Nikon’s 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens is yet another lens love affair. Our lenses need to stand the test of time. The trials of the good and not-so-good shooting days. Our ups and our downs. Yes, no relationship with a lens is immune to good and bad photography moments.
I’m sharing a review of this little lens with big angles of view along with a few shooting tips and tech specs.
My first Nikon f-mount 14-24 held on for a long, long time. With my shift to mirrorless, I slowly transitioned from f-mount to Z lenses. The reasons for the slow shift were cost (of course) and the intent on keeping my camera bag light and shooting options large with less equipment.
In short, Nikon’s 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens is a rock solid investment for landscape photographers looking for sharp, beautiful, extra wide angle images (also referred to as ultra-wide, super-wide).
This is the one focal length range where a f/2.8 aperture or larger was a critical decision factor. When it comes to capturing the beauty of expansive landscapes, especially night-scapes, this lens is ready to perform. The other lenses I’m using are the Z f/4 lenses – the reviews of those are below.
If you’re also considering longer focal length lenses, check out my recent reviews of: Lens Review of Nikon’s 24-120mm f/4 S and My Love Affair with Nikon’s 100 – 400 f/4.5 – 5/6 S. A review of Nikon’s 400mm f/4.5 S with their 1.4 TC is coming soon.
With a focal length range of 14-24mm and an aperture starting at f/2.8, this fast, extra wide-angle lens captures vast scenes with breathtaking detail. Tight spots with lot’s of detail? Absolutely! The image above taken in Lower Antelope Canyon demanded an extra-wide lens.
Night photography? Dreamy evenings and starbursts? Bring it! This lens is game on for harnessing light and capturing the milky way and northern lights.
Nikon’s 14-24mm f/2.8 S Lens: Tips for extra-wide photography
When working extra wide (aka ultra wide) focal lengths, our front to back and creative composition skills come into serious play. Let’s take a look at the following tips
- Tip #1: Everything shows up in the frame. Seriously, everything that’s right in front, above, beside and below. Watching for trees, branches, unsightly elements before shooting prevents work in post processing.
- Tip #2: Reverse the big sun mindset. These extra wide focal lengths push elements in our composition further into the distance. For example, a big bold sun at sunset looks quite small versus working with longer focal lengths. Conversely, a landscape filled with interesting skies, foreground and backgrounds reels in viewers and pushes them into the depths of the moment. If you’re wanting that big bold sun, opt for a longer focal length. If you’re seeking big landscapes, sky-scapes, the extra-wide is an excellent choice.
- Tip #3: Embrace the perspective! An advantage of an ultra-wide lens is its ability to exaggerate perspective. Use this to your advantage by getting up close to your subject and emphasizing the foreground. This perspective gives a greater sense of depth, isolation of your subject and creates a more immersive experience for the viewer.
- Tip #4: Leverage those leading lines. Similar to #3, leading lines carry the viewer into the depths of the ‘distant’ distance.
- Tip #5: When shooting architectural photography with a wide-angle lens perspective distortion is not always welcomed. Consider architecture, real estate photography. Avoid and minimize converging verticals where parallel lines appear to lean, or barrel distortion, where straight lines appear to bend outwards. Using your in-camera virtual horizon for leveling vertically and horizontally helps minimize this effect. Additional corrections are available in post processing too.
Tools for Low Light and Night Photography with Nikon’s 14-24mm f/2.8 S
When working with extra-wide lenses, I tend to slow down a bit more than when working with my Nikon 24-120mm f/4 S or my 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 S . As there’s so much in the frame, using a tripod gives me a bit more time to study my composition both day and night.
I also find that I use this lens quite a bit in lower light situations. Waterfalls with soft dreamy light, night skies and blue hour photography. In low-light conditions and night photography, a sturdy tripod plays a big roll in getting sharp images.
