Is the Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8-4D AF Nikkor Lens sharp? This page visually answers that question. Shown above are 100% crops from a lab-captured 50mm f/3.5 test image. Observe the contrast and resolution of these results.
Is the Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8-4D AF Nikkor Lens set to 50mm f/3.5 sharper than the Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G AF-S VR Nikkor Lens set to 35mm f/16.0? The image quality comparison above also answers that question. Switch between the results to see the sharpness differences between these lenses.