Let's Talk Lenses: Nikon 14-24mm F/2.8

This post will be a review of the Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8 wide angle lens from Nikon. I will not be covering technical specs, just what I like and dislike about this lens, if I think it's worth your money, and who would benefit from having it in their kit. So let's begin with the build. It's a heavy and solid feeling lens, clearly well built and fairly rugged to a degree. The bulbous glass, while gorgeous, causes great anxiety as it is hard to protect whilst in the field. The price tag on this baby is a cool $1,800. I chose to buy used to from Ebay for a lovely $1,000 approximately. To be completely honest, if (God forbid) something happened to it tomorrow I would not pay full price, but I would most certainly replace it the same day. As a landscape photographer, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better performing wide angle lens. At 14mm F/2.8, there is naturally some distortion in the corners, but nothing that cannot be fixed post production. I typically keep the distortion as it doesn't bother me. There is also a little edge blur that, again, we can always fix post production. Generally speaking, this lens is fast, tack sharp, and performs very well in low light situations. Paired with Nisi square filters, I have produced some stunning long exposure landscape images with this lens. If you do not do landscape photography, I wouldn't suggest you invest in this lens. Go for something more versatile at that point. If you do shoot landscape though, I can't imagine not having this lens. Even though I don't use it as an everyday lens it is truly an exceptional addition to my kit and if you have the funds and the use for it, I could not recommend it more!