NikonGear'23
Gear Talk => Lens Talk => Topic started by: Ilkka Nissilä on October 24, 2015, 20:41:58
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There isn't much discussion the new VR E version of the 24-70/2.8 here so I figured I'd start a topic.
Perhaps my main practical issue with the G version is that there is considerable field curvature at 24mm, which I would often try to use for large group shots, with the result that many of the people close to the edges of the frame at the sides of the long axis were out of focus at apertures such as f/4 or f/5.6. This was a serious issue for me as it didn't require a big print to show the problem, and I eventually resorted to using either the Zeiss 28/2 or the Nikon 24/1.4 for these shots. Especially the 24/1.4 yielded stunningly sharp results at every point in the frame, at f/4. Of course if there is a lot of light (provided or existing) then f/9 or some such aperture could be used but I would often need to balance the flash light with indoor ambient light and so I needed usable results at wider apertures. With two rows f/4 can be acceptable on a shot of 20-30 people, if the field curvature is absent.
Ok, so one of the first things I tested with the 24-70/2.8E VR was how does it behave in this type of a context. I did a hand-held series of shots at 24mm focal length at apertures from f/2.8 to f/11 and found that to me quite good looking result was already obtained at f/4. Here it is (if you download the "original" it is 3000 pix wide. Cropping has only been applied to the top and bottom, not the right or left side of the image):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ilkka_nissila/22252717550/in/dateposted-public/
I will try to find time to make a comparison shot with the older 24-70/2.8G as well, to illustrate the nature and magnitude of the problem. Also I may bring a tripod to get a better chance of perfect alignment but in this case I was able to align acceptably using my eyes only.
I find the new lens to autofocus faster than the old. I didn't notice a need to AF fine tune the lens with my D810 but I will investigate this in detail later on and see if the optimal adjustment is focal length dependent as it is on my G version of the lens and the same camera body (in practice I've settled on a compromise value across the range of focal lengths).
The VR function seems to work as expected, but you have to calibrate to my cynical expectations of VR technology. ;-) I took a set of shots of a large restaurant menu board at 1/13s and 1/30s and some of the shots at 1/13s were sharp and some were blurred. At 1/30s the shots were sharper than at 1/13s. In another context there was a group of police officers in full riot gear (due to a demonstration that had just ended) and I took some shots of them at 1/50s with VR on. Only one of the three shots was in focus (the gear had autofocused on the building behind the officers in two shots and on the face of the officer that I was trying to focus on in one of the three shots). One of the shots was, however, sharp and the VR had worked on that. From another angle I did two shots but one of them had a double image, the other was sharp. I think taking 2-3 shots at a minimum is a good plan when working with slowish speeds and trusting VR to help reduce the shake. I find this mildly annoying and would normally prefer to set the shutter speed at 1/200s at least in such situations, but in this case I was just getting a feel for what the VR could do. I think it can be helpful in situations where hand holding is required and the subject doesn't move too much but I would recommend getting a few frames just in case, to get a good chance of a successful result. I apologize if I appear overly cynical about it, but to me reproducibility is important and as I pay great deal of attention to the emotion of the subject being photographed, I don't want to have to risk the facial expression changing while I'm doing a series to get a good chance of a sharp image. At 1/200s or better yet, 1/500s there is a much better consistency to the images, but of course then the ISO or depth of field must be sacrificed in some cases. Anyway: verdict is that VR seems to work as expected and can get shots that one wouldn't get otherwise but the caveat is that it doesn't guarantee every shot is sharp.
With regards to the overall feel to the images, I find so far that the 24mm end is excellent, and the images look vividly saturated and contrasty with minimal tendency to flare (for such a complex lens). Sharpness and CA are well controlled. I think the 70mm end also looks reasonably sharp but it didn't make quite such a positive impression of a high consistency of high level of sharpness as the wide end. It looks good but not quite as stunningly good as I might have hoped. I hope to have time to do a side by side comparison at 70mm as well. I do quite a lot of shooting with the 24-70 in the studio with the lens set at 70mm so at least stopped down the sharpness is important to me.
