Nikon Nikkor AF-S 24 mm f/1.8G ED review - Image resolution

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Nikon Nikkor AF-S 24 mm f/1.8G ED

15 December 2015

Arkadiusz Olech

4. Image resolution

The resolution test of the Nikkor-AF-S 24 mm f/1.8G ED was based on RAW files from the Nikon D3x. In the case of that camera the decency level is situated near 30-32 lpmm and top-of-the-range fixed focal length lenses might reach as high as 47-49 lpmm. The resolution record belongs to the Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 which, by f/4.0, was able to exceed slightly a value of 50 lpmm.

Let’s check how the tested lens compares.

Nikon Nikkor AF-S 24 mm f/1.8G ED - Image resolution

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The performance in the frame centre is excellent, one of the better we have observed so far in the f/1.8 lenses class produced by Nikon. Already at the maximum relative aperture MTFs are getting to almost 35 lpmm so you get fully useful images. The resolution increases sharply with stopping down and in a range from f/2.8 to f/5.6 the lens reaches a peak of its possibilities with the results being close to 47 lpmm. No system “prime” would be ashamed of such a resolution level.

The image quality on the edge of the APS-C/DX sensor also looks quite well – even at the maximum relative aperture the images are of fully acceptable quality and on stopping down to about f/8.0 the MTFs increase to a very high level of almost 40 lpmm.

The edge of full frame is the most difficult to correct and accordingly you don’t get an acceptable image in a range from f/1.8 to f/2.2 but near f/2.5 our reservations end. It is a really good result. For example the Sigma A 24 mm f/1.4 DG HSM had to be closed down to almost f/2.8 on the edge of full frame in order to produce images of sensible quality.

To sum up the resolution results of the Nikkor-AF-S 24 mm f/1.8G ED make it one of the best lenses of that producer we’ve had the pleasure of testing so far – a round of applause!

At the end of this chapter, traditionally, we present crops taken from our resolution testing chart photos which were saved as JPEG files along RAW files we used for the analysis above.

Nikon D3x, JPEG, f/1.8