Right now cost is the biggest question as I believe in sticking with Nikon accessories.

Just picked up the new lens and had a very little play with it. So what do I think, well its a complete new learning curve,for me that is. First thing I noticed was the weight for a comparatively short lens, but after lugging around Sigma lenses maybe I don't notice it so much. So what next? well the focus is blistering fast and I do mean fast, don't hink there can be many lenses faster, next it is razor sharp the difference between "consumer" and "pro" lenses is really noticable , hence it needs time to get used to, and I don't mean that in a bad way

the picture below gives some idea how good it is, the golfer had just hit the ball at full power. I have left it completely unedited apart from resize for here.



Bazza

I'm sure the original isn't Bazza but that looks soft and blurry to me!

The lens is always going to be capable of sharp, so you won't have any room for excuses now! I have the 28-70, the one just before this 24-70. That is excellent and I really could not imagine anything better, but apparently the 24-70 has the edge. Mine is truly an excellent quality piece of glass is terms of sharpness and just something about the 'presence' of the image. Both mine and the 24-70 are not without fault with certain distortions present, but they are real benchmarks (until I get my £100 50mm out!!!)

BC

It was one of the first pictures with the lens and I have to get used to it. Remember that guy was right in the middle of a golf swing and the club was moving at an incredible rate. Yes I could have got him to pose in that position but that wasn't the point of the exerise, it was to see how quick the focus was. I could have edited it as well and really tightened up the picture but that defeats the object of seeing how it looked straight out of the camera

Bazza

Now lets see what you can do with all this lovely kit Bazza

Azz I have one huge problem and thats remembering to check camera setting, ie landscape-portrait -aperture-shutter speed - manual/continous/single focus -normal/vivid/standard colour infact most of the adjustments.
Bazza

Then give your kit to me!

Congrats on the new lens Bazza, I love mine and it is SHARP!!!!!!

Steven (Stanokella)


Have to agree with you but the technique of using it is a bit different to consumer lenses, I find I am still getting used to it. By this I mean the focus is sooo fast I am having to get used to pressing the shutter release button in one continuous movement. Normally with a slower lens it press the button- let the lens focus-then take the picture, with this lens its strange doing it in one movement.
I never realise ,which most like me wouldn't unless owning one, actually how fast it is.
Another thing is at the moment I have the D300 in continuous focus mode (c) which seems to help more with sharpness than (s) single focus mode, maybe my hand isn't as steady as it should be which would account for it.
Like other reports I have read its a shame they don't add VR to it which in my book
would be the ultimate in dream lenses,and because of that I would have to make it 9 out of 10 instead of full marks
Bazza

Bazza, have you tried changing setting so only af-on button focuses, instead of half press of shutter? This is how have my cams set up and allows tracking keeping focus and then hit shutter when needed. I got a lot higher hit rate when i changed to this set up.