With regards to the handling, the new lens is quite a bit larger in length and somewhat wider in thickness than the old lens; the difference in length is quite noticeable. I find the zoom and focus rings, as well as the locking mechanism of the hood to be more affirmative and tighter than with the G version. I think the new lens is likely to be a bit more mechanically sturdy than the old one but of course without opening the lens up or gathering a lot of service statistics over several years I wouldn't be able to say something definite other than my personal impression and hope.
My very early overall impression is that the wide angle performance is excellent but I need much more material of the long end to give it due credit (or not). The VR seems to work more or less and the autofocus is very fast but can sometimes catch onto something in the background that I didn't intend (likely this is not a lens problem but can be a user problem ;-) After all it is normal that the autofocus sensor positions cover a larger area than indicated in the viewfinder and this can lead to problems with wide angle focal lengths when trying to focus on a face with building lines in the background).
It is just my subjective view that the lens is probably not quite worth the purchase cost to many people - it is very expensive and the old lens is overall still a very good performer (with its own quirks). If you need top 24mm performance then for sure the new lens is better but at 70mm the images didn't cause a "wow that's impressive" reaction at least not yet. I would like to see Nikon present a 24-70mm f/4 as an alternative with lower cost, smaller size and lower weight than the f/2.8E VR unless they plan to keep the 24-70/2.8G in the lineup, which is probably the easiest way they can offer a more affordable lens to those who need a high quality wide to telephoto zoom. (I am not that impressed by the 24-120/4).
This is just a conversation opening and initial impressions (do not take it as a review), I would like to hear other people's impressions of the new lens as well, if you get the opportunity to try it out or purchase it. I think it will take at least a year before the full performance characteristics are understood.
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Thanks for your initial impressions, Ilkka. The new version of the 24-70 obviously is in short supply and so far I haven't been able to get a review sample from Nikon Nordic (well, as I've been travelling a lot the last two months, perhaps better to wait anyway in order to do a decent review).
Do keep us abreast with any new observations.
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For what is worth, here is an interview to the designer of the 24-70E VR in English:
http://www.nikkor.com/philosophy/03.html
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And here is another lengthy interview posted on Impress-Watch:
http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/interview/20151022_725581.html
The texts are all Japanese, but here are some interesting points not mentioned in the interview on nikkor.com:
1. When they designed G (when FX sensor was 12MP), they didn't expect that the pixel density would whip up to 36MP.
2. When they design lenses, they are always trying to strike the best balance between the contrast and the resolution, not just the resolution.
3. Traditionally they don't do sample checks but inspect ALL lenses by MTF before shipping.
4. When they designed E, they tried to incorporate VR, better the optical performance and make it sturdier than G, especially the moving part carrying the front lens group.
5. E is manufactured at Tochigi Nikon.
6. The "concave lens preceding" type zoom lens is more difficult to design than "convex preceding type", especially with VR. But they found the convex preceding type didn't perform well at the longest end. Also, the concave preceeding type is less affected by the decentering due to the manufacturing margin of error and mechanical wear through usage of extended period of time.
7. The biggest problem of concave lens first type was the image quality is affected both at the widest and longest ends. But the designer found a good solution inspired by the design of their own AF-S 70-200/4.0 VR lens.
8. For this particular lens, they basically recommend to always switch VR on, even on the tripod except for the long exposure.
9. They made the hood release push button flush with the hood, so that the button is not pushed accidentally.
10. The lens barrel of E is more shock-resistant than that of G, and they designed E so that it would be even more shock-resistant with the hood attached.
11. In addition to the nano crystal coating, they improved other coatings to reduce the flare and the ghost.
Hope you enjoy them.
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Lenses are sometimes so good, that you wonder why they are updated.
I used the 24-70G for an extensive period of 2 years. It is an amazing lens.
The upgrade that occurred brought up the weight, size and price. Where is this world heading... :)
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I made a few shots at 70mm, at f/2.8 and f/4, at 0.5m and 2.5m with both lenses. I can't say there is anything to criticise in the new lens compared to the old, with regards to the 70mm sharpness in these shots; the two lenses were very close. It is possible the old lens is slightly sharper at f/4, 0.5m and the new lens slightly sharper at f/2.8, 2.5m, but I would have to repeat the experiment a few times with more attention to detail and do it in different conditions to be sure.
I will next look into autofocus fine tuning.
