Originally submitted at Adorama
Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8-4 IF AF-D Nikkor Wide - Telephoto Zoom Lens with Hood - Gray Market
Excellent All-Purpose Lens
Pros: Durable, Lightweight, Rugged, Quick Focus, Sharp Focus, Easily Interchangeable, Consistent Output, Strong Construction
Best Uses: General Use, ReceptionsParties
Describe Yourself: Professional
For the money, this is one of the best lenses you can buy for a full frame Nikon DSLR (I use it on my D3).
I use this lens professionally for wedding receptions, parties, and even one of my engagement sessions. It is very sharp at f/4 and smaller and only slightly soft at f/2.8. The colors are rich and contrast is high. It uses the older screw-driver focus system, so it doesn't focus quite as fast as the newer AFS lenses, but it is plenty fast for party photography. It does have some minor vignetting in the corners at some f/ stops, but that is easily fixed in Photoshop if needed. Most of the time I crop my images, so any vignetting is not included.
This lens is also excellent for travel walk-around photography. It has pretty good bokeh (blur characteristics of the background) and it has an excellent macro mode.
I do not recommend this lens for DX cameras for most situations. The 1.5x crop factor makes the 24mm end not wide enough for many people shots, especially at parties or receptions.
I also own the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, and it is a better lens, but it costs three times as much and weighs a ton. I use it mostly for paid work where I need f/2.8 at all focal lengths. It is overkill for most family or travel photography.
The 24-85mm is much lighter and makes images that are mostly indistinguishable from the 24-70. Try it - you'll like it!
High contrast, good saturation, excelle skin tones
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Excellent Macro capability
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