[A few people e-mailed me that they could not find the
original version of this, so here is an updated version:]

Here it is, some info on the Nikkor 24-120mm f3.5-5.6
AF D (about $600 at B & H in NYC...). All infinity-focus
negatives were shot using a detail-filled hillside
(buildings and trees) as subject, about three miles away.
4'-distance negatives were shot pointing straight down
at a weathered-concrete sidewalk surface. The first roll
of negatives were shot at marked (not actual, since this
is a variable-aperture zoom) f5.6 hand-held on Tri-X
rated at 400 and processed in FG-7. The lighting was from
an overcast sky, with a shutter speed of 1/500th, based
on a compromise exposure taken at about 55mm. Vertical
negative pairs were shot at about 24, 28, 35, 40, 50, 60,
70, 85, 100, and 120mm with the horizon at the top of the
frame (shutter release end up) for the first frame of the
pair, then the camera was carefully inverted for the
second frame (without refocusing) of the identical subject
(this provides the same detail at the edges of the frame
across the frame line, making comparisons for checking
alignment and corner sharpness easier). Frame pairs were
also made at the marked 24, 28, 35, 50, 70, 85, and 120mm
positions with the horizon line running from corner to
corner, first in one orientation, then the other (this
is a good check for center to corner and center to edge
variation, and provides a good check for consistency
between top and bottom corners at each frame side).
The second roll of Tri-X was also rated at 400 ASA, but
processed in D-76 1:1. Lighting was clear sunshine.
Frames were shot at marked f5.6, then at marked f11,
using aperture priority auto to keep negative density
uniform. Only diagonally-placed horizons and the sidewalk
were shot on this roll. Manual focus was used throughout.
This is what I found with THIS SINGLE SAMPLE (optical
performance tends to vary more from sample to sample
with zooms than with primes):

- The lens takes a 72mm filter, which does not rotate
while (IF) focusing, but does rotate almost 90 degrees
during zooming through the whole FL range.
- The lens grows considerably (the front telescopes out)
while zooming from short to long, but it is remarkably
compact, given its range. It is a bit front-heavy on light
bodies, but balances well on AF bodies. It seems not to
have excessive "wobbles" or play, but it does "self zoom"
when turned up or down, even though it is a two-ring type
zoom.
- The lens is slow at the (not very) long end, though
fast enough at the short - maybe it should be considered
a 24-85mm that can lengthen more, when needed...
- This sample is slightly vari-focal (not unusual for
Nikkor zooms), with a smooth shift from marked 10' for
correct infinity focus at 24mm to correct focus at the
focus marks at 120mm. (This may be correctable in this
particular sample, using paper shims under the bayonette,
but I will probably not bother to do it.) The lens focuses
to just over 1.5' throughout its range - which is remarkable
for a wide to short-tele wide-range zoom. The focus is
rather fast, especially near the long end, but easy to
control, and AF seems to work reasonably well with this
lens throughout its range.
- Distortion is present throughout its range, but it
is very moderate. It is pincushion above about 35mm, and
wavy-line type below - and it increases only slightly at
the FL extremes. There is no FL at which distortion is "0".
- Illumination at the marked f5.6 stop is remarkably even.
- Flare is moderate, and there is a tendency to ghosting
with the sun in, or just out of, the frame - and the
available shade is unlikely to be much help in preventing
it (using a hand to shade the lens from bright light
sources, when possible, may be the best shade for this
15-element lens).
- Alignment (ability to render the four corners and
opposite frame sides equally sharp without changing lens
settings) in this sample was not perfect, but was better
than I have seen in most wide-angle zooms - the variations
at f5.6 were just detectable with a 10X magnifier, and
should be undetectable by f11 (excellent performance for
a wide angle, wide-range zoom, though near-perfect alignment
is common in Nikkor tele zooms, and in most Nikkor primes).
- Sharpness was surprisingly good throughout at
infinity-focus and marked f5.6, and unexpectedly good at
the short end, where performance was excellent across most
of the frame, and very good even in the corners at f5.6.
Sharpness declined smoothly with increasing FL, being very
fine through about 85mm, and still good at 120mm, but with
slightly soft corners at 120mm. The lens showed no outright
softness anywhere at the marked f5.6, which is remarkable.
At f11, the infinity-focus frames on Tri-X looked like
those shot on Technical Pan with excellent primes - images
were crisp and wirey to the corners, except for slight
corner softness near 120mm. At about 4' (zooms often vary
considerably in performance quality with distance) and
f5.6, most of the frame was exceptionally sharp throughout
the wide zoom range, but the edges declined slightly in
the 35-50mm range, and edge/corner performance peaked
again in the 70-85mm range, with excellent performance to
the corners, as with the 24-28mm range. This overall
performance level is remarkable for a zoom, especially
one that includes the wide-angle range.
- I did not check FL extremes for marked FL accuracy.
More checks at another time...

Conclusion:
- At the short end at f5.6, performance rivals good primes.
- At the middle at f5.6, without much decline in performance
level, the excellent primes in this range surpass the good
edge/corner performance of this zoom.
- At the long end at f5.6, performance is only slightly
further reduced, but the truly excellent primes (and a few
zooms) available in this range do easily eclipse the
performance level of this lens.
- At f11, performance rivals good primes from 24-85mm, and
is still excellent out to 120mm (though the zoom is rather
slow at the long end). This is a really excellent lens
at f11.
If you consider this to be a wide-to-short-tele zoom which
will go longer (with very good quality) when needed, it is
capable of remarkably high quality images (and it focuses
conveniently close, unlike most wide-range zooms).
This one is a keeper, even with my general reservations
about the usefulness of wide-angle zooms...
David Ruether