I can believe what Akira's translation says about coatings; the colours, contrast and flare resistance of the new lens are very impressive. And I believe the impact resistance may well be improved, the feel of the rings is more firm and the size of the new lens is easier to accept if I am told the new lens is more rugged and durable.
I have more faith in my tripods than any VR system. But I suppose for curiosity's sake I can look into seeing what turning it on will do to tripod based images.
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Ilkka, thanks for the initial observations. I have had mine on order for a while and despite them starting to appear in Australia over the last week, my dealer is saying an early December delivery. I destroyed my existing 24-70G in August, so I was wavering about just replacing the G or going for the new version - in the end, I managed to get a great price on the new one, so am going for that (at the price of the wait!). Great to see you observations in the mean time and I look forward to you fleshing them out.
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Thanks for your non review, much appreciated.
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I just spoke to one of my Nikon contacts today and asked specifically for news on the 24-70 VR. According to him deliveries to Norway had just commenced and there was a huge backlog of orders for it. Mass delivery is still weeks ahead. He will provide a review lens once they got a few samples for testing.
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Testing VR in hand-held night architecture shots. This is 1/30s, ISO 800, f/4, at 60mm. I got a good result at 1/13s as well but the composition was not quite right. I think it's quite hard to get alignment right when hand-holding such shots and I would prefer to do them using a tripod, the virtual horizon and ISO 64, but this lens does a good job hand held if it is needed. I imagine for travel photography it is great. I'll try to redo this shot in twilight.
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Still waiting for Nikon Nordic to come through with a review sample, but at last I had a shooting session with the new 24-70 E today. I can support much of the findings Ilkka already has reported. I only had my last remaining healthy Df available to me for this encounter. This combination is of course not ideal in terms of handling because the lens is quite long and will be more at home on a heavy "pro DSLR" class body. However, after a few minutes it felt quite comfortable to use. AF speed is extremely fast and held the target in focus immediately. The tricky light conditions on my venue were taken care of with easy. Flare and ghosting apparently are kept under strict control and whatever chromatic issues I could detect really were insignificant. The VR functioned flawlessly and very silently as well and you hardly noticed it springing into action.
The session did not allow genuine testing of resolution, so that aspect has to be postponed until I get my hands on a review lens. Results did look good
though, but for say architecture work one likely would want a correction of the barrel (wide) and pincushion distortion seen at the short and long ends of the focal range, respectively. Apparently even less sophisticated tools may manage the correction well enough.
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The lens is really nice to handle I agree that its a perfect fit for a D4 or similar.
The lens hood has a very nice positive locking mechanism, it will not loosen by accident at all, there is a ridge around the release tap - Really nice!
The hole in the lens hood barely fits over the lens cap...
I like the lens a lot!
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Opening of the Christmas Street in Helsinki on Sunday. The event starts with a warmup and a small circus group who perform at the steps of the Helsinki Cathedral. Then there is choir music with children of various ages and adults as well performing together at the steps. After the musical performances there were some short speeches and finally the Aleksanterinkatu street Christmas lights were turned on and the procession started. A lot of people were watching even though the weather was quite chilly.
It was quite dark, f/2.8, 1/200s, ISO 6400, D810. 24-70E, 44mm focal length. This was slightly underexposed and I lifted it up in post and used Dfine 2 (of the Nik collection) to clean it up. It really is near the limits of the camera; if I turned on vignetting reduction the corners would go blue with nasty noise.
I wasn't able to use the 24-70 through most of the procession because there was so little light, so I used an f/1.4 lens instead. However, focusing on moving subjects in such dim conditions is very difficult. I started to think about adding light from tungsten balanced speedlight to make it possible to get better results from this event (with flash on the foreground it would have been possible to get away with an f/2.8 lens throughout, but of course the mood would have changed a bit). I seem to struggle with these events in the Helsinki winter months even though it's not my first time.
Anyway the AF of the 24-70 excelled even though the light was dim.
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I should add that the picture was made on the second half of the parade route which is on Pohjois-Esplanadi, not Aleksanterinkatu.
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Very nicely captured!
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I agree with Erik, that is a very nice shot, captures the mood very well and yes, using a flash would have killed the mood.
