Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras

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This is a tricky lens to review. I owned the non-VR version but sold it because I didnt find it to be terribly sharp across the range from center to corners. The centers were sharp, but the corners were soft and I never felt I got the kind of sharp landscape photos for which I would normally use the lens. The new lens seems to have made some design changes (see Roger Cicalas excellent bench tests of this against the old one and the Tamron VR at the blog on lensrentals.com). In the main, Nikon seems to have provided optical formulae and design changes that sharpen the corners and the edges at a small loss of acuity in the center. This shows up most evidently in close up portraits of people, where the center just seems slightly (but noticeably) softer in the central portion of the frame. This is especially true wide open at 24 and 50 mm at f4 and wider apertures taken at a short distance away. On the other hand, landscapes seem to benefit dramatically from this new formula, as the whole frame appears evenly focused and it is quite easy to sharpen in post and for printing. In short, in my opinion, if your are considering this lens for portrait work, you may be happier with the older versions. If you are principally a landscape shooter, the VR, the E aperture, and the changed optical formula are a plus. Those are the pros of the lens. The cons are - higher price (about $500 more than the old version; nearly double the price of the Tamron), the lens is bigger (both by weight, by length, and by volume), and it takes the less common 82 mm filter size. In all, the lens is hefty, quite sturdy, and would probably be a burden to carry along with the holy trinity of fast Nikon tele zooms (14-24, 24-70, and 70-200)

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Purchased this Nikon 24-70 VR for a Nikon D850 for handheld, on-the-go travel (e.g., landscapes, portraits, group shots, etc.) and got a 90-95% hit rate on sharpness / autofocus mounted to a Nikon D850. I owned the prior iteration, non-VR version of the lens which is definitely sharp or sharper in the center using the Nikon D810, yet the newer VR version seems to be sharper along the entire frame and works great with the newer Nikon D850.

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Got this lens earlier this week and love it. I had the Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 but sold it to get this newer version. Build quality feels great and the photos are fantastic. Autofocus is very quick, VR works great and photos are sharp. I mainly bought this lens for the VR. When my wife and I shoot events together, she usually uses a D810 and 24-70 lens. It gets heavy for her after a while so no VR can make her photos suffer in low light settings. The VR has worked great for her in giving a little buffer. Im pretty good at holding still for a shot but the VR makes it a no brainer. Yes, the lens is more expensive but its a great upgrade. Only downside is that I had to buy a new 82mm UV filter since my old one was 77mm. Need to also buy a new circular polarizer. Not enough of a downside to knock off a star though.

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This is a dream lens that had been on my wish list for a long time before I decided to make the investment, at the risk of probable starvation. I am a serious hobby photographer since 2009, and I shoot theatrical shows, dance shows, and performance art in general, as well as some portraits, landscapes and still life. I shoot with a Nikon D750 and D500, with mostly Nikkor glass, except for my previous go-to lenses which are {another brand] 24-70 f/2.8 and 70-200 f/2.8. I thought I was doing well with the other brand, until I borrowed an older model Nikkor 24-70 and realised that lenses of the same specs arent the same. This one is twice the size of the other brand. I am extremely happy with the buttery awesomeness and speed of this lens, with one small problem - now I want a Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 also.

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I own both this one, the Tamron 24-70 VR, and the old Nikon 24-70mm NON-VR, and this is the best, but the Tamron is not too far behind. Physical handling wise, this feels better on the hand, because it is longer and slimmer than the Tamron and is so more balanced. Although both take 82mm filter, it seems for some reason the Nikon feel slimmer on the hand. Picture quality wise, I tried taking pictures with both my Tamron and this Nikon, and the difference was negligible. Of course my review is very non-scientific, but I do like the VR very much. I took a picture at 1/2 second of a piece of paper without VR, and of course, it was very blurry. I took the same picture with VR on, and it was almost perfectly readable. I took a second picture ,and it was 100% readable. Overall, the VR was very good! I would say at least 3-4 stops easily. Autofocusing is very fast......faster and more predicable than the Tamron. Overall, if you are on a budget, I would highly recommend the Tamron which also has VR and I have been using it for more than 1 year. The only problem with the Tamron is autofocus. It will focus perfectly 98% of the time, but you will miss a picture 2% of the time, whereas, with my nikon lens, autofocus is almost 100%. I am not a pro, so I dont mind the 1-2% miss rate. If you are looking to see whether you should upgrade if you have the non-VR Nikon lens, my opinion is a definite yes. Most people dont think VR will help, until they use it. Before, without my Tamron, I was very nervous using my nikon indoors without flash. There was always a chance of blur. With this new lens, I am very confident using it shutter at 1/30 or even 1/15. At speed under this, I am still able to get some very sharp images, but I would check and possibly take a second picture to be sure. In conclusion, VR is highly recommended. If you are on a budget, get the Tamron. If you are thinking whether you need to upgrade to VR, I highly recommend you do. This is a very nice, but expensive lens.

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This lens is definitely worth the money if you can afford it. It is incredibly sharp across the entire frame at any focal length and shows very little distortion. The autofocus is fast and accurate. It is heavy, but not unreasonably heavy and it feels well balanced on the camera. Vibration reduction makes a HUGE difference when you are shooting without a tripod. I am an amateur photographer who shoots with a Nikon D7200. This is my second lens with VR. For those who often shoot handheld, I highly recommend getting lenses that offer VR. You will notice a substantial gain in image quality and an increase in the number of keeper photos.

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I have drooled over the previous version of the 24-70mm for years but when they added VR to compensate for my shaky old hands, I couldnt resist. My D750 and this lens love each other and produce very satisfying images that are both sharp and pleasing to the eye. The really quick auto focus allows me to capture shots I would have otherwise lost. Low light performance is impressive.

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I got it today. I spend last 3 hours testing the product. I compared it with my prime lenses with different f stopes. wow... even better than my best primes. regarding sharpness it is almost the same as my primes. and colors are much better in some cases. low light performance is perfectly fine I am more than satisfy to have such a nice zoom with such a quality. absolute perfection

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I had the old 24-70 and it might have been me, but my hand-held (non portrait) shots never seemed to be as sharp as the shots with my 70-200 2.8 VR. Im a hobbyist so, nothing pro. My impression is the VR is a tremendous asset for me. I notice better all around better sharpness throughout the image from the old model. a little less center sharpness than my 50mm 1.8 and 70-200 2.8 when wide open, but a landscape shot stopped down is better than Ive ever had. **December 2015 Update** Ive had this now for over a month and I absolutley love it! Its been off my D750 only once. There have been reports of focus shift on this lens, and Ive experienced it a couple of times when zomming in tight while physically close to an object. I researched the term on Google and came a cross an article that remedied the focus shift of this lense by switching from the view finder to the LCD screen-then auto focusing. I tired it and it seemed to work for me. Not an ideal solution, but thought that it might help others experiencing the issue more often than others.

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This is my main lens. Definitely gets the job done. Use it for children portraits outdoor. You won’t be disappointed. Also used for indoor lifestyle newborn.

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