Nikon 24-70/2.8E VR

[Jørgen Ramskov]

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.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

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.

[fish_shooter]

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.

[Fons Baerken]

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

[pluton]

They test one sample, at one distance, on a flat chart.  Not worthless, but not exactly valuable either.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

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.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

Here is another shot, Christmas lights at Esplanadi park, Helsinki. 24mm, f/5, 1/40s, ISO 1000, hand held with VR.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Cannot see any obvious defects with that lens ....

[Jakov Minić]

Nice photo!
Knowing the predecessor I am certain the new 24-70VR is a great performer.

[Erik Lund]

So Ilkka, just want to hear if your still happy with the results?

Any other users of the lens out there on NikonGear? 

[Ilkka Nissilä]

So Ilkka, just want to hear if your still happy with the results?

Yes, I'm in love with this lens. 

[Erik Lund]

He he  Thanks!

[Andy]

Any other users of the lens out there on NikonGear? 

"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

[Erik Lund]

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?

[Ilkka Nissilä]

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.