Nikon 14-24mm (21mm Group Test)

Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 G v Contax Vario Sonnar 17-35mm f2.8 v Contax 21mm f2.8

[published january 2008]

Very few zoom lenses behave consistently from end to end. Most are deliberately optimised for wide- or long-biased performance; some vary that way accidentally from sample to sample. It is probably more common for lens to be at its best in the shortest part of its range: the longer extremities tend to push the design to its limits, so we’ll be looking very hard at the Nikon 14-24mm here at 21mm on the Canon 1Ds III.

Resolution & Drawing Style: Zone A (centre frame) at 21mm f2.8

You’ll note immediately the very cool (as in ‘blue-ish’) rendition of the Zeiss 21mm in comparison with the Contax N and Nikon lenses. In fact, the original file is so blue, I’ve added a warm-up filter in Photoshop to the Distagon’s 100% crops. No other post-production was executed beyond USM. You may also notice that the Nikon suddenly doesn’t look as sharp as it did at 17mm. Not true: it’s just that the Zeiss 21mm is sharper and setting the two alongside each other is – for the first time! – unflattering to the Nikon.

Resolution & Drawing Style: Zone B (mid frame) at 21mm f2.8

However Zeiss-like the Nikon 14-24mm’s rendition may be, it can’t quite out-Herod Herod: the 21mm Distagon resolves a staggering amount of information wide open on the Canon 1Ds III.

Resolution & Drawing Style: Zone C (corner) at 21mm f2.8

But you have to admit that a corner this good at f2.8 is some achievement: the Nikon delivers consistently high resolution across the frame: not as sharp as the Zeiss in Zones A and B, but coming on strong in C. This crop reveals a slight difference in the positioning of the focal plane that puts a question mark over the Nikon’s performance in this test: it was focused slightly more distantly than the Zeiss prime, which explains the relative poor resolution of the ‘Controlled Zone’ sign above.

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Resolution & Drawing Style: Zone A (centre frame) at 21mm f5

When you can’t tell a Nikon zoom from a Zeiss prime, it must mean that both are outresolving the sensor in Zone A at f5. Pretty much flawless captures here from the 14-24mm and the 21mm, with the N zoom resolving well, but suffering from a Leica-like lack of contrast.

Resolution & Drawing Style: Zone B (mid frame) at 21mm f5

Resolution & Drawing Style: Zone C (corner) at 21mm f5

The Zeiss 21mm just owns this focal length. It remains to be seen whether Zeiss/Cosina can trump it with a ZF version in the future.

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Resolution & Drawing Style: Zone A (centre frame) at 21mm f8

Superb performances all round here, to be fair: as ever the Contax prime has just that bit extra to lift it above the competition – behold: it even stills foliage! – but at f8, you’d expect a half decent 21mm of any stripe to deliver a serviceable A Zone.

Resolution & Drawing Style: Zone B (mid frame) at 21mm f8

Even the 22MP Mark III struggles to put much distance between these three: the Distagon has it by a whisker, followed by the Nikon and the Contax zoom in close third.

Resolution & Drawing Style: Zone C (corner) at 17mm f8

In conclusion, then: there’s nothing to touch the Distagon 21mm. But only the 1Ds III makes the distinction this clear.