# Nikon 24-70 or 24-85 lens decision.



## isypwha

So I have a lens decision to make. Now before you immediately say 24-70, hear me out. I have a D90 and Im looking for a good mid-range zoom to be a general use, everyday lens. I previously owned a Tamron 28-75, but the focus was just horrendous in any amount of indoors light and it would produce a really sharp nice image one moment and a really out of focus crappy one the next moment (and no it was not just camera shake). But I have loved the 50mm prime, when I had my d60 I manual focused the 50 more than I would even try to use the Tamron, so now im in the market for some nice Nikon glass.

Ive decided against the 17-55 after talking to a bunch of people. My friends father has a 24-85 f2.8-4 and it does a great job on their d2x, however I haven't taken a whole ton of pictures with it, just a couple random ones around the house. I have been selling a bunch of things and trying to save up for the coveted Nikon 24-70, but now I am having second thoughts. I am by no means a professional, do I really need a 1700 lens? The 24-85 is 700, and with the current money I have from selling things I could purchase that and an sb600 (I really need a flash). Or should I stay on track, and save for the more expensive way better (almost perfect) lens that will last me for a long time, but would make me go bankrupt, or do I go for the lesser lens that will produce images good enough for an amateur who only posts images on the internet. 

My hangups for the 24-85 are that it would mostly be at f3.5-4 rather than 2.8, but is that a huge deal with good iso processing associated with the d90 (eventhough shooting high iso is always not recommended)? Ive also heard that auto focus is slow in low light (something that really bothered me with the tamron), is that the lens or the body since it focuses with the in body motor? My only apprehensions about the 24-70 is obviously just the price.  

If anyone made it through reading all of this, any help would be incredibly helpful, and if you have any other suggestions let me know.


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## Derrel

The 24-70 is like having a 48-ounce coffee can on the front of your camera...the 24-85 2.8~4 is much smaller and less conspicuous, plus it has a better top end as a single, all-around carry lens. There is also the smaller, slower 24-85 f/3.5~something, which is AF-S, recently discontinued, and relatively good.

Have you ever owned a big, pro Nikkor like the 24-70/2.8 AF-S????? It's a mixed bag in many ways...it's heavy, big, and people stare at it. In social photography situations, it can make you look like a paparazzi or voyeur...for most people, I think the older 24-85 would be the better lens.

Focus speed on the mid-level Nikon bodies like D80 and D90 is usually faster with AF-S lenses than it is with screwdriver zoom lenses; the pro,single-digit Niukon bodies have the beefiest, fastest in-body focusing motors. Generally, an AF-S lens will focus better,and faster on a midlevel body than a screwdriver lens, but there are some exceptions. Ken Rockwell is one of the few lens reviewers who actually counts and notes the lock to lock range of screwdriver focusing lenses, and who tries to evaluate and place the focus speed of all the lenses he reviews.


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## shaunly

Why don't you get the 24-85 f2.8-4? I'll most likely will pick one up this weekend, so I'll see how it performs. 

1929 Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8-4 IF AF-D Nikkor Wide - Telephoto Zoom Lens with Hood - USA


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## ghache

i had a af-s 24-70 2.8 for a day and when i get the money, i will buy it and never look back


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## kundalini

Derrel said:


> Have you ever owned a big, pro Nikkor like the 24-70/2.8 AF-S????? It's a mixed bag in many ways...it's heavy, big, and people stare at it. In social photography situations, it can make you look like a paparazzi or voyeur....


 BFD.  I like the Nikkor 24-70mm, even thought it's a big-assed coffee can extending beyond your cheek.


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## Derrel

Yeah, it's a Big Fu$k!in Dick-extension...like a jacked-up Toyota 4x4 or a Hummer....nothing quite says poseur like a monster wide lens that's not very wide and not very long and which weighs more than the camera it's mounted on...


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## Sw1tchFX

Derrel said:


> Yeah, it's a Big Fu$k!in Dick-extension...like a jacked-up Toyota 4x4 or a Hummer....nothing quite says poseur like a monster wide lens that's not very wide and not very long and which weighs more than the camera it's mounted on...


LOL :lmao:

For a D90, i'd much rather go with the 17-55 2.8. 24-70mm is not a very exciting range on DX, and it would be a very boring lens. It would act like a 35-105mm, which like Derrel said: Not very wide, and not very long. 

Than again, the 24-70 isn't really all that exciting on FX either. It's not really super at 24mm, and for the 40ish-70mm range, you might as well use a 50mm prime and step back and forth. my $.02


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## KmH

The AF 24-85 mm f/2.8-4D has a Macro feature offering 1:2 Macro, from 35 mm to 85 mm.

Closest focus for the 24-70 is just shy of 15 inches, 14.9", for the 24-85 it is 8.4".

A minimum focus distance of 8.4" can come in handy for some shots.


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## stumpjumper21

I bought the 24-70 about a week before spring break. I planned on buying one eventually, and when I found out that I was going to be going to Europe over the break, I decided to get it. I'm not gonna bore you with the sharpness specs and all that, because if you are even considering a lens like this, you know that its going to be the best optical quality. I will say that the pictures are stunning on my d90 though! Its not as wide as it could be on a full frame body, but it works for me. and the f/2.8 is killer! I also plan to go full frame in a few years, so I decided to go big now and never replace it (hopefully). I highly reccomend this lens, you'll never need to upgrade if you get it.

Here is my quick video overview of the lens on a d90. I made this because I couldn't find one that showed me what it looked like on a d90. 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC7BHbl1asI[/ame]


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## isypwha

Well after a lot of deciding between the 17-55 (I went back to considering that one), the 24-85, and the 24-70. I have gone with the "Big Fu$k!in Dick-extension". I decided against the 24-85 due to the variable f stop, I borrowed the lens from my friends father for a couple days and took shots with it indoors and outdoors for some testing. It is a nice lens, but f4 for indoor portraitish pictures just wasnt the greatest. And the 17-55 is a great lens for the dx sensor, but I do see an affordable future for fx sensors so I went with the 24-70. I can always get a cheap dx wideangle for the time being if I have the extra cash, but really I dont think ill use it as much. Thanks for the help!


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## Derrel

Congratulations....the new lens will make your unit bigger!! 

Enjoyed the video you made.  "It's kinda' big."

It is a quality lens, of that there's no doubt.


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