I bought mine new in 1998 just when I turned professional, I paid £1900 or thereabouts, It really hurt to buy it financially, especially as I had bought a Kodak DCS760 around the same time but I figured in for a penny in for a pound, I wanted to impress my new clients and I figured this was the way to go. Im still using it today on my D3x, it paid my mortgage and put my girl thru College, it still pays for my wife's SUV. I have the newer 24-70 lens but find myself constantly reaching for this 'old faithful', at certain aperture/shutter speed combinations, and particular Lighting conditions, it has a some kind of magic going on that is utterly bewitching. In 2007 the autofocus motor packed up and I sent it to Nikon to have it repaired, they called me a week later to tell me after careful consideration they would not repair it and advised me to purchase its replacement. I begged and pleaded with them and after numerous emails and phone calls to various Nikon people they finally relented and said they would repair it but the cost would be £1000 and it would be the very last time that it would be repaired, needless to say I coughed up the cash. I shall continue to use it until it dies again, it outlived my D100, D200, D2Xs and D3, on which it it clocked up over half a million actuations alone. Buy one and cherish it while you still can.
$900 10 years ago. Prices have dropped. They're well under half that now thankfully. The problem is, the first gen AF-S motors didn't last well. So careful what you pay for them. I went the safe route and got one with an already bad AF motor for under $100 bucks! It's optically fantastic!
Just ordered one of these. One of the few Nikon lenses that has both an aperture ring (so it will work on older cameras without on body aperture control) and an internal focus motor (which means it can autofocus with the Nikon F to Z adapter). Very versatile lens, looking forward to shooting with it.
I agree with this review, and it is actually one of two reviews that convinced a friend to look for and purchase this lens. It is super sharp and a joy to work with (now that it's fixed!!!). What I will note, and is really important for everyone to know, is that this lens is prone to the SWM (Silent wave motor) failures. This is to be expected at some point because for one, it is an older lens. Because it is unlikely that this will be a primary "daily use" lens for anyone, infrequent use will probably also contribute to the failure. Many people tend to notice the beginning of the lens squeeking after it has been sitting unused for a while. If your lens starts squeeking, it is the beginning of the end. It will work for a while (if you don't mind the squeek), then it will work intermittently, and finally stop working altogether. My friend bought his from a reputable ebay dealer from Japan. The lens was listed as mint working and cosmetic condition but with a squeek. It looked perfect but did not work (the autofocus stopped immediately following the squeek). He took it in to Nikon Canada, and they quoted him CAN$375 plus tax to replace the swm and fix all it's woes (comes with 6 months Nikon Canada warranty). He paid CAN$1150 + CAN$200 in customs duty charges, which makes this an expensive lens. The seller refunded him the repair cost, and he now loves the lens, which works flawlessly. Would he buy this lens all over again? .... He says "No!" Chances are, everyone will buy this off of ebay. Chances are it will have or will soon have problems. Chances are you will not all have a great seller who will work with you to rectify problems (especially if they listed as no returns accepted). If you buy this lens, you might have a great lens you will love for many years, or you will have an expensive lemon. To me that is a risky flip of the coin. Save up and get yourself a nikon 24-70mm f/2.8, or the Tamron cheaper (but new) version of the same if you are on a budget.
That's some good advice and I am glad you are enjoying your lens. I haven't had any issues with mine in particular. I think everyone would rather have the 24-70 but people are most likely buying this lens as an alternative because of the price. I never really had any luck with the other lens brands so far, but i'd say they are a good choice for the hobbyist or casual photographer.
Now 2024 and I can confirm what you say. A cracking lens, I have the 24-70 and this matches it - albeit the focal range. Image quality on a par, price now, signifincantly cheaper (approx 1/3rd of the used price of the 24-70) from what I see. A really good one of these will meet needs and save a considerable sum - oh, and of course - you get an aperture ring!
Thanks! I shot a wedding using this lens on a dx body and it still felt wide enough to me. It's really an ideal lens range for an fx body but it it covers a great range on dx format as well.
Thank you very much, I bought mine just today for 441 euros AB condition. I saw some fantastic pictures taken with this lens in Flickr, So I wait eagerly to arrive to pair it with my D850. For Sure I was not prepared to pay more than 2000 euros for a newer lens.....so am I happy? Yes I am.....Thank you again.
Every Nikon lens will fit on every body they've make for the most part since they use the same F-mount system. It might be a little awkward to hold but it would work. It will definitely autofocus because it is an AF-S lens. Perfect portrait lens for a lot of situations.
