The Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 lens might be probably the greatest lenses you could possibly have in your digital camera bag. To name it a package lens is to do it a disservice, even when it has all the flexibility of a basic short-range zoom.
Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S: Key specs
Compatibility: Nikon Z mirrorless (FX)
Focal vary: 24mm to 70mm
Aperture vary: f/2.8 to f/22
Weight: 1.7 lbs
Measurement: 89.0mm x 126.0mm (5-inches x 3.6-inches)
Totally climate sealed: Sure
Filter dimension: 82mm
That is the f/2.8 model, is among the first lenses launched for the Z-brand Nikon mirrorless system and, when mixed with the Nikon Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S (opens in new tab) and Nikon Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 S, completes the Holy Trinity of Nikon’s lens ecosystem. A trinity that can price you between $6500-7000 to finish, when you’re feeling rich, with every lens retailing between $2000-$2500.
In case you needed to be prepared for nearly any astro situation (arguably, the 200mm is not fairly sufficient for detailed moon photos), we might completely advocate all three lenses. In case you’re a photographer who likes to take all kinds of photographs, we might 100% begin with this, the 24-70mm. And we might be sure to do not confuse it with the wonderful worth, however not excellent for evening sky photographs, f/4 model. All clear? No? Glorious, let’s transfer on.
Table of Contents
Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S: Design
- Comparatively gentle, though bigger than the f/4
- Digital show on prime of the barrel
- Non-extending design
The Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S is a well-designed lens, with absolutely the minimal of fuss utilized to it. In contrast to its cheaper f/4 counterpart, there isn’t any extension of the lens while you zoom it from nearer to additional focal lengths, so whereas it is a first rate 5-inches to start with, that is so long as this lens will get. This makes it higher in excessive climate if much less compact for journey. Crucially, although it means you get a digital show on the highest that may be configured to show a wide range of settings (focal size, aperture and so on), which makes it useful for astro shoots as you’ll be able to double-check your settings whereas it is secured on the tripod.
You have bought a further perform button, that may be personalized as wanted (with any of 21 instructions), and the usual structure with the furthest ring used for focusing, and the interior ring used for focal size. There is a delicate near-camera ring too, that controls the aperture. As with most Nikon lenses, there is a swap that permits you to rapidly toggle between AF and MF – once more, useful for tripod shooters who’d moderately not stare at a vibrant display to make fast changes.
The lens is totally climate sealed, as you’d anticipate from the S-Line sequence, and it feels robust regardless of being comparatively gentle. There’s an 82mm thread for becoming filters and attachments, which though on the vast facet, means you should not have points discovering appropriate equipment.
Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S: Efficiency
- Very versatile lens
- Delivers glorious readability
- Simple and pure to make use of
What we love about this lens is that it presents you selection in virtually each taking pictures scenario. It is vast sufficient for grand landscapes, has sufficient zoom for fundamental wildlife photographs, and hits the candy spot for portraiture. A great deal of lenses do this, positive, but it surely’s the broader aperture (as much as f/2.8) that makes it actually versatile. This implies depth and bokeh when taking pictures animals, element when taking pictures the Milky Means and, with the narrowest aperture of f/22, you’ll be able to even experiment with close-up and longer exposures through the day.
Nonetheless, when you’re making an attempt to recreate the element you see in macro photos, you may be disenchanted. There is a minimal focusing distance of virtually 40cm / 1.3ft right here, and even in our well-lit checks, we struggled to get the lens to focus round this distance. That is not an actual concern, as this is not meant to be a macro, however preserve it in thoughts when you’re taking astro photographs with a foreground aspect and focus stack the place acceptable.
That wider aperture comes into its personal at evening, permitting you to seize star particulars with a brief sufficient shutter pace to keep away from trailing. We predict it is the practical minimal for photographing stars and that is one potential disadvantage of the 24-70mm. Whereas it is an excellent lens to have in your bag, it is not a specialist, so these trying to actually up their astro sport ought to be taking a look at one thing just like the Nikon Nikkor 20mm f/1.8 S lens which has that further width and decrease f-number. After we had been out taking pictures astro with this lens we took the identical shot with the 24-70mm as with our trusty 20mm f/1.8 and did see noticeable variations in the identical scene. The broader lens gave us extra element whereas maintaining the celebrities barely sharper, and it gave us a far ‘greater’ sky.
