Best Nikon Z standard lenses

I’ve already started writing about the Z-mount with several articles. One of them is about the best Nikon Z wide-angle lenses. To get started, I invite you to check out my dedicated page (which is updated daily with new releases) listing all current Nikon Z lenses. I include Nikon lenses, of course, but also third-party options.

It’s a huge sensation for a brand that has been using the F-mount since 1959, and since 2018 Nikon has been offering full-frame mirrorless cameras using the Z-mount. In the meantime, of course, Nikon has had a number of new lenses on the market to take advantage of this new mount.

This article will help you choose from a range of Z-mount lenses. These lenses cover the standard focal lengths between 35mm and 70mm. Standard focal lengths include prime lenses and zooms. Prime lenses are popular for photojournalism (e.g. weddings) and street photography, but they can also be used for more versatile applications, such as landscape or portrait photography. Here, I will separate prime lenses and zooms.

As these lenses are not the subject of this article, please also have a look at our page on Nikon Z telephoto lenses.

You can access the different lenses by clicking on the links below:

• Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S
• Nikon Z 50mm f/1.4
• Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S
• Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S
• Nikon Z 40mm f/2
• Nikon Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct

Below is a summary table of the main features of these lenses.

At the end of 2020, Nikon announced a lens that many would have liked to see used on SLRs, given that this lens is used on Canon SLRs: the 50mm f/1.2 S.

Image quality is good at the widest aperture, but you’ll only get really good detail at f/2. The build construction is very high-end, with an LCD screen to display certain information. The AF is quiet and accurate, though not the fastest. However, especially when compared to Sony’s GM and Canon’s L versions, its size and weight are regrettable.

This is clearly a top-of-the-range lens aimed at professionals who aren’t afraid to work out, at a price of €2,600.

At the end of 2024, the NIKKOR Z 50 mm f/1.4 became Nikon’s new fixed focal length for Z-mount hybrids. Positioned between the 50 mm f/1.8 S and 50 mm f/1.2 S, it offers a very good compromise between optical performance and wide aperture, all at a very affordable price!

Its f/1.4 aperture gives excellent low-light performance and a very shallow depth of field, making it ideal for portraiture and artistic photography. Its customisable focusing ring makes it easy for videographers to keep things running smoothly. The construction is tropicalised and robust.

This affordable lens is an interesting alternative to other Nikon Z 50mm lenses. Although it is not stabilised, it remains bright and performs well. It’s perfect for portraits, video and street photography! This lens is an excellent choice if you are looking to invest without having to go for Nikon’s higher-end, and therefore more expensive, models.

Nikon is releasing this 50mm f/1.8 S, one of the first Z-mount lenses, in early 2019. This emblematic focal length differs from those offered on SLRs. It is more upmarket and therefore bigger, heavier and more expensive.

The image quality is excellent at full aperture and improves even more at the f/2.8 aperture. The AF is fast and quiet, and this is a lens with very few faults. In other words, this f/1.8 is an excellent option if you don’t have the budget or the desire for the f/1.2 version.

As with the other f/1.8 S lenses, the price is much higher than the f/1.8 SLR versions. This 50mm costs over 700€, whereas the SLR version costs just over 200€, but the build quality and optical design are far superior.

At the end of 2018, Nikon released this 35mm f/1.8, one of the first three lenses in this mount, almost simultaneously with the announcement of the first Nikon Z6 and Z7 mirrorless cameras.

Image quality is good from full aperture. It improves from f/2.8. AF is quite fast and quiet. The build quality is very good, worthy of the other lenses in the S series. Given the lack of alternatives, this is the best Z-mount 35mm available.

Once again, Nikon’s move into the f/1.8 range is also pushing up the price, as it is available for around 1000€, whereas the previous SLR version came in at less than 500€.

At the end of 2021, at the same time as the 28mm f/2.8, Nikon announced the release of the 40mm f/2. It was simply designed to be light, compact and affordable.

The simple optical design and plastic construction make it very light and compact. This comes at the expense of image quality at full aperture, as with the 28mm. However, the image quality is much better. At f/5.6, it is excellent. The AF is not the fastest. But it is quiet and accurate. This is a practical lens for street photography, just like the 28mm.

Like the 28mm, this lens is available for around €300. It is the least sophisticated and least bright, but also the least expensive.

We’ve also detailed the best Z-mount pancake lenses of the moment in a dedicated article!

In late 2019, after announcing loud and clear that the new Z-mount would allow very large aperture lenses, Nikon had to release one to prove it. This is why they decided to bring us this 58 mm f/0.95.

Although the optical quality is already very good at full aperture and exceptional from f/1.4-2, and the construction is of a very high standard with an LCD control panel, it has to be said that such a “cinder block” without autofocus is out of place in the current hybrid market. There could be some consolation in terms of price, but no!

With a price tag of around 9,400 €, even those with deep pockets will have little interest in this type of lens. Congratulations to Nikon for bringing us a quality monster that is unaffordable and unusable for 99.99% of people.

Here is the table showing all the characteristics of the lenses presented:

To view the details of each lens, you can click directly on the links of the lens you are interested in:

• Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S
• Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S
• Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 S
• Nikon Z 28-75mm f/2.8
• Nikon Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3

You will find a table showing all the characteristics of the lenses in this list.

