queencitysanta Loc: Charlotte, North Carolina

F4 an don't look back

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Or maximum aperture, depending on how you look at it.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Just going buy the names, I would vote for the f/4. You will always have an aperture of f/4 available, regardless of how far you zoom. The f/4 is newer. Isn't newer always better?

Your next step, after getting opinions here, would be to read reviews and comparisons.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Nikon+24-120+F4+vs+Nikon+24-120+F3.5-5.6&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS716US717&oq=Nikon+24-120+F4+vs+Nikon+24-120+F3.5-5.6&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.5007j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

khorinek

The F/4 lens. With a constant Aperture throughout the lens you can control the Image Quality better than with a variable aperture lens.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

The problem I see when you have so many different opinions is that you can get more confused than you already are. These are the facts:
1- Although both have the same focal lengths it has been proven that the f4 lens is sharper. The old 24-120 f3.5-5.6 WITHOUT VR had better sharpness than the VR version.
2- The f4 version gets weaker at 120mm, center and corners but if you will notice is another story because that usually happens with enlargements and requires a pixel peeper. In the lower range of the zoom it is excellent.
3- Nobody will deny that primes have better sharpness but a zoom offers a range of useful focal lengths while they can make the difference when switching lenses means to loose an opportunity.
I do not own nor I have ever used the f4 version but from all I know it is a very good practical lens.
I hope this helps.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

The two lenses are a world apart on price, as you have seen, so
1. Their is a reason for the price difference, do you know why?
2. The slower 5.6 lens is a D lens, which, will not work on the newer Z camera's, you may not care, but if you ever consider going mirrorless, it would be nice to have some lenses that will already work on it.
3. The 240-120 f4 lens is considered a Professional lens and is heavier than it's slower cousin.
4. I have owned both lenses, I believe the 4 is better built than it's slower cousin, operates much better than it's cousin also. (ie. faster focusing)
5. Nikon usually does away with parts for older D lenses, now, if Nikon does have a part it will still fix a lens, but generally speaking, they will not be able to get parts for it down the road or already have run out of parts, BUT, you can still get it fixed by SOMEONE ELSE.
6. The Nikon 24-120 f/4 is still in current production, it has been in production for many years, because folks continue to buy it, folks continue to buy it because it is a reliable, moderately fast, sharp zoom lens.
7. Can you now answer question #1?

Flickwet Loc: NEOhio

Ive used the first VR lens for years on crop sensor cams which gives me a 36-180, a generally useful range, is the new one better? Yes. Can you tell which lens took a picture? Nope! Save some $, shoot the f3.5-5.6 at f8 and enjoy

ELNikkor

I have the 24-120 f4 and I would not even consider the 3.5-5.6. I like the constant aperture, it focuses close, and takes very sharp pictures at all focal lengths. It is on my D750 95% of the time.

OviedoPhotos

F4 its much sharper and the F4 is throughout the range.

Leon S Loc: Minnesota

I got the 24-120 VR 3.5 when I got my d700. Aside from some softness at the corners, I was happy with what it could do. Usually I'd just crop off a little around the edges. I tried the f4 model and it was a better lens. I was also impressed with how fast it focused. I still use the 3.5 model and don't own the f4. I didn't want to spend the extra money. Now I use a 24-85 vr as a walk about with my D810. Aside from 35mm less of range, it is just as good if not a better lens, in my opinion, as the f4. It is cheaper, lighter, has less distortion, and smaller, than the f4. I would not say that the 24-120 3.5 should be used as a professional lens, but aside from corner softness, is a nice beginner lens.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

To my way of thinking a prime lens is a fixed focal length, not a fixed aperture. Both lenses in question are zoom lenses so neither is a prime lens.

Dennis

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Well these are actually both zooms, both with the same range, one being slightly faster wide open but the f4 being constant aperture. I know nothing about IQ of either, but I’m guessing it would go to the f4. Actually Ken Rockwell calls the 3.5-5.6 one of Nikons 10 worst lenses. I don’t think they even make it any longer. Of course it is the much cheaper option, being about $250 used. Are you shooting FF? If not something in the 18-200 range is a better option.

george19

I can’t comment on the quality of the lenses, but way back in film days the constant f stop design was prevalent because the metering and setting approach was limited. In this case, understand that you LOSE light gathering capability at shorter focal lengths. This also necessitates a more complex mechanism to adjust the opening size as you zoom.

Beyond the ease of use issues, it was considered less marketable than the variable f stop design.

That design is less complex than the constant f stop design because it keeps the opening size constant, but the effective f stop changes (by simple arithmetic) as you zoom.

The designers were then freed to design better optics, and we got better light gathering at shorter focal lengths.

With better metering and automation in the camera, nobody really cared anymore about keeping f stop constant.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Yes, maximum aperture, minimum fstop (sometimes incorrectly called aperture).

Flickwet Loc: NEOhio

If you research on DxO you'll find that neither lens does particularly well, the difference in sharpness really borders on insignificant, So you're paying double, but gaining very little, I'd say the ability to shoot sharp at F5.6 (f4) vs F8 (F3.5-5.6) is the primary benefit and at that point there's little benefit to the faster lens. Soo, in summary, they are both adequate, save your money and buy the old model, make certain it was made in Japan, They were also made in Thailand and I gotta believe the Japanese ones are sharper due to higher construction standards