is the Nikon 14-24 a waste on the D300?

Nikonman80 · Mar 29, 2008

I currently have the 12-24 DX. All the reviews I've read on the 14-24 have been great. People have told me that since the 14-24 was designed for FX, it would be a waste on the D300. Just stick with the 12-24. I would sell the 12-24 to get the 14-24. I don't ever see myself upgrading to FX since I'm an amateur and can't see myself paying $5k for a camera. Anyone use it on the D-300? Do you love it?

Trenton Romulox · Mar 29, 2008

I use it on my D300. I love it.

I mean, I am fully aware that it's not as wide as the 12-24 on my D300, I was fully aware of that when I bought it. And I am fully aware that I can't use filters with the 14-24, was aware of that when I bought it too. But it's the sharpest wide-angle zoom that Nikon, or anyone as far as I know, makes. If you are gonna be using it for landscapes, and you use a lot of filters, then DO NOT GET the 14-24. I use it for portraiture and still-life. Wide-angle lenses are to immerse the viewer in a scene, and if that's what you want to do, and do it the best you can, then the 14-24 is it. I mean, I have used the 14-24 for landscapes, and I love it, but that's not the best way to use the lens. If you are a landscape person, stick with the 12-24. If you are wanting the sharpest wide-angle zoom, and you do a lot of stuff with a wide-angle beyond landscapes, then yes, I'd certainly give the 14-24 a good, long look.

Here's some example shots for you, to show you what I use my 14-24 for:

As you can see, I have used it for a landscape, and it worked well. The only complaint I have of the 14-24 is that it's a rather bulky lens to work with, and it is very prone to flare. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask me, I am quite familiar with the lens, and I do love it. If you just tell me what you want to do with the lens, I can definitely tell you if it's worth it. Hope this helped!

Garbz · Mar 29, 2008

Ignore the FX / DX debate. Your camera doesn't have an FX sensor. You can cross that hurdle when you get there and currently it won't make a difference to you. I have all full frame lenses on my D200 but that's more of a case of wanting them to be compatible with my film camera.

So with that out of the way look at the other reasons why you would want 14-24. For one it isn't as wide as the 12-24 which is a minus. Someone more in the know can mention image quality.

Trenton Romulox · Mar 29, 2008

Garbz said:
Ignore the FX / DX debate. Your camera doesn't have an FX sensor. You can cross that hurdle when you get there and currently it won't make a difference to you. I have all full frame lenses on my D200 but that's more of a case of wanting them to be compatible with my film camera.

So with that out of the way look at the other reasons why you would want 14-24. For one it isn't as wide as the 12-24 which is a minus. Someone more in the know can mention image quality.

I did mention image quality?

And if I hadn't made myself clear: the 14-24 is the sharpest wide-angle zoom. It's sharp edge to edge at f/2.8, which is quite the feat.