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Thanks for the feedback.
I agree for this shot, a flash would not have helped, but there were many others where the contrasty, dim light did not look so good. I may post some examples later on in another thread, to illustrate the difficulty and work on some solutions. In November and December the darkness in Finland can really make one feel depressed as a photographer. Thankfully there are these events where at least a little light is used to improve mood. :)
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Nice pix! I know the feeling of gloom this time of year. I am at 60 degrees north. I turn on my focusing lights about one hour before sunset and can already see the glow on the stream bottom (very shallow water) at low settings. Glad to hear the new 24-70 is good because it is a monster size. Probably OK if you are just using one lens and not lugging around more weight as well.
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DxO mark came out with a scorecard for the new zoom,
http://www.dxomark.com/Reviews/AF-S-Nikkor-24-70mm-f-2.8E-ED-VR-Review-Updated-Nikon-standard-zoom-for-press-weddings-portraits-and-events (http://www.dxomark.com/Reviews/AF-S-Nikkor-24-70mm-f-2.8E-ED-VR-Review-Updated-Nikon-standard-zoom-for-press-weddings-portraits-and-events)
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They test one sample, at one distance, on a flat chart. Not worthless, but not exactly valuable either.
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Only have had brief encounters with this new lens as there is a scarcity of review samples at present. However, from what I saw, there is an overall improvement that is quite obvious.
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Here is another shot, Christmas lights at Esplanadi park, Helsinki. 24mm, f/5, 1/40s, ISO 1000, hand held with VR.
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Cannot see any obvious defects with that lens ....
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Nice photo!
Knowing the predecessor I am certain the new 24-70VR is a great performer.
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So Ilkka, just want to hear if your still happy with the results?
Any other users of the lens out there on NikonGear? :o
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So Ilkka, just want to hear if your still happy with the results?
Yes, I'm in love with this lens. :)
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He he ;) Thanks!
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Any other users of the lens out there on NikonGear? :o
"User" is too much to say.
I had it for a weekend, compared it a bit with the predecessor.
Hmm, what shall I say? Given all the other upcoming "investment opportunitíes", the lens didn't convice me to issue an order. Don't get me wrong, the lens is better in many attributes than the predecessor, but the margin of improvement was so slim (for me), that I rather played with the thought of getting into camera's in march :-)
The AF is markedly faster, both over the full distance and in "snap-on" mode
The bokeh at distance is almost indistinguishable between the 2 models
The bokeh at MFD is slightly smoother
I am not a target user for the electronic aperture (not shooting long series - where the mechanical connection sometimes introduces exposure variances)
It is a bit larger than the old model. Not relevant to think about when connected on a D3/D4.
Still scratching my head why the design team thought that 82mm is needed. A 77mm would probably have been possible as well (but I am not a lens designer). Or, is it the start of some new standard for the next generation 70-200mm/2.8 that both lenses will be then on 82mm? Only Nikon knows - I have only my head to scratch for now :-)
VR is nice, makes the image in the viewer more stable, simplifying composition - (unless the VR decides differently)
Under normal circumstances, I would have probably upgraded (I don't want to exclude such a step in the future).It is just that my current focus is more targeting the D5 and D500 as a higher "priority". Or shall I say "desire"? "Interest" is probably most accurate .....
rgds,
Andy
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Thanks, I have 'played' with it as well and found it very nice for a lot of reasons, so looking into it to replace 28-70mm 2.8 AFS, I had the 24-70mm G when it was released together with the D3.
I like more flat field and sharper in the 24mm end compared to the 24-70mm G - would be added bonus so I don't regret not bringing the 24mm along as well when shooting events, small details like the very nice lock on the hood and faster AF are nice... ;)
But what intrigues me most is that Nikon recommends to have VR turned on as default... For the 70-200mm AFS VR mark I and II both take like forever to make the VR start up and lock on, with even faster AF that would be an issue I would think. That is you get the image in focus really quickly, 1.5 times faster than the 24-70mm G but have to wait for the VR to kick in and lock... Am I missing something here?
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Here's another shot with the 24-70E at 24mm.