At the beginning of 2019, Nikon is releasing the classic of its full-frame professional standard zoom lenses, the 24-70mm f/2.8 S, in a Z-mount format. The SLR versions have often been less appreciated than Canon’s SLR version. This new 24-70 passes with flying colours.

Image quality is excellent at full aperture and consistent throughout the focal length range. This is a great achievement, as is the top-of-the-range build quality and LCD control panel. Optical flaws can be noticeable, but these are mainly easily corrected by software. AF is fast and quiet.

This is the best Nikon has to offer in terms of standard zoom lenses at €2600, the usual price for a 24-70mm f/2.8 from the manufacturer.

Nikon announced a new standard zoom lens, the 24-120mm f/4, at the end of 2021. Nikon had already made a name for itself in SLRs with a 24-120 mm f/4 G. This new hybrid model lacks stabilising and relies on sensor stabilisation.

Image quality is very good at full aperture, especially at intermediate focal lengths (35mm to 105mm). It is much better than the SLR version. It slightly outperforms the 24-70mm f/4 at certain focal lengths, except at 70mm. The build quality is very good, and the autofocus system is quite fast and quiet.

At a price of 1250 €, it is a very good alternative to the 24-70mm f/2.8 and has a wider focal length range. It’s also lighter and more compact, but if those are your priorities, you’ll have an even better choice with the next lens.

This 24-70mm f/4 was one of the first three Z-mount lenses to be released at the end of 2018, when the Z-mount was introduced. This is surprising, considering that Nikon did not offer a 24-70mm f/4 in its SLRs, unlike Canon, which still hasn’t developed one for its RF mirrorless cameras.

The image quality is quite good, below the 24-70mm f/2.8, of course, but also slightly below the recently released 24-120mm f/4 at full aperture. The differences with the latter disappear as you stop down, but the f/2.8 remains a step ahead. Nikon’s focus was on size and weight. As a result, it has some optical flaws, but most of these are corrected by software. The AF is quite fast and quiet.

At €1,200, just under the price of the 24-120mm f/4, it’s an excellent choice if you like compactness. It can be even cheaper when sold as a kit with a camera body such as the Nikon Z6.

At the beginning of 2022, Nikon released the 28-75mm f/2.8. According to some, it was an adaptation of the Tamron version offered in the Sony E mount. It’s true that they share many similarities, especially the filter diameter and the adjustable minimum focusing distance from 19 to 39cm, while other Nikon zooms have a fixed distance throughout the range.

Image quality is good from full aperture, although there is a noticeable lack of homogeneity between the centre and the edges throughout the range, which improves when the lens is closed, but does not reach excellent levels. The construction is not as high-end as that of the S-series zooms, but it is still quite good. The AF is relatively fast and quiet.

For €1,050, Nikon offers a slightly cheaper alternative to the 24-70mm f/4 and 24-120mm f/4. You gain a wider aperture but lose the compactness of one and the focal length of the other.

In the middle of 2020, Nikon released a 24-50mm f/4-6.3 zoom lens. It came as a kit with the Z5. The whole package has been designed to offer the cheapest, most compact and lightest possible entry into the FF world.

At the risk of coming as a surprise to you, this lens hasn’t been tested very often, haha. Image quality seems decent, but clearly not up to the level of the above lenses, and we’re still talking about an entry-level kit lens that might end up being used as a cap for your camera body. The build quality is also entry-level. It is plastic and has no all-weather protection. It has the merit of being extremely light and compact. However, we would expect nothing less from a zoom lens with such limited focal lengths and maximum apertures, even in FF.

Selling for €500 on some websites, if you’re going to use it, it’s best to get it as a kit with the Z5, or look at another zoom if you have a body other than the Z5.

You can find the essential characteristics of these lenses in the table below:

Once again, the Z-mount’s youth is a limitation. Only a few third-party manufacturers are currently able to offer lenses in this mount. Virtually none offer a choice of zoom or autofocus.

There are also options from Viltrox, Meike and 7artisans, the few brands currently making Z lenses with AF. They don’t reach the level of the Nikon S and have much bigger optical flaws that are harder to correct, but they are cheaper, so it’s up to you to see if the superior quality of the Nikon is worth the cost. Here’s a summary of the alternative lenses I’ve found so far:

There are also other standard manual focus lenses available. I won’t go into them in this article. I invite you to take a look at all the lenses available on my dedicated page.

The FTZ ring and its recently released version allow you to use F-mount lenses. But we’re waiting for new native options to take advantage of the Z-mount and all its possibilities.

If you’re looking for one or more standard focal lengths for your Nikon Z hybrid, these are the options. Most of them are still very expensive, and the alternatives are few and far between. But you’ll generally get lenses of good quality, both in terms of construction and image. Nikon doesn’t stabilise any of these standard lenses, preferring to rely on stabilising their sensors to save weight and compactness (and in theory, price, but it’s not obvious haha).

I hope this helps you decide what to buy and that you’ll be happy with what you end up getting. If you know of any other options, don’t hesitate to add them in the comments.

Speak to you soon, and don’t forget to check out our page on the best current Nikon Z lenses!

Written by Sylvain PONS

I've been passionate about photography since 2010, learning as I went along. Today, I dedicate myself to guiding others in their choice of camera gear and sharing a variety of tips to improve their photography skills.

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