Nikon 24-120mm 1: 3.5-5.6D AF Nikkor Review

Nikon 24-120mm 1: 3.5-5.6D AF Nikkor Review

Nikon 24-120mm 1: 3.5-5.6D AF Nikkor Review

Nikon 24-120mm 1: 3.5-5.6D AF Nikkor is an old full-frame versatile lens. With it and the full-frame camera, you can easily shoot in tight spaces using a 24mm focal length, and at the same time, you can just as easily 'hook' part of the telephoto range using 120mm. The lens was discontinued back in 2002, but even now my copy of the Nikon AF 24-120mm F / 3.5-5.6D feels great on new DSLR cameras. Basically Nikon AF 24-120mm F / 3.5-5.6D is of interest to amateurs who are looking for a replacement for a standard stock lens by type Nikon 18-55mm 1: 3.5-5.6GII ED AF-S DX Nikkor and hope that 24mm focal length will be enough for comfortable shooting on cropped Nikon DX cameras. Owners of expensive (for 2013) full-frame cameras are unlikely to want to use the obsolete Nikon AF 24-120mm F / 3.5-5.6DD on their new Nikon D800, D600 etc.

Sample photo on Nikon AF 24-120 mm F 3.5-5.6D

Example photo on a Nikon AF 24-120 mm F 3.5-5.6D. Color rendering and bokeh.

List of all Nikon FX 24-XXX autofocus lenses:

  1. Nikon 24-50 mm 1: 3.3-4.5 AF Nikkor
  2. Nikon 24-50 mm 1: 3.3-4.5D AF Nikkor
  3. Nikon 24-70 mm 1: 2.8GN AF-S Nikkor ED Nano Crystal Coat SWM IF Aspherical
  4. Nikon 24-70 mm 1: 2.8EN AF-S Nikkor ED Nano Crystal Coat SWM IF Aspherica VR + its modification of the 'Nikon 100th Anniversary Edition'
  5. Nikon 24-85 mm 1: 2.8-4D AF Nikkor IF Aspherical Macro (1: 2)
  6. Nikon 24-85 mm 1: 3.5-4.5G AF-S Nikkor ED SWM IF Aspherical
  7. Nikon 24-85 mm 1: 3.5-4.5G AF-S Nikkor ED VR SWM IF Aspherical
  8. Nikon 24-120 mm 1: 3.5-5.6D AF Nikkor
  9. Nikon 24-120 mm 1: 3.5-5.6G ED AF-S Nikkor SWM VR IF Aspherical
  10. Nikon 24-120 mm 1: 4G N AF-S Nikkor ED VR SWM IF Aspherical Nano Crystal Coat

Catalog of modern lenses for Nikon can see here.

The equivalent Nikon AF 24-120mm F / 3.5-5.6D for cropped cameras Nikon DX can act Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 16-85mm 1: 3.5-5.6G ED VR SWM IF Aspherical, 16mm on crop give EGF 24mm full frame.

Sample photo on Nikon AF 24-120mm F3.5-5.6D

Example photo on a Nikon AF 24-120mm F3.5-5.6D. Wide angle on full frame camera.

It's important: auto focus with this lens is available only when using him on cameras with built-in motor focusing.

Exact list Nikon DSLR cameras with a built-in focus motor, on which this lens will focus automatically:

Exact list Nikon DSLR cameras without a built-in focus motor, on which this lens will not focus automatically:

Only auto focus and sound confirmation of focus will not work with these cameras, all other important functions, such as automatic exposure metering and automatic iris control, will work well.

You will find a lot of useful information on the types of cameras and lenses Nikon here.

The lens also has an aperture control ring. For the lens to work properly on modern Nikon cameras, you need to set the F / 22 value using the aperture control ring on the lens itself. Nikon AF 24-120mm f / 3.5-5.6D is Non-g lens.

Autofocus speed pleased the lens focuses very quickly. Focus speed comparable to Nikon 24-70mm 1: 2.8G AF-S ED N Nikkor. In this case, internal lens focusHowever, when zooming, the front lens rotates. In manual focus mode, the focus ring rotates 45 degrees. The focus ring is rubberized, as is the zoom ring. The lens has a focus distance scale. MDF is 50 cm, while the lens can shoot macro with an increase of 1: 4.8.

