The Nikkor Z 24-70 f/2.8 S Lens
Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70 mm f/2.8 S lens
When Nikon released the first generation Z6 and Z7 Mirrorless Cameras the first lens many people received was the Nikkor Z 24-70 f/4 S lens that was bundled as part of a kit. The f/4 lens quickly became renown for its superior optical performance when compared to the latest F-mount lenses like the professional AF-S 24-70 /2.8E VR lens. When Nikon announced the Nikon Z 24-70 f/2.8 S lens there were a lot of questions about how its performance would compare to the F-mount and f/4 lenses. This is however one of the best 24-70 f/2.8 zoom lenses Nikon has ever made.
The 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens is considered to be a workhorse for many professional and serious amateur photographers with its wide-to-telephoto zoom range and a relatively fast f/2.8 aperture. It is a very versatile lens that can be used for many types of photography. Most previous 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses either showed mediocre optical performance, or performed reasonably well but were large and heavy. The AF-S 24-70 f/2.8E VR lens is 88mm diameter x 155mm long and weighs over 1kg. The new Z lens, by comparison is 30mm shorter and almost 300g lighter.
There are many similarities between this lens and the Z 14-24 f/2.8 S lens so much of the information below will be familiar to readers of my previous review.
The Nikkor Z 24-70 f/2.8 S lens (centre) compared to its predecessors, the AF-S 24-70 f/2.8G ED (left) and the latest AF-S 24-70 f/2.8 E ED VR (right)
Build and Ergonomics:
The Z 24-70 f/2.8 S follows Nikon’s new style - a simple black body with white text colour scheme with only the silver Nikkor S label to identify it as a high spec lens. Nikon has lost the gold accents and plethora of switches normally found on its high end F-mount lenses. The simple modern design of the new Z-mount lenses hides the complexity of the optical designs that make these S lenses some of the best performing and superior built lenses Nikon has ever made.
Like the Z 14-24 f/2.8 S lens, this lens is equipped with an electroluminescent (EL) panel, lens function (L-fn) button and third control ring. The lens is larger than the Z 24-70 f/4 S and is a similar size to the older F-mount G lens but is much lighter, the F-mount lens weighs over 900g whereas the Z-mount weighs in at approximately 800g. The latest AF-S 24-70 f/2.8E VR lens is significantly larger and heavier (1000g). By comparison the Z 24-70 f/4 S lens is much lighter still at 500g.
As with the Nikkor Z 14-24 f/2.8 S lens, the 24-70 lens is a mixture of polycarbonate and metal construction but it has a much higher quality feel than its smaller companion.
The lens has three rubberised ribbed rings. Starting at the front of the lens there is the manual focus ring, then the zoom ring and closest to the body there is a customisable control ring. All three turn smoothly with no indication of sticking or binding. The control ring function can be customised in the camera body (Custom Settings > f.Controls > f2 Custom controls assignment). By default the control ring offers aperture control, but can be customised to change exposure compensation, ISO setting or be disabled.
Focus ring at the top (nearest lens front), larger zoom ring in centre and narrower control ring closest to camera (between zoom scale and lens designation). Note the A/M switch on the left side of the lens barrel.
Like the 14-24 f/2.8 S (and unlike the two f/4 Z lenses), this lens does not feature the retractible locking design for compactness. This means that out of the box the lens looks significantly larger than the 90mm long Z 24-70 f/4 S. Once the f/4 lens is unlocked and zoomed to 24mm though, the extending barrel makes the two lenses similar sizes. Both the f/2.8 and f/4 lenses have extending barrels, similar to the F-mount AF-S 24-70 f/2.8G ED. At 24mm the f/2.8 and f/4 Z lenses are 135mm and 118mm long respectively. As the lens is zoomed the barrels extend until at 50mm they are at 145mm and 130mm long respectively. Beyond 50mm the lens barrels extend again to almost 160mm for the f/2.8 and 145mm for the f/4, only 15mm difference between the two lenses when in use. The f/2.8 lens only has a single barrel extension whereas the f/4 lens has a two barrel extension. The two Z lenses are shortest at the 24mm focal length and increase in length steadily as the lens zooms to 70mm. This is different to the older F-mount AF-S 24-70 f/2.8G ED lens I used to have which was shortest at 50mm and then extended its barrel towards either the 24mm end or 70mm end of its zoom range. Not a big deal - just something I noticed.
Nikkor Z 24-70 f/4 S (top) in extended position at 24mm is not that much smaller than the Z 24-70 f/2.8 S (bottom)
The lens is fitted with an Electroluminescent (EL) display panel and two push buttons, DISP and L-Fn. The display panel is similar to the top panel of the Z6 and Z7 cameras and shows Nikkor when the camera is first switched on, then can be used to display the zoom focal length, aperture or focus distance. The display turns off automatically after a short while but can be turned back on by pressing the DISP button. This button is also used to cycle through the information options that can be shown on the screen. When displaying focus distance the EL panel also provides depth of field ranges, something that can be easily missed unless you look down on the lens since the view from behind the camera is slightly obscured by the cut-out around the panel. I tend not to use the EL display much once its novelty had worn off, but this would be useful for low light and nighttime photography so you don’t need a torch to check on zoom or focus distance scales. The display may also be useful for those wishing to use hyperlocal distance to maximise image sharpness - the photographer using the f/4 lens has no way of knowing where the lens is focussed.
The L-Fn function button can be assigned using the camera menu. I’m not sure whether this is a “per lens” function assignment or a “per camera” basis as I set up the L-Fn options on my Z 70-200 f/2.8 S lens to initiate subject tracking and when I mounted this lens it was already set to subject tracking mode. Something to consider as the ultra wide angle lens is not something I would normally use subject tracking with. Its simple to change from the camera menu however so not a problem for me.
