Seeking opinions -- Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S ED LENS

I'm trying to find out how happy folks are with this lens in general. I plan on using it for my pet portraits when space is at a premium and the 70-200 is too long.

That means primarily indoors, and probably with "always on" lighting like a Spiderlite TD5 or my hyped up version with 150watt bulbs (in the design phase at the moment, but I think I can build it pretty soon).

The reason for the always on lighting is that I deal with a lot of rescue dogs that have been abused and have had several really freak out with the flash lately. Nice to have options either way.

Have any of you noticed problems with wide angle distortion at the lower end of the range? I'm thinking I'll probably use the 50-70 range more than anything else, but to have the option to go wide without worry would be nice.

Hi Jim, All I can say is the 24-70 is the sharpest lens I have ever used. No distortion problems at all. its is a gem of a lens.

Thanks Steve. I'm thinking about giving up my 14-24 or my D300 for it. Tough choices.

Great lens, I like and use mine a lot.