Review: Nikon 24mm f/1.4

I have been on Nikon's case to release fast, wide primes since about 30 seconds after they discontinued the 28mm f/1.4, sending the price of existing copies into the stratosphere. It has been the biggest gaping hole in Nikon's lens line-up, and as zooms got better and better, and each new camera pushed the ISO boundaries -- 6400, then 25,600, now the D3s's 102,400 -- I worried Nikon might think professional fast primes were a thing of the past.

Thankfully not. With the new 24mm f/1.4, Nikon shooters have the option for extreme low-light shooting or depth-of-field separation at wide angles, but it comes at a steep price -- 2,199.95, almost enough to buy five Sigma 24mm f/1.8's. So the question is, is it good enough to be worth it?

Let's face it, for most people the answer is going to be no. Most people are never going to buy a two thousand dollar lens, and if they do, they might pick more of a general-use workhorse like a 70-200 VRII or the (bit cheaper) 24-70 f/2.8. The price and specialized nature puts it squarely in the market of rich amateurs, primes addicts, and that now-rare class of photojournalists who somehow make money. My documentary wedding style in dark, dark New York City venues puts me in the market, but most people may be better served with another lens due to price alone.

But if you like fancy toys, or can simply justify that it's still more than $4,000 cheaper than Leica's 24mm f/1.4, read on. Lots of pictures to follow, so I'm sticking it behind a cut. These are commissioned pictures, so I can't release full-size images, but you can see full-size snapshots and RAW samples from my quick impressions here.

Build Quality:

Way more solid than the Sigma 24mm, it feels like a solid hunk of polycarbonate. It's small enough to feel well-balanced on mid-sized bodies like the D700, but it's large for a wide-angle prime, so the smallest SLR bodies could be hard to shoot one-handed or lay flat. Operation is simple; there is only one switch, for manual focus, and the focusing ring turns smoothly with an even throw. The hood is slightly flimsy like most wide-angle hoods, but fits tightly and can rest on a flat surface so you can rest the lens on it, unlike the hood for the new 70-200 VR II.

Autofocus:

It's not as fast racking through the whole focus range as some of the professional zoom lenses, but the autofocus is accurate so you usually won't have to. it locks focus fairly quickly even in moderate darkness, but fast wide-angle lenses require you to be absolutely certain you are locked on to the the focal point you want. Because it is wide, the camera's AF sensor might cover areas of very different distances, because it has a wide aperture, you will actually see that effect. New users might get some misfocused shots until they get used to that, but that is a problem not with the lens, but with physics. With AF assist, it has no problem locking onto fast motion in the dark, such as the groom spinning his bride around on the dance floor:

Close focus:

THe Sigma wins handily here, with a reproduction ratio of 0.5. The Nikon is only 0.179x, meaning you're not going to use this as a macro. But that's just due to the wide-angle -- you can still shoot less than 10 inches from your subjects, meaning you will never be limited by the lens when you're shooting people. Here's a shot very near close-focus distance.

Optical quality:

Really, really good. Really. The 24 has the same excellent color transmission as most other recent Nikon professional lenses and starts out quite sharp. If you're trying to get maximum resolution out of a D3X you'll want to stop down a few notches, but otherwise you could leave this on f/1.4 all day and the images will be sharp and contrasty. Here's a shot of a gorgeous bride getting ready. At f/1.4, even though it is a wide angle shot, there is enough separation to make her pop:

Here is a 100 percent crop:

You are usually not going to get extreme bokeh because it is a wide-angle lens -- at 24mm, any separation from the background is an achievement -- but if you are close to the main subject you will. So here is the bokeh of the busiest subject imaginable:

And an example of foreground separation:

Smooth, but not quite up there with the smoothest lenses. Still,I like the look of it much better than the old 28mm f/1.4.

And, of course, being an f/1.4 lens allows you to shoot in extremely dark situations without grain. Here is the bride walking down a dark aisle, ISO 2000:

Is there any downside? Well, being a low-light specialist leaves it limited to f/16 on the low end. I know that most fast prime shooters don't like to spend a lot of time at f/22, but I like as varied a portfolio as possible, and have litle choice over clients' schedules, so I often have to work in bright days close to noon. f/16 and the base 200 ISO of Nikon cameras will not fully kill bright sunlight. For this shot I had to resort to Auto-FP trickery, at 1/8000th, f/9. Anyone who's worked with Auto-FP a lot know that, because it decimates flash power, f/9 isn't a easy target to hit:

So, do I like this lens? No. I absolutely adore it. I haven't been as excited about a new lens since many years ago when I first got the 85mm f/1.4. But it's extremely specialized. 24mm is wide for a prime. You're either going to feel like you're getting too close to your subjects, or you're going to often have things in your shots you don't want. If Nikon releases a 35mm f/1.4, that may have a bigger usage base. No one can say what's right for your style, but given the size of the investment I would make sure that you really like shooting at 24mm before you buy this one. But if you do, you're going to like it a whole lot more now.

Comments

[Fragola Productions on April 11, 2010 at 01:01 PM]

Thanks for the review. Ryan you must bug nikon hq to make a professional line of prime lenses. I can't wait for your reviews when the 35 1.4 50 1.2 & the 85 1.2 comes out.

