I bought my Nikkor 24mm f/2.8D in 1994, if I recall correctly, when I bought my Nikon F90.
Then internet access was not yet widely available-- Singnet was just starting commercial operations, Pacnet undergoing trial. And getting info, especially on photography, was very difficult and time-consuming.
I therefore bought the 24mm Nikkor "blind" and without benefit of any pre-advice or knowledge of its performance. In those days people buy cameras and lenses on the strength of the brand's "reputation". And no one in my circle of photography friends tested newly bought lenses -- after all, didn't we buy a Nikkor?
Today getting info and knowledge on photography is simply a matter of joining a photography forum. Digital photography is hugely popular, spawned no doubt by a confluence of happy events: internet, weblogging, forums, dropping digicam prices, etc in a virtuous circle.
And I read that the 24mm f/2.8D Nikkor was one of the better lenses made by Nikon! Lucky for me!
However, with the Net disseminating info so rapidly now, and photographers sharing experiences with their newly bought camera and lenses, it soon dawned on everybody that buying branded stuff is not an assurance of quality. Reports have emerged on several forums about QC issues affecting several branded products: Nikon cameras and lenses, Canon, Sigma, Tamron, etc.
I thus decided to take my 24mm Nikkor for a walk-around, to see if I have a good copy.
The pictures below were shot at f/8 mostly. Other photos taken with the same lens at bigger apertures are shown under the blog title "Singapore Croissant".
My tentative finding : lens is sharp and contrasty. In future I will use this lens opened up to as large as f/4, with f/5.6 appearing to be its sweet spot!
D70, 24mm f/2.8D, 1/30s@f/8, ISO1600, +0.3EV, AWB -2
D70, 24mm f/2.8D lens, 1/60s@f/8, ISO800, +0.3EV, AWB -2
D70, 24mm f/2.8D lens, 1/60s@f/8,ISO500, +0.3EV, AWB -2
D70, 24mm f/2.8D lens, 1/60s@f/7.1, ISO900, +0.3EV, AWB -2
D70, 24mm f/2.8D lens, 1/60s@f/7.1, ISO400, +0.3EV, AWB -2
D70, 24mm f/2.8D lens, 1/60s@f/8, ISO1600, +0.3EV, AWB -2
Then internet access was not yet widely available-- Singnet was just starting commercial operations, Pacnet undergoing trial. And getting info, especially on photography, was very difficult and time-consuming.
I therefore bought the 24mm Nikkor "blind" and without benefit of any pre-advice or knowledge of its performance. In those days people buy cameras and lenses on the strength of the brand's "reputation". And no one in my circle of photography friends tested newly bought lenses -- after all, didn't we buy a Nikkor?
Today getting info and knowledge on photography is simply a matter of joining a photography forum. Digital photography is hugely popular, spawned no doubt by a confluence of happy events: internet, weblogging, forums, dropping digicam prices, etc in a virtuous circle.
And I read that the 24mm f/2.8D Nikkor was one of the better lenses made by Nikon! Lucky for me!
However, with the Net disseminating info so rapidly now, and photographers sharing experiences with their newly bought camera and lenses, it soon dawned on everybody that buying branded stuff is not an assurance of quality. Reports have emerged on several forums about QC issues affecting several branded products: Nikon cameras and lenses, Canon, Sigma, Tamron, etc.
I thus decided to take my 24mm Nikkor for a walk-around, to see if I have a good copy.
The pictures below were shot at f/8 mostly. Other photos taken with the same lens at bigger apertures are shown under the blog title "Singapore Croissant".
My tentative finding : lens is sharp and contrasty. In future I will use this lens opened up to as large as f/4, with f/5.6 appearing to be its sweet spot!
D70, 24mm f/2.8D, 1/30s@f/8, ISO1600, +0.3EV, AWB -2
D70, 24mm f/2.8D lens, 1/60s@f/8, ISO800, +0.3EV, AWB -2
D70, 24mm f/2.8D lens, 1/60s@f/8,ISO500, +0.3EV, AWB -2
D70, 24mm f/2.8D lens, 1/60s@f/7.1, ISO900, +0.3EV, AWB -2
D70, 24mm f/2.8D lens, 1/60s@f/7.1, ISO400, +0.3EV, AWB -2
D70, 24mm f/2.8D lens, 1/60s@f/8, ISO1600, +0.3EV, AWB -2