MichaelL

Finished an assignment using my old 24 -120 3.5 - 5.6. Thought it turned out pretty well but had a few issues. I was wondering about an upgrade. Read Ken Rockwell's review of both the old one and the new f4. He indicates that the old one is one of the worst lenses ever. Wondering about experience with the newer f4. Any comments would be appreciated. Thank you all in advance. My assignment was taking pictures in a forest. Full tree and then a close-up. These were the smaller conifers but more coming. Some of the pictures did have a focus problem prompting the upgrade consideration. Let me know what your opinions are.

Deecee

Get the 24 t0 120 F4 lens, it will outdo the varible Fstop lens by a long ways!
I have it and it takes really sharp pictures. I compared it to one of my pro lenses such as the 24-70 F2.8 and the pro lens was only sligthly sharper. Great walk around lens! Look for it used, bought my on Craigslist for $500, it will usally sell for between $600 to $750, depending on the condition which is better than paying $1100 new. B&H usually has a few in stock

MichaelL

Thank you. Exactly the information I was looking for. Will probably go with B&H just because that is my go to trusted retailer.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

I’ve had the original 24-120 and the new version. In my experience, the new one is light-years better. Not quite 24-70 quality, but close enough that I rarely bring the heavier, shorter range lens with me on jobs.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

The F4 is a decent lens on a 24mp or less body, but not quite as good on a D810 or D850.

MichaelL

Thank you I had a 24-70 when I bought the new camera but returned it. The other lenses I had worked almost as well without the extra weight. Going to order one of the 24-120s and we shall see. Thank you again.

MichaelL

thank you. It is appreciated.

Robertl594 Loc: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and Nantucket

I agree with Ken Rockwell’s assessment. Old version was not a good lens. I did buy the newer version for travel and was fairly pleased with the results. It’s not as good as the 2.8 lenses, but it’s much better than the older version.

downing Loc: Cincinnati

I have the f4. It's on my D7100 almost all the time.
I t does have some barrel distortion so the lens correction in photoshop is necessary for some mm ranges.

This is most noticeable on landscapes. Hardly noticeable for people snapshots.

kvanhook Loc: Oriental, NC

I have the lens but don'[t know if it is "old" or "new". How do I tell which version it is? Serial number range?

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I see that you have decided to go ahead and update to the new lens. You left out some key information from your post that would have helped a lot in providing valid advice (which camera you are using and what focal lengths you were using in shooting your project), but I expect that you will be fairly pleased with your new lens. I added one a couple of years ago (bought used for $425) and have been very pleased with it.

In my case, I was looking for an occasional alternative for the 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom that has been my anchor DX lens for the past 14 years. Not to replace it, but to provide a smaller, lighter, and more versatile alternative on some occasions. I looked at the newer 16-80mm f/2.8-4 DX zoom but found it severely deficient and over priced. (It is supposed to be the DX equivalent of this lens.) I've ended up liking the 24-120 so well that I bought a second D500 which is home to the 24-120 all the time. The 17-55 still stays on the other one.

I have also tried the lens on my D850, and it works fine there as well. It's a little short of the 24-70 f/2.8, but I'd never expect a 5:1 zoom to fully measure up to a 3:1 zoom. Anyone who does is at least a little bit clueless, I think.

People have complained that the 24-120 has all sorts of distortion and other shortcomings. I have never found them to be a problem the way I use the lens. Most distortions are most visible in the edges and corners. I don't use those when the lens is on a DX camera. What I have found is that it doesn't seem to transmit color quite as well as some "better" lenses. This can be noticeable when shooting JPEGs, but it is easily fixed by bumping saturation up a notch or so in the Picture Control menu.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your new lens. Let us know how it works for you.

keywest305 Loc: Baltimore Md.

I have the f/4 version and its a great lens

ELNikkor

My 24-120 f4, newest version, came as part of my D750 package in 2017. It has almost never been off of my D750. Great lens, sharp at all focal lengths and apertures. Only obsessive pixel-peepers might have some reason to criticize it after they dissect some irrelevant aspect. It just takes great photos!

User ID

Easy. Read Ken Rockwell.

pendennis

I borrowed a friend's old 24-120mm version, and was very disappointed in the results. When I found the new 24-120 f/4 at a used camera shop, I tried it out there, and bought it immediately. It's light years ahead in quality and sharpness. It's my "walk around" lens for my D750 or my D610.