Advice / Experience Sought on Nikon 24-120 F4 with D800

calengor

Is the distortion correction built into LR for this lens? Thoughts on the 24-105 f/4 from sigma as an alternative?

sevencrossing

Is the distortion correction built into LR for this lens? Thoughts on the 24-105 f/4 from sigma as an alternative?

Yes it is built in to LR 5.7 for the Nikon 24 -120 4 and Sigma the 24 -105 f4
you set LR to automatically correct for most lenses, on import
can't see what is irritating about it

calengor

How about thoughts on getting the sigma 24-105 instead of the nikon 24-120?

sevencrossing

if the Sigma was 15 mm longer ie 24 -135 it might be worth considering

heartyfisher

the sigma 24-108 reviews very well.

haroldp

The best and easiest distortion correction for Nikon lenses is in Nikon's raw converters. Capture NX-D is now free on the Nikonusa web site..
It's results are excellent, it's workflow is clearly designed by someone who has thought bout it a great deal but never done any, nor spoken to anyone who does it.

I manage it by selecting the photos I want in Capture, doing basic raw, distortion correction, ACA and LCA correction in capture and generating a TIFF which I open and further process in another editor (I use CS-6).

.. H

Msmoto

At the moment I am having some serious issues in focus with this lens at F/5 and 70mm....sharp in the center but as best i can tell there is either a curvature in the focal plane out front or I am doing something goofy (An extremely high possibility ) ). I grabbed a couple test shots with the on camera flash and the results were not to my liking.

I will keep trying, however and get back with more results.

tektrader

I have both the 24-120 and the 24-70 F2.8

The PQ is very close ( its a toss up between them) and stopped down to F5.6 my 24-120 is sharp all the way to the edges on the D800. The VR I believe makes a huge difference as I always had shake issues and mirror slap issues with the 24-70. So even if the 24-70 is ultimately sharper, the VR on the 24-120 makes up for the difference in sharpness with a huge number of keepers I know I wouldn't have been able to get with the other lens.

I am seriously thinking of selling the 24-70 and using the money to buy primes. In fact I probably will. The 24-120 was one of the purchases I did right this year.....

BTW I use NX2 and haven't noticed any distortions with the profile working

Golf007sd

@tektrader: You will not find a prime lens...made by anyone, within the 24-70mm focal length that has VR. If VR is what you are after, the closest one would be the 105 2.8 Micro. Which is an amazing lens. I have this lens myself and highly recommend it. However, for me, it serves a totally different purpose than my 24-70 2.8.

tektrader

Thanks Golf, BUT you misunderstand me. I was saying the VR on the 24-120 for me make it in most cases a better choice than the 24-70 as I have an issue with mirror slap and tend to use low shutter speeds.

I will probably sell the 24-70 and buy primes as I believe they are a step up in PQ compared to ANY zooms. I don't expect them to have VR.

Portrait wise I have been seriously looking at the 135mm DC lens.... I have been waiting for a reasonable priced used copy to come up. I would want to try before I buy.

WestEndBoy

The 135 DC 2.0 is a fabulous lens. I think that the quality is comparable to my 85 1.4G. The 85 1.4G is probably a little sharper wide open. However, the long focal length trumps that for my use. I use the 85 when I don't have enough room for the 135, or when I am moving around a lot, some locations are too confined for the 135 and I don't want to change lens.

The defocus is also fun to play with and produces some interesting, though subtle, results.

Don't let the 24 year old design put you off. If it wasn't for the super-tele's, I would argue that this is the world's greatest portrait lens. As I said above, the long focal length trumps any minor IQ disadvantage to the 85 which I find almost (but not quite) impossible to detect in real world use.

Disclaimer (this will save 20 posts):
I also acknowledge the futility in assigning "greatest status" to anything, as the other thread on the D750 as "greatest camera" illustrates so well. "Greatest" is for my use. For others, it can be anything they want.

WestEndBoy

@tektrader: You will not find a prime lens...made by anyone, within the 24-70mm focal length that has VR. If VR is what you are after, the closest one would be the 105 2.8 Micro. Which is an amazing lens. I have this lens myself and highly recommend it. However, for me, it serves a totally different purpose than my 24-70 2.8.

I have often wondered why anybody would find VR necessary on a short focal length prime. Sure, it won't reduce the image quality provided it is used correctly. There may be some improvements in some areas. But this needs to be balanced against increased cost (Issue 1) and greater lifetime servicing costs that come from greater mechanical complexity (Issue 2). For my 85 1.4G 135 DC 2.0, I would not pay anything more for VR (Issue 1). I would prefer not to have it regardless of price by reason of Issue #2.

I tend to shoot my wider stuff on a tripod (landscapes) and my faster primes either on a tripod (landscapes) or in situations with controlled lighting or wide open (portraiture). Perhaps street photography, but then only on 50mm or shorter....... Given a choice between a slow zoom with VR and a fast prime without VR, I will opt for the fast prime for street photography. Hmm....... I am curious what others think.

tektrader

Given a choice between a slow zoom with VR and a fast prime without VR, I will opt for the fast prime for street photography. Hmm....... I am curious what others think.

Agreed totally......

I photographed the work Christmas party last Friday and the 24-120 was fantastic. I will post up a few photos later today after work. PQ is excellent. The low light AF on the D800 is simply fantastic. If the D810 is better its unbeleivable

haroldp

Treat it as a 24-70 F4, with extension to 120mm if you stop down to f5.6 and the results will be excellent. (and VR).

It is my walking around and wedding lens on a D810. I am very fussy.

If these parameters work for you, then you will like it. If you really want an f1.4 or 800mm or fisheye pocket camera, the look elsewhere.

.... H