Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED £1449/$1900

It’s the top-flight Nikon wide zoom

The relatively modest overall zoom range of this lens makes good sense. It starts off at 14mm, only beaten by the Sigma Art lens in this group of FX optics, and finishes at 24mm, passing the baton to a 24-70mm standard zoom. The fast f/2.8 aperture is impressive for such a wide-angle lens, but the Tamron 15-30mm matches the Nikon in this respect, while also adding stabilization lacking in the Nikon lens.

The optical path includes two ED elements, three aspherical elements and Nano Crystal Coat, along with a diaphragm based on nine aperture blades, as featured in all of the FXformat lenses on test. Build quality is typically Nikon and handling is excellent.

Performance

Fabulous sharpness is retained at the widest aperture throughout the shorter half of the zoom range. It performs better than the Tamron 1530mm in this respect, although both lenses soften at f/2.8 at longer zoom settings. Autofocus is fast and there’s good resistance to ghosting and flare.