Nikon AF-S 12-24mm f/4G ED-IF DX Review

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May 2008

The NikonAF-S 12-24mm f/4 was the first lens that was branded with the DX tag. It was made for the D1 series, so it does date back a while. It was announced in 2002, and was released in 2003. It was the first lens that gave the Nikon DX format a true wide angle zoom. Nikon earlier claimed that lenses for the DX format would be smaller and cheaper, but this lens could not be further from the truth. It hit the market at over $1000 US, and it's rather big and bulky. It features a 77mm filter thread, and shares the same lens hood as the 17-35mm f/2.8 AF-S.

Specifications

*Prices are subject to change. Listed price is from March 5, 2010

Positives

• Wide angle for the DX format. Well almost as wide as the 17-35mm is for the FX(full frame) format.
  
• 77mm filter thread.You do need to watch out for vignetting at the 12mm side of the lens if you use filters though.
• Infrared performance.

Drawbacks

• G type lens. No aperture ring. (not really a drawback I just don't like it)
• Slow aperture. Max aperture is f/4, this don't match the high price of the lens.
• No DOF/IR markings. As usual with newer optics there is no Infrared compensation scale, or Depth Of Field scale. A real pity with this lens as it's near excellent for IR photography.
• CA. worst wide open but small traces can still be seen at f/5.6 @ 12mm, but this can easily be fixed in PP(generally not something you want to do when you buy pro priced optics) In normal shooting conditions you will most likely not see this, especially if you use the newer Nikon Dslr cameras.
• Zoom/focus ring is reversed. Focus ring is closer to the body. Not a major problem, but if you are used to the "normal" way, it can be frustrating in fast phased situations.
• Price. Rather high price tag for a f/4 optic

Verdict

The lens is close to perfect, but there is just so many nit-picks that does not make it perfect. For one the price, you are paying for a "pro" grade lens, but you are not getting one. For the high price you would expect a f/2.8 aperture, instead Nikon gave us f/4. The amount of CA is also disappointing, but it's not more than what can be fixed quite easily in PP(post processing) I do prefer this lens over the sigma 10-20mm, but there is quite a price diffirence.When pointing the lens directly against the sun it performs very well. If you have the sun just outside the lens, nasty things happen. This goes for normal shooting as well as IR photography. The IR performance is really good for a lens this wide. There is no hot-spot at any aperture. Overall this is a pretty good lens, but it's to pricey for a f/4 lens.

Features
Performance
IR Performance
Build
Value

Price: $989.00 USD

Alternatives

Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S. From: $1,749.95 USD

Tokina AF 12-24mm f/4 AT-X 124AF Pro DX. $399.95 USD

Tokina AF 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX. $599.95 USD

Tokina AF 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 AT-X 107 DX. $579.95 USD

Sigma AF 10-20mm f/4-5.6D EX DC HSM. $479.00 USD

Tamron SPAF 10-24mm f / 3.5-4.5 DI II. $469.95 USD

*Prices are subject to change. Listed price is from March 5, 2010

Sample Pictures

Images have been imported to photoshop CS3 through Capture NX 2 thus leaving the original image settings as shot, I. E white balance, sharpening, etc .etc. Full resolution sample images are in RGB color mode. Check out my copyright page for information about usage of these images.