Lens robustness — Nikon 24-70

I like well-made lenses that are fundamentally robust, like the Zeiss ZF line. A lens that can literally fall apart is not on my short list. This is a big deal if you aren’t close to a dealer (consider an involved trip to Antarctica or Africa for example). It’s also a reason I always carry at least one manual focus non-electronic lens with me on trips.

Apparently the new Nikon 24-70 might not be so robust. Reader Jaka S writes:

I was using my Nikon 24-70 in the cold weather (more than -20 degrees Celsius in Moscow), it simply broke close to bayonet ring.... I was totally disappointed, I am an engineer and really take care about my equipment. Lens and camera were in my Tamrac 5 Pro backpack and when taking out my D3 with 24-70 on I saw the terrible scene. Was using 28-70 in different weather conditions, even at -53 degrees Celsius on my F5 on Lake Baykal in Siberia and was OK.

Nikon AF-S 24-70/2.8G

We wish Jaka the best of luck in persuading Nikon to fix this lens at no charge.