Nikon Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF Zoom Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR Autofocus Lens

This lens was purchased as a lens that would stay on the body of my D100 80% of the time. It has been VERY good in this regard.
Pros:
- very good multi-purpose lens for the cost.
- VR technology works!
- sharp pictures (some have complained about softness with this lens. I got mine through e-bay and have noticed NONE of that)
- Doesn't cost close to $1000 for that you will pay for the 18-200mm
- The Internal Focus is lightning quick

Cons:
- Its doesn't have the reach of a 18-200mm
- The f/3.5 is a little slow, but manageable with the VR

Overall summary-
If you are considering this lens... Get it. Especially on e-bay (if you have done your homework on the seller). It does most of the work that the 18-200mm does at half, or better, of the price.

This is a terrific lens. I had the Nikon 18-200mm VR AFS and sold it on ebay. The 24-120mm is built much better, has the same optical quality, is made in Japan, not Taiwan and is 400 dollars cheaper. The 18-200mm extends out when zooming to the point where it looks ridiculous and attracts attention. The 24-120mm only extends out about an inch.

Built like a tank. I have always gotten excellent results from my 24-120mm VR.

This has to be my favorite lens for most shooting situations. Fast, clear, and with the vr on, low light shoots are perfect. I never thought that it was possible to see such performance in such a compact lens.
If you are thinking the VR line, this is one to have close by for family shooting to weddings to outdoor events. You can't go wrong.

There's many detailed reviews about this lens. People waste too much time eternally examining charts and numbers. To me a lens is great if it gets the job done and it makes it easy for me to do that job.

The 24-120VR is the evolution of the original "street sweeper" Nikon 24-120 which wasn't the greatest, but it was a huge hit with journalists for going from super wide to short tele in a sweep of the zoom ring.

Having the original one, I can safely say this is a much improved version of the same concept. It feels much better built than the original. Doesn't have an aperture ring so it limits in which camera can be used, still it's great in his role of "street sweeper" now with the added benefit of VR to help reduce blur and vibration. As the original, not the sharpest or brightest, but just great for all around.

It has the advantage that if you use it with DX format digital cameras, it turns into a 36-180 35mm equivalent which still is a very usable range (remember when a 35-105 was great, well this one is better)

If you can get it used, for around $300 in excellent shape you'll be in business. Keep an eye for looseness in the zoom mechanism. If it has a lot of play, that's a good sign of an abused unit. It should be firm all around.

As always my recommendation remains, don't buy this or any lens from pro photographers since they tend to abuse their units. I always forget that rule and end up regretting it every time. Check carefully the sellers feedback for indications of pro usage of items. That's a big no-no.

Another thing, it seems that sooner or later the now called FX will become standard with Nikons at some point. So lenses that are full framed 35mm like this will become valuable once again. Good investment for now and the future.

Enjoy and sweep a lot!

I'm not sure how this lens got the reputation for being soft. I guess if you blow images up to poster size you might be disappointed but for the other 99.9% of us this is a great lens.

The zoom range is more than most people will need, it's well-made and it balences great. Yes, the 18-200 is terrific, but it's not 2-3X better than the 24-120 yet that's how much more you will have to pay.

The good news about the undeserved "soft" rep is it has driven prices down on this great lens, especially on e-bay. I picked mine up for under $200 in excellent shape, much better than the $500+ for the 18-200, and I have shot some super photos from day one.

Don't fall for the hype; this is a great lens!

He is very bad seller, I paid him but he never shipped the item, he was asking more money, he is very greedy seller, I will never buy from this bad seller. Buyers please beware from this bad seller never buy from him. He is fake seller.

EXCELLENT LENS, GREAT PICTURES, VR WORKS PERFECT, DEFENETLY WORTH MONEY, TO BAD THAT IT HAS NO BETTER LIGHT

I love this lens because of it's versatility. It's become the "one" lens I wont leave home without. Being of Nikon optics, I knew I could trust it to deliver.

I bought this lens after considering the 18-200 Nikkor to use on my Nikon D-80 digital SLR. I also have a Nikon F100 film body which I use occasionally. The 24-120 is usable on both cameras. Both lenses have vibration reduction and the silent wave autofocusing. New lens prices are $750 for the 18-200; and $475 for the 24-120, which does not have the reach of the 18-200, but reports of some distortion at the 200 mm focal length and price turned me to the 24-120, which I bought from a Canadian seller at almost $100 off in new condition. Quite satisfied with my purchase

When compared to yesterdays offering from Nikon of this same lens,that being the AF 24-120,one would assume that both perform similarly....Nothing could be further from the truth. After all, both have the same focal length,speed etc.,but thats where their likeness ends and the newer AF-S 24-120 pulls far ahead of the older lens in performance,construction even,"feel".This newer addition to Nikons line-up is by far superior to ANY SLR lens in this category.Boasting larger overall construction,the new lens requires a 72mm filter compared to 67mm,this lens is almost,almost... a PRO level lens.Restricted by its speed of 3.5 VS 2.8 found on the majority of Nikon's Pro len's,the VR makes up for this loss allowing one to shoot at 2 to 3 F stops slower than it's older sibling.All considered, this lens is well within reach of the "pro-sumer" or as I say,the average coffee drinker sans whipped cream,nutmeg and virgin goat milk,this lens is destined to rejuvenate excitement among photographers at every level which translates into sales for Nikon as this lens will surely continue to be a hit... it is with me.

i bought this because i am a photography student at an institute. at this time i cannot afford to spend my money on smaller lenses that have better quality glass. but i needed something that covers this range, and this lens is a fantastic investment. i'll be using it for years to come in my profession.

Lens is in good condition and was shipped quickly! Great service, and pain free transaction! The item was described impeccably! And it even came with a free gift that wasn't in the description. The lens was a little bit dirty but aside from that, it was a great purchase. Thanks.

This is a great zoom lens with sharp optics and good range.

The VR is surprising when shooting in low light. I took hand-help city photos at night and could not believe how sharp they were with such a slow shutter speed.

This lens is a bit heavy, and I've heard it's not so good on an full frame FX sensor. I've only used it on the DX, and it looks great.

Their has been a lot of reviews on this lens, a lot of them negative. I think it is the best lens in my bag. Very sharp, fast focus. Great all around lens.

Love the lens. It is just what my wife needed. She is beginning her professional photography career and this lens is the perfect addition to her collection.

The lens was shipped promptly and packaged carefully. It arrived in perfect condition and much earlier than enticipated.

Many thanks,

Ken

Shipped on time. Purchaed item was exactly as ordered. Great experience and I would recommend this Seller to anyone considering buying here.

A history on my hobby,,,I had a Nikon N90S w/AF 24-120mm 9 years ago...
After that I sold & Bought a Canon 30D...And Now...I come back...and bought
Nikon D2Xs 2-1/2 years..But it new I surprised...I had listed & sold 11 items on Ebay...all of them Done...Because I used the amount to buy Nikon system...A body, I was received it first...I don't have a lense for it...I borrow my friend AF-S 18-200mm VR...I took a picture..It was blurry...after that need a flash...I used it..the pictures were nice liked as Faithful function...12/25/2008.....I received a Nikon lense 24-120mm on 12/29/2008...I took some pictures without Flash...Wow...Wow..it very nice...I don't like to used angle lense...sometime...you did not know...it will make a picture to become a Cirve...Now with a hobby...I have loved this lense...Thanks! Happy New-year to All.....