In article 2014041208105856151-savageduck1@REMOVESPAMmecom,
Savageduck wrote:

From time to time I will make a gesture of silliness in my remarks and
I will suffer the ignominy of being misunderstood by others. That said.
the Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 is one of the finest lenses a Nikon DSLR owner
could possess, fixed focal length or zoom.

That may be true, but if if you need a wider aperture than 2.8 then it
won't do the job for you.

What job would that be, considering the capabilities of the current
generation of DSLRs?

The majority of great fixed focal length fast glass of the past were
designed in the age of film where the photographer had to live within
the limitations of film sensitivity, and at times the only answer in
questionable light was to seek out fast glass. Usually at a relatively
high cost. Narrow DoF with the resulting bokeh being a secondary result
can certainly be considered a characteristic of many images produced
with such lenses. However, that is not unattainable with some of
today's lenses.
The 14-24mm f/.2.8 mounted on a Nikon F film body is not going to
compare with an f/1.2, or f/1.4, but we are having this discussion in
rec.photo.digital.

with film, you had to have fast glass if you wanted usable results.

with digital, you can shoot at iso 1600 or 3200 with barely a hint of
noise, so needing f/2.8 is not a big deal and faster apertures even
less so. even higher isos can be usable in many situations.