When shooting long exposures or using slow shutter speeds, even the slightest movement impacts image quality. Utilizing your camera’s built-in timer function avoids camera shake caused by pressing the shutter button. Simply set the timer (I usually go for 2 seconds), press the shutter, and let the camera do the rest.
Night Photography Tips
Here are a few tips to make the most out of your nighttime super-wide shooting adventures:
Plan Your Shoot: Before heading out at night, research your location in advance for safety. The last thing we want is an injury due to a trip over obstacles. If possible, I like to capture various compositions in the day to help solidify a few options before heading back out for the night.
Manual Focus: In low-light conditions, I prefer to switch to manual focus and use infinity focus for astrophotography. The good news with Nikon mirrorless cameras and Nikon Z lenses is that focus returns to infinity when you turn the camera off and back on.
Adjust and Use Multiple Settings: Shooting night skies often requires longer exposures and potentially higher ISO. Start with an aperture of f/2.8 to maximize light intake and experiment with different shutter speeds and ISO settings. For exposures 30 seconds and under, such as the milky way or northern lights, my ISO range is from 1200 – 4000. With longer exposures, such as star trails, I reduce my ISO to 100 or less.
Technical Specs of Nikon’s 14-24mm f/2.8 S Lens
Nikon’s 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens is a powerful tool for photographers seeking exceptional image quality and versatility. Its technical specifications greatly enhance the overall photography experience. Let’s look into the various technical specs of this lens and explore their benefits.
Focal Length Range: 14-24mm
- Big scenes, breathtaking compositions. Nikon’s 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens features a focal length range of 14-24mm, making it ideal for capturing wide-angle shots and expansive landscapes.
Maximum Aperture & Range: f/2.8-f/22
- The f/2.8 – f/22 aperture ranges crosses the gamut in versatility. Excellent low-light performance to handling handling starbursts in the f/16-f/22 range, versatility for brilliant sunrises, sunsets and glowing night images.
Minimum Focus Distance: 0.28m/0.92ft
- The lens has a minimum focus distance of 0.28m/0.92ft, enabling photographers to capture close-up details with great clarity and detail. Combine the close up sharpness with the image depth for creative and unique compositions.
Lens Construction
- Weighing 23 ounces, it’s relatively light and well balanced on the camera.
- The lens construction consists of 16 elements arranged in 11 groups, ensuring superior optical performance and image quality.
- By incorporating elements with varying characteristics, such as aspherical and ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements, Nikon has minimized aberrations and distortion, resulting in sharp and accurate images. The lens also features Nikon’s advanced optics, including Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) glass elements, which effectively eliminates chromatic aberrations. The result? Sharp images, true-to-life color across your composition.
- Equipped with Nikon’s Silent Wave Motor (SWM), the lens offers fast, accurate, and quiet autofocus performance.
Filter Size: 112mm
- Nikon’s 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens requires a 112mm filter size, allowing photographers to utilize a wide range of filters. This is an improvement over the old f-mount lens as filters now attach by screwing in directly to a special lens hood that comes with the lens.
Weather Sealing
- Built with high-quality weather sealing, the lens is well-prepared to withstand challenging shooting conditions. I was in Death Valley in the spring, the sealing made a difference against the dust.
Recap of key features
In conclusion, Nikon’s 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens is a fantastic tool for landscape photographers. This lens not only delivers sharp and color-accurate images but also provides an ultra-wide perspective that adds depth and dimension to your compositions.
With impressive and effective technical specifications, every aspect of this lens’s design is geared towards providing exceptional image quality and enhancing our in the field experience. If you are seeking a top-of-the-line lens for wide-angle photography, consider placing Nikon’s 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens on your list.
Using tips mentioned above, such as emphasizing perspective and leading lines, using foreground interest, and utilizing essential tools like tripods, in-camera timers, great images are a shutter-snap away.
So, grab your camera, explore the beauty of our big landscapes, and fall in love with this gem of a lens. Happy shooting!
