Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24 85mm F 3 5 4 5G ED VR Review | 54 Data compared

The ePHOTOzine review highlights the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR as a compact, lightweight, and versatile standard zoom for full-frame cameras, boasting excellent center sharpness and highly effective VR image stabilization. The lens, praised for its solid build, fast autofocus, low chromatic aberrations, and affordability, serves as a high-value option for travel photography. However, the analysis notes significant weaknesses, including poor corner sharpness at 24mm wide-open, high distortion levels (barrel to pincushion), and a restrictive, narrow manual focus ring.

The Opticallimits review of the Nikkor AF-S 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR (FX) positions it as a modern, affordable, and solid consumer-grade kit lens designed specifically for full-frame cameras like the Nikon D600. Tested on a Nikon D3x, the lens showcases several prominent pros, including its solid build quality utilizing high-quality polycarbonate tubes and a sturdy metal mount with zero inner-tube wobbling when zooming. It is highly praised for its highly effective Vibration Reduction (VR II) stabilization system, which comfortably allows for up to 3 stops of hand-held stability in field tests. Additionally, its Silent Wave Motor (AF-S) facilitates fast and nearly silent autofocus, while the internal focusing design incorporates a non-rotating 72mm filter thread that makes using polarizers simple and trouble-free. However, the reviewer points out a few notable cons regarding the lens's physical handling and design. The manual focus ring is quite thin with a short travel path and exhibits a frustrating amount of play or slack, taking a few millimeters of rotation before the focus unit actually responds. As a G-type lens, it also lacks a physical aperture...

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR is a competent and versatile full-frame kit lens that performs well for everyday use, especially considering its budget-friendly price point. In testing, the lens achieved a solid DxOMark score of 22 and scored 13 P-Mpix for sharpness, offering highly consistent resolution across the frame except for a minor dip at the edges between the 50mm and 70mm focal ranges. Its standout features include a well-controlled chromatic aberration profile measuring at 12µm and an integrated VRII stabilization system, which provides a claimed four-stop advantage for handheld shooting in low-light environments. Despite these strengths, the lens exhibits noticeable flaws, particularly regarding heavy vignetting that loses over two stops of light in the corners when shot wide open at either end of the zoom range. It also suffers from weaker distortion control compared to premium professional alternatives, such as the 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses from Nikon and Tamron. Additionally, it sacrifices raw sharpness to its discontinued predecessor, the IFED variant, which scored slightly higher at 14 P-Mpix. Ultimately, while it will not satisfy image-quality purists demanding...

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR is reviewed by PCMag UK as a compact, lightweight, and budget-friendly standard zoom lens tailored for full-frame (FX) shooters. Often bundled with entry-level bodies like the Nikon D600, it serves as an excellent value option for photographers transitioning from APS-C to full-frame setups. Laboratory testing confirms that the lens is highly capable in terms of sharpness, comfortably exceeding the standard benchmark of 1,800 lines throughout its entire zoom range. Furthermore, its design accommodates 72mm screw-in filters, and a non-rotating front element allows for the seamless use of circular polarizers. However, the primary drawback of this lens is its substantial optical distortion, which requires extra effort during post-processing. Specifically, the lens displays 4 percent barrel distortion at the 24mm wide-angle end. As it zooms out, this shifts into 3 percent pincushion distortion at 50mm and peaks at 3.2 percent pincushion distortion at 85mm. While software like Adobe Lightroom can easily correct these issues, it introduces an extra step to the workflow. Overall, PCMag awards the lens a 3.5 out of 5 (Good) rating,...

The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR is a versatile, lightweight full-frame lens praised for excellent center sharpness, vibrant color reproduction, and effective Vibration Reduction (VR II). It serves as a strong, budget-friendly walk-around option that improves upon older iterations by reducing focus shift and field curvature, offering high contrast throughout the zoom range. Conversely, the lens suffers from notable optical flaws, including weak extreme corner sharpness at wider focal lengths that necessitates stopping down to f/8 for better resolution. Significant cons include high vignetting at maximum apertures, severe barrel distortion at 24mm, and distinct chromatic aberration. The review highlights a problematic field curvature interaction, which forces a trade-off between corner and center sharpness.

The Nikon AF-S 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR is a compact and lightweight standard zoom lens built for full-frame (FX) Nikon DSLRs, historically bundled as a kit lens for models like the D610 and D750. It serves as an affordable alternative to premium options like the 24-70mm f/2.8, offering a wider telephoto reach up to 85mm while maintaining a robust build quality that includes a metal mount and a weather-seal gasket. Key functional highlights include a 4-stop optical Vibration Reduction (VR) system, a fast and quiet ring-type ultrasonic autofocus with full-time manual override, and a traditional mechanical aperture lever that ensures backward compatibility with older Nikon DSLR bodies. In terms of optical performance, the review highlights several distinct pros and cons. On the positive side, the lens delivers very good sharpness and nice contrast across the center of the frame throughout its entire zoom range, operating alongside highly effective autofocus and VR stabilization systems. However, the lens suffers from lackluster sharpness toward the edges and corners of the image frame. Additionally, it exhibits heavy barrel distortion at the 24mm short end,...

The AF-S Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR is a budget-friendly, full-frame kit lens that offers impressive sharpness and high utility for everyday photography. Its standout features include excellent center sharpness—almost matching the premium 24-70mm f/2.8 lens when shot at 24mm and f/8—and a highly effective Vibration Reduction (VR) system that stabilizes handheld shooting down to 1/15sec at 85mm. Additionally, the lens features a solid, wobble-free polycarbonate build with a durable metal lens mount. An easy-to-use M/A mode switch also allows seamless manual focus overrides during autofocus operations. However, the lens has notable compromises, particularly severe barrel and pincushion distortions that require digital correction, especially when shooting raw files. Severe vignetting occurs at the 24mm wide end, even at f/8, and some green/magenta chromatic aberrations show up on high-contrast edges. Handling drawbacks include a firm zoom control ring that is not fluid enough for video work, a narrow and fiddly manual focus ring, and a drop in overall sharpness when using the maximum 85mm focal length or small apertures past f/16.