[craig stodola on April 11, 2010 at 01:34 PM]

Thanks for the review, Ryan. I can't wait to get my hands on this, and put it to good use. Wisconsin's winter weddings can get powerfully dark. c

[TP Photography on April 11, 2010 at 02:11 PM]

A frank and honest review.
Admirable that although you love this lens you put into perspective the value of this lens to the majority of shooters. As a fellow wedding photographer (Canon and Nikon) I've been loving the Canon 24/1.4 for years now - and I'm going to at least give this lens a try to see how it compares. It certainly looks greats at middling distances where fast wide primes can struggle.
Thanks for taking the time to post this review with samples

[David Barrett on April 11, 2010 at 02:40 PM]

Enjoyed your review and, like TP Photography said, well balanced. I've just invested in the Nikkor 14 - 24 and am busy with a mixture of blown away and learning curve. Just in time for some hotel room brochure shots I was commissioned to do. Tried at 24 mm on my 24 - 70 but it wasn't wide enough!

I don't own the 85 f1.4. What do you reckon. Worth me getting it given I have the trinity plus nifty fifty in hand (14 - 24, 24 - 70, 70 - 200, plus older 50mm 1.4)? I am planning on renting the 85 sometime soon.

Thanks for the excellent content.

[Az on April 11, 2010 at 03:59 PM]

Great review Ryan of a welcome, and long overdue addition to the Nikon stable of lenses.

Well chosen images have also shown the benefits of this fast piece of glass.

[ken kienow on April 11, 2010 at 06:38 PM]

ordered. thanks. :)

[mshi on April 11, 2010 at 08:48 PM]

Why doesn't one put it on DX? it's 35mm f/1.4 right there though you can't go as high ISO as D3s can go on a DX.

[fotograf nunta Iasi on April 11, 2010 at 11:04 PM]

Thx for this nice review; that lens is a must have for me. :)

[Cho Yung Tea on April 12, 2010 at 03:02 AM]

Basicallt, I am about to get a new camera, and the kind i have decided on is the Nikon Coolpix series
But there are so many to choose from, and i really can't decide...
does anyone know the best one?

[Miguel Clarke on April 12, 2010 at 08:43 AM]

Nice review. If money were no object, I would get two!

I am looking forward to the 35 f/1.4, I would probably get more use out of it as I already have the 14-24 f/2.8. For me, it would be hard to justify another 24mm lens right now. Still I love the images and I am drooling with gear lust!

[Chad Delany on April 13, 2010 at 01:20 PM]

Thanks for the review. I love my 14-24mm f/2.8. I'm sure the 24mm f/1.4 would be awesome. I'll have to rent it at BorrowLenses.com and try it out.

[Michael Fletcher on April 14, 2010 at 02:33 AM]

I got to try this lens out at PMA and WPPI. And from what I can tell, it is a very nice lens. I plan to get it for my camera bag, but not right away. I am more interested in a 35mm f/1.4.

[Randy on April 14, 2010 at 06:37 AM]

Great review of another item I can't justify for myself! :-) Still trying to justify one of the old 20mm manual lenses.

I was wondering why not throw a ND filter into your camera bag, it is a must with the Nikon's minimum 200 ISO for daylight shooting and any shots of moving water.

[Frank Fremerey on April 14, 2010 at 04:12 PM]

I have this lens for a week from NPS and I can say: Yes, yes, yes to it, although the price is very high for a lens with such a big fun factor and such little professional use.

I can survive a day's professional shooting with a decent 35mm or 50mm-lens, but a 24mm will not be as useful for general purpose shots and I have to eventually cut away parts of the shots.

I posted some pictures from the fairground to my Flickr Account and they are in full size.

Frank
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ngudu
http://fotokontext.de

[Iphone 4.0 on April 16, 2010 at 02:20 AM]

Even I have a Nikon Camera, but I am planning to get a SLR and this was the reason why I was saving the money. My hobby is photography and love to shoot close pictures

[nike shox sale on April 22, 2010 at 07:32 PM]

I have this lens for a week from NPS and I can say: Yes, yes, yes to it, although the price is very high for a lens with such a big fun factor and such little professional use.My hobby is photography and love to shoot close pictures

[Carsten Bockermann on April 27, 2010 at 09:15 AM]

Definitely a great lens, performing very well even wide open. Most of the pics here http://www.cabophoto.com/SlideShows/KirmesKoelnDeutz2010/ were shot with it at f/1.4 (the other were with the Sigma 50/1.4, also at f/1.4).

Carsten

[Dave on April 29, 2010 at 11:34 AM]

This looks like a great camera! I have some saving to do first though!

[Adore Amore on May 07, 2010 at 05:35 AM]

Thanks for the review. Though it's not in my budget at the moment, you're enticing me to get one. Stunning images...love the colors and crispness.

[Steve on May 14, 2010 at 08:04 AM]

The pictures look brilliant. The colour and quality looks just amazing.

[Robert on May 14, 2010 at 11:13 AM]

These photos look great. I'll have to consider getting this camera.

[air jordan 1 on May 27, 2010 at 07:47 PM]

Although the Jiangxi Province in the continuing heavy rain floods against a lot of work, but there are some deficiencies and problems. Coupled with insufficient financial resources, Jiangxi Fangzong hope to get the support of State Flood Control Headquarters.

[K on June 16, 2010 at 09:54 PM]

Just got my copy & am never going to think about the $$$ as it would take years to justify the purchase-LOL-Just going to enjoy owning it for the rest of my life-Amazing Lens & not nearly as heavy as I thought it might be-perfect balance on the D700!
Your Review is the best!!! I have scoured the net for information/reviews on this lens & only located yours after purchasing it-Thank you for the images!

[dvr security system on July 05, 2010 at 12:11 PM]

looks like it takes nice pics although there it seems the pics are a bit too soft.

[cho yung tea on July 13, 2010 at 07:25 PM]

Pics certainly look awesome, nice camera, might consider purchasing