Decided not to chuck the 24-120VR...

[CrystallP]

Hi All,

Although I have already posted these images in the landscape forum, I wanted to share them with my fellow LLD members. I was extremely unhappy with my demo copy of the 24-120VR lens until I decided to use it on my recent vacation to Niagara Falls. It was the perfect complement to the 12-24DX lens. Anyway, here are a few samples taken with a really low serial number 24-120VR lens:

Aboard the 'Maid of the Mist VII', Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
1/400s f/5.6 at 48.0mm

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1/800s f/5.6 at 110.0mm
View attachment 12689

1/500s f/5.6 at 75.0mm
View attachment 12690

Comments are appreciated.

 

[Ken-L]

Very nice shots! And thank you for not breaking my heart by giving up the 24-120VR.

I can see parting with my 80-400VR and my 70-200VR, but NEVER the 24-120VR!

 

[Chris101]

Your photos are great Crystall! I especially like that last one, with all the walkways and tourists in raincoats! Too cool!

How did you even find the serial number - they put it on like a watermark or something! Mine's a 'low' number too - 221K - and it's neither soft on the left side nor soft on the right side. And the front element wiggles to boot! But it keeps churning out the images - good color, good bokeh and in focus! Since naming lenses has become popular, I'm naming it the Wonderlens!

 

[CrystallP]

Ken,

I was very unhappy with this lens until I read a few posts last week about timing and VR. Apparently I was rushing my shots, not allowing the VR to compensate. All of my previous images appeared to be soft and I thought I was plagued with an infamous 'bad copy'. Thankfully these images prove otherwise, especially when you consider that I was being buffeted by wind and waves on a small ship headed towards the Canadian falls! :shock:

 

[CrystallP]

Your photos are great Crystall! I especially like that last one, with all the walkways and tourists in raincoats! Too cool!

How did you even find the serial number - they put it on like a watermark or something! Mine's a 'low' number too - 221K - and it's neither soft on the left side nor soft on the right side. And the front element wiggles to boot! But it keeps churning out the images - good color, good bokeh and in focus! Since naming lenses has become popular, I'm naming it the Wonderlens!

Hi Chris,

Wonderlens! I like that. Thank you for the feedback. Those tourists are taking the 'Cave of the Winds' tour on the American side of the Falls. We weren't able to take the tour, but I understand it is really awesome and you can expect to get really really wet.

Regarding the 24-120, my serial number begins with 218. It was a demo lens purchased from Cameta Camera on eBay. I think there is way too much hype out there regarding bad lenses and serial numbers. Its enough to make a person paranoid when purchasing a Nikon lens. I would hope after all of these years that Nikon's quality assurance is better than the negative reports I have read all over the web. I have never purchased a bad copy of a lens, new or used. I should have attributed my soft images to poor technique rather than a bad copy. Shame on me! This lens will definitely stay in my kit along with a 12-24DX lens. :lol:

 

[Cabin]

I was very unhappy with this lens until I read a few posts last week about timing and VR

Crystall,
Can you point me to this post?

Thanks

 

[PJohnP]

Crystall :


Nice shots !

I, too, use the 24-120mm AFS/VR in conjunction with the 12-24mm. The combination is one of the best (small) sets to take for many trips, with excellent coverage on the WA end, and fairly good reach (but not for distant wildlife).

And did you make it to B&H on the way there ?



John P.

 

[Louis Champan]

Crystal, your photos are very good. I had the same reservations about the 24-120VR. These photos are some I recently took on a trip over to Priest Lake in Idaho. I'm still not completely thrilled at the sharpness, but I'm sure I contributed more than the lens. But still, I'm going to keep the lens

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[Vernon t]

Ken,

Apparently I was rushing my shots, not allowing the VR to compensate.

This is one of these issues that keeps resurfacing.
That is, can a VR-lens shot be spoiled by an "unsettled" VR mechanism.
I too have been suspicious that this might be an unproven and difficult to reproduce phenomenon.

If you have shots that establish this as an actual occurrence it would be most helpful.

Thanks

 

[Phil K]

Wonderful! I remember I was completely soaked on the Maid of the Mist, so how did you protect your gear?

 

[CrystallP]

I was very unhappy with this lens until I read a few posts last week about timing and VR

Crystall,
Can you point me to this post?

Thanks

Hi Bob,

I can't seem to find the exact post, but I believe it was in one of the 70-200VR threads.

 

[CrystallP]

Crystall :


Nice shots !

I, too, use the 24-120mm AFS/VR in conjunction with the 12-24mm. The combination is one of the best (small) sets to take for many trips, with excellent coverage on the WA end, and fairly good reach (but not for distant wildlife).

And did you make it to B&H on the way there ?



John P.

Hi John,

No, I wasn't able to stop at B&H on the way to the Falls. Oddly enough, I stopped by Penn Camera in Laurel, Maryland the day before and found all of the equipment I had previously ordered elsewhere. Imagine my delight when I was able to purchase a TC17EII, 12-24DX lens, and a Pro Roller 1 Bag by Lowe Pro right off the shelf! I blew my vacation budget within a matter of minutes. :twisted: And I would do it again if I could! :lol:

 

[PJohnP]

No, I wasn't able to stop at B&H on the way to the Falls. Oddly enough, I stopped by Penn Camera in Laurel, Maryland the day before and found all of the equipment I had previously ordered elsewhere. Imagine my delight when I was able to purchase a TC17EII, 12-24DX lens, and a Pro Roller 1 Bag by Lowe Pro right off the shelf! I blew my vacation budget within a matter of minutes. :twisted: And I would do it again if I could! :lol:

Crystall :


Wow. I want to go shopping with you.

