Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR Lens Black

if you have in your possession a high end DX or a full frame (fx) camera then this lense is a must have item. OK it costs in the region of £1250 but at the end of the day this is a lense has been designed for the pro's but at the same time allowing us mere mortal keen amateures to experience picture quality that we may not see otherwise. I won't bore you with all the technical details of the lense as i'm sure you would look this up for yourself, so all i will say is, I bought this lense to go on my D800, this being full frame i get the maximum benifits from the lense. (but pictures are just as good with DX bodies). when you pick the lense up it quite simply oozes quality, both the other two rings for manual focusing and focal lengh adjustment are smooth and free from any backlash and with no VR function focusing is super fast and as for the quality of the photo;s they are frighteningly good, clear and very sharp (drag some up on net and check them out), this is a serious lense designed to capture your subject at it's best and this is why i use this as my everyday lense, in fact it very rarely comes off the camera. INITIAL DOWNSIDE the lense is quite heavy at around 900gr and makes the camera feel very heavy to lug around but after about a month you won't notice it. MY CONCLUSION don't hesitate and buy it, you'll soon forget about your lightened bank balance when you see the quality of your pictures.

This is the full frame FX lens every Nikon photographer raves about. Nearly every review tells of how this lens out-performs the f2.8 version which is about 3 or 4 times more expensive. It sharpness through the f-stop range is brilliant. It as VR, vibration reduction, which even works if you're using your DSLR to shoot video. I've never seen any of my hand-held video look so sharp or steady. I love this lens. I did not love the plastic sun hood, which I broke upon first use. I rarely use the sun hoods. I'd also say the thread on the front for screwing on filters and holding the lens cap isn't as deep (Not as many turns) as other lenses, so I knock the lens cap off far too quickly when out in the field. I still love this lens, though. I still give it five stars. The price is brilliant. The quality of the photographs are fantastic and it even works for video. Buy it. Be happy. Photograph other happy people. Save money.

It should be noted this is a big, beast of a lens and not far short of a 1Kg in weight. So you won't get this in your jacket pocket! Seriously, for a standard / wide angle zoom is is very big and does take some handling. However, it does feel like the business. Sturdy and good looking. The results are impressively crisp and having the F2.8 capability is really worth the extra size and weight. The zoom ring nearest the camera seems really close, and my hands found themselves changing the focus ring instead to begin with, but you soon get the feel for where everything is. Only thing it lacks is the VR which I have on other lenses and don't really know why it has been left off this one. Great lens.

For a long time now I've wanted a lens that covers a great range of focal lengths. I spent an age trundling through countless amounts of various focal lengths and lenses trying to find the best one for me, and here it is. Although expensive compared to some Nikkor lenses of greater focal lengths, the image quality you will receive is far better. It's a beautiful piece of kit to work with and I recommend it to anyone that wants one lens that they can put on their camera and not have to worry about carrying a mass of kit with you, swapping lenses and also - the less you swap lenses, the less risk of dust getting into your lens and camera. Focusing is quick and precise with both manual and auto focusing. Vibration Reduction (VR) is available, although helpful in high speed situations, sometimes the VR can be problematic as it can slightly alter the composition of your images, but only by a fraction or two, so not much to worry about there. The lens itself feels good quality and durable.

Kit lenses are often thought of as cheapish compromises. Bought separately from a camera body, they certainly aren't cheap and in terms of usability, not much of a compromise either. I've used this lens quite extensively, simply to see how good it is. On the whole, I'm very satisfied. Optical quality is excellent within the extremes and I can't complain about it at the 24 and 85mm ends. The lens handles well - the zoom ring is very smooth and without too much travel needed. There is some extension of the front element, but with internal focusing, the element doesn't rotate with focus. If you're using filters, this is important. Even for a small range lens, VR is included to give that extra optical stability in lower light. Okay, it doesn't compete with the wide aperture primes or the fixed aperture zooms, but nor does it cost anywhere near as much. For a general purpose short sweep zoom, it gives you a good shooting flexibility and quality experience.

This lens is expensive, but its worth every penny. I use it daily and am still amazed with the sharpness and IQ this lens delivers. AF is lightning quick, and virtually always spot on. Bokeh is to die for, built like a tank, simply the best. Only down side is its bulk and weight (with the hood on this is a big lens!), but its the price you pay for fast pro glass.

There's nothing really wrong with this lens. It's a solid performer across the range and the VR helps a lot if you need to shoot at slower shutter speeds. Focussing is silent but a little on the slow side for me. Sharpness is fine. It doesn't set the world alight with it's image quality but then it's not supposed to. Build quality is solid but plastic as you'd expect at this price point. The main question really is why would you buy this lens? If you have a DX/crop body then this isn't the sort of lens you should be looking for anyway. And if you've taken the time and spent the money to go FX then should you really be gimping your camera with a cheap piece of glass that just does OK? And therein lies the problem for me. Is it worth nearly £400? Well if I really really wanted a new lens then yes. Compared to it's competition I guess it's fair value. But personally I'd rather either save a bit more and go for a f/2.8 lens. There are plenty of decent ones second hand if you cannot stretch to new prices. Sure you'd lose the VR but personally I don't think that is a must have for this sort of range.

Beautiful lens, totally sharp. However was no use for professional work due to variable aperture and inconsistent VR