I did find a problem with the 24-70E; namely my RRS panoramic rail is not long enough to achieve perfect stitching at 24mm with this lens. I will have to look for a longer one somewhere. I then went on to do the panorama version of this shot (enlarging the angle of view in the left-right direction) using the 24 PC-E.
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How short is your RRS rail?
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The scale is to 160mm.
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Thanks ! I have the 180mm version ;)
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Finally got my lens and weather was perfect for testing VR,,, Winter Darkness and Storm 20ms,,,
Anyway so far so good, the lens seems to perform very well, contrast and color seems very nice on D3X with VR on
F/8 and 1/30 to get movement DOF and kep ISO low for crispness ISO 360
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1445/24412581899_b5b6e03f97_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/DcfS5t)_EGL4621 (https://flic.kr/p/DcfS5t) by Erik Gunst Lund (https://www.flickr.com/photos/erik_lund/), on Flickr
Swirl Bokeh... :o ::) Well even the latest VR has its limitations,,,
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1526/24662420922_f3b4de6643_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/DzkmvQ)_EGL4623 (https://flic.kr/p/DzkmvQ) by Erik Gunst Lund (https://www.flickr.com/photos/erik_lund/), on Flickr
F/11 1/13 ISO 800 focus at the grass right
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1712/24780247245_bc0142f968_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/DKKfba)_EGL4646 (https://flic.kr/p/DKKfba) by Erik Gunst Lund (https://www.flickr.com/photos/erik_lund/), on Flickr
F/11 1/50 ISO 800 Just love this capture, Grass is blowing all over the place but the bench is etched into the sky
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1560/24412575869_98cc1d4e08_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/DcfQhv)_EGL4648 (https://flic.kr/p/DcfQhv) by Erik Gunst Lund (https://www.flickr.com/photos/erik_lund/), on Flickr
F/5.6 1/50 ISO 800 Workshop at the company rowing club, badly in need of tender loving care...
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1669/24686729201_c6aed60556_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/DBtWw6)_EGL4670 (https://flic.kr/p/DBtWw6) by Erik Gunst Lund (https://www.flickr.com/photos/erik_lund/), on Flickr
So far really happy with the lens! ;)
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I know your all waiting for Bjørn's thorough review of this new Nikkor Standard zoom until that happens my initial thought on it ;)
All external parts are more or less the now well proven space plastic that is really good at withstanding knocks and bumps - Mount is held in place by four screws and it doesn't have the steel insert for the locking pin. The little rubber gasket keeps rain out of the contacts in the rain, worked yesterday ;)
The newly developed/improved ring type AFS focus motor is extremely fast, the feel is very similar to for instance 300mm 2.8 or 200mm 2.0 AFS There is no sound from the motor itself - The first generation of these Ring type AFS motors had some high pitch sound sometimes due to Speed of rotation and the 'stators' being equal in size and thus generating sound waves as well as rotational motion.
The focus motor has a little bit of hard sound as it is so powerful that it 'throws' the elements on their way.
The focus throw is linear; The movement of the focus ring follows the turning of the focus scale. Not like the 1.4 G lenses that all are geared. There is no slack or looseness at all - the feel is similar to an IF MF lens like 500mm 4.0 Ai-P or 300mm 4.5 IF ED Ais
VR is ok silent and operating smoothly so far no ill side effects detected in VR Normal mode I will have to try out Active when we go for the helicopter ride in Scotland.
The new E-Type aperture just works,,, Very silent quick and smooth - 9 rounded blades circular opening,,,
The zoom ring has a very nice smooth solid feel - No slack and no rough points except maybe a tiny tiny bit more resistance rotating from around 30mm towards 24mm.
Focal length marks are not engraved so let's see how long they last, they are positioned along the front of the zoom ring like on the 28-70mm 2.8 AFS so more easy to see than the 24-70mm 2.8 AFS Mark I- If you sometimes use your zoom as a set of fixed focal length lenses,,, I do. For the look of the focal length or when using a panorama head for stitching.
The Lens hood fits very nice, tight and secure seem like it is designed for strength and stability around the bayonet, and there is a cleaver ridge around the unlock button to avoid accidental release. Marked Nikon Made in Japan to justify the high price tag ;)
The lens is sharp, it has this transition to oof that I have seen in some 'very' sharp lenses - It's masked a little here but still visible so be careful where you put depth of focus for 'artistic' shots...
