The Nikon Z series of lenses, for their full frame mirrorless system, continues to grow apace, and the Nikkor Z 24mm f/1.8S is the latest, awaited it must be said with a keen sense of anticipation. At this point, we have already reviewed the Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8, the Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 and the Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.8S. All three were found to be superb and duly awarded the accolade of Editor's Choice.
Can Nikon really do it four times in a row? It's time to dust off the Nikon Z7 Full Frame 45.4MP body, load the XQD card and find out if they can.
Nikon Nikkor Z 24mm f/1.8S Handling and Features
The first impression is again of a well made, very understated lens in terms of appearance, it being little more than a tube with one control ring and an AF/MF switch. Adding a slight variety in appearance, the front end of the lens is slightly fluted outwards. It weighs in at a svelte 450g, is dust and water resistant and has nano crystal coatings that enable us to peer into the front element and clearly see the 9 bladed diaphragm. The aperture has a very well rounded appearance, boding well for the delivery of smooth bokeh. The diaphragm is electronic, as on all recent Nikkor lenses, making the operation smooth, silent and accurate. This is ideal for videographers in particular.
There is a provided bayonet fit petal lens hood. This clips firmly into place and has no tendency whatsoever to be accidentally shifted. Within the bayonet fit is a standard 72mm filter thread.
The manual focusing ring is very broad and allows for an excellent grip. It is electronic and totally silent in operation, but it is more than that as it can be programmed to adjust focus (full time), aperture or exposure compensation; all silently and so having excellent potential for video shooting as well as stills. The focusing range extends down to 0.25m, or 0.82 feet, offering a maximum magnification 0f 0.15x. This is fine for a 24mm lens, allowing focusing close enough to include powerful foreground elements in an image. 24mm is a very practical length for a wide-angle lens and we do need to get in close to make the most of the potential for sweeping, dramatic perspective.
Optical construction is 12 elements in 10 groups, including 1 ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) and 4 Aspherical. Holding the maximum aperture to f/1.8, as opposed to the much larger and heavier f/1.4 lenses, has perhaps advantages in terms of portability and makes better sense in many ways with the potentially smaller mirrorless system bodies.
AF is driven by two near-silent motors and the point of focus is found with no hesitation whatsoever. In general terms, handling is superbly straightforward. Some lenses just gel instantly with a photographer, and there is nothing here to detract from that shooting experience.
Nikon Nikkor Z 24mm f/1.8S Performance
Looking first at sharpness, centrally results are excellent at f/1.8 and outstanding from f/2.8 through to f/11. The smallest aperture, f/16, is excellent. At the edges, sharpness is excellent at f/1.8, outstanding from f/2.8 to f/4, excellent from f/5.6 to f/11 and still very good at f/16. As with the other lenses in the range, any aperture is fully usable across the whole field and results are the very highest standard.
Nikon Z 24mm f/1.8 MTF Charts
How to read our MTF chartsThe blue column represents readings from the centre of the picture frame at the various apertures and the green is from the edges.The scale on the left side is an indication of actual image resolution and sharpness as LW/PH and is described in detail above. The taller the column, the better the lens performance. For this review, the lens was tested on a Nikon Z7 using Imatest. Want to know more about how we review lenses? |
CA (Chromatic Aberration), even with all in camera corrections switched off, is approaching zero at most apertures. It is basically just not a consideration at all.
Nikon Z 24mm f/1.8 Chromatic Aberration Charts
How to read our CA chartsChromatic aberration (CA) is the lens' inability to focus on the sensor or film all colours of visible light at the same point. Severe chromatic aberration gives a noticeable fringing or a halo effect around sharp edges within the picture. It can be cured in software.Apochromatic lenses have special lens elements (aspheric, extra-low dispersion etc) to minimize the problem, hence they usually cost more. For this review, the lens was tested on a Nikon Z7 using Imatest. |
Distortion measures -2.03% barrel, correctable if required, but in any event what we would expect from an ultra-wide lens.
Although wide-angle lenses are not generally looked to for smooth bokeh, basically because they are often used at small apertures and hyperfocal distances to render everything sharp, the rounded aperture does, in fact, yield some very smooth out of focus effects. With closer subjects in particular, even at 24mm some selective focus is possible and therefore the smooth bokeh is a definite advantage.
Flare resistance is excellent, and we need to work the lens very hard to find any signs of artefacts. Even with the sun right on the edge of the frame contrast hardly suffers and the artefacts that we can generate are very minor.
Vignetting is an obvious -2.7 stops at open aperture, reducing to -1.7 stops at f/2.8 and then -1.6 stops throughout the range. It can obviously be corrected if required, but the corner darkening of an ultra-wide lens can actually have many benefits, including a natural vignetting effect when shooting landscapes under blue skies.
The conclusion is that we have here another top-class lens for the Nikon Z system, no if, buts or caveats.
Nikon Z 24mm f/1.8 Aperture range
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Value For Money
The Nikon Nikkor Z 24mm f/1.8S lens is priced at £1049. An alternative, albeit with a reduced maximum aperture, might be the Kipon 24mm f/2.8 in Nikon Z fit, £499
To give an idea of value compared with other marques:
- Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 G Master – FE Mount, £1399
- Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art – L Mount, £799
Clearly there are very few 24mm lenses for mirrorless cameras, and yet it is a very useful focal length. The alternatives I have found are f/1.4 optics, with just the Kipon representing third party manufacturers. At this quality level, the new Nikon lens looks fair value, especially taking the high standard of results into account.
For more options have a look at the Top 19 Best Nikon Lenses.
Nikon Nikkor Z 24mm f/1.8S Verdict
Gorgeous results from a lens that is gorgeous to handle. Nikon really have cracked it with these Z series lenses. The quality is there and the price is still in the realm of being realistic. The handling is sublime.
So, to answer the initial question posed as to whether Nikon can do it for a fourth time in a row, yes they can. Thus a well deserved Editor's Choice for a cracking good lens.
| An outstanding 24mm lens for the Nikon Z system. |
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