Nikon 24mm f/2.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

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 foreground. It is also a solid lens, and I am happy with the built-quality. The lens is certainly fast enough for me. On top of that, the optical quality is excellent - perfect for enlargements or slide projection. Good contrast, good colour.

Apart from that, the lens is small and lightweight, which again makes it fantastic for outdoor photographers. I love mine.


Fine Moderate Wide Angle Autofocusing Lens   July 30, 2005
John Kwok (New York, NY USA)
41 out of 41 found this review helpful

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 made with Nikon's CRC (floating element) feature. It certainly is one of the best 24mm lenses available, with fine contrast and resolution. Its performance is almost as good as the venerable Contax Carl Zeiss T* 25mm f2.8 Distagon which I own now; itself another excellent lens design which also dates from the late 1960s. If you tend to photograph a lot of landscapes or need to cover a moderate amount of interior space without excessive distortion, then this will be an excellent lens to add to your Nikon autofocus SLR system. Since this is a Nikon AI-S lens, it will also work too with any manual focusing Nikon camera dating as far back as the venerable Nikon F2A and Nikkormat FT3.


Perfect Lens for Digital as well as Film Cameras   April 15, 2005
Bruce Conklin (Sacramento, Kalifornia)
40 out of 40 found this review helpful

The 24mm f/2.8 is an outstanding performer. Sharp, good contrast, fast autofocus.

On a digital SLR such as the D70 or D2x, the 24mm lens gives you the same degree of coverage as a 35mm lens on a film camera. This makes the 24mm a ideal "normal" lens and great for walk-abouts.

Why not use a zoom for a walk-about? Size and complexity, that's why. The 24mm is quite compact and keeps the bulk and weight of the D70 at a minimum, perfect for carrying all day while shopping, sight-seeing, or visiting the zoo with the kids. I have been a Nikon user for 40 years and have always chosen smaller bodies to keep the bulk at a minimum.

Trust me, you will love this lens.



Great Wide Choice for a Digital Camera   August 17, 2008
G. J. Huba (Culver City, CA USA)
18 out of 18 found this review helpful

When used on a Nikon D300 that applies a 1.5 multiplying factor to the length (this 24mm acts like a 36mm on a DX sensor), this lens is clear, collects lights well, and is extremely sharp. This is a great walk-around lens for scenery, touring, quick crowd shots, and snapshots. With this lens, if you can get the shot quickly and in focus, you will have something that can be easily edited (expecially cropped) in a photo-editing program. Highly recommended as a basic "on the camera all the time" lens.

Updated December 2009. Now used on a Nikon D700 full frame (FX) camera for a year. In this case the lens is a true 24mm unlike on the Nikon D300. Scenery is exquisite, and the lens is incredibly useful for pictures of large groups of people like some recent holiday shots of about 25 people working on cooking on a kitchen center island, or two-dozen kids sitting at a table while the candles get blown out. On an FX camera the lens is sharp, collects light well, is virtually always in focus as you would expect from a 24mm. You can get all the action in the picture without being too far away and if you get too much in, it is simple to crop the pictures. In addition to scenery outside, this lens is awesome for large groups of people where you either want to get many in the picture or you have to be up close because it is a party or historical site or museum. Why haul a 14-24mm zoom when this lightweight but solid lens has 90% of the functionality.

Updated February 2010. I do not use this lens on a daily basis. In fact I do not even use it every week. But, in spite of this, it is a lens I would never want to part with (I am pruning some of my current lenses to make room for a new purchase) even if it is not the lens used daily. When you want to take "place" pictures and get the big picture, this is the one that will get the shot and is light enough so that you still enjoy the location without backache. Landscape shots with it from Grand Teton and Yellowstone Parks capture the "hugeness" you feel in those places with clarity, color trueness, and lack of distortion. And the lens fits in the pocket of pants (without too much of a bulge). Carry this little gem and get the big picture. Works great for cityscapes too.


smooth focus   June 5, 2007
Raphael J. Matto
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

I have three nikon primes: 50, 35, & 24. they're all great, but I prefer this lens because I use manual focus quite a lot, & it focuses much more smoothly. with the 35 & 50, there is a slight feeling of the gears rotating inside the lens (not just my copies -- I tested it on a friend's copy of the 35 & 50). with the 24, I don't get that feeling -- it's perfectly smooth -- perhaps because of the heavier & more complex lens elements.