Z 24-70mm f/2.8
The Z-series’ first fast pro zoom rated
The Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S is an important lens for Nikon and its Z 6 and Z 7 fullframe mirrorless cameras, ticking off another milestone on the Nikon Z roadmap. The Z 6 and Z 7 launched with a compact 24-70mm f/4 lens that delivers top performance and is compact, lightweight and relatively inexpensive. We rated these two models amongst the best mirrorless cameras on the market right now, but serious users were always going to expect a professional-level f/2.8 lens too, and now Nikon has delivered. There’s a corresponding constantaperture f/2.8 standard zoom lens for every high-end camera system on the market, so how does this lens stack up against rivals?
Build and Handling
As we’d expect the Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S feels well put together, with smooth controls and a modern, understated design. It’s not small, obviously. It’s the first lens for the Z system to offer the constant f/2.8 maximum aperture professionals will look for in their standard zooms.
Fitted to a Z 7, it’s a weighty lens that pushes the balance of the camera forward, however, the Z 6 and Z 7 have substantial, ‘grippable’ bodies, so having a big lens on a compact body doesn’t feel too awkward, and certainly feels lighter and more wieldy than Nikon’s 24-70mm f/2.8 VR DSLR lens.
The digital OLED display on the lens is a great idea, especially for aperture, distance and depth of field display, but while it’s clearly visible in indoor lighting, it can be tough to see outdoors.
It also begs another question: why have we had to wait so long for such an obvious
feature as depth of field display? Surely, given the electronic communication between the lens and camera body, we could have this years ago?
Performance
The Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S is a big lens but its focusing is quick and very quiet. It was slightly more hesitant during a night-time shooting test with very dimly-lit and low-contrast subjects, however 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, it had a mighty tough act to follow. With the Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 S review we were extremely impressed by its lab results. It’s designed as a light, affordable, compact ‘kit’ lens, yet its sharpness, lack of distortion and chromatic aberration control puts it in the top tier of standard zooms. Could the f/2.8 version be able to do even better? In a word, yes.
Verdict
The Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S is bigger, heavier and a good deal more expensive than the lighter Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 S lens launched with the Z 6 and Z 7. But for pros, the extra f-stop gain in maximum aperture – from f/4 to f/2.8 – will be key, along with the increase in centre resolution.
And there is. We thought the 24-70mm f/4 lens was good, but the Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S goes better. The smaller lens is already so well corrected for colour fringing and distortion that it left little room for improvement… But the 24-70mm f/2.8 is sharper in the centre, far sharper at the edges, and delivers not just higher levels of resolution overall, but amazing consistency across the focal length and aperture range.
We still recommend the 24-70mm f/4 lens for enthusiasts and travel photogs, purely for its size and affordability, but for professionals the Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S is a no-brainer. It’s a top quality pro lens at the leading edge of optical performance.
Sharpness
The centre sharpness figures achieved by this lens are exceptional. Even when shooting wide open, the Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S delivers high resolution.
Fringing
It’s a similar story with colour fringing. We can measure it in laboratory testing, but it’s negligible in regular photography. It’s worse at 24mm and least apparent at 70mm.
Distortion
The distortion values are so low that although we can measure them in the laboratory, they will be scarcely detectable in real-world shooting.
N-photo verdict
For most of us, Nikon’s 24-70mm f/4 is more than adequate, but for pros who really need that extra f-stop, the Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S is an exceptional lens, with astounding quality and unique features.