The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Nikon 24-120mm f3.5-5.6G ED-IF VR and the Nikon 24-70mm f2.8G ED for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
Size of a lens is an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses.Nikon 24-70mm f2.8G ED is the longer of the two lenses at 133mm. The Nikon 24-120mm f3.5-5.6G ED-IF VR with a length of 94mm is 39mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Nikon 24-70mm f2.8G ED also has a larger diameter of 83mm compared to Nikon 24-120mm f3.5-5.6G ED-IF VR's 77mm diameter.
Weight of a lens is as important as its external dimensions, especially if you are planning to hand hold your camera and lens combination for longer periods. Nikon 24-120mm f3.5-5.6G ED-IF VR weighs 575g, which means it is 325g (36%) lighter than the Nikon 24-70mm f2.8G ED which has a weight of 900g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the 'Standard Zoom Lenses in Nikon F (FX) Mount for size comparison purposes.
Standard Zoom Lenses in Nikon F (FX) Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both Nikon 24-120mm f3.5-5.6G ED-IF VR and Nikon 24-70mm f2.8G ED has the same Nikon F (FX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Nikon F (FX) lenses are Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500.
Focal Range
Nikon 24-120mm f3.5-5.6G ED-IF VR has a focal range of 24-120mm and 5.0X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 36 - 180mm.
Nikon 24-70mm f2.8G ED has a focal range of 24-70mm and 2.9X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 36 - 105mm.