Review by Markus Stamm, published September 2009

Introduction

It is obviously a replacement for the "old" AF-S 28-70mm f/2.8 ED D (released in 1999). Apart from the highly useful extension at the wide-end of the zoom range the new lens features a reduced minimum focus distance and Nikon's latest development in coating technology, Nano Crystal Coat, which is supposed to suppress internal reflections and ghostings. Typical for all new Nikkors it is a G-type lens so it doesn't offer a dedicated aperture ring anymore.

Over the decades Nikon earned a reputation of manufacturing lenses with a higher than average build quality and the AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED does certainly deliver here. It is a truly professional grade zoom lens thanks to a tough metal lens body and smoothly operating control rings. As you may notice in the product shots below the lens (its inner tube) extends significantly when zooming towards the wide end of the zoom range and a tiny bit towards 70mm. The shortest physical length is reached around the 50mm setting. This may sound odd but it is actually quite typical for fast Nikon (and Canon) standard zooms. The supplied petal shaped hood can be attached to the outer lens barrel thus providing a near-optimal protection at all focal length. The physical length with attached hood is constant.

Thanks to an IF (internal focusing) design the front element does not rotate so using a polarizer is no problem (unless you attach the lens hood). Like all modern Nikkors it features a silent-wave (ultrasonic) AF motor providing extremely fast and near-silent AF operations.