The AF-S Nikkor 24mm f/1.8G ED ($749.95) is the most recent entry in Nikon's line of affordable f/1.8G prime lenses. It has a bright aperture for depth of field control and low-light shooting, works with both FX (full-frame) and DX (APS-C) cameras, and covers a very wide-angle field of view. It's an excellent lens in terms of sharpness and distortion control, but corners are noticeably dimmer than the center at wide apertures. That's also true of our favorite 24mm lens, the Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art ($847.30 at Amazon) , but the Sigma captures fifty percent more light than the Nikkor when shot wide open, and is also quite sharp, so it remains our Editors' Choice.

Design
The Nikkor 24mm ($676.95 at Amazon)  measures 3.3 by 3.1 inches (HD), weighs 12.5 ounces, and supports 72mm front filters. A reversible lens hood is included, and a gasket surrounds the lens mount, so you can feel comfortable using it inclement weather, assuming that your camera is protected from dust and moisture as well. It's just a bit larger than the AF-S Nikkor 28mm f/1.8G ED ($799.00 at Amazon) (3.2 by 2.9 inches, 11.6 ounces), a prime lens that captures a slightly narrower field of view. The 24mm focuses as close as 9.1 inches—it's not a macro by any means, but it does let you get up close and personal with subjects.

The lens doesn't feature Nikon's VR (vibration reduction) stabilization system. That's not something you see on a lot of wide-angle lenses, although Canon does include it with its EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM ($599.99). For a lens of this type, stabilization is more of a benefit for handheld videography than it is for still capture. The only control switch shifts between automatic and manual focus. A large manual focus ring, covered in a textured rubber finish, occupies most of the barrel. Build quality is strong; the barrel is made from the same tough polycarbonate material that's used in other modern Nikkor lenses.

Image Quality
I tested the Nikkor 24mm along with the full-frame Nikon D810 ($1,996.95 at Amazon) . At f/1.8 the lens scores 2,872 lines per picture height, which is significantly sharper than the 2,200 lines we look for in images captured by the high-resolution, 36-megapixel D810. Performance is strong across the fame—even the outer edges show 2,508 lines.

Stopping down to f/2 improves the score slightly to 2,930 lines, but it's at f/2.8 where the resolution jumps significantly—the lens shows 3,371 lines there, again with strong performance up to the edges of the frame. At f/4 the lens improves to 3,568 lines; it shows 3,747 lines at f/5.6, and peaks at f/8—3,907 lines.

See How We Test Digital Cameras

Diffraction sets in at f/11, reducing the sharpness score to 3,836 lines. At the minimum aperture, f/16, image quality takes a hit (3,209 lines), but is still strong. Distortion is a nonissue—the lens shows about 0.6 percent barrel distortion on a full-frame body, which is barely relevant in field conditions.

Uniform illumination is a weakness. I used an ExpoDisc and Imatest's Uniformity analysis tool to see how the edges and corners of the frame compare with the center in terms of brightness when shooting a flat, gray scene. At f/1.8 and f/2 the corners show a 3.5-stop drop in illumination when compared with the center, and the sides show a 2-stop dip. The drop is mitigated at f/2.8—the corners are a bit dim (-2EV), but the sides are within a half-stop of the center. From f/4 onward things are better—the corners are still about a stop dimmer than the center, but there's no problem at the sides of the frame. That's not atypical for a fast, wide-angle lens—the Sigma 24mm f/1.4 also shows dimming in the periphery of the frame at wide apertures. The image above shows the same scene shot at f/1.8 (left) and f/5.6 (right), to give you a better idea of the extent of the vignette.

Conclusions
Nikon photographers have a wealth of excellent options when shopping for a wide-angle prime lens. The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24mm f/1.8G ED is the middle child of a strong trio that includes the AF-S Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G ED ($716.95 at Amazon) and the AF-S Nikkor 28mm f/1.8G ED. You can't go wrong with any of them—just pick which field of view you're most comfortable working with. Our favorite 24mm, however, is a third-party lens. The Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art captures more light at its maximum aperture, but it's $100 more and almost twice as heavy.

Best Lens Picks

• The Best Fujifilm Lenses for 2020
• The Best Leica M Lenses for 2020
• The Best Micro Four Thirds Lenses for 2020
• The Best Pentax SLR Lenses for 2020
• More Lens Reviews
• More from Nikon

Further Reading

• Tamron Details Affordable 70-180mm F2.8 Zoom Lens
• The Best Sony Mirrorless Lenses for 2020
• The Best Nikon Lenses for 2020
• The Best Canon Lenses for 2020
• Oops! $13K Camera Lens Sells for $95 Due to Prime Day Error