Nikon 24 -85mm f2.8-4D standard zoom lens - full frame test

About a year ago I purchase a Nikon kit from a guy which contained an F90X, a 70-300mm AF-D telephoto zoom, and the lens above.  I've always wanted this lens for full frame as it the performance has been rated very good and it has a very cool 1:2 macro feature, which makes the lens very versatile.  The purchase price was quite reasonable, so after I sold off the camera and tele lens, it meant I really didn't pay a lot for it.  

Since I purchased it, I've hardly used it as it really isn't that handy on DX, but as I now have full frame again, I pulled it out to give it a test run.  My idea was that it was going to be my standard zoom on the D600, but after a quick test run there are a couple issues.  

Firstly the lens is screw drive with no AF-S motor. Initially I thought this would be a non-issue as the D600 has a screw drive for non-AF-S lenses, but I found it makes a LOT of noise which is very readily heard in video, and quite disconcerting.

The second issue is close focus.  On this lens you need to select the macro mode which can only operate in the 35-85mm range. This means you have to manually switch it over if you want to go closer than 50cm way - quite difficult if you are shooting squirrelly kids.  However, it does go pretty close (1:2 Macro) as the shot below of my Fuji GA645i shows.

Otherwise it is a good lens.  Sharpness is good, barrel distortion is not terrible and the zoom range is very handy for every day use.

Plastic mount vs metal mount

Recently I bought a Nikon 18-105mm VR lens really cheap, as it had a broken mount.  These lenses often break the plastic mounts through either being dropped or forced the wrong way when taking them off.  I was thinking about this and wondering why Nikon would make such a crazy design flaw.

Then my wife’s friend showed me her D200, the camera which I had helped her purchase a while back.  She had given it to someone to hold on to briefly and that person had then promptly dropped it, breaking the lens mount on the attached Nikon 18-105mm VR lens.  The camera was fine, and to my surprise, everything else on the lens was fine.  No stiffness in the zoom, fully functioning electronics and no cosmetic damage.

This got me thinking – maybe Nikon had intentionally designed the camera so that a cheap to replace part always breaks upon impact, thereby saving the camera and the lens from excessive shock impact.   Then I remembered an incident about 10 years ago: my mother had dropped my Nikon F90X with Tokina 28-70mm f2.8 mounted on the front.  Though the camera wasn’t damaged, the lens barrel was bent, and the quote to fix it up was more than the lens was worth.  In other words, all the shock had been transmitted into the internals of the lens, causing extensive damage.

I asked my friend at Nikon about this and he said that yes, the plastic mount was designed to break on impact.  On more expensive lenses with metal mounts, a plastic part behind the mount is designed to break for exactly the same reason.  Very interesting how a perceived drop in quality can actually save your lens!

Cornwall Hotel roof - Nikon D90 with Nikon 18-200mm VR lens