Conclusion

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR delivers generally excellent image quality, a well-implemented Vibration Reduction system, fast auto-focus and top-drawer build quality and weather-proofing, but it is a big and heavy lens with an eye-watering price-tag on launch, two factors which probably restrict its appeal to pro photographers looking for a daily workhorse.

The sharpness of the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR is certainly as “biting” as that of Nikon's most prestigious primes and zooms at most focal lengths and f-stops, although we did observe that you need to stop down a little more at 50mm/70mm to get acceptable results. This lens also suffers from some obvious chromatic aberrations at maximum aperture, plus heavy corner shading and barrel distortion at the wider focal lengths, all things that you might not expect given the £1,849.99 / €2,499.00 / $2,399.95 asking price. On a more positive note, the barrelling is relatively easy to fix in post-processing, while CA and corner shading can even be dealt with in-camera, and the bokeh from the constant f/2.8 aperture on a full-frame FX body is very appealing indeed.

In summary, despite the added versatility of built-in VR and faster auto-focusing, the new Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR isn't quite the knock-out lens that you might expect given its premium billing and premium price.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4
Features	4.5
Ease-of-use	4
Image quality	4
Value for money	3.5