Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S Review

The Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S ($999.95) is one of the first lenses for the company's full-frame mirrorless camera system.

It starts its life as the default zoom for Z 7 and Z 6 buyers, and is thankfully quite a good lens.

It's sized so it balances well on the Z body design, is weather sealed, and offers a zoom range ideal for capturing everything from wide vistas to portraits, along with a good 1:3.3 macro capability.

You should make sure to buy it along with a camera—there's a $400 discount if you do.

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The Modern Nikkor Zoom

The Z 24-70mm is the first zoom lens for the Z mirrorless system, and it gives a window into what the company is planning to do with the design of its new lens series.

The aesthetics are minimalist—the Z lenses we've seen to date are all basic black, with a mix of metal and polycarbonate construction.

The gold accents, which we're used to seeing in Nikkor SLR lenses, are gone, replaced by plain white text.

In terms of size, the 24-70mm f/4 balances quite well with the Z 7.

It measures 3.5 by 3.1 inches (HD) when collapsed for storage, weighs 1.1 pound, and supports 72mm front filters.

The lens telescopes as you zoom in, extending by about two inches as it moves from 24 to 70mm.

The barrel is a collapsing design—you'll need to twist the zoom ring to extend the lens a bit before you can use it to make images.

It's not my favorite aspect of modern lens design—it saves about an inch of height when the lens is stowed in your bag, but I'd rather have a slightly larger lens which is ready to use at all times.

The standard front and rear caps, along with a soft carrying pouch and a reversible lens hood, are included with the 24-70mm.

Like the Z 7, the lens is protected from dust and splashes, so you can feel comfortable using it in any sort of weather.

The exposed surfaces for the front and rear element are coated with fluorine, which repels grease and moisture, so it's easier to keep the lens free of smudges and water droplets.

The only control switch is the A/M toggle, which switches between automatic and manual focus operation.

The focus ring is narrow, about an inch forward of the mount.

It turns continuously, but despite not being coupled mechanically, the manual focus experience is fairly solid.

Slow turns of the ring make for minor adjustments in focus, while turning it more quickly results in more dramatic changes.

I wouldn't recommend it for manual focus for video—there are no set focus marks or distances, and the electronic focus system makes smooth, steady racks difficult to execute.

The Z 7's autofocus system is quite good for video work, though, and will rack focus perfectly for you when moving from one focus point to another.

The ring doesn't sit fallow when the lens is set to autofocus.

You can configure your Z camera to use it for either EV or aperture control.

Unfortunately, it's much too easy to dial in extreme adjustments to either setting using the ring, which can ruin an exposure.

We're hoping Nikon addresses this issue via a firmware update.

The zoom ring is a mechanical design.

It turns comfortably, and is marked at 24, 28, 35, 50, and 70mm.

It's wide, occupying about two inches of space, and you won't have any trouble finding it by touch.

The focus ring is covered with rubber ridges.

The focus ring also has ridges, but you won't confuse its bare plastic design with rubber unless you're wearing gloves.

The 24-70mm doesn't have its own stabilization system.

But both the Z 6 and Z 7 includes five-axis, sensor-based stabilization.

I tested the lens with the Z 7, and found the in-body stabilization to be more than sufficient for handheld images and video with the 24-70mm.

Close focus is a strong point.

The zoom can lock onto subjects as close as 11.8 inches, measured from the image sensor.

This lets you work fairly close, and when zoomed to the 70mm position you'll enjoy 1:3.3 macro magnification at the closest focus distance.

It adds a bit of versatility to the lens, reducing the need to switch to a dedicated macro for many shots—although you won't get the same dramatic close-up looks as you would with a 1:1 macro

High-Resolution Optics

The Nikon Z 7 has one of the highest-resolution sensors you'll find on a full-frame camera, 45.7MP.

It's a camera that requires a sharp lens to net the best results.

I tested the 24-70mm with the Z 7 and Imatest software to see just how much detail the pair is able to capture.

At 24mm f/4 the lens shows 3,524 lines on a center-weighted sharpness evaluation.

That's decidedly better than the 2,750 lines we want to see at a minimum from the Z 7 sensor.

The outer edges aren't as sharp as the middle of the frame, but show acceptable (2,883 lines) results.

See How We Test Digital Cameras

Stopping down to f/5.6 improves the average (4,166 lines) and edges (3,453 lines), putting the resolution squarely into excellent territory.

It gets a little =better at f/8 (4,281 lines), before taking a slight step back at f/11 (4,122 lines).

Diffraction cuts into resolution at f/16 (3,427 lines) and f/22 (2,707 lines), although you may still want to use the smallest f-stops to turn the sun into a multi-point star in your images.

