Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Very pleased that I received exactly what I ordered with full warranty, not a Gray market item. The lens is a great compliment to my Nikon SLR; focus is quick, quiet and sharp. Highly recommend. Price was great.

I bought my D80 12 months ago. The Tamron 28-75 2,8f came with it, which I returned after 200 test shots due to low contrast and serious missing sharpness. I used my ~20 years old 37-70mm 'til June when I bought this one. Since I am more then happy. The 24-85 mm is what it is, the 2,8 is in daily life more a 3,5. This lense is sharp, fast, bright, perfect in handling, delivers perfect images. I own some older Nikon lenses as my 1st SLR was a Nikon, this is my No1-all-day lense. All other is to blame at the person using the lense ;)

I purchased this lens because I wanted the best performing glass I could get within my budget; I also needed a bit more range and IQ than the 18-55mm kit lens I got with my Nikon D80.

After reading many favorable reviews of the Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AutoFocus Zoom Nikkor Lens, I decided to give it a try and could not be happier with it's performance, indeed I am pleasantly surprised with it's image quality every time I use it.

It has been called "pro-quality glass that Nikon mistakenly put in a plastic body" but I find it feels as solid as most kit lenses today.

It is just the right size for a walk-about lens not big yet balances well on cameras like the D80; the auto-focus is fast and silent. Between the focal lengths of 35-60mm its as sharp as many prime lenses.

The only issue I have notice with this lens is some purple fringing on very high contrast subjects areas, but considering the otherwise excellent performance/cost ratio I can work around that minor problem.

I would recommend a good quality uv/hase filter such as the B & W 67mm UV (Ultra Violet) Haze Multi Coated (2C) Glass Filter #010 or Hoya 67mm DMC PRO1 Digital Multi-Coated UV (Ultra Violet) Filter. to protect the front element, as it is quite large and close to the front end of the lens even with the supplied hood attached.

BTW, if you are thinking of upgrading to a full frame (FX) format digital camera in the future this lens will also work on that body or with most newer Nikon 35mm slr's for that matter.

Happy and lucky to get a great used copy of this lens. If you find one, like others have said, grab it before they disappear. This one is VERY sharp, great contrast, and too quiet and quick auto focus. I use it on my D90 and D7000. Make sure if you find one that it has no dust inside as this lens has been out there in the wild for some time and is not well sealed like the more current Nikon lenses. Thanks to Artpics at Amazon Marketplace for a GREAT buy!

I just wanted to add that this lens is not at all cheesey as compared to some of the latest lens on the market today IMO. The build quality can be compared to the more expensive Prosumer lenses that run close to the $600.00 mark then to the Nikon 18-55mm, 55-200mm and 70-300mm for example. "Now those are "cheesey." I also want to mention that this lens is Quiet. So quiet that you can't tell it's actually focusing. The last point is that these lenses are discontinued now and only available thru the Used Lens market and the demand is growing every day. Do yourself a favor and get one soon before they are impossible to find. There is no better consumer lens you could put on your Nikon Digital Camera. Even the D40-D60 & D5000. You'll be glad you did. Simple operation, looks great & the pictures it can produce are fantastic.....period.

2nd review. I bought this lens used but was like new except after a month of use it was full of dust. My guess is since it is over 5 years old perhaps the dust seals have worn out and now it allows lots of dust in. If not for that I would of kept it but it sucked in so much dust in such a short amount of time I was shocked. 1st review-This is another great lens from Nikon. I now own all three, 10-24mm, 24-85mm and the 80-200mm lens. This focuses pretty well, very fast, with an f Stop of 3.5-4.5 I do have to up my ISO at times inside but with the D90 that is no problem. This is a nice lens and I would get it over the faster 2.8 Tamron given the choice due to its accuracy, quickness and reliability.

This was my very first AF-S zoom... and it got me addicted to the line. Don't be fooled by the plastic look of this lens: the optics are great, but would be even greater if the distortion at the wide end were a bit less noticeable. However, at a maximum aperture of f3.5, this lens (especially, like in my case, with fast film) performs in most environments and conditions. Besides, it's small (compared to other zooms), has a fast and quiet AF with any Nikon body, and does deliver good colors and sharp outlines. There may be other types of lens with additional features, but this one, with its closest focusing distance of just a few inches, works in all environments and for almost any purpose.