Those with knowledge of the most current 24-120

gg7500

New member
Those with knowledge of the most current 24-120 & 18-200

Using a crop body at the moment w/the all around 18-200 vrll. Not very happy with the images and curious about putting the 24-120 on the body - Needing feedback from anyone who has worked with both lenses. Would ONLY purchase the 24 . . . if this lens is sharper throughout its range and less distortion. So, anyone have experience with both?

Maybe go Sigma 18-200, don't know yet.

Thank you
 
Last edited:

Call_me_Tom

Senior Member
You’ll be in the middle, the sweet spot of the 24-120/4 with a view of 36-180mm.

I’ve been trying my hardest to like the 24-120/4 and I force myself to use it but to me it vignettes badly wide open on FX and is soft overall. Those probably won’t be an issue on DX.

If I were you I’d look at the 16-80/2.8-4 which gets outstanding reviews. I’ve not owned this lens but I’ve owned the 16-85/3.5-4.5 and I liked it a lot.

The 16-80/2.8-4 will give you a FX view of 24-120/2.8-4.

Edit: I forgot to add that I also owned the original Japanese version of the 18-200. I liked that lens a lot despite its faults. My images had bad barrel distortion but they were sharp. You can’t correct for sharpness in post.
 
Last edited:

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Before I knew anything about anything I went to Yosemite with a D7000 and a D90 armed with only an 18-105mm and a 28-300mm. I had just started shooting digital after a long break from photography, before which I'd shot with an FM2, so when I saw 28mm I was expecting wide angle but what I got was just under a 50mm at 42mm on the wide end. All I can tell you is that I spent far more time with the 18-105mm because the wide end of the other just wasn't wide enough for landscapes.

So, with that said, my 24-120mm f4 practically lives on my D750 when I'm out and about. Bang for the buck I could want little more from a lens. I've been shooting with it since 2014. If I find it more than capable on a full frame camera I suspect you should do even better on a cropped sensor knowing that it's effectively a 35-180mm zoom. After years of use the zoom will slide as it hangs down but I've had no loss in IQ.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
I have the 24-120mm f/4 VR on my D750 and rarely take it off. The first pre-owned copy I bought from a camera store was soft so I exchanged it. This copy is immensely sharp and works flawlessly even when shooting wide open. I used this lens for car show photos last fall. Many of the images were very close to the cars and shot wide open--no issues at all.

As Jake mentioned, using it on a DX body might not be wide enough for you, but it should definitely work well. Vignetting won't be an issue on a DX body. I haven't encountered any vignetting on my D750, but I make sure to enable the lens profile correction in Camera RAW. Good luck with whatever you choose. :)
 

Bikerbrent

Senior Member
Welcome aboard. Enjoy the ride.
We look forward to seeing more posts and samples of your work.

Does your 18-200 have a red VR indicator and say it is "Made in Japan"? If not you have the Chinese made version of this lens and this could be the problem. I do have the Japanese made vision of this lens and it is great on my D7200 (take a look at some of my shots). It could also be your technique, as when I first upgraded from my D200 to the D7200, it was not impressed with the sharpness, but with a little practice, it works great.
 

Andy W

Senior Member
Welcome to the forum!

I don't have experience with the 18-200, but my wife and I each used the 24-120mm f4 on D810s and they do a great job. Any vignetting at wide open is easily corrected by enabling lens correction in Lightroom.
 
Top