Nikon 24-70 Review

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The Nikon 24-70mm 2.8 is a perfect fast lens for all mid-range shooting… from people to landscapes, sharp and fast!

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The 24-70 – A great lens for all occasions

This is a very handy lens, and it is one of the lenses that I use the most! In recent years, I’ve begun using the Nikon 28-300 quite a bit. For more information on that, see my Nikon 28-300 review.

I don’t know anyone that doesn’t like this lens after they have tried it. It serves me in 80% of the cases when I am not needing a super-wide angle for landscape. For that, I use the 14-24 (see my Nikon 14-24 Review for more info).

I know I have all levels of photographers that come visit these reviews, so here is something for the beginner side of things that will help. Why would anyone want to spend over $1,000 on a lens with limited range when you can get one with a wider range for less? Well, the big answer is in that f/2.8. Remember, the LOWER that number, the better. What that essentially allows is you to take very nice looking photographs of people (or things) where THEY are the only ones in focus, and everything else is all blurry. (Yes, pros out there rolling your elitist eyes… there is more to it than that, but that’s all beginners need to know.) After you get the lens, you’ll start to notice all the other advantages of having such a low f-stop.

I used this lens all the time back on my D2X and I currently still use it on my D3X. It will continue to stay with you as you upgrade cameras. I can still see myself using it for the next 3-5 years, so it really is an investment if you plan on doing a lot of shooting.

Here is a list of situations in which I use this lens a lot. Parties, children, people, pets, holiday cheer, cars, sports (as long as I am kinda close), architecture (as long as you are not TOO close), friends, and family. If you are someone that ONLY shoots landscapes or ONLY shoots wildlife in Africa, then I do not recommend this lens… It’s a mid-range lens for all those mid-range events that you may or may not want to capture in your life.

Often times, when shooting landscapes, I find that the wide-angle lens is just too wide. I pop this one on, and then the landscape suddenly starts to look a lot easier to compose. If you shoot with wide angle lenses, then you may know what I mean. The problem with wide-angle lenses is that if there is a particular structure or mountain you want to feature, the wide-angle can make it look too small. The 24-70 can help you feature that bit in a more prominent manner.

Below are a few shots that I have taken with this sweet lens. You might notice that I have a special post-processing technique. If you would like to find out more about that, you are welcome to visit my HDR Tutorial.