Z mount native lenses

[BernardLanguillier]

About this zoom lens I read a nasty flare can be a problem while shooting with the sun in the frame; have no experience myself.
What I do not like the auto distortion correction- it should be a photographers choice. In some use it is really necessary to be switched of.

On C1 Pro distortion isn't corrected unless you activate the profile that is provided. Only LR applies the correction by default.

I have seen one occurrence of bad flare that appeared to be more an issue with ghosting (light reflecting from the sensor to the rear element and back) but it was in very specific conditions (shooting over water with the sun near sunset illuminating a very thin layer of clouds increasing dramatically its apparent size). I have shot straight in the sun many times since then and haven't seen any issue. I would say that the lens is overall very highly flare resistant.

Cheers,
Bernard

[armand]

I wonder what chances are to see a higher quality 24-120 F4 equiv. I used it a lot on the D750. Less great from 70 to 120 but surely beats cropping. A 24-105 would be fine too but it's too close to the current 24-70. I expect to have something in the more consumer range in few years but would be nice to have a similar quality to the current 24-70 F4 S. The problem with the Z-mount (or in my case for Fuji) is that the mount is closed and very small chances to have third party autofocus lenses. This is where Sony did the right thing.

A 24-120 is the ideal minimum for me to have in a travel kit and would cover most scenarios. Yes, I can work with a 24-70/85 equiv but is not as good. A 24-200 range like the newest Sony RX100 or the Oly version would be even better but probably just too big for a full frame.

[BernardLanguillier]

Yes, I think that Nikon was stupid not to open the mount.

Because the thing is that the third party will probably develop for E mount and then port to Z and R, meaning that the third party lenses will have a hard time to compete on quality since they will have developed the lens for a mount 20% more narrow and less shallow.

The only exception may be Sigma that is likely to develop for L mount (and skip entirely the E mount market with dedicated mirrorless lenses).

I believe that a more compact 24-120 f4-5.6 may be ok as well providing it is S spec.

Cheers,
Bernard

[KLaban]

if you do take the plunge, i’d love to hear how it goes, especially the 50 summilux asph! my eyes don’t work so well with the rangefinder nowerdays...

Adrian, if I were you I wouldn't hold my breath, every indication is that the M lenses will suffer on the Z, particularly at large apertures. It's a pity and it means if I do take the plunge then the Z will be an addition to the Leica rather than a replacement.

[BernardLanguillier]

https://www.dpreview.com/samples/9193092497/nikon-z-24-70mm-f2-8-s-sample-gallery

It seems to offer a remarkable compromise between technical excellence across a wide variety of shooting conditions and sweet look.

I now have first hand experience to confirm what others have reported. This lens is stunningly good.

Cheers,
Bernard

[adriantyler]

Adrian, if I were you I wouldn't hold my breath, every indication is that the M lenses will suffer on the Z, particularly at large apertures. It's a pity and it means if I do take the plunge then the Z will be an addition to the Leica rather than a replacement.

yes, it’s not something i’m counting on, but this chap seems to think otherwise:

https://www.eoshd.com/2018/10/first-ever-shots-from-the-nikon-z7-at-f1-0-with-leica-noctilux-in-the-darkness/

[faberryman]

yes, it’s not something i’m counting on, but this chap seems to think otherwise:

https://www.eoshd.com/2018/10/first-ever-shots-from-the-nikon-z7-at-f1-0-with-leica-noctilux-in-the-darkness/

Everyone has different subjective opinions about what is acceptable performance.  Take your lenses and a memory card to the store with you and decide for yourself. Better yet, rent the camera for a week before you lay down the long green.

[adriantyler]

Everyone has different subjective opinions about what is acceptable performance.  Take your lenses and a memory card to the store with you and decide for yourself. Better yet, rent the camera for a week before you lay down the long green.

good advice!

[D Fuller]

Everyone has different subjective opinions about what is acceptable performance.  Take your lenses and a memory card to the store with you and decide for yourself. Better yet, rent the camera for a week before you lay down the long green.

