Digital Camera World - UK (2020-03)

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com MARCH 2020 DIGITAL CAMERA^125

Nikkor

AF-S 24-120mm

f/4 ED VR

£1,045/$1,097

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Nikkor

AF-S 24-70mm

f/2.8E ED VR

£1,799/$2,396

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Digital Camera verdict Digital Camera verdict

4.0 Excellent 4.5 Outstanding

Features Build & Performance Value Features Performance Value

handling

Build &

handling

This lens is well suited
to the Nikon D750 and
older full-frame SLRs,
with which it’s fully
compatible, but it
won’t make the most
of the high-resolution
D850, for example.

It’s built like a tank

and has become more

affordable in the UK,

since the price dropped

a while ago. It’s a

superb lens, and a

great choice for any

full-frame Nikon SLR.

uilding on the success
of Nikon’s original AF-S
24-120mm VR, this second
edition has a constant
rather than variable aperture rating
and an upgraded stabiliser. It’s been
on sale for a decade now, though,
and the 3.5-stop stabiliser is less
effective than in most newer Nikon
lenses. At least VR comes complete
with Normal and Active modes.
Build quality is very good for a
kit lens and includes weather-seals.
Conventional internals include
mechanical control for the diaphragm
and a ring-type ultrasonic AF system.

Performance
Sharpness holds up pretty well
throughout the zoom range, right out
to the edges and corners of the frame.
If uncorrected, however, colour fringing
and distortions are rather noticeable,
especially in comparison with
new-generation Z-mount lenses.

easuring 155mm in length,

this is one of the biggest

standard zoom lenses

on the market. You’d

be forgiven for assuming it had an

internal zoom mechanism, but it

extends even further as you near

either end of the zoom range.

Redesigned a few years ago, this

edition adds four-stop stabilisation; the

previous incarnation had none. It also

gains an entirely new optical design,

incorporating four ED elements. The

nine-blade diaphragm is also upgraded

with electromagnetic control.

Performance

The lens is capable of magnificent

results, and delivered the best scores

for sharpness in our lab tests. Even so,

it is somewhat eclipsed in this aspect

of its image quality by Nikon’s new

full-frame Z-mount standard zooms,

and its colour fringing, distortions and

vignetting are much more noticeable.

BM

Sharpness

It’s not far behind the Nikkor

24-70mm, but drops off at its

longer maximum focal length.

Sharpness

It beats the AF-S 24-105mm,

especially in the longer half

of the zoom range.

Fringing

Short 4.06 Long 1.33

Poor at 24mm, colour fringing

gradually decreases.

Fringing

Short 5.55 Long 0.71

At the short end, it’s the

poorest Nikkor here.

Distortion

Short -4.19 Long 2.9

Distortions are on a par with

the AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8.

Distortion

Short -3.94 Long 2.12

Barrel and pincushion are no

worse than the 24-120mm.

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

f/4 f/5.6 f/8 f/11 f/16 f/22

24mm 50mm

85mm 120mm

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

f/2.8 f/4 f/5.6 f/8 f/11 f/16 f/22

24mm 35mm

50mm 70mm

4.5 5.0 5.0 4.5

³ɎƏȇƳƏȸƳɿȒȒȅɀGroup Test

4.5 4.0 4.0 4.0

BEST FOR

NIKON