Well, if you're ever in NYC, do stop at B&H. It's a truly neat place (although you might blow more than a vacation budget there !). Living in a very small city with two limited camera stores (one new equipment, one used), I sometimes do pine for the opportunity to just walk into B&H and look at the gear.

And you do seem to be making good use of your acquisitions, milady !


John P.

 

[CrystallP]

Wow. I want to go shopping with you.

Well, if you're ever in NYC, do stop at B&H. It's a truly neat place (although you might blow more than a vacation budget there !). Living in a very small city with two limited camera stores (one new equipment, one used), I sometimes do pine for the opportunity to just walk into B&H and look at the gear.

And you do seem to be making good use of your acquisitions, milady !


John P.

:lol: Oddly enough, the camera store in Laurel was very competitve with B&H. I would be afraid to even window shop at B&H; I might leave with a D2X and a screaming credit card...ROTFL!! :lol:

 

[CrystallP]

See Chris 101 post on 24-120VR -Compensation & Hand hold

I was very unhappy with this lens until I read a few posts last week about timing and VR

Crystall,
Can you point me to this post?

Thanks

Bob,

I finally found the post regarding VR and timing. Chris 101 discussed this briefly in a post on the 24-120VR. I am quoting him below:

Hi Gary,

I see Ken has already pointed to my page 'o pix made with that lens (gracias Ken), and as you can see, it's no slouch. The 24-120vr was the fourth lens I bought, replacing the third, a Tamron 28-200 that I was just unhappy with.

For the first month or two, I was also unhappy with the baby VR (as I call it.) I'm not exactly sure how I came to love this lens, but I think it took a couple of things. First, I had to slow down with it - VR does not come 'on' instantly. You need to give the lens a half second or so to figure out what vibrations to reduce. So point it at your subject, half-press the button, breathe, then shoot.

Second, do not assume that VR will compensate for sloppy handholding technique, even at higher speeds than you might think. You still need to do everything you can to steady the lens. VR is made to compensate for imperceptable, involuntary movements.

Once I came to terms with the limitations of the lens (it is, after all, a f/5.6ish lens) I have found it to perform nicely. It is often the only lens I use on paid assignments, unless I have strong reasons to use a different lens, or cannot reconcile the limitations of the lens (again, this is not a fast lens.)

Here is a photo of Sam (not from the aforementioned page) taken with the baby VR, that I do not think could have been taken as well by any other lens:

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Stilts y joven, D100 with 24-120vr @ 50mm, f/5, 1/20 sec. iso 1600
Acrylic painting by Fidencio Durán, 1996

 

[billT]

Wow. I want to go shopping with you.

Well, if you're ever in NYC, do stop at B&H. It's a truly neat place (although you might blow more than a vacation budget there !). Living in a very small city with two limited camera stores (one new equipment, one used), I sometimes do pine for the opportunity to just walk into B&H and look at the gear.

And you do seem to be making good use of your acquisitions, milady !


John P.

:lol: Oddly enough, the camera store in Laurel was very competitve with B&H. I would be afraid to even window shop at B&H; I might leave with a D2X and a screaming credit card...ROTFL!! :lol:

Hi Crystal,

I shop at Penn Camera as well. I like the Rockville store most convenient and I like the people there. The part about Penn Camera I like most is their two-week return policy -- no questions asked. This give me a more secure feeling when I shop.

BillT

 

[CrystallP]

Hi Crystal,

I shop at Penn Camera as well. I like the Rockville store most convenient and I like the people there. The part about Penn Camera I like most is their two-week return policy -- no questions asked. This give me a more secure feeling when I shop.

BillT

Hi Bill,

I am very glad to hear additional positive feedback about Penn Camera. They really came through in a pinch. In fact, they had everything I was looking for including that nifty little D70 lens hood. Man, that store made my poor plastic scream. Now I am at it again, selling my 180 f/2.8, 180 macro, 17-55 and 28PC to finance a 28-70 :twisted: Maybe I will have a little left over for goodies.

 

[Chris101]

Crystall - think again about the 180!! And tell me about the 28. Does it meter on your D70?

 

[CrystallP]

Crystall - think again about the 180!! And tell me about the 28. Does it meter on your D70?

Hi Chris,

Sadly, the 28 does not meter on the D70. It is in pristine condition and has additional accessories such as a gel filter holder. To be honest, I had trouble disconnecting it from my D70. I wasn't sure if it was my technique or the lens. It is an F mount lens, but I am not sure if it is fully compatible with the D70. I could be mistaken.

 

[GeeJay]

Hi Crystall,

I finally got to see your gallery and your Niagra Falls shots...Very impressive!

And what a view you got from the 41st floor of your hotel!

I sold the 24-120VR and then bought one because I missed it. I think it's a good lens for me and my needs. You've shown it to its best advantage with your good pictures,

Best to you !

Gaye