Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8
A premium standard telephoto for pro users
Nikon’s new Z-mount zoom is a milestone lens, but how will it fare on our tests?
The Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S is an important lens for Nikon and its new Z 6 and Z 7 full-frame mirrorless cameras. Professional Nikon Z owners now have a pro-spec standard zoom lens to rival anything else in the market – and plenty of keen enthusiasts will be considering this expensive but stellar lens too.
The Z 6 and Z 7 originally launched with a compact retracting 24-70mm f/4 kit lens that delivers excellent performance: it’s compact, light and relatively inexpensive. But serious users were always going to expect a professional-level f/2.8 lens too, and now Nikon has delivered it.
The Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S uses 17 lens elements arranged in 15 groups. Optically, it’s more complex than the smaller and lighter Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, which has 14 elements in 11 groups. The larger the number of elements, generally, the higher the level of optical corrections. Although Nikon claims superior close-up performance for the new f/2.8 lens, the f/4 version actually focuses a little closer, with a minimum focus distance of 0.3m and a maximum magnification ratio of 0.3x. The f/2.8 S focuses down to 0.38m for a maximum magnification of 0.22x.
Performance
The Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S is a big lens, but its focusing is very fast and quiet. It was more hesitant during a night-time shooting test with dimly lit and low-contrast subjects, and any hesitancy can be attributed to the camera’s AF, not the lens’s responses. In regular lighting, the 24-70mm f/2.8 felt fast and responsive.
In our lab tests, the 24-70mm f/4 lens left little room for improvement, but the 24-70mm f/2.8 is even sharper in the centre, far sharper at the edges, and delivers amazing consistency across the focal length and aperture range.
Centre sharpness
The figures achieved by this lens are quite exceptional. Even wide open, it delivers very high resolution.
Fringing Short 0.19 Long 0.45
Chromatic aberration is measurable in the lab, but hardly apparent in regular photography.
Distortion Short 0.17 Long 0.16
1 Distortion is greatest at 35mm, but even here the figure is still very low.
Mount: Nikon Z Elements/groups: 17/15 Minimum focus distance: 0.38m Max magnification factor: 0.22x Manual focus override: Yes Focus limit switches: No Internal focus: Yes Filter size: 82mm Iris blades: 7 Weather seals: Yes Supplied accessories: Hood, soft case Dimensions: 89 x 126mm Weight: 805g