D850 with old or new 24-70!?

JS103

New member
I just got a d850 and I’m wondering if there would be a huge difference in image quality if I buy the older non-VR 24-70 instead of the expensive new VR version. I just want to make sure I’m making the best investment possible, and won’t regret going the cheaper route down the line, given that the non-vr lens is pretty old at this point.
 

cwgrizz

Senior Member
Challenge Team
Welcome to the forum. Wish I could help on your query, but I'm not familiar with either lens model. Others will come in soon I'm sure and give you their opinions.
 

Bikerbrent

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

I also don't own either lens. However, I don't believe that VR is a must have on a 24-70mm lens on a full frame camera. Old time photographers (which would include me at this point) lived for years without VR, but it is nice to have on high power telephoto lenses. I do know that the older 24-70 lens has great reviews for high quality image quality. I also would consider some of the third party lenses to save some money.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
When the VR version of the lens came out, there were numerous reports of the older lens being slightly sharper. If you go with the older version, you can always use a monopod or tripod if needed.
 

JS103

New member
I don't think there's any significant difference in quality between the two lenses other than the VR

I’ve heard so many different views on this issue so I’m second guessing. Additionally, I was shooting on a d800+24-70G and that lens performed great. Concern comes in due to the plethora of opinions on the d850 our performing lenses.

Would a 24-120 VR be better with the d850 than the old 24-70?
 

JS103

New member
When the VR version of the lens came out, there were numerous reports of the older lens being slightly sharper. If you go with the older version, you can always use a monopod or tripod if needed.

I generally shoot in a studio setting so I am more focused on the IQ differences of the lenses than the extra stops available from the VR when shooting handheld. If I’m shooting with the d850 on a tripod and I were to try both lenses in that setup, would I see much of a difference?
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
I’ve heard so many different views on this issue so I’m second guessing. Additionally, I was shooting on a d800+24-70G and that lens performed great. Concern comes in due to the plethora of opinions on the d850 our performing lenses.

Would a 24-120 VR be better with the d850 than the old 24-70?

https://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Compare

Here's a link to DXO... they rate/calibrate/review lens and camera performance.

You can plug in your camera specifics and compare various lens combinations with your camera. I doubt the 24-120 is going to be anywhere as sharp as the 24-70

I just got a preowned (but very sharp) Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR and also own an older, non-OS/VR Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 that is a very sharp copy. Hands down the Sigma is still sharper. I'd go with one of the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 versions myself rather than the Nikon 24-120mm f/4.
 

JS103

New member
https://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Compare

Here's a link to DXO... they rate/calibrate/review lens and camera performance.

You can plug in your camera specifics and compare various lens combinations with your camera. I doubt the 24-120 is going to be anywhere as sharp as the 24-70



So they don’t have the d850 for the comparison, but the jump from d800 to d810 negatively impacted the old version in terms of vignetting. Concern is about if the jump to d850 will cause worse performance of the old version.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
I generally shoot in a studio setting so I am more focused on the IQ differences of the lenses than the extra stops available from the VR when shooting handheld. If I’m shooting with the d850 on a tripod and I were to try both lenses in that setup, would I see much of a difference?

My apology as I missed this earlier. My guess is the non-VR would be marginally sharper if you zoom in to take a closer look. If you have other lenses, the front filter size on the older version is 77mm. On the newer VR version, the front filter is 82mm. Many of Nikon's other pro lenses tend to be 77mm. If you share front filters, then this might be something to consider.
 

Kickstan

New member
I have a D800 and just bought a 24-70 2.8 that had never been mounted on a camera ($1350 Canadian), best buy is selling the non vr model for $2250. From the reports I have seen the difference would be with what you are planning to use the lens for- static pictures I do not see a difference but if you are shooting video it is a definite advantage.
 

Ironwood

Senior Member
I generally shoot in a studio setting so I am more focused on the IQ differences of the lenses than the extra stops available from the VR when shooting handheld. If I’m shooting with the d850 on a tripod and I were to try both lenses in that setup, would I see much of a difference?
From what I can read out of this, I think you would be better off going with a prime lens or 2. Why do you need a zoom lens in a studio, go with a faster prime lens that will have superior IQ.
 

JS103

New member
From what I can read out of this, I think you would be better off going with a prime lens or 2. Why do you need a zoom lens in a studio, go with a faster prime lens that will have superior IQ.

I have the 50mm 1.8g which I’m honestly very surprised by on the D850. It’s incredibly sharp. I was hoping to get the 24-70 as a simple way to expand my range. What primes would you recommend instead? I was really upset to see Nikon doesn’t offer a high end 50mm. The 1.4 and 1.8 were too close to justify the more expensive one and the 58mm is supposedly soft.

If I were to just add one lens to my system (D850 and 50mm 1.8g) what would you suggest if my biggest concern is getting the best image quality from the D850 sensor, and would the 24-70 even be an option in that case?
 

10 Gauge

Senior Member
I'm going throw this out there, I had a very similar debate years ago when it came to choosing the right 24-70 for the job. After extensive research, reading of personal reviews, pixel peeping hundreds of full res images from each lens, I ended up with the Tamron 24-70, not only did it save me $1k I still believe it's a sharper lens than the Nikon offering AND it offers VR. I would definitely add this to your list of options to explore.
 

Bikerbrent

Senior Member
Unfortunately, DXOmark has really gone downhill. Apparently, they only test lenses if the lens manufacturer pays them sufficient money. For example, they have not tested any of the later Sigma lenses (for example the Sigma 150-600 lenses), apparently because Sigma has not paid them to do so. I would love to find a replacement to DXOmark for lens reviews, but have had no luck so far. Has anyone else came across a good lens testing web page?
 

jay_dean

Senior Member
i went for the new Nikon 24-70E purely down to the VR, i'd have happily gone for the older version if VR wasn't important in this type of lens for this ardent handholder. The debate goes on that the older one is slightly sharper, but I'm sure if you put an image side by side of the old vs the new 24-70 you'd struggle to know which lens took which image.
If you dont handhold then the older one will do, if you do, get the new version
 

Nero

Senior Member
I'd definitely recommend looking at the newer Tamron or Sigma 24-70mm. From what I've seen they're about as sharp as the Nikon but are much cheaper.

I'm thinking about trading in a couple of my lenses for one of them myself.
 

10 Gauge

Senior Member
I'd definitely recommend looking at the newer Tamron or Sigma 24-70mm. From what I've seen they're about as sharp as the Nikon but are much cheaper.

I'm thinking about trading in a couple of my lenses for one of them myself.
Indeed, in the heads up test performed by DxO on the Tamron against both Nikon offerings it was superior in every category. That ended up being my deciding factor to go Tamron vs. Nikon for my 24-70.
 
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