I'm getting one grey version of this tomorrow from a lens repair shop at S$900 with a 6 months personal guarantee. Will replace my current fav. lens the 'Nikkor 28 - 70mm F2.8D' Hopefully this will serve me well. Will pair this together with my 135 F2 DC~ The rest out there still selling are with issues with the AF motor.. Some even have dents on their barrels. God knows how they take care of their lenses >.< Thanks for the review ~~
So did you stick with it since? Or did you swap to try the extra def of the 24-70? I'm betting this 28-70 could do the trick for video work, as it has around the same def than a 28 2.0 Ais at high aperture. It's even better at 2.8. BTW on digital getting rid of sensor reflection might happen with a MetaBones on DX or M4/3. Still 4K in M4/3 with a MetaBones x 0. 71: at best it's like 2200 lines/height
That all depends on what you are planning to shoot. If you really need the ultra wide angle, keep the lens. If there is another, longer focal length you'd like to be able to cover then maybe sell the lens and see what you could find in a longer zoom. My best suggestion is to look through the camera with the 28-70 on and see if that is wide enough for you and then make the call. Just know that if you upgrade to an FX body, the 28 is plenty wide.
sebastienwang I really haven't had any issues with that. It's definitely not a lens for truly detailed close-up shots but I haven't ever felt like I couldn't get appropriately close for portraits. If you need to get closer, try Nikon's "Micro" series close up lenses. The 40mm is a good value.
For me, the Nikon 28-70 f/2.8 is a better lens than the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 because the 24-70 is a G lens that does not have an aperture ring. I need an aperture ring for my Nikon F2 cameras.
Great little review, I had never heard of this lens before today. I have the D700 and already own a couple "D" series lenses... the 180 2.8D is just my favorite lens.... super sharp wide open at 2.8... Have you seen this in action on a D700? Seeing as how the D3 has the same sensor, I assume you could have some great first hand info about how this lens would render images on a D700? I plan on shooting at 2.8 90+% of the time, only when I need a larger depth of field for multiple people will I ever knock it out of 2.8... Will the D700 and this lens handle that pretty well you think? Thanks for your time and the video.
Todd Davis I have done a wedding with a friend who used this lens on her d700 and she really liked the results. My suggestion for apertures is to stop down to f/4 or f/3.2 if you are shooting something farther than 10ft away as my experience with this lens has wide open being a little soft at farther distances but perfectly nice when the subject is closer.
Thanks for the reply. I have since purchased an 80-200 AF-s from the same era... As I re-evaluated what I needed first. But man that 80-200 is a beast of a lens and takes beautiful portraits. I will be adding this lens to my arsenal when I can.
The focusing motor of this lens does break easily, but it is easy to find a third party to repair and replace the motor in China. The price is very cheap
Thanks! I got it on eBay actually. About 80% of my equipment has been bought used off of eBay. I wouldnt say it is the best place to find gear, but now and again some great stuff pops up
Great Video Kyle. I currently have the 17-55 Nikon and just purchased a quality used 28-70 Nikon which I should receive tomorrow. I was wonder, are there some redundancies with having both lenses or do you think should sell one and consider something else ?
Alexandre Batista A good thing to keep in mind for someone interested in purchasing. Although I'll attest that mine hasn't had any issues and I've had it for a few years.
The 24-70mm isn't much better than this lens. If it's sharper, then it's certainly not visible in motion. Theres no reason to get this unless you need the extra 4mm wide angle.
I'm not sure the focal length on this lens is the most beneficial for crop sensor bodies. A 16-35 or similar focal length would give you the wider angle and mid-range results this lens would offer on a full frame. That aside, the non-VR 24-70 option is much more affordable than the time of this video and is a way better option.
@@krr5045 Thanks a lot for the answer! So I really like this lens. I found it to buy for a good price and also I bought a Nikon D700. Photography is my life. I have a Nikon D300 and an 80-300 ED AF-D f2.8. Now I'm waiting to receive the new toys. I'm older fashion. Thanks a lot. Regards Mircea
It's hard to say because it is both a D series and AF-S. Realistically it should work because it uses AF-S but I know some people have experienced issues with lenses that use aperture rings. Most of these lenses are AF D and won't focus outright, but this one should. There are just much better options available.
The focus speed is nice and quick on a higher end body like my D3 but i wouldnt suggest it for the dx models. When i've used it on my d7000, the focus just doesn't tned to be as accurate or fast
Im pretty sure its the af system of the body is not as responsive and correct using that particular lens. Also tried it on a d7100 to similar results. I think this lens and the thousand series bodies just dont work well together
Oh I was reading that a "D" lens uses the body's focus motor to drive the lens whereas a non-D version such as the G lens have an internal focus motor. Maybe that is why.
That is correct. There is a small screw that physically turns to achieve focus and so those lenses are generally slower. That is definitely one of the reasons involved. Id say if you have time to set up the proper focus, this is a good lens on those bodies.
The sigma has really cheap build quality, but isn't a bad option. I'd still suggest the Nikon. Check out the 24-70 comparison videos Matt Granger did a few years ago for examples and testing.
