In article <5g1cui$nb3@hearst.cc.macalester.edu>, weinstein@macalstr.edu says...

>Is the Nikkor 24mm MF known for strong distortion (barrel I think) at the
>edges? Is this just a natural effect of wide angle or are there 24mm
>lenses w/ low distortion? (squares become very, very noticeable
>parallelograms and rhombi at the side.)

Hmmm, methinks you may be mixing concepts...
"Distortion" refers to the ability (or lack thereof...;-) of the lens
to conform to the rules of the particular perspective type it was
intended to comply with - with the 24mm (as with most lenses), that
is "rectangular" perspective, in which all subject straight lines are
rendered straight in the image. The 24mm f2.8 Nikkor typically renders
subject straight lines placed parallel with the frame edges and very
near to them as very nearly straight lines - but straight lines placed
away from the frame edges and well away from the center (where all
straight lines are rendered straight regardless of the amount of lens distortion) do show fairly strong barrel-type distortion.
"Distortion", refering to converging lines, widened proportions near
the frame edge, squashed circular subjects placed near the frame corners,
and exaggerated depth, is not truly distortion (since the rules of
the perspective type may be adhered to, and still show these things),
but are characteristics of rectangular perspective carried to a wide
angle of view (indicating by its strangeness that we perhaps do not
ourselves see in rectangular perspective...;-), with a tilted frame,
and/or with an unusually close viewpoint... Hold the lens straight,
remove people from the edges and corners, and keep a normal distance,
and all the "distortions" disappear, except for the linear distortions
typical of retrofocus (SLR) wideangles (non-retro wides have other problems...). Personally, I prefer a smooth barrel distortion to any
other type (even to no distortion with some subject material, since
some barrel distortion reduces the edge/corner wideangle rectangular-perspective effects).
Hope This Helps