Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AutoFocus Zoom Nikkor Lens

by Nikon

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9 x 9 x 9 inches ; 14.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00007KWRC
• Item model number: 2141
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: December 4, 2002

Product Description

Manufacturer Description

Lens-making is an art--Nikon artisans craft Nikkor optics from the finest materials, taking pride in adding their intellect and technique to bring the world's finest lenses to life. They push the leading edge of lens-making in their effort to provide the "glass" that makes the world's greatest pictures.

AF Nikkor lenses work with Nikon SLRs for optimal performance, even the very latest. The Nikon 24-85mm f3.5-4.5G ED-IF AutoFocus Zoom Nikkor Lens is a wide to telephoto 3.5x zoom lens ideal for landscape, full length portraits, travel and portrait photographs. The Silent Wave Motor enables ultra-high-speed autofocusing with exceptional accuracy and powerful super-quiet operation. The lens boasts a compact size and high performance realized by new optical system including an aspherical lens and ED glass element.

It also features rounded diaphragm (7 blades) for natural blur, 14.96-inch closest shooting distance, M/A mode that allows rapid switching between autofocus and manual-focus operation, and Internal Focusing design for smoother focusing and great body balance. A flower-shaped Lens Hood HB-28 is provided. The Nikon D-type design provides precise distance information for flash and ambient light exposure processes, while the new G design enables apertures to be selected from select Nikon AF SLR camera bodies. The high-performance Nikon Super Integrated Coating offers superior color reproduction and minimizes ghost and flare.

ED glass: An essential element of Nikkor telephoto lenses
Nikon developed ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass to enable the production of lenses that offer superior sharpness and color correction by minimizing chromatic aberration. Put simply, chromatic aberration is a type of image and color dispersion that occurs when light rays of varying wavelengths pass through optical glass. In the past, correcting this problem for telephoto lenses required special optical elements that offer anomalous dispersion characteristics--specifically calcium fluoride crystals. However, fluorite easily cracks and is sensitive to temperature changes that can adversely affect focusing by altering the lens' refractive index. So Nikon designers and engineers put their heads together and came up with ED glass, which offers all the benefits and none of the drawbacks of calcium fluorite-based glass. With this innovation, Nikon developed several types of ED glass suitable for various lenses. They deliver stunning sharpness and contrast even at their largest apertures. In this way, Nikkor's ED-series lenses exemplify Nikon's preeminence in lens innovation and performance.

Nikon Super Integrated Coating ensures exceptional performance
To enhance the performance of its optical lens elements, Nikon employs an exclusive multilayer lens coating that helps reduce ghost and flare to a negligible level. Nikon Super Integrated Coating achieves a number of objectives, including minimized reflection in the wider wavelength range and superior color balance and reproduction. Nikon Super Integrated Coating is especially effective for lenses with a large number of elements, like our Zoom-Nikkors. Also, Nikon's multilayer coating process is tailored to the design of each particular lens. The number of coatings applied to each lens element is carefully calculated to match the lens type and glass used, and also to assure the uniform color balance that characterizes Nikkor lenses. This results in lenses that meet much higher standards than the rest of the industry.

Aspherical lens elements
Nikon introduced the first photographic lens with aspherical lens elements in 1968. What sets them apart? Aspherical lenses virtually eliminate the problem of coma and other types of lens aberration--even when used at the widest aperture. They are particularly useful in correcting the distortion in wide-angle lenses. In addition, use of aspherical lenses contributes to a lighter and smaller lens design. Nikon employs three types of aspherical lens elements. Precision-ground aspherical lens elements are the finest expression of lens-crafting art, demanding extremely rigorous production standards. Hybrid lenses are made of a special plastic molded onto optical glass. Molded glass aspherical lenses are manufactured by molding a unique type of optical glass using a special metal die technique.

