Nikkor AFS 12-24mm f4 DX ED Zoom
Finally a decent wide lens for crop sensor cameras
Impressions
I got this lens and I was immeditately disappointed. It was far softer than the reviews I had
read had led me to believe. I tested a day, stewed a day, tested again...then headed back to
the store and returned it. I asked to try another one...and it was even softer than the first one.
I was toying with the idea of the Sigma 12-24mm, but they had one more Nikon in stock....so
i tried a third lens. Now, that lens was much more like what I had expected the first time...very
sharp...even good at 12mm at f4.0. So I swapped. I
had to try three lenses to find this good
lens, and I don't think that is acceptable. It may be that higher resolution cameras make
even
the slightest flaws more apparent, but they should test the lens on cameras like that - before
shipping to retailers. On my
D300 the lens is even sharper than on the D2X. The weakest
point for the 12-24 is wide open at 12mm. Even a move to 13mm or
14mm will increase
image quality - as will stopping the lens down. By the time you get to 24mm
it rivals any 24mm
prime lens I
have ever used...amazingly sharp. The image quality seems to vary in a linear
fashion from 12 to 24. I would say from 14-24 image
quality is very good to excellent, and
12-14 varys from fair to very good.
Another View
In contrasty light image quality is stunning - this one at 12mm
In flat lighting conditions I recommend going less wide - here at 16mm
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