NIKON NIKKOR Z 24-70MM F4 S
Check out Nikon’s first S-series zoom for the Z-series mirrorless cameras
This zoom is the lens you’ll end up with if you buy the Nikon Z7 or Z6 in kit form. Priced by itself at just under £1,000, it is more than any ordinary kit lens.
As it’s made for mirrorless this lens is a bit smaller and lighter than ‘retro-focus’ designs for SLRs, a fact made more apparent by the inclusion of a retractable design. When extended though the lens isn’t really that much more compact. Still, with part-plastic, part-metal external barrels it’s quite nicely made, even if cosmetically it’s a little sombre.
The barrel extension feels firm and secure, but the tightly fitting hood doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that will always be the case; we’d prefer a looser-fitting one with a lock.
On the Z7 the clean cylindrical profile complements the small body and balances well. Autofocus is smooth and quiet, and seemingly more geared towards video than stills in terms of outright speed of operation, but no less impressive for that.
The optical performance is also well balanced. Contrast is high throughout the focal range and resolution is good centrally, though it falls off towards the edges of the frame, particularly at the longer focal lengths.
Lateral chromatic aberration, geometric distortion and vignetting are all corrected in-camera, but may not be removed by your favourite RAW converter. Even then it’s still a really good performer as there’s nothing that can’t be fixed with a few adjustments.