Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 VR | My thoughts on the lens, the focal length and Nikon's Z-mount

I go through my thoughts of the Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 VR lens as well as the focal length in general. Also I share my thoughts on Nikon's Z-mount and what I hope for the future from Nikon and why I will continue investing into Nikon instead of other camera systems.
This is not a review! Only my thoughts and impressions!

[@adrianalfordphotography]

Great review Felix. Nice focal range and looks good. Thanks for sharing the video 👍🙏

[@FelixJorgenfelt]

Thank you Adrian!

[@GlenDomulevicz]

This was a good, sit down, relaxing chat. I like that. I did move from the Nikon F mount to Nikon Z 7. I had a D850 , that was a big decision to make, it is a great camera. I had wanted to move to a mirrorless camera for some time, but never felt the time was right. When the Z 7 camera camera came out, I had an even bigger decision to make, sell the D850, at a loss and buy the Z 7 which I did, I am thoroughly impressed with everything about the camera. I shoot landscapes and have in recent years started wildlife, primarily birds. Few people talk about IBIS, it is a great feature, for handheld landscapes and wildlife. I still prefer to use a tripod for landscapes, but some opportunities don't allow that. The frames per second is lower but acceptable, higher would be better for birds. I am very happy to have made the move. I wanted threes things from the Z 7, light weight, same image quality as the D850 and new lenses to take advantage of the new format. I expect you will be happy with yours when the time is right.

[@FelixJorgenfelt]

Thank you, for sharing your experience with the Nikon Z7. I think I'll be following suit in the near(ish) future. I just find it hard to motivate the investment when I have fully functional gear. But I'm getting there, in terms of motivating myself, haha.

[@GlenDomulevicz]

@@FelixJorgenfelt I understand how you feel. It was a hard choice to make for me too. Very happy I did. Hope it works for you as well.

[@GlenDomulevicz]

@TCaad10 sorry to hear about you getting motion sickness. A series handicap with mirrorless cameras. I am sure you can create great images with the 810.

[@AndreasLarzon]

Im super happy with my Z6 and the lenses I have today for it (14-30 f4 and 24-70 f4). In the future I will probably look att the 24-105 kombined with a 100-400. I bought the 50mm f1.8 ate the sale and uts awsome. I would guess the zoms would be a killer combination ranging from 14-400mm with acceptable weight. As you stated the 24-200 looks promising and could be a lens that dhange my mind. But we will see. Regarding geting a new bag. Have a look at the Deuter Rise 34+. That could be a good bag for you. It has an opening in the back and is a good alround bag actually made for skiing. So combininb it with a camera insert you could tailor mad it to you liking. I have a Deuter ACTtrail 40 and like the carrying system. That is a wery simmilar bag to the Rise exept mine has an opening on the front. Im thinking to invest in that bag in the future.

[@FelixJorgenfelt]

I think Nikon is producing amazing cameras and lenses right now and with new announcements coming all the time one has to have a open mind when it comes to investments in the future. 😁 Thank you for mentioning that bag, it looks awesome. I've been looking at a few skiing bags from Ortovox but Deuter looks just as good. It is a little ironic that we have to look at other types of backpacks than those dedicated to photography in order to get what we need from a bag. The most annoying thing for me is the lack of consideration most camera backpacks have for tripods and accessories needed for being out a full day in nature. And those that do come close are priced rather ridiculously. I will investigate more into the backpacks from Deuter, thanks again! 👍

[@AndreasLarzon]

@@FelixJorgenfelt Totally agree on both counts. Its alot happening now and that's great for photography. Let me know what you decide about the bag desition. Theres also lots of camera inserts (ICU´s) to choose from. Maybe you already have a detachable one that you could use from a previous bag. I bought one on amazon for my gear. Andy Mumford have a video about the Deuter Freerider bag (wich is also nice but a bit smaller) where he uses a F-stop small ICU.

[@FelixJorgenfelt]

I'll let you know! I've almost decided upon the Deuter Rise 34+, I want to test it at least.

[@AndreasLarzon]

@@FelixJorgenfelt Nice... Its a bit hard sometimes to find to test maybe you could reach out to Deuter and they could send you one to test. I tried to find one in stock in Stockholm but had no luck so far. Its usually a need to order one and then send it back if its not suitable. There is a photo exhibition in Stockholm on March 27-29 this year. I saw on a previous exhibition that an exhibitioner had Deuter so hopefully, there is a chance to find them there again. But, I get a feeling that its a bit smaller this year so maybe there is no luck.

[@artsmodelstation9396]

I switched from mirrorless to dslr 😂 got the Nikon 24-120 f4 used for $450. Not that heavy.

[@FelixJorgenfelt]

We all have our own preferences for weight of course. When I recently upgraded to Z-mount I "only" saved 200g on camera equipment, but I went up from 85mm to 200mm as a max focal length as well. A similar setup for F-mount, however, would have been almost 700g heavier. But weight is not the end all be all of a camera system. The biggest reasons for me to upgrade was to consolidate my lenses into one mount that would work for both photo and video creation, with landscape photography being my main pursuit.

[@mallikarjunahiremath8649]

I am using this lens on Nikon D750. I am also of same exact opinion of yours “ this lens is a best balance of price, weight, size , image quality and focal length “ I am planning to retain this lens for my future purchase of Nikon Z Full frame camera as Nikon Z lenses are twice or thrice expensive as F mount lenses of same specs of focal length, apertures. I don’t much video. If possible please post your opinion with your future Nikon Z camera with this lens mounted. Have a great day

[@TheSlackassCrew]

Did you end up getting a Z body? If so did you test this lens with the FTZ adapter?

[@FelixJorgenfelt]

I have the Z50 and yes I have done a few tests with this lens, but mostly for video purposes. The lens preforms well for photography with FTZ adapter, but not ideal for video (when using auto focus) because of the older and quite noisy auto focus motor.

[@tetoteto1946]

Nikon 24-85mm it is good for portrait and party ??

[@FelixJorgenfelt]

It works, but maybe not ideal. Especially when working in low light then a 2.8 zoom would probably be preferable. But that isn't really my area of expertise since I only photograph nature/landscapes.