My copy spontaneously changes the focal length - the lens trunk moves back and forth under its own weight. The lens itself is well assembled. The mount is metal, made in Japan, the diaphragm has 7 blades. The minimum aperture is F / 22 @ 24mm and F / 36 @ 120mm. The diameter for the filter is 72mm, the lens itself with such a large front lens looks nice on the camera. The optical design of the lens includes aspherical elementswhich is pretty good for such an old man. The lens weighs as much as 550 grams, I personally like this 'plump' and heavy lens. In general, ten years ago, many dreamed of such a lens, but today the lens is not so popular.

Sample photo on Nikon AF 24-120mm F3.5-5.6D

Sample photo on Nikon AF 24-120mm F3.5-5.6D

Personal experience

In poor lighting conditions, the lens fidgets in search of a successful focus. On Nikon DX cameras EGF lens will be 36-180 mm... I see a lot of grief-stricken users using the Nikon AF 24-120mm f / 3.5-5.6D on crop cameras. Now such a lens can only be purchased used, I bought myself a Nikon AF 24-120mm F / 3.5-5.6D for only 130 USD. To replace Nikon 24-120mm 1: 3.5-5.6D AF Nikkor, I wanted to take myself a cheap super zoom Nikon 28-200mm 1: 3.5-5.6D AF Nikkorbut in the latter I am not satisfied with MDF, which is already 1.5 meters at 200mm. I need a Nikon AF 24-120mm F / 3.5-5.6D as a lens, which is not a pity for any extreme shooting conditions, for example, for walking in the light rain and frequent transportation in a regular bag with which I travel around the city. The lens has a weak f / 3.5-5.6 aperture and there is no image stabilizer, but without any difficulty I shot at 120mm and 1/80 seconds.

Still, something from the category of 18-XX mm is better for crop. New Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm 1: 3.5-5.6G ED IF VR SWM Aspherical turned out to be not such a successful lens as his older brother Nikon AF 24-120mm F / 3.5-5.6D and if you want a pretty brand new station wagon with 5x zoom starting at 24mm, then you have to spend money on the road Nikon N AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm 1: 4G ED VR SWM IF Aspherical Nano Crystal Coat. If you are looking for an inexpensive good zoom with similar parameters, then look to the side Nikon 28-105mm f / 3.5-4.5D AF Nikkor.

Sample Photos

Nikon D80,APS-C crop factor 1,5X, no processing, camera JPEG:

Nikon D700, APS, Full Frmae, no processing, camera JPEG:


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Conclusions:

Nikon 24-120mm 1: 3.5-5.6D AF Nikkor - not bad budget full-frame universal lens with 5x zoom. The lens is primarily interesting for its fast autofocus, wide field of view with its 24mm focal length and its low price. Among the shortcomings - complex distortion, weak aperture and lack of a zoom lock.

Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram

Add a comment: Lev

 

 

Comments: 41, on the topic: Review Nikon 24-120mm 1: 3.5-5.6D AF Nikkor

  • Alex aspru

    Wide, portrait, and even a little telephoto

    The range is interesting, but the price of $ 180 on ebay is pretty high

    The aperture ratio is at the whale level.
    It turns out that the lens is for unassuming portrait landscape painters) - the quality does not differ much from the modern whale .. judging by the photo

    • Jura ^ _ ^

      Це кіт для плівкових

    • Lev

      Dear, I have 1.8 on my phone. Is it much better than a whale?

    • Tin-plate

      You're a fool?
      Judging by the photo ..

  • drunken trophy from the hostel of Mytishchi

    I think the whale 18-55 with a stub will be sharper and brighter.

    • anonym

      I think you're stupid and dumb.

      When 18-55 starts to cover ff - write!

      • alex

        Stupid and dumb is the one who thinks that “sharper and brighter” and “cover ff” are the same topic.

        • Ivan

          I agree with the previous speaker))) 18-55 with a button on the steering wheel makes this old man in one gate. More for the collection - attacks of course about nothing at all.

          • Alexander

            I was 18-105 with a stub on d90, and then this 24-120d. 18-105 is slightly less 18mm than this at 24, but the picture at 24-120 is much better, the colors are brighter and more saturated!

  • Ivan

    Someone like that, but I like the color rendition in this lens more than on modern ones. Something more natural. I reminded me of my first Nikit 28-80 3,5-5,6 of the same release years as this one. The picture is very similar.

    • nashua

      Nikor 28-80 3,5-5,6 is Nikon's worst whale lens. Walked with F-55 Type Semi-Dish

  • Khass

    Yes, it remains only to survey the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm 1: 4G ED VR N itself ... On DxO, the review about it is also far from unambiguous, especially at a not small price.

