This Nikon 24mm 2.8 lens was released back in the mid 90s and is one of the oldest Nikon wide angle lens for both full frame and cropped sensor DSLR camera.
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When used with a cropped DSLR, this lens will behave like a moderate wide angle lens (with a focal length equivalent of 36mm).
When used with a full frame DSLR, this lens will give the perfect focal length for landscape shooting.
In this review, I will be testing this lens with my Nikon D300 camera (cropped sensor).
The primary application of this lens would be for street photography as well as general walk around prime lens. The f/2.8 aperture will help you shooting in available light.
How well does this lens perform though? I’d have to say it is just average.
This is an old Nikon lens and there are so many better Nikon prime lenses out there now and this lens will slowly lose its place in the lineup.
My recommendation is to wait for Nikon to update this lens (they made a f/1.4 version which is much more expensive).
If you are still curious though, read on my Nikon 24mm 2.8 to see the complete test results.
Specs • Performance • Sample Image • Conclusion • Where to Buy
Nikon 24mm 2.8 Specs
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Official Name:
Nikon AF NIKKOR 24mm f/2.8D
Focal Length Markings:
24mm
Features:
AF – Autofocus only compatible with non-entry level Nikon DSLR camera. It is not compatible with Nikon D40, D40x, D60, D5000, D5100, D3000 and D3100.
D – Distance information will be transferred to the camera body for metering purpose.
FX – Compatible with both Nikon cropped sensor, film and full frame DSLR camera.
Full Technical Specs (from Nikon’s website):
| Technical Specifications | |
| Groups / Elements | 9 / 9 |
| Angle of View | 61(DX) – 84(FX) |
| Number of Blade Diaphragm | 7 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/22 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 1ft. (0.3m) |
| Filter Thread | 52mm |
| Weight | 9.5oz. (270g) |
| Dimension (Diameter x Length) | 2.5 x 1.8in. (64.5 x 46mm) |
| Macro Magnification Ratio | 0.11X |
| Available at | Amazon, B&H Photo Video, Adorama |
Optical Performance
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Nikon 24mm 2.8 Sharpness
Center sharpness is excellent on this lens at any focal length.
However, it is a bit weak on the borders, especially at f/2.8 and f/4. Stop down to f/5.6 and you will get great border sharpness.
The point of maximum sharpness is at f/4.
See my sharpness test result below.
Sharpness Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Excellent
(4) Great
(3) Good
(2) Fair
(1) Poor
Nikon AF NIKKOR 24mm f/2.8D Center Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 24mm | Great | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
Nikon AF NIKKOR 24mm f/2.8D Border Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 24mm | Good | Good | Great | Great | Great |
Distortion
Distortion is visible on this lens but it can be corrected using post processing.
See the distortion test result below and see if you can notice it.
Nikon 24mm 2.8 Distortion
Vignetting
Vignetting is quite visible at f/2.8. Stop down to f/4 and it will be greatly reduced.
You can see the vignetting test result below for each aperture.
Nikon 24mm 2.8 Vignetting
Chromatic Aberration
Chromatic aberration behaves awkwardly on this lens. It is very low at the first two aperture of f/2.8 and f/4.
However, it goes to high at the last 3 aperture, which is really unusual.
Chromatic Aberration Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Negligible
(4) Very Low
(3) Low
(2) High
(1) Very High
Nikon AF NIKKOR 24mm f/2.8D Chromatic Aberration
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 24mm | Very Low | Low | High | High | High |
Build Quality
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Pretty decent: Polycarbonate combined with metal mount.
Focusing
Although small, focus ring operates quite smoothly on this lens. This lens dimension will change marginally during focusing.
Due to the absence of AF-S motor, the focusing will be a bit noisy because it will rely on the screw motor on the camera body.
Also, this lens will only autofocus with non-entry level Nikon DSLR camera. Nikon D40, D40x, D60, D5000, D5100, D3000 and D3100 will not autofocus with this lens.
Autofocus speed is fast and accurate on this lens. The filter thread does not rotate so you can use polarizing filter easily with this lens.
Image Stabilization
There is no VR or Vibration Reduction on this lens.
Compatibility
Being an FX lens, it is compatible with both Nikon cropped sensor DSLR and full frame DSLR camera. Also compatible with Nikon film camera.
Sample Image
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Below are some sample images that I took with this Nikon 24mm 2.8 lens. Click on any thumbnail to enlarge the images.
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Conclusion
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Alright, we have arrived at the conclusion section for this Nikon 24mm 2.8 lens review.
All in all, I would say everything is about average on this lens. Good, but not great.
There are many better prime lens than this one in the Nikkor lenses lineup. This might be because this is an old lens. The current Nikon prime lenses are a much better performer.
In term of sharpness, this lens is sharp on the center, but a bit weak on the borders at the first two apertures.
Although not to an extreme degree, distortion is visible on this lens. Vignetting is visible only at f/2.8.
Chromatic aberration behaves awkwardly on this lens. It is very low to negligible on the first two aperture, but visible at the smaller ones.
Build quality is pretty decent and the autofocus is fast and accurate (although a bit noisy).
I would recommend you get a newer Nikon lens, as this is an old lens that can be discontinued soon.
Drawbacks
- Soft borders at f/2.8 and f/4
- Visible vignetting at f/2.8
- High chromatic aberration at smaller apertures
Positives
- Great center sharpness
- Autofocus performance is fast and accurate
Good For
- Moderate wide angle lens for cropped sensor DSLR
- Street photography
- Landscape photography
Not So Good For
- Architecture photography due to distortion
What Others Are Saying...
by "John Kwok"
This autofocusing 24mm f2.8 Nikkor lens is optically unchanged from the manual focusing 24mm f2.8 Nikkor lens that I once owned. This speaks rather well for this design, which was the first ever...
Click here to see the full review
by "Christo"
24mm is a ideal compromise (between 20mm and 28mm). Wider than this becomes quite distorted, longer than this limits your view. It is ideal for landscapes if you want to include an interesting...
Click here to see the full review
Where to Buy
Support this site, buy the Nikon 24mm 2.8 lens from these sites (best price online):
Amazon (best price + FREE shipping)
See the following related lens reviews to see more options.
Thanks for reading my Nikon 24mm 2.8 review and I will catch you in the next one!
| Lens Score | |
|---|---|
| Optical Quality | |
| Build Quality | |
| Value for Money | |
| Overall | |
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