REVIEW
Nikon Z
24mm f/1.8 S
£1000/$1000
It’s another Z lens. Can you guess the rating?
At the risk of sounding like a broken record,
the Nikon Z 24mm f/1.8 S doesn’t disappoint...
he Nikon Z 24mm f/1.8 S has
modest-sounding specs by
today’s standards, but
there’s nothing wrong
with that. While some
lens manufacturers
have been bulking up
their offerings and
creating heavy f/1.4
optics and faster glass,
Nikon has stuck to a more
modest f/1.8 aperture rating for
the primes in its Z-mount S-line stable.
The Nikon Z 58mm f/0.95 Noct is a
notable exception but the rule of thumb is
that, while the 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and
85mm f/1.8 lenses certainly aren’t small,
they’re quite compact and lightweight. This
makes them look and feel a perfect match
for the Nikon Z 6 and Z 7 full-frame bodies.
Sharing the same 72mm filter thread as
the Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 S standard zoom,
the 24mm is also a similar size and weight.
As usual for Z mount primes, there’s a
switch for auto/manual focusing and thelarge manual focus ring is electronically
coupled to the stepping motor that drives
AF. You can also customize the action of the
focus ring during autofocus, to silently
control the aperture value or apply varying
amounts of exposure compensation.
The optical path is based on 12 elements
in 10 groups, and includes four aspherical
elements and an ED (Extra-low Dispersion)
element. The overall aim is to maximize
sharpness and contrast while
keeping distortions
and chromatic
aberrations to
a minimum.
Nano Crystal
Coat is also
applied to
minimize
ghosting and
flare, and to
retain good
contrast even
when shooting
into the light.Build and handling
High-quality plastics and a metal mounting
plate combine to give the
lens a solid and
sturdyfeel. Every joint
and moving part of
the lens’s exterior
is fitted with a
weather-seal,
from the focus/
control ring and
frontal areas to
the A/M switch at
the rear. There’s
also Nikon’s usual
rubber ring
around the
mounting plate.T
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Specifications
Mount Nikon Z
Equiv focal length (DX) 36mm
Maximum aperture f/1.8
Construction 12 elements in 10 groups
(including 1 ED element, 4 aspherical
elements, and elements with Nano
Crystal Coat)
Angle of view FX: 84°, DX: 61°
Focusing Rear focusing system
Min focus distance 0.25m
Diaphragm blades 9 (rounded)
Filter size 72mm
Size 78x96.5mm
Weight 450g