11 Eye Openers About the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24mm f/1.4G ED Lens

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Nikon certainly had the professional photographer in mind when it designed and built the AF-S NIKKOR 24mm f/1.4G ED lens. Introduced during 2010, the 24mm f/1.4 is one of three primes that have re-established Nikon as a leader in the ultra-fast marketplace.

As soon as you hold it in your hands, you know the Nikon lens 24mm f1/.4 was meant for on-the-go pros who shoot architecture, cityscapes, street life and a wealth of other assignments. You can instantly feel the tough construction, with a preponderance of metal parts, many magnesium alloy, and the durability of the seals to protect the lens from dust and weather.

If any company would know what pros want, then it would be Nikon. That’s why the 24mm f/1.4 is built with a rear focus group, which means the physical length of the lens never changes, as you move through the focus range. Additionally, you can use a polarizing filter (77mm) on the front of the lens, since the front element does not turn.

Read real customer reviews of the Nikon Afs Nikkor 24mm here.

The optics are also professional-grade with 12 elements in 10 groups that include 2 ED elements and 2 aspherical elements. Nikon used its Nano Crystal Coating on all the elements, which proved in third-party testing to keep lens flare very low as it also maintained a high contrast value.

With Nikon’s Silent Wave ultrasonic drive, the Nikon 24mm f/1.4 is almost dead-silent when the auto-focus is operating, plus you can switch to manual control at your discretion.

The lens weighs only 21.9 ounces (620g) and is very small in size at 3.2 inches by 3.5 inches (83 x 88.5mm).

The Nikon 24mm f/1.4 has a minimum focus distance of 9.8 inches (0.25m).

What distortion and chromatic aberrations found in the lens are expected, but have virtually no effect on the subjects you are shooting in the field. Both distortion and chromatic aberrations are easily correctable in post-production.

Third-party testing also earned the Nikon 24mm f/1.4 very high marks for image resolution, especially in the center at the widest aperture. Not unusual with these very fast lenses, the resolution continues to improve at the center and in the corners, as the aperture becomes narrower.

Nikon also knows that the pros using this lens expect an excellent dimensional quality, meaning the subject and the background appear to be separated. Bokeh is the factor that gives the pros this preferred look, and the 24mm f/1.4 has shown to produce excellent bokeh. The 9 rounded aperture blades help to keep the shape of the background highlights circular, filled and with no outlining, at any aperture.

For a more detailed explanation of bokeh, read the PhotographyTalk.com article, Photography Tip—Understanding Bokeh, Part 1 and Part 2.

B&H Photo Video has the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24mm f1/.4G ED lens on its Web site for just $1,879, at http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=Nikon+24mm+f%2F1.4+lens&N=0&InitialSearch=yes.

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