Nikon Nikkor AF 24-85mm lens a great lens

I own a number of Nikon lens sets as I am a photographer. I use them on the D80's and a few D70's. I recently bought the Nikon Nikkor AF 24-85mm f/2.8-4.0D IF Lens.

Great lens. I set up a test comparing the lens to a few of the basic "kit" zoom lenses(which take excellent photos to begin with.

The results show the Nikon Nikkor AF 24-85mm as the clear winner. I shot a photo of a room with a newspaper open on a couch. The "kit" lens sets were pretty clear...but the Nikon Nikkor AF 24-85mm was RAZOR sharp on the headline and type. The same detail shows well on portraits and group shots. The wider f2.8 maximum f-stop setting gives this lens extended shooting range compared to less expensive lens with a maximum of f3.5(big difference in that small increase)

The fast lens allows you to shoot at a higher f-stop to achieve the best image quality possible. Generally, an fstop near the middle range of a lens is a very good choice for clarity. Using the maximum aperture almost always guarantees a fuzzy picture(far too narrow a field of focus). F6.3 provides an excellent combination of light gathering ability plus sharpness control.

It's a well made lens and comes with a softpack case and custom lens hood. USE IT. It reduces or eliminates unwanted glare.

The lens is about $600-$750 depending on the dealer, so it's an upgrade from the basic lens provided in most camera combo kits. Well worth it if you are an avid camera buff or professional. Now, there are sharper lenses available...but you'd be paying a few thousand dollars each for one to achieve that level. I've compared this one(Nikon Nikkor AF 24-85mm f/2.8-4.0D IF Lens) to a few of the high end Nikon glass products and I have to say this one is presents a strong showing.

You'll want a tripod for any use with shutter speeds less than 1/80th of a second on most shots. As a general rule, tripods almost always give images better focus and sharpness, no matter what lens is being used.

The filter ring size is rather large..72mm, which goes hand in hand with the light gathering ability of this model. I'd recommend a basic sky filter to protect the lens itself. No need to worry about UV or haze filters since digital images are far easier than film type cameras to color correct(with in-camera white balance). Basically the circuitry is the actual filter. The glass element of a sky filter merely protects the expensive lens itself from scratches.

Super sharp and very quiet operation.