Nikon Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR

£379/$377 A neat retractable design makes this a really compact and travel-friendly telephoto lens

Like the now obsolete AF-S 55-200mm zoom for DX format DSLRS, this Z-mount lens for the Z 50, Z fc and Z 30 has a retractable design. At 74x110mm and 405g, it’s about a third longer and heavier than its F-mount predecessor, but stretches longer to a 250mm rather than 200mm maximum focal length, albeit with a narrower f/6.3 aperture rating at the long end. That’s certainly not uncommon in lenses that are designed for mirrorless cameras that try to keep the size and weight to a minimum.

The lens has a particularly powerful 5-stop optical VR system built in, as well as a virtually silent yet super-speedy pulse stepping motor autofocus system. As with the other DX format Nikon lenses on test, there’s one ED element in the optical line-up, the mounting plate is made from weight-saving plastic and you’ll need to buy the hood separately as an optional extra. An upside of the Z DX lens is that the manual focus control ring can be assigned other functions when you’re in autofocus mode, like control over aperture, ISO and exposure compensation.

Performance

Sharpness and contrast are pretty stellar in the 50-135mm sector of the zoom range although sharpness drops off a little at the long end. Thanks to automatic in-camera corrections in the Z 50, Z fc and Z 30, colour fringing and distortions are a complete non-issue. If compactness is key, this lens is the best budgetfriendly option for DX format Z-system cameras and it’s the only native Z DX mount option. It’s a lightweight tele-zoom that packs a punch and is great value at the price.