take place outside in sunlight. If you don't need to compete to make a living in photography, save yourself a lot of money and get the Nikon 24-120mm f/3.5 zoom lens. It's a wonderful lens and will always be one of my favorite fun lenses!
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