Nikon's Z system of cameras and lenses is steadily growing and now offers a very strong range that consistently nails it in terms of quality. Some of the lenses, especially the premium S range, are expensive, but now some new, very affordable optics are emerging. The Nikkor Z 28mm f/2.8 SE has already been reviewed and found to be superb, and hot on its heels we have the Nikkor Z 40mm f/2, similarly compact, light through the use of plastics, but this time without the overtly retro styling. It will be fascinating to see if it proves to be as good as the 28mm, so let's couple it up with the full-frame 45MP Nikon Z7 II and find out.
Nikkor Z 40mm f/2 Handling and Features
The lens is light, weighing in at 170g, made possible by the extensive use of plastics including the mount. Construction quality is excellent and there is some dust and water sealing that will enable use in more situations. Nikon qualifies this on their website by saying water sealing is not guaranteed under all circumstances. This leaves us making a judgement as to how much rain, for example, is too much rain, but it has to be better than no sealing.
Intended for both full-frame (FX) and crop sensor (DX) Nikon Z cameras, on the crop sensor the "35mm equivalent" field of view equates to 60mm. This leaves the lens being a "wide standard" on full-frame and a short telephoto on APS-C. Both options are useful and in fact, 40mm lenses seem to be making a bit of a comeback.
Starting our tour of the lens at the front, there is no provided lens hood, always a shame, and for what it would cost including one would be a nice touch. There is a standard 52mm filter thread. Looking into the front element, the 9 bladed diaphragm can be clearly seen, making a very smooth rounded aperture.
There is only one control on the lens, the smooth electronic manual focusing ring. In fact, this control ring can be programmed by the camera and there are several function options. Focus, in AF or MF, is the default and we have the alternative options of aperture adjustment, exposure compensation and ISO. Not all may be available with all camera bodies.
Focusing is down to 0.29m, or 0.96 feet, for a maximum magnification of 0.17x. AF is driven by an impressively quiet stepping motor that is no slouch in finding the point of focus. Accuracy appears to be good, so the image snaps into focus efficiently.
Optical construction is just 6 elements in 4 groups, including 2 aspheric. We might expect from this a lens showing high contrast images and very little flare. There is no VR (Vibration Reduction) built into the lens, so we rely on VR in the camera bodies. Not all the Nikon Z bodies have this.
The lens is so simple to use that it becomes a simple extension of our eyes and the 40mm focal length gives a natural view of the world. It is very close to the theoretical standard lens for 35mm-format, which would be 43mm, calculated using a measurement of the diagonal of the format. If used on APS-C, then a 60mm-equivalent field of view is a slightly different beast, but still very useful. Of course, very early f/2 standard lenses were often 58mm, so a 60mm is not too far away from that.
Apart from the aesthetics of the image, the lens also has the merit of being extremely light and easy to carry for as long as it takes without fatigue. We are into the realms of compact travel lenses and there is much to be said for travelling light.
Nikkor Z 40mm f/2 Performance
Central sharpness is excellent at f/2 and f/2.8, outstanding from f/4 to f/8 and excellent at f/11 and f/16. The edges are very good at f/2 and f/2.8, excellent from f/4 to f/11 and very good at f/16. This holds true for most normal focusing distances.
Sharpness does fall down at the edges and corners when we move towards the closest focus point and attempt to shoot flat subjects, and in this case, it needs stopping down as much as possible to ensure centre, edges and corners are crisp.
Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm F/2 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 II using Imatest. Want to know more about how we review lenses? |
CA (Chromatic Aberration) is measured with any in-camera adjustments switched off, and is very low indeed. There is no real sign of fringing and it is very unlikely that any further adjustment will be needed.
Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm F/2 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 II using Imatest. |
Distortion measures -0.63% barrel, which is an excellent result and again unlikely to need further reduction either in-camera or in software.
Bokeh is very smooth and pleasant and using the Nikon Z7 II can be judged in the viewfinder or on the screen as the lens operates at working aperture, showing depth of field and bokeh changes as we change the aperture.
Flare is expected to be well controlled because of the small number of elements and it is indeed well controlled. Contrast is well maintained and it is difficult to induce artefacts, although not totally impossible in the most severe lighting.
There is some vignetting, and this is especially visible wide open, but it is not excessive and can of course enhance many subjects, guiding our eyes towards the centre of the frame.
| Aperture | Vignetting |
| f/2 | -2.2 |
| f/2.8 | -1.6 |
| f/4 | -1.5 |
| f/5.6 | -1.3 |
| f/8 | -1.2 |
| f/11 | -1.2 |
| f/16 | -1.2 |
Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm F/2 Aperture range
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Value For Money
The Nikon Nikkor Z 40mm f/2 lens is priced at £249 while the Nikon Nikkor Z 28mm f/2.8SE is priced at £299. This is definitely in "plastic fantastic" territory but it does offer value for money. There are no alternative 40mm lenses for Nikon Z, but as a price comparison there is the Sony FE fit 40mm f/2.5G priced at £629.
For more lens options, have a look at our lens top lists which feature optics we've reviewed and compiled into easy-to-read lists so you can make more informed decisions.
Nikkor Z 40mm f/2 Verdict
There is no doubt that the lens delivers an excellent to outstanding performance, and at a very keen price. Add to that the small, light form factor and we have perhaps an ideal travelling companion. The 40mm focal length is versatile on both FX and DX formats, albeit with a slightly different emphasis on composition in both cases.
The only slight faltering of performance is when we attempt to shoot flat subjects at close to the minimum focusing distance, and then we need to stop down to bring the edges and corners in crisply. This may well be due to field curvature and it does look much better on 3D subjects.
Overall though, a superb lens that continues to make the Nikon Z system look really impressive and makes the 40mm f/2 an 'Editor's Choice'.
| Editor's Choice - A superb high-performance lens at a very keen price. |
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