Nikon Z Lenses - Operating Experience

Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 at f/4

The Nikon Z lenses are highly praised, especially the S series. This performance is partly due to the large mount, but most likely also a result of progress in the computation and design of lenses in general. After all, the older F-mount lenses have been around for decades. Consequently, the new lenses surpass them in almost every aspect.

For some focal lengths, there are several options available. I can only compare the lenses I have used, and give some advice for those. A complete set of reviews can be found on the pages of Photography Life.

Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 S

This is my favorite lens. It is tack sharp from corner to corner at f/4. Wider open, it is still extremely sharp in the center, but not in the corners. If you need good corners, stay above f/2.8 at least. Closing down beyond f/8, the lens becomes slowly softer due to diffraction.

50mm f/1.8 at f/4

But sharpness is not everything. One of the most annoying features of lenses is chromatic aberration generating purple or green colors on branches of trees and other color problems in out-of-focus regions. The 50mm has this well under control. Vignetting is also okay. Of course, in both areas the remaining problems will be fixed by the lens profile. 

Other prominent problems are reflections inside the lens causing flaring and low contrast in backlight. Nikon took a great effort to develop coatings which reduce these issues to a minimum. The effect on contrast and color rendition cannot be underestimated. The difference is visible even without pixel peeping.

The Bokeh of this lens is very pleasant, as long as you do not have specular highlights in the background. Those will be formed as cat eyes off center. They still look okay, but there are better lenses in this regard with a simpler optical design.

50mm f/1.8 at f/2.5

The lens is huge for a nifty-fifty, due to its many corrective lens elements. It is not lightweight too. Moreover, it is not cheap. Usually, 50mm f/1.8 lenses are among the most affordable primes for any system.

So, how do I use this lens, and why is it my favorite? 

• Due to the availability of f/1.8, the lens recommends itself for handheld indoor photography, e.g., in museums. It does not have VR, however. I use shutter speeds up to 1/15 with IBIS and some carefulness. Be aware that the edges will be soft below f/2.8.
• It is a great lens for kids and action. Taks f/2.8 or f/4, 1/250 or faster, and as much ISO as necessary. Focussing is fast. I usually take AF-C and eye AF.
• Of course, you can use a 50mm for almost anything else. 50mm is a very natural focal length. However, it feels a bit too much telephoto for some photographers who prefer 35mm. I find it a natural choice for a prime lens if you do not want to change lenses. You just need to get used to it.

Why not use the 24-70mm f/4 instead? That is more flexible, indeed, and it is also great lens which I discuss below. It is only a bit larger too. But the 50mm is a lot better in terms of sharpness and contrast, especially at f/4 where it performs best. And, of course, f/1.8 is a good argument for the prime lens.

See the size comparison below thanks to the great service at camerasize.com. The cousin 50mm f/1.2 is much larger and way more expensive. I see no point in using such a fast 50mm. There are also cheaper non-S lenses which I discuss in the next section.

28mm f/2.8, 40mm f/2, 50mm f/1.8, 50mm f/1.2

Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 and 40mm f/2

From a marketing viewpoint, these are the exact opposite to lenses like the 50mm F1.8. They are lightweight, cheap, plastic and very compact. Obviously, the 28mm is a wide angle. But the very similar 40mm f/2 lens can replace the 50mm at a bargain price. I had it too, but sold it because of the 50mm S line lens.

So, are these lenses any good? The plastic body and mount don't worry me at all. The construction is solid enough to last a long time, and I can buy both of them for one 50mm, and have some money left.

The 28mm f/2.8 is very sharp at f/4, and on the level of other primes. Even wide open it might outperform some older compact G lenses, at least in the center. It is no match for the 50mm f/1.8 though. And it is very weak at f/2.8.

But sharpness is not everything. The 28mm shows chromatic problems which don't go away even stopped down. It's flare resistance and contrast are also far from the level of the S line lenses. Both lenses show only moderate Bokeh quality due to their optical design.

I consider the small, unintrusive and cheap 28mm lens a good choice for street photography. Some may prefer 35mm. However, you can always crop 28mm to 35mm, but not the other way around! If you are a fan of the 50mm range, the 40mm f/2 is an excellent choice for the street too.

28mm f/2.8 at f/4, cropped to around 35mm

Some more remarks on these remarkable lenses.

• The wide angle at 28mm needs a special composition. It wants foreground objects which it emphasizes. Buildings will also be skewed with enlarged details and structures in the front.
• A beautiful use of the 28mm is to shoot small things like flowers with some surrounding. Make sure that focus point is near the center, and do not expect the sharpness of a true macro lens. It is different style.
• The 40mm is a very good focal length for an everyday lens, maybe even better than 50mm. The small weight and compact size make this a good choice. Overall, the lens will perform better than the 28mm. It does have less chromatic problems too.
• You should consider these lenses on a budget. Not every photographer needs the utmost quality, and most cannot even make use of it.