    • Anatoly

      24-120mm 1: 4G ED VR is a universal glass for a wedding planner, (for newlyweds, the photos will work, they won’t notice the subtleties in the picture, the pros will keep silent), although I take decent photos with this glass, they say the pattern and focusing of the glass depends on the specific lens model.
      I would like Arkady to make this glass and express his thoughts, that is, he has something to compare with.

  • Paul

    It seemed 24-120 on the diaphragms up to 8 soapy, but at 8 and above the picture becomes good, but still worse than the same 18-105. This is all applied to the Nikon D50, I don’t know if the situation is different on the full frame.

    • Paul

      I want to add that Nikon 24-120mm 1: 3.5-5.6D AF Nikkor nevertheless gives quite interesting colors, not like 18-105, among my photos I can easily recognize those taken on 24-120 by color reproduction. But the working aperture 8 greatly limits the work, at home it is only a flash, only F8 is on the street, so only a strong zoom helps for the yuoko, and without a stub, and in addition, the aperture drops even more.

  • Oleg

    And how much is this lens nikon af nikkor 28-200mm 13-5-5-6d?)

  • Anna

    Hello! Please tell me, ”The lens has a focusing distance scale. The MDF is 50 cm, while the lens can shoot macro with a magnification of 1: 4.8. ”, Is there a macro mode on this lens, like on 24-85?

  • Igor_K

    I wonder how it is compared to the plastic 28-80 \ 3,3-5,6.

  • Simon

    According to your tests, there is nothing wrong with the D700 or cropped ... the lens shows itself as a very beautiful pattern, maybe only the contrast in some shots seems to be too small ... but personally I really liked this lens and the sharpness and color and there is a certain charm ...

  • anonym

    where are the ravines?

  • Andrii

    Having bought and bought such an asset. It appeared that autofocus was not working on the focal point 85-120. Just yorzaє and everything. The focus is more manual only. Having tried the F100 and the D200, it is the same. Colleagues, you can, do you know why you don't want to focus? Dyakuyu.

  • Vladimir

    Excellent color rendering. Expose a few photos, you can evaluate for yourself. Just transferred from the rabbi and reduced the size.

  • Vladimir

    More

  • Vladimir

    Another

    • Lev

      I completely agree. The lens is good, like the analogue 24-85. Sharp and with some kind of picture of yourself!

  • Vladimir

    And more

    • Oleg

      Hello Vladimir. And what kind of camera, if not a secret?

  • Vladimir

    Well, perhaps the last one.

  • Egor

    I bought this old man to replace the tamron 28-75, which has already started to fall apart (a very flimsy construct) I can not find a hood on it. Can someone tell me?

    • Alexey

      Most likely HB-35. Like 18-200.

  • Nicholas

    Nikon 24-120mm 1: 3.5-5.6D AF, namely screwdriver AF! I recently came across this cult device, I was pleasantly surprised that in the test of comparison with its updated AF-S version with a stabilizer, the AF version without a stub has a clearer picture and less color distortion. A worthy lens to this day in working with the most up-to-date CZKs, apparently in vain it cost in the early 2000s more than $ 1000.

  • a lion

    “Not a bad budget full format universal lens” - how will it feel on a medium and small format camera?

    • Onotole

      On medium format - it will feel frankly uncomfortable. And about small-format everything is written in the review. Are you, in general, sure that you understand what you are asking about?

      • Lev

        Maybe I don’t understand, but I can distinguish a full-format camera from a medium-format, small-format and half-format one. What I wish you too! By the way, I’m not sure that you HAVE SEEN a medium format camera, not to mention a full-format one!

        • Arkady Shapoval

          Fixed

    • Pawel

      Arkady meant full-frame)

      • Lev

        Well yes!, We say the party, we mean Lenin!

  • nashua

    I bought myself one, once upon a time, when I used the D80. On this carcass, he gave an acceptable result at a diaphragm of 1: 8. Behaved in the same way on the D700. On modern devices, it makes no sense, especially on the crop.

  • Andrei

    Hello everyone, I used such a lens at first I didn’t like it on the Nikon D7000, but after a while I looked at a picture of it from a completely different side, the volume and color reproduction are very impressive, I didn’t get a sharp copy, but at 7,1 it’s decently sharp

  • Ian

    I don't know why people denigrate this lens. I have had mine for many years using it on my Nikon F4 and both Dx(D300) and FF(Df). I give me good results!

    • B. R. P.

      For film and low-pixel digital cameras, it is good.

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