Look at the workshop window shot - Pretty obvious where the focal plane is - Looks very flat btw.
Colours seems saturated and nice but they should be with the Nano Crystal Coating.
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Well really curious how it compares to the 1st 24-70mm/2.8G, read some notes on it
https://photographylife.com/nikon-24-70mm-f2-8e-vr-preview (https://photographylife.com/nikon-24-70mm-f2-8e-vr-preview)
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Cannot see that article lists much not already covered by Erik's treatment.
Erik points out an aspect also immediately noticed by me: the zone of actual focus is so crisply defined that the transition from in- to (slightly) out-of-focus is very distinct. Thus the make-believe illusion on which "DOF" tables and calculators are based, simply shatters to pieces. We have seen this before in the digital photography domain once resolution reached sufficiently high levels, but the new 24-70 VR ranks amongst the less DOF-compliant lenses out there. If you focus at a subject at say 2 m distance, stuff around 2.5 m already are visibly unsharp even at f/5.6. You need to stop down to at least f/11 to bring back the 'DOF' illusion.
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Here is a shot wide open that show the front and rear Bokeh; It's very nice and untroubled - the trees against the sky would make issues for many lenses...
F/2.8 1/80 ISO 100
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1471/24152085584_cf425a5841_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/CNeKAG)_EGL4618 (https://flic.kr/p/CNeKAG) by Erik Gunst Lund (https://www.flickr.com/photos/erik_lund/), on Flickr
f/2.8 1/80 ISO 800
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1607/24160952224_84a67c19be_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/CP2ckN)_EGL4496 (https://flic.kr/p/CP2ckN) by Erik Gunst Lund (https://www.flickr.com/photos/erik_lund/), on Flickr
Here the same shot stopped down
F8.0 1/80 ISO 800 lifted 3 stops
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1642/24695610111_2d5b4d6c55_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/DCgsve)_EGL4495 (https://flic.kr/p/DCgsve) by Erik Gunst Lund (https://www.flickr.com/photos/erik_lund/), on Flickr
All looks good - Very satisfactory performance.
As to comparing it to the 24-70mm 2.8 AFS Mark I; Similar performance but the new lens is very much improved in corner performance around 24-28mm end and a much more flat field of focus also close up at that end, the old lens vas poor in performance in that respect that's why I sold it and kept on using the 28-70mm 2.8 AFS until now, the 28-70mm 2.8 AFS and new 24-70mm 2.8 AFS E VR are much more similar in most areas,,,
Basically most people will never notice these issues I guess...
The bottom line is that the new lens is much more useful for shooting when you have the subject in the periphery of the image,,, And in my case that is often for events portraits and architecture etc.
The barrel distortion is so easy to auto correct in Raw and with high MP cameras there is almost no loss in image acuity and the images appear crisp and sharp enough for my work.
Of course I have seen the reviews stating that the new lens is not as sharp as the old one - What to say - It depends what you will be using it for ;)
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Thanks for posting your findings. I'm personally still pretty happy with my old 24-70mm, but my demands aren't that high :)
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Thanks Jørgen,
This image show very well what Bjørn also points out;
f/5.6
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1710/24686738191_f4e6cb7f8d_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/DBtZc6)_EGL4616 (https://flic.kr/p/DBtZc6) by Erik Gunst Lund (https://www.flickr.com/photos/erik_lund/), on Flickr
The focus is on the bridge about 2-3 meters out and already at 5-6 meters the sharpness vanish,,,
The image with the grass and the big red building at f/11 and focus on the grass, but the sharpness deteriorate along the middle of the house.
With this lens it's vital to place the depth of focus right just like the 1.4 G series of lenses; 24, 35, 58 and 85mm since they are sharp over the whole focal plane - Actually very similar to 125mm APO Lanthar as well since so many here now know this lens and the look the images have ;)
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The lens hood not only has the best bayonet mount design so far, the hood is also flat at the front so you can put down the lens down without risk of the lens tumbling over, a serious design flaw of the 70-200mm 2.8 AFS Mark II.