Results are very similar when shooting at 35mm.

At f/4 we see 3,401 lines on average, a very good result, but edges are a little soft (2,310 lines).

Resolution jumps to 3,888 lines at f/5.6, and edges are better (2,898 lines).

You get the crispest images at f/8 (4,042 lines), which is where you'll want to set the lens for landscape shots where edge-to-edge resolution is key—the periphery improves to 3,204 lines at f/8.

Results remain excellent at f/11 (4,000 lines), before taking a step back at f/16 (3,448 lines) and f/22 (2,621 lines).

Zooming to 50mm sharpens up edges, and images in general.

At f/4 the 24-70mm shows 3,737 lines, with strong (3,199 lines) edge performance.

At f/5.6 the lens is sharper on average (4,013 lines) and toward the borders of the frame (3,499 lines).

As expected, the best edge-to-edge performance is at f/8, where the average score hits 4,153 lines and edges show 3,947 lines.

Image quality remains excellent at f/11 (4,131 lines), but dips at f/16 (3,554 lines) and f/22 (2,730 lines).

At 70mm resolution is strong.

At f/4 the lens shows 3,439 lines on average, with edges that fall just a little shy of the average mark.

Resolution improves at f/5.6 (3,833 lines), and peaks at f/8 (4,102 lines) and f/11 (4,107 lines).

We see the expected drop at f/16 (3,595 lines) and f/122 (2,804 lines).

There's more to a lens than resolution.

We also look at distortion and peripheral illumination.

But the Z system supports automatic correction for both—not only for in-camera JPG capture, but also for Raw images.

Adobe Lightroom Classic automatically applies adjustments, and there is no way to turn them off.

So, if you shoot in JPG format and don't turn corrections off, or use Lightroom as your Raw converter, don't fret at all about distortion.

However, turning distortion correction off, or processing Raw images with software that doesn't support Nikon's suggested corrections, expect to see about 4 percent barrel distortion at 24mm and 4 percent pincushion distortion at 70mm.

Distortion isn't a concern at 35 or 50mm.

As for the vignette, even with the in-camera Vignette Control set to Normal you'll still see darkened corners when shooting at wider apertures.

Corners lag behind the center by 3.3 stops (-3.3EV) at 24mm f/4.

At f/5.6 they are still a bit dim (-2.1EV), but are within an EV of the center at narrower f-stops.

Turning correction off shows a heavier deficit at f/4 (-4.4EV), with a 2-stop deficit at narrower f-stops.

It's not as pronounced at the middle focal lengths.

We see -1.5EV at f/4 at both 35mm and 50mm with correction enabled, and less than -1EV at narrower f-stops.

With correction disabled there is a -2.8EV difference at f/4, about -2EV at f/5.6, and around -1.5EV at smaller apertures.

We see a similar vignette at 70mm as we did at 24mm.

With correction turned on there is a -2.7EV drop at the corners at f/4, about -1.3EV at f/5.6, and around a half-stop from f/8 onward.

With correction disabled the vignette is noticeably stronger at f/4 (-3.8EV) and f/5.6 (-2.4EV), before settling in around -1EV from f/11 and beyond.

A Goldilocks Zoom

The Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S seems like the right first step for the Z lens system.

Its design is modern, with understated aesthetics that should resist shifts in industrial design.

The optics match the high-resolution Z 7, and will have no problem getting the most out of the 24MP Z 6.

And, like Nikon's first two Z bodies, an all-weather build and protective fluorine coatings make this a go-anywhere zoom.

It's the size and general balance that impress me above all.

The 24-70mm feels right at home on a Z camera.

It's a benefit that comes from the f/4 design—faster zooms for mirrorless systems, like Sony's FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM and Canon's massive 28-70mm f/2L USM, are bigger, heavier options.

If you don't mind putting a big lens on the Z, an adapted AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR will scratch the f/2.8 itch while you wait for Nikon to release the native Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S, which is slated for a 2019 release.

But as attractive as an f/2.8 zoom is—you can net images with a shallower depth of field, get crisper shots in dimmer light, and enjoy the benefits of providing twice as much light to the autofocus system—there is something to be said about just how well sized the 24-70mm f/4 S is.

No, it's not an f/2.8, but it is a fine, compact f/4, with a good macro capability.

The $1,000 asking price is a little high, but until the system is better built out, most will get the 24-70mm along with a body, which cuts its cost to a very reasonable $600.

It's a good starting point for photographers jumping into the Nikon mirrorless system at this early stage in its development, and one we expect to look good even as more options become available.