At CP+ in Japan Nikon was showing the NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S, the first ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for the Nikon Z full-frame mirrorless camera system, as well as the NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8 S.
NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S
The lens is very compact and lightweight at just 1.07lbs (485g). It is considerably lighter and smaller than both the Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR lens and the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED.
Unlike other full frame wide angle zooms that start at 14mm, the front element is almost completely flat, this makes it a good lens for video shooters as you can attach a variable ND filter (82mm).
Nikon claims that the NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S has unparalleled control of distortion and chromatic aberration and that anti-reflective Nano Crystal Coatings help reduce ghosting and flare.
I got to try the NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 with the Z7 running beta firmware that included the Eye AF. The lens was nice to use and its lightweight, compact size was well suited to the Z7 or Z6. Nikon has spent a great deal of time optimizing focus breathing on all of their new Z mount lenses, which is good news for video shooters.
The lens appears to be nice sharp and I was able to compare it directly against the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED that was mounted on a D850. To my eye, the lenses looked very similar in terms of wide-angle distortion and sharpness. I couldn’t notice any real world difference in the autofocus performance between the two lenses and camera systems.
The NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S has a Customizable Control Ring which can be used for manual focusing (default), aperture control (great for iris transitions during video recording) or exposure compensation. What I liked about the location of the Customizable Control Ring is that ist made it very easy to focus manually when shooting video because you can just place a single finger on the ring and move it easily and precisely.
When shooting video you get the added benefit of the image stabilization system which provides up to 5 stops of pitch, roll, yaw, X and Y shake correction.
The NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 will retail for $1,299.95 USD.
Nikon was also showing the new NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8 S at CP+ 2019. The lens features 17 elements in 15 groups (including 2 ED elements, and 4 aspherical elements. It has a 9-blade aperture and is the first lens to feature the new ARNEO & Nano Crystal coat which claims to deliver minimal aberrations, minimize reflections, less ghosting, and sharper images.
Weighing in at 805g (1 lb 12.4 oz), it’s lighter than the NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED Lens (900g), Sony 24-70 F2.8 GM (886g) and much lighter than Canon’s heavyweight RF 24-70 F2 (1430g).
We also got to try this lens out and it was nice to use and hold. It’s always hard to judge image quality on a show floor, but the lens is nice and sharp, produces pleasing bokeh, and looked to have good autofocus performance running the beta firmware that is going to be released in May.
The NIKKOR Z 24-70 f/2.8 S lens is available for pre-order and retails for $2,299.95. It comes with the lens hood, cap & soft pouch.
Z mount lens Roadmap
Nikon has also updated their Z mount lens roadmap. The following lenses will be available:
2019
- Nikkor Z 24mm f/1.8 S
- Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.8 S
- Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 S
2020
- Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S
- Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.2 S
- Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S