I wish they would make all the new lens hoods like this one, the new 300mm 4.0 AFS PF is not nearly this nice and just has the twist lock, not really locking at all,,,
The Index mark for mounting the lens on the camera is of the big type, clearly visible and even easy to feel in darkness.
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Looks to be quite a winner! I could especially appreciate the flat field and quick DoF roll-oft. The sharp DoF transition makes for enhanced subject isolation, while the flat field makes landscapes reliably sharp corner to corner. A great balance in my opinion. I probably wouldn't think so if I was a portrait photographer though
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The lens hood not only has the best bayonet mount design so far, the hood is also flat at the front so you can put down the lens down without risk of the lens tumbling over, a serious design flaw of the 70-200mm 2.8 AFS Mark II.
That has always annoyed me with the 70-200mm.
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I really like the rendering on the D3X; Transition and roundness of the texture is rendered soft and organic - Few details that are in focus are kept in place by the VR at 1/6 sec...
f/5.6 1/6 ISO 400
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1703/24686732951_e8fbe41c14_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/DBtXCK)_EGL4634 (https://flic.kr/p/DBtXCK) by Erik Gunst Lund (https://www.flickr.com/photos/erik_lund/), on Flickr
f/5.6 1/30 ISO 100
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1443/24686733881_24590f276f_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/DBtXUM)_EGL4633 (https://flic.kr/p/DBtXUM) by Erik Gunst Lund (https://www.flickr.com/photos/erik_lund/), on Flickr
Focus on the trees, the whole image is just pleasing to my eye; The trees against the winter sky, reflections in the glass and the wet granite surface,,,
I really can't find any flaws on this lens - It's a keeper.
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"I really can't find any flaws on this lens"
It hot-spots in IR ....
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Thanks Bjørn, then I skip that test on the D200 IR ;)
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Erik, just do a test to verify my results in IR. I used a modified Nikon D5300 with internal filter.
The hot spot is clearly visible when you begin to stop down the lens, but luckily lacks the "brutal" appearance of the spot occurring on the new 24/1.8 Nikkor. That one is downright ugly and the worst seen so far.
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By the way Erik, I liked the first shot in the second round of images you posted.
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Thanks Tristin! ;) It's actually the first shot of the series,,,
IR, well the D200 IR is able to stop down these new E-Type lenses, the camera is too old technology,,, ;)
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Just an observation; At f/2.8 the camera knows that the E-Type lens is fully open so it doesn't fire the aperture in the lens.
Any other lens type and the camera always activates the aperture lever for the selected aperture value, even for the wide open setting.
It would make for the fastest FPS shooting, wide open,,,
The 'stop down aperture' button of course stops down the lens but it also activates the VR
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I've noticed a few minor negative aspects of the 24-70E; there is more vignetting wide open but also some vignetting continues to my typical landscape aperture (f/9) and basically it must be corrected in software, otherwise it is too noticeable in snowy landscapes IMO. With the G version there was a bit of vignetting at 24mm, f/2.8 in the corners but stopped down the vignetting was below my threshold of perception. This is not a huge deal but I find it that often the profiles in Adobe software are not always accurate enough for perfect correction and I find this mildly annoying. (I took some shots accidentally in JPG mode as in the D750 the ISO and QUAL are close to each other) I would prefer lenses not to require correction after they're set at least 1-2 stops down from maximum aperture. With DXO's software I find the software correction to be more accurate though, but otherwise I'm not enthusiastic about their software as part of my workflow. I use it for photogrammetry since they have excellent distortion correction profiles (very accurate, and they automatically consider the effect of focus distance on the distortion which is crucial). Also the 24-70E's distortion is more complex in shape than what I found with the G lens. And finally as discussed above it seems I will have to purchase a longer panoramic rail to work with this lens.
However, the images from the 24-70/2.8E are very pleasing to my eye (assuming we correct the distortion and vignetting) and the AF works extremely well. I'm generally happy with the new lens. The images are clean, crisp, with vivid colours etc. and as mentioned many times already, the off center sharpness and CA characteristics are much improved from the G version.
I wish Adobe would put more attention to making more precise profiles that account for focus distance. Also it would be nice if they would take advantage of all the EXIF data instead of a minimum of it.
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Thanks Ilkka! I'll remember to look out for the vignetting, for many scenes I like the slight darkening of the corners, keeps the image together somehow, but yes it can be troublesome especially also when stitching images.
