Every photograph is a compromise (e.g., shutter speed, ISO, f/stop), every piece of equipment is a compromise (e.g., cost, weight, capabilities). For what I like to do, this lens is perfection. Nikon offers quite a few similar lenses, so you might want to shop carefully.

This is Nikon's best and sharpest ultrawide zoom, even better than the beastly 14-24mm. It is sold out and backordered everywhere. The sale price is excellent and you should get yours before they sell out!

sharp; sharp; sharp

nothing

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Light Weight

none

Great for travel, not too big, great for landscape photos.

Durable; Easily Interchangeable; Fast / accurate auto-focus

I use this lens for wider shots of the landscape and capturing images of sky and water. The lens is pin sharp and I have noticed no distortions in my images (although I don't test to the nth degree). This is a must have for me and I don't think I could bought a better lens for the quality / cost.

Consistent Output; Easily Interchangeable; Lightweight; Quick Focus; Sharp Focus

I have seen many detailed reports on the differences between the 12-24 and the 16-35. I am a pro landscape photographer and I can tell you that dispite the 16-35 being an excellent lens and having VR it is nowhere near as sharp at all focal lengths than the 14-24.

This lens is fantastic on a full frame camera (D700 / D3). It's one of the sharper ultra wide / wide angle zooms out there and easily surpasses the 17-35 f/2.8. The VR is also extremely good, I can shoot 1/30s and have no blur in the photo.

A lot of mixed reviews out there. I having nothing bad to say about this lens. Opposite in fact. It is sharper across the frame than the 17-35 with less vignetting (almost nil), better contrast and 16 is nice to have on the wide end. The VR is very useful on a wide angle lens.

I recently switched to the full frame Nikon D700 camera, and wanted a really good and versatile wide angle zoom lens. I researched this lens on 3-4 different lens review sites, and because the reviews were quite good, I decided to buy it.

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Consistent Output; Durable; Easily Interchangeable; Fast / accurate auto-focus; Great for Night Pictures; Lightweight; Strong Construction