Nikkor Zooms starting at 24mm

Nikon sells no less than five zoom lenses for the Z mount that start at 24mm.

• The 24-50mm f/4-6.3. That is not an S line lens and it shows. It is still a very good lens when compared to older G lenses. The very compact and collapsing design makes it a good alternative to any other everyday lens. It is sold as a kit lens for the Z5, and you can get it for a very cheap price.
• The 24-70 f/4 kit zoom. This is a nice and compact standard zoom at a reasonable price when you buy it used. The range is comparable to the 18-55mm zooms for APS-C cameras. Being an S line lens, this lens benefits from best coatings and a very solid, weather sealed construction. It is a bit heavy for such a lens. 
• The 24-120 f/4 zoom. An upgrade at almost the doubled price. The lens is better than the 24-70 f/4 in terms of sharpness. The extra reach was also most welcome when the lens appeared, although its strongest range is below 70mm. 
• The 24-200 f/4-6.3 VR ultra zoom. This is my everyday lens while travelling. Even though it is not on the level of the 24-120 f/4, it is the best travel zoom I ever used. I am going to talk about this lens in detail below. Note, that VR is good for the long range and more efficient than IBIS.
• The 24-70 f/2.8 is the professional choice. This very expensive lens is the choice for wedding photographers and similar photography. It outperforms any other zoom in the Nikon range and is often on the level of a prime lens.

24-50mm f/4-6.3, 24-70mm f/4, 24-200mm f/4-6.3, 24-120mm f/4, 24-70mm f/2.8

As mentioned, I am using the 24-200mm lens for travel shooting, for landscapes, and even for outdoor portraits. Here is why and how.

• The lens has its best performance at 35mm. The type of photography I use it for do not require open apertures. And f/5.6 and above are sufficient. At f/8 almost all of these zoom lenses look the same anyway. So, the lens is way good enough for my street photography when I don't want to restrict myself with a prime.
• You can use the lens for micro shots too. The 24-70mm f/4 is better, but the 24-200mm can be zoomed more, and yields a narrower view.
• Zoomed out above 130mm, the lens is even good for portraits. The long range compensates the missing open aperture somewhat. 
• The 200mm end can be used for all sorts of telephoto shots. It is not fast, but the lens has an effective VR. For birds and wildlife, it is probably not fast enough. For anything else, I can recommend it.

24-200mm at 200mm f/6.3, heavily cropped

The performance of this lens became apparent to me when I cropped the image above, shot at 200mm, to get a nicer composition. Even the 25MP of the Z5 has enough pixels to allow for rather big prints.

24-200mm at 54mm f/10 1/15

This is an example of a micro shot. The aperture is quite high to allow more DOF. To keep ISO low, the shutter speed was 1/15. VR is well able to compensate this hand-held. But if I remember correctly, I used a tripod here.

24-200mm at 24mm

Landscape photography is not only about wide angle. Once you discover it, you might be shooting more and more landscapes on the long end condensing the scene and getting a more minimalistic image.

24-200mm at 200mm

In summary, the 24-200mm is my favorite lens for any trip where I do not want to change lenses. The sole reason I prefer it over the 24-70 or 24-120 is the reach. 

Nikon 105mm f/2.8 MC

This is one of those more expensive lenses that made the Nikon Z S-line famous. It is claimed to be the sharpest macro lens ever. Highly praised, it combines excellent contrast without any defects. 

Nikkor 105mm MC

You must not use it for macros only. It is a great lens for any details even if they are further away. I took it into the German museum in Munich and was surprised how well it performed for that purpose. The small image below does not do full justice the tremendous sharpness and excellent rendition of this lens.

Nikkor 105mm MC

Some would not fuse it for portraits because it is too sharp. But the same is true for the 85mm f/1.8 dedicated portrait lens. My tip is to take care of the light in portraits, avoiding side or top light which enhances wrinkles. You can also move the clarity slider to the left in post. An advantage of the 105mm is obviously that it focusses closer for detailed shots which cannot be done with the 85mm.

Other Options

I cannot say much about the professional telephoto lenses. Those are very expensive, and you need to be a very avid wildlife shooter to justify that expense. A budget replacement is the good old 70-300mm F-mount lens with the FTZ adapter. The results will be inferior, but good enough for most of us.

I would not know which wide angle lens to recommend either. The best one seems to be the 14-24mm f/2.8. Other options are okay, but fail in the corners. You decide if you really need optimal results in that type of photography. For professional use, the 14-24mm seems to be the only choice.