AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8G ED Lens Review
If you are looking forward to investing in a top quality lens for full-frame FX and DX DSLRS, the AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8G ED Lens is one of the best choices for your needs. This lens was released in the market during the year 2007 and it gained huge popularity very quickly due to its ability to deliver outstanding results for fast action, ultra-wide coverage and top-notch build quality. All these features make it a suitable choice for professional photographers.
Many architectural and landscape photographers would do well to give this lens a place in their arsenal. You can capture unique images with the Nikon 14-24mm lens due to its superior performance. However, this camera lens also suffered huge competition among many feature-rich products that were launched during the same year, but the Nikon 14-24mm lens performed really well regardless. Photographers love it due to its higher optical stabilization, broader ranges, and the budget-friendly price tag.
Those who are interested in capturing impressive photographs of exquisite building interiors, grand architectures, lush landscapes, and even the vast and starry night sky with astrophotography are advised to read this review in depth to see the detailed features of this lens. It is also great for capturing funny portraits at close range because of its wide angle perspective, and for capturing wave motion even with long exposures because of its superior glass. Below I have highlighted few essential features of Nikon 14-24mm lens that can help you to make an easy decision as to purchase or not based on your needs.
Build Quality of AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8G ED Lens:
This camera lens is reliable and durable. It is known for its solid look that is due to textured metal finish. However, the lens rings and zoom are made up of a plastic material and rubber, offering additional grip. The Nikon 14-24mm Lens is well balanced as its center-of-gravity works on the zoom ring so that users can enjoy a more comfortable photography session. Its petal style lens hood is permanently attached to this lens that works perfectly to reduce flaring issues. Those who love shooting during midday hours will find it more useful with the integrated hood that allows easy shading of front element on a sunny day. However, if you are looking to use filters with this lens, you’ll have to use a custom filter holder and filters for this lens which will be covered later in this review.
Sharpness of AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8G ED Lens:
The Nikon 14-24mm Lens is rated high for its extreme sharpness. The earlier versions of this series were not so perfect but the story changed completely with Nikon 14-24mm lens. It offers more softness at its corners while ensuring sharp details at every portion of the image. The focusing ability of this lens was tested for a series of 40 plus images and there was no outlier. Further testing revealed that this lens offers a lightning fast focusing speed of around 0.4 sec. The focus ring is so comfortable to grip with its smooth zoom action. The autofocus of the Nikon 14-24mm lens is also impressive, however it may sometimes produce a slight clunking sound.
Quality of AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8G ED Lens:
You will be happy to know that Nikon 14-24mm lens offers a well-balanced response to distortion. Testing shows that it offers a barrel distortion of 0.5% when set to 14mm; however, 0% distortion was observed at 22mm and up. At 24mm, the noise content was almost negligible at f22. When this lens is used fully zoomed, it offers great sharpness at its centers while maintaining softer performance at the corners.
Chromatic Aberration of AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8G ED Lens:
Experts recommend this camera lens more due to its lack chromatic aberration. When used with higher-end cameras, it served better due to their higher tolerance to chromatic aberration and it can automatically perform corrections. For those of you who capture images in RAW format using this lens, and convert them directly to JPEG without using any post-processing options such as sharpening, noise reduction etc; it can still offer you the best results.
Vignetting effect of AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8G ED Lens:
The Nikon 14-24mm is a wide angle lens that can sometimes create unwanted darkness at corners; however, the image quality is observed to be excellent in most of the cases. When lens performance was tested with higher-end cameras, it produced slightly noticeable vignetting at its corners but it is acceptable with wide angle lenses because the sweet spot feature was later introduced with APS-C sensors. At most of the focal length ranges, the corner shading was just acceptable however it may rise slightly with full frame lenses.
Ghosting and Flare of AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8G ED Lens:
Most of the lenses cause the annoying ghosting effect whenever shots are captured in full sunlight. But note that every lens has different ability to tolerate flare and ghosting and it actually depends upon variable optical ranges. If we talk about the Nikon 14-24mm lens, it is designed with super integrated coating and Nikon’s proprietary Nano Crystal technologies. It performs a fantastic job to handle flare and ghosting effect even when you try to capture shots in bright light.
Lens Filters For Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8G ED Lens:
Although the Nikon 14-24mm lens is perfectly designed for landscape photography, many photographers enjoy taking long-exposure photographs because of the amazing effects it can create. Unfortunately, if you want to take long-exposure images with this lens you'll need to buy, not only a filter, but a holder for them as well, which can be somewhat costly. However, filter for this lens are well worth their weight in gold. An amazing filter set for this lens, and a personal favorite is the Nisi 150mm Filter Holder, NiSi Glass 100X150mm Nano Multicoated Graduated IR Neutral Density Filter (3-Stops) and Nisi 150x150mm Filter 10 Stops
Pros:
● It produces very sharp and smooth details.
● Receives a high rating for its ultra-wide field of view.
● It offers full frame coverage when used with f/2.8 aperture setting.
● Can adjust ghosting and flare impact with ease.
● It produces satisfactory results for portraits as well.
Cons:
● You will feel annoyed due to its wide angle distortion issue.
● It requires a custom filter holder and filters.
● Can be a bit heavy because of its bulky design.
The Verdict:
With loads of features and reliable design, the Nikon 14-24mm Lens offers great performance for a variety of photography needs. The most interesting thing to know about this camera lens is its ability to handle ghosting and flare effect without losing its focus.
Although, this camera lens is not designed to suit every user, it is perfect for those who are more interested in using their creativity when capturing images. This lens is commonly recommended for landscape photography due to its ability to capture deep and precise details with higher accuracy. It is also preferred by many photographers to use this camera lens for capturing interior décor ideas so that the finest examples of architectures can be presented to the world in form of creative photographs.
This camera also suits astrophotography needs as it 2.8 aperature allows it to draw in all the light produced by the cosmos. Some photographers also find it valuable for portraits and city photographs. It can create funny yet high-quality portraits for you. It can also maintain higher image quality even with longer exposures. So, if you are looking for a camera lens that can ensure top-notch performance, the AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8G ED Lens is definitely the best option for you.