Field Review: Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24mm f/1.4 G ED N Aspherical (Day 6)

Last Updated on 06/24/2011 by Chris Gampat

Exposure 1/4000 sec Aperture f/1.4 Focal Length 24 mm ISO Speed 200 Exposure Bias -2 EV

What is the big deal about the lens? What makes it Special? The answer: f/1.4 Working with this lens is fascinating. At f/1.4 it’s Tack sharp and gives an incredibly narrow depth of field. The lenses wide angle of view is 84° diagonal on FX and 61° on small-format DX , allows for great composure and flexibility. But I have to say this again, this lens is an f/1.4, it just allows the light to pour in. I believe I am in love with f/1.4.

Testing gear

Nikon D90

Nikon 24mm f/1.4G ED AF-S RF SWM

Shooting Subjects at 1.4

Exposure 0.001 sec (1/1000) Aperture f/1.4 Focal Length 24 mm ISO Speed 500 Exposure Bias 0 EV

I found this lens works best with the subject around three feet away but the lens but it’s not limited to that. I have shot extremely up close and at a distance and the lenses handled every shot admirable. I found it best to not shoot a subject against a wall with a flat surface but instead out in the open, letting you take more advantage of bokeh, or out of focus backgrounds. At F/1.4, shooting close up and small objects worked best when I centered the subject. And the shots were tack sharp at the focus points while giving creative Bokeh around the subject.

Light at F/1.4

Exposure 1/4000 sec Aperture f/1.4 Focal Length 24 mm ISO Speed 200 Exposure Bias +1/3 E

Shooting in bright sunlight is not always the best thing. This lens really does let a lot of the light in. In super bright sunlight I found it best to bump the lens down to f/2.8 or really fine tune your settings. If you found shadows to take advantage of, then f/1.4 could be used.

F/1.4 In Low light

Exposure 0.017 sec (1/60) Aperture f/1.4 Focal Length 24 mm ISO Speed 1000 Exposure Bias 0 EV

In low light this lens is fantastic. Using the Center weighted metering was best. The lens focused on the main subject and I got just the right light. Shooting indoors and at night was great. At most I had to adjust ISO.

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