Nikon has announced the NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S Lens. This is a wide-angle to short-telephoto zoom that covers a very useful range. Usually, lenses such as this with a constant f/4 aperture have a focal range of 24-105mm.
Key features
- Z-Mount Lens/FX Format
- Aperture Range: f/4 to f/22
- Three ED and Three Aspherical Elements
- One Aspherical ED Glass Element
- ARNEO and Nano Crystal Coatings
- Multi-Focus Stepping Motor AF System
- Programmable Control Ring & L.Fn Button
- Weather-Sealed Design, Fluorine Coating
The 24-120 features a relatively compact and lightweight design and it should be a pretty good all-round lens for daily use.
Optical Design
The optical design of the lens consists of a combination of three ED elements, one aspherical ED element, and three aspherical elements, both chromatic and spherical aberrations are claimed to be effectively eliminated throughout the zoom range for notable sharpness and clarity.
ARNEO and Nano Crystal Coats are used to prevent ghosting, reflections, and flare in order to realize improved contrast and clarity when working in strong lighting and backlit conditions. The Nano Crystal Coat controls incidental light from a diagonal direction while the ARNEO Coat controls incidental light from a vertical direction.
Autofocus
The multi-focus system incorporates two separate AF drive units, which are synchronized, to deliver especially fast and accurate focusing throughout the zoom range. This system uses stepping motors, which offer impressively smooth and quiet autofocus performance that is well-suited to both stills and video applications.
A full-time manual focus override is also possible and an internal focusing design is used, where only the internal lens groups are moved during focusing, to maintain the overall length of the lens during use and to promote faster-focusing speeds.
The dedicated manual focus ring at the rear of the lens for tactile and precise control over the focus position.
The minimum focusing distance of 1.1′, along with a maximum magnification of 0.39x, benefits working with close-up subjects.
Handling & Design
The programmable Control Ring can be used to control aperture, ISO, or exposure compensation.
The assignable L.Fn button works in conjunction with camera-based Fn buttons to provide seamless points for quickly changing exposure settings and other functions.
The lens features a dust- and moisture-resistant lens barrel, along with a front fluorine coating.
Price & Availability
The Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S will be available in February 2022 for $1,096.95 USD.