So far I have only noticed a bit of barrel at the wide end and slight pincushion at the long end - No moustache,,,
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The latest Nano Crystal Coat works nicely, There is fine contrast and details are crisp even shot directly into the sun, in portrait mode I got a bit of Orange/Green flare in the two lower corners an a little Green blob just below the sun. both at f/2.8
No Ghosts here ;)
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That vignetting issue is really a let down. I do expect more from this lens. Specially for the price. And to think that they have made the filter to 82mm :o :o :o
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What about looking at an actual photo? The examples Erik exhibited now do not show much in terms of vignetting?
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The vignetting is a total non issue for me, actually as I stated earlier I like it :D The very out-most tip of the corner you can see the effect of pushing the file a lot to lift the shadows, it is shot directly into the sun,,,
I don't use filters any more so I have no comment,,,
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Nikon has some new videos discussing the manufacturing of the 24-70E.
http://www.nikkor.com/philosophy/04.html
[edit: I accidentally linked to an older page and corrected it]
I haven't used filters regularly in years but in shooting the sea coastline with sunset and sunrise, there can be situations where either exposure blending or ND graduated filter may be required for an optimal result. The D810's large dynamic range at ISO 64 does make it feasible to go with a single exposure more often than with some other cameras. If the sun is visible without clouds in between, then definitely some technique is required to capture a full range of tones. Many now seem to use ND grands merely by holding them in the hand in front of the lens, but this is not so good if a panoramic shot is to be made (the position won't be exactly the same in the parts if the filter is hand held). If there is open water, exposure blending may be difficult if the images are to fit perfectly into each other. But my landscape photography is focused on winter and if it is -23C, dealing with the filters may often be too much for me. ;-) Next summer I will see if I use them in Iceland.
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the polariser is amust for me :o :o :o
japanese autumns and springs are just gorgeous with CPL.
by the way nikon has made an official response to the people fussing about the specs under the front element. (like the 70-200VR2 from 6 years ago)
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Just got mine yesterday...
Wish I had it before, but the winning all over the media refrain me. But with no reason, it's a gorgeous lens!
:)
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Nikon has some new videos discussing the manufacturing of the 24-70E.
http://www.nikkor.com/philosophy/04.html
[edit: I accidentally linked to an older page and corrected it]
I haven't used filters regularly in years [...] ;-) Next summer I will see if I use them in Iceland.
I'm looking forward for the pictures.
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Congratulations Pedro! Enjoy :)
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What about looking at an actual photo? The examples Erik exhibited now do not show much in terms of vignetting?
I'm coming to the idea that lens reviews tend to over emphasize vignetting. They use a Standard or default PC or equivalent and frequently shoot a gray target. On Nikon cameras you can shoot with the Neutral picture control and most lenses can easily be corrected. I was concerned about the vignetting on the AF-S 20/1.8G ED Nikkor and I honestly haven't noticed it, at least noticed it as a problem. Sometimes I use Photoshops Filter> Distort> Lens correction> to add a subtle false vignette. Now if you look most lenses you can see some vignette wide open but if you have to look to see it it's probably helping the photograph not harming it. An exception would be a 50/1.2 or 50/1.4 or similar lens. The 50/1.2 AIS was probably designed as a go for broke JP lens and it was designed for film. In many cases the vignette doesn't matter and in others it's a pain.
Anyway vignette is always there. It's often over stated in lens reviews. Sometimes it helps and sometimes not and sometimes you have to look for it to see it as I think we are so used to some vignette that we want it. Again I add a false vignette of may photos to center the eye.
Hope this helps,
Dave Hartman
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That vignetting issue is really a let down. I do expect more from this lens. Specially for the price. And to think that they have made the filter to 82mm :o :o :o
The lens is a honker. That's fine and I want one as long as it doesn't fly south for the winter. I don't see a problem in Erik's photo. When it's a problem it can be corrected. I hate to think how big that lens would need to be to reduce vignette more and in all likely hood some other aberration would increase.
Dave Hartman
More and more I'm seeing that lens designers are doing a high wire act, but the show must go on. This really isn't new but I guess I'm thinking about it more these days.