The lens is fully waterproofed and weather sealed and the front element is also coated with a fluorine coat to repel moisture, grease and dirt, making it easier to keep the lens clean.
The Nikkor Z 24-70 f/2.8 S lens features extensive weather sealing throughout. This includes gaskets and o-rings for all moving parts, push buttons and switches.
Vibration Reduction:
The lens does not have any in-built vibration reduction, instead relying on the In Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS) of the Z series cameras. The IBIS offers full 5 axis (pitch, roll, yaw, horizontal and vertical) image stabilisation with this lens and is claimed to provide up to 5 stops of correction.
Focus:
The Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S is also the first Nikon lens to feature two separate AF drive units that use stepping motors to deliver fast, accurate and quiet autofocus operation. This ensures that the lens autofocuses almost instantaneously and accurately and is silent. In most cases the lens just appears to be perfectly in focus and unless you quickly move from near to far objects it is difficult to see it trying to focus - it is that quick. Previously I have used F-mount lenses and there is a tendency for them to chatter when adjusting focus in AF-C mode, not ideal for video shooters as the microphone would pick up this noise. This lens does not have the same issue.
The lens can be switched into manual focus using the switch on the side of the lens barrel or via the menu system in the camera. Manual focus of the lens uses a “fly-by-wire” focussing ring that is speed sensitive, so the faster you turn the lens ring the more it moves focus.
The lens also has a manual override for autofocus, so for example, you can turn the focus ring while in autofocus mode with the shutter half pressed (or the AF-ON button pressed) to fine tune the focus, including using the rangefinder and focus peaking options in the viewfinder.
Image Quality:
The Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S is optically superb. The lens features some of the most advanced technologies seen to date from Nikon. It has four aspherical and two extra-low dispersion (ED) elements The Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S is coated with four different coating technologies – ARNEO, Nano Crystal Coat, Super Integrated Coating and Fluorine Coating. Images are extremely sharp from all focal lengths and apertures. There is some softness at the extreme edges and corners when wide open but this is much better than previous F-mount lenses or the f/4 Z lens. When stopped down to f/4 the lens is incredibly sharp.
ARNEO is a brand new coating technology that can reduce reflections from incident light in vertical direction. The Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S is the first Z mount lens that comes with such coating.
The lens shows no signs of vignetting or distortion due to the built in lens correction profile applied in the camera and carried across into programs such as Adobe Lightroom Classic. If you use other software that doesn’t support these built in profiles then there is some barrel distortion at the wide end and pin cushion distortion at the higher end of the zoom range. Using the Nikon built in profiles however corrects out all distortion so most photographers will never see the effects.
The lens appears to be extremely well protected against flare when shooting into the sun, with no flare spots noticeable on my images.
This photograph of the rear of Muncaster Castle in Cumbria shows the absence of any noticeable distortion or vignetting
Z 24-70 f/2.8 S at 24mm on Nikon Z7 II at f/4, 1/200th second at ISO 64 unedited exported from Lightroom
The lens is extremely sharp and free from distortion even into the edges and corners of the frame. Again notice the lack of vignetting
Z 24-70 f/2.8 S at 24mm on Nikon Z6 at f/5.6, 1/160th second at ISO 100 unedited exported from Lightroom
Again, the lens shows no evidence of distortion or vignetting at 70mm
Z 24-70 f/2.8 S at 70mm on Nikon Z7 II at f/8, 1/200th second at ISO 64 unedited exported from Lightroom
Filters
The lens has an 82mm filter thread for circular screw-in filters but can also accept the HB-97 lens hood from the Z 14-24 f/2.8 S lens. This allows the use of 112mm screw-in filters, meaning owners of both lenses can share the larger filters to reduce costs. I use the HB-97 hood on the Z 24-70 f/2.8 S with Kase Wolverine Magnetic Circular filters as they can be quickly installed and removed once the adapter has been screwed into the hood.
The Technical Bits:
Mount Type: Nikon Z Mount
Focal Length Range: 24-70 mm
Aperture Range: f/2.8 to f/22
Aperture Blades: 9 (rounded)
Filter Size: 82mm
Lens Elements: 17
Lens Groups: 15
Special Elements: 4 Aspherical, 2 ED glass
Fluorine Coating: Yes
Nano Crystal Coating: Yes
Super Integrated Coating: Yes
ARNEO Coating: Yes
Electronic Diaphragm: Yes
Focus Motor: Dual AF-P Stepper Motors (STM)
Internal Focusing: Yes
Internal Zooming: No
Minimum Focus Distance: 38 cm (15 inches)
Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 1:4.5, or 0.22x Magnification
Weather/Dust Sealing: Yes
Mount Material: Metal
Dimensions (Diameter by Length): 89 x 126 mm (3.5 x 5 inches)
Weight: 805 g (28.5 oz)
Angle of View: 84° (at 24mm) to 34° 20’ (at 70mm)
Conclusion:
Nikon has created an extremely impressive mid range zoom lens with the Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S. Its performance, especially sharpness, is remarkably good across most of the frame, with only minor softness at the corners at its widest zoom and when wide open at f/2.8. It provides uncompromising performance at all focal lengths and apertures. Its consistent sharpness from the center of the frame all the way to the edges shows how superb this lens is. Compared to the previous F-mount lenses this new Z-mount optic is in a different league.
Not only has Nikon provided superior performance compared to the DSLR lenses, it was also able to do it while cutting down both the size and the weight of the lens.
