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Review by Markus Stamm, published November 2017
Introduction
For many years, the selection of Nikon 24mm primes was limited to the quite dated AF-D 24/2.8, the manual focus Ai-S 24/2 or the modern, but very expensive AF-S 24/1.4. An affordable and at the same time up-to-date prime did not exist, at least not from Nikon.
With the Nikkor AF-S 24mm f/1.8 G ED, Nikon closes the last obvious gap in its range of affordable f/1.8 primes and at the same time likely completes the renewal of this part of their portfolio.
In this review we will have a look at how the lens performs on a DX camera, where it roughly resembles a 35mm f/2.8 lens (in terms of field of view and depth of field). If you're also interested in the performance on a FX body, please have a look here.
If you know or have handled any of the new f/1.8 primes, the Nikkor looks and feels familiar. The outer body is made from high quality plastic, based on a metal mount. For it's size, the lens feels pretty light-weight - also something it shares with its siblings.
The large rubberized focus ring is nicely damped and operates smoothly. Focus throw is quite short, though.
Talking about the focus ring... please allow that we just copy the text here from a different review, because by now we run out of ideas of finding new or different words for the same annoying symptom: there's a little play, not in the focus ring itself, but the coupling with the actual focus unit. When changing the focus direction, it takes a few millimeters of movement until the focus unit actually follows the focus ring. If you primarily rely on autofocus, it's not something you need to worry about. But if you sometimes appreciate or simply need the ability to carefully focus manually, this behaviour has the potential to drive you nuts.
Thanks to an IF (inner focus) design the length remains constant regardless of the focus setting and the front element does not rotate. So, using a polarizer is therefore no problem.
The lens features a Silent Wave ultrasonic drive allowing for a near-silent autofocus and manual override at all times. As another consequence, the AF speed is quite fast and the lens is compatible with all current Nikon DX bodies, entry-level models included.
The AF-S 24/1.8 is a G-type lens and thus does not offer an aperture ring.
| Specifications |
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| Equiv. focal length | 36 mm (full format equivalent) |
| Equiv. aperture | f/2.7 (full format equivalent, in terms of depth-of-field) |
| Optical construction | 12 elements in 9 groups including 2 ED, 2 aspherical elements and Nano Crystal Coat |
| Number of aperture blades | 7 (rounded) |
| min. focus distance | 0.23 m (max. magnification ratio 1:5) |
| Dimensions | 77.5 x 83 mm |
| Weight | 355 g |
| Filter size | 72 mm (non-rotating) |
| Hood | petal-shaped (bayonet mount, supplied) |
| Other features | Lens provides distance (D) information to the camera, Silent Wave AF motor |
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