Internal Focusing
Imagine being able to focus a lens without it changing in size. Nikon's IF technology enables just that. All internal optical movement is limited to the interior of the non-extending lens barrel. This allows for a more compact, lightweight construction as well as a closer focusing distance. In addition, a smaller and lighter focusing lens group is employed to ensure faster focusing. The IF system is featured in most Nikkor telephoto and selected Nikkor zoom lenses.

Distance information
D-type and G-type Nikkors relay subject-to-camera distance information to AF Nikon camera bodies. This then makes possible advances like 3D Matrix Metering and 3D Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash. Note: D-type and G-type Nikkors provide distance information to the following cameras: Auto exposure; F6, F5, F100, F90X, F80, F75, F70, F65, F60, F55, F50, Pronea S, Pronea 600i, D2 series, D1 series, D100 and D70s/D70. Flash control; F6, F5, F100, F90X, F80, F75, F70, D2 series, D1 series, D100 and D70s/D70.

G-type Nikkor lens
The G-type Nikkor has no aperture ring; aperture should be selected from camera body.

Silent Wave Motor
Nikon's AF-S technology is yet another reason professional photographers like Nikkor telephoto lenses. AF-S Nikkors feature Nikon's SWM which converts "traveling waves" into rotational energy to focus the optics. This enables high-speed autofocusing that's extremely accurate and super quiet.

M/A mode
AF-S Nikkors feature Nikon's exclusive M/A mode, that allows switching from autofocus to manual operation with virtually no time lag--even during AF servo operation and regardless of AF mode in use.

What's in the Box:
Lens, 67mm snap-on front lens cap LC-67, rear lens cap LF-1, bayonet hood HB-28.

Product Description

Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AutoFocus Zoom Nikkor Lens

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Great Lens, December 23, 2005

By 

J. Griffith (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AutoFocus Zoom Nikkor Lens (Electronics)

This lens is probably the best lens I own. It focuses fast and it is very sharp.

Even professional photographers say that it is one of the best lenses and reasonably priced.

Ken Rockwell wrote, "This is a tiny, fun and easy-to-use cheesy plastic zoom lens that is also the best performing midrange zoom I've ever used!" See his webpage here:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/2485afs.htm

Thom Hogan wrote, "I was prepared to be disappointed with this lens. Instead, I've decided to keep in my bag and use it regularly." See his webpage here:

http://www.bythom.com/2485lens.htm

After reading all the reviews I could find, I decided this lens had to be worth a serious look. I bought it and have been happy with it from day one.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Veteran Photo Who Loves This Lens, December 24, 2006

By 

Guitar Man (New York, N.Y.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AutoFocus Zoom Nikkor Lens (Electronics)

I, like the the previous reviewer, also read Ken Rockwell's comments, and they led me to this lens.

No disappointments here. I'm a 30-year veteran who was just seeking a basic lens to keep on my Nikon D70. I also use the Tokina 12-24 f/4.0 (fantastic) and the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 (don't sell this little guy short!), and now seek a longer tele-zoom to complement these other lenses.

The Nikon 24-85mm is sharp, fast and light. Not the most sturdily-built lens in the world, but the key for me was that I knew what I was getting when I purchased it - and therefore, no disappointment.

Looking for an all-purpose lens to keep on your camera body at all times? You've found it here.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, June 17, 2007

By 

Lucjan J. Szewczyk (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AutoFocus Zoom Nikkor Lens (Electronics)

I own a beleaguerded Kodak 14n SLR. Besides tack-sharp, bone tingling, full frame 14 megapixels perfect images at 80 ASA, it has so many quirks and peculiarities, it pretty much singlehandedly made Kodak abandon making professional SLRs. But this lens solved two problems; red blob went away, and so did Italian flag (K-pro owners will know what I'm talking about). And on other Nikon cameras it's just great, sharp lens, although not enough of wide angle on APS-sized-frame Nikons (24mm becomes 36mm) - but on the other hand 85mm becomes almost 130mm, totally awesome for portraits. Too bad it's discontinued, or so I heard.