You’d better plan on taking an M to Z adapter as well. It’s not likely to be a stocked item at most stores.

[KLaban]

You’d better plan on taking an M to Z adapter as well. It’s not likely to be a stocked item at most stores.

And don't forget your brand new XQD card, XQD reader and that 1010 page menu walkthrough...

;-)

[Rob C]

And don't forget your brand new XQD card, XQD reader and that 1010 page menu walkthrough...

;-)

And some of us thought film photography was expensive and required lots of equipment.

:-)

[KLaban]

And some of us thought film photography was expensive and required lots of equipment.

:-)

And in order to get ACR support from Adobe for the camera and lenses I'd also need to ditch my copy of Photoshop CS6 and pay for a monthly subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud. Yes, I know I could use DNG converter or Nikon special sauce (or whatever it's called) but I'd really rather not.

You know, I think I'll just pass and slum it with my Leicas.

;-)

[Rob C]

And in order to get ACR support from Adobe for the camera and lenses I'd also need to ditch my copy of Photoshop CS6 and pay for a monthly subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud. Yes, I know I could use DNG converter or Nikon special sauce (or whatever it's called) but I'd really rather not.

You know, I think I'll just pass and slum it with my Leicas.

;-)

OMG, Keith, surely something can be done through collective goodwill to help save you from that!

:-)

[BernardLanguillier]

https://nikonrumors.com/2019/04/24/nikon-nikkor-z-50mm-f-1-8-s-lens-tested-at-dxomark-it-comes-close-to-some-of-the-best-and-most-expensive-lenses-currently-available.aspx/

Best CA correction among 50mm lenses. As good overall as lenses costing a lot more.

Such an amazing achievement.

Cheers,
Bernard

[faberryman]

https://nikonrumors.com/2019/04/24/nikon-nikkor-z-50mm-f-1-8-s-lens-tested-at-dxomark-it-comes-close-to-some-of-the-best-and-most-expensive-lenses-currently-available.aspx/

Best CA correction among 50mm lenses. As good overall as lenses costing a lot more.

Such an amazing achievement.

What does the number in the box in the DxOMark score mean? For example, for the 50mm Zeiss  Otus in Nikon mount it is "2" and for the 50mm Nikon S it is "38"?

[BernardLanguillier]

What does the number in the box in the DxOMark score mean? For example, for the 50mm Zeiss  Otus in Nikon mount it is "2" and for the 50mm Nikon S it is "38"?

Isn’t that the absolute ranking among the lenses they have tested?

Cheers,
Bernard

[faberryman]

Isn’t that the absolute ranking among the lenses they have tested?

That is what I was thinking, but if the 50mm Nikon S is so great, why is it ranked 38th? I suspect a lot of lenses have the same DxOMark score.

[BernardLanguillier]

That is what I was thinking, but if the 50mm Nikon S is so great, why is it ranked 38th? I suspect a lot of lenses have the same DxOMark score.

You can access the full list easily. You will see that lenses ranked higher include a long list of super tele lenses costing in excess of 10,000 US$,...

Cheers,
Bernard

[johnvanatta]

Just ignoring any of DXO's scalar ratings is a good plan. The sharpness field map can be excellent information, but it needs rescaling for modern lenses, since it's basically all green at 1.8.

The 24-70 I'll ding for corner performance, and the 35/1.8 gets a ding for LOCA. Fine lenses, but I can't give top marks. The 50mm seems exceptional though...is there anything at all to dislike?

[BernardLanguillier]

The 24-70 I'll ding for corner performance, and the 35/1.8 gets a ding for LOCA. Fine lenses, but I can't give top marks. The 50mm seems exceptional though...is there anything at all to dislike?

The corner performance of the 24-70 f4 is very good, just short of the excellence of the center.

Regarding the 50mm f1.8S, some may say that the bokeh isn't as sweet as some other lenses, but they are typically f1.4 designs. The bokeh is not poor by any means, just not outstanding.

Cheers,
Bernard