We discovered this lens excellent for gentle trails. It provides you the flexibleness to regulate your shot to fluctuate the dimensions of your trails, and it has the aperture vary to provide the capacity to both give attention to the paths themselves (or an object) or flatten the photograph out fully. In case you do wish to shoot movement and handheld trails, it is a useful lens to have too, because it is not excessively heavy.
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Elsewhere, although, the 24-70mm delivered nice outcomes. We by no means needed for extra width on the whole panorama photographs, and whereas the 70mm most size might be irritating for snapping the moon, and extra timid animals, it is nice for pets and keen people. Whereas the lens is not adequately subtle to be a great road images possibility, it will nonetheless carry out with portraits all the identical.
As you’d anticipate from a lens of this high quality, the picture is pleasingly sharp proper to the sting, in any respect focal lengths. There is not any perceptible distortion of the picture, nor any gentle bleeding across the edge or vignetting (except you are utilizing the hood it is provided with).
Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S: Performance
- Feels good to make use of
- Very tripod pleasant
- Simple to suit
There’s little extra to say concerning the features of the lens itself, though the texture and practicalities of its options are properly price mentioning. We have discovered comparable issues with the opposite premium Z lenses in that the management rings on the barrel are near-perfectly balanced by way of torque. There is a delicate looseness to the focusing ring, a tighter really feel for the focal size, and a particular graded really feel to the smaller management ring. Our solely criticism is that the aperture ring sits a bit too near the digital camera, so takes a bit getting used to, and we typically discovered it trickier to entry when trying via the viewfinder and never on the digital camera itself.
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At 5-inches and 1.7 lbs, you’ll be able to fortunately match the 24-70mm to most tripods (through the digital camera’s tripod connection) and get little or no motion or settling, except you are combining it with a heavy digital camera physique just like the Z9. There is not any want for a separate tripod collar/foot with this lens, though you might discover it challenges some ball-heads when you’re utilizing a glass filter too.
As with all Z lenses, it is so easy to mount onto the digital camera physique, and it feels very safe as soon as it is there. As we talked about earlier, although, we not often discovered the necessity to change it throughout common photograph periods because it covers a number of photographic disciplines simply.
Ought to I purchase the Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens?
This lens aced most of our checks. Nonetheless, except you are evaluating it to a different 24-70mm lens, we would not say it is the very best at something. We desire a wider, quicker lens for astro, an extended zoom for moon photos, and the far cheaper f/4 model of the 24-70mm is simply as competent for daytime landscapes.
At $2000+ it is not low cost, both, and can probably go well with those that shoot professionally greater than the hobbyists. It is bizarre to throw a lot shade at what’s, basically, probably the greatest Nikon lenses we have dealt with. We basically love this lens for all kinds of pictures, but it surely is not what we might attain for if we needed to get specialised.
So, if in case you have the cash and also you’re searching for a dependable zoom to sit down in your digital camera and snap every kind of photographs, that is the lens for you. In case you’re decided to get the sting in a extra particular sort of shot, this is not prone to be the one.
If the Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens is not for you
Clocking in round 60% cheaper, the Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S (opens in new tab) model of this lens remains to be a pleasant piece of glass. When you’ll battle to do astro with it, this lens will deal with most daytime photographs (and lengthy exposures) with ease. It is lighter too, and extra compact, though it does prolong lengthwise when zooming.
At about half the value you’ll be able to go for the Nikon Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S prime (or the 24mm prime, though it is not fairly nearly as good), which is extra of an astro device. When you lose the power to zoom, you do get a really vast angle and a scrumptious most aperture of f/1.8, which is right for star photographs.
Then there’s the newest Nikon lens, the Nikon Nikkor Z 28-75mm f/2.8 (opens in new tab). It is a unusual one, this. We have not examined this extra reasonably priced zoom for Nikon’s mirrorless system, but it surely presents very comparable stats for nearly half the value. You do not get as vast a shot, however you get a barely longer zoom and whereas it is not fairly as top quality because the 24-70mm we have reviewed right here it is a rattling good lens all the identical.