Photography News 96 - Newsletter

First test

TEST PICTURES

Test shots were done at a selection of focal lengths: 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 70mm and 120mm. Pictures were taken on a Nikon Z 7II shooting Raw, with the camera tripod-mounted and shutter release on self-timer. Shots were processed in Adobe Lightroom with default sharpening.

24mm

35mm

50mm

70mm

120mm

F/4

F/5.6

F/8

F/11

F/16

F/22

optical performance, which was very agreeable, especially at the shorter focal lengths. At 24mm, the lens gave lovely crisp detail and good sharpness in the centre, from f/4 through to f/8. Edges improved when stopping down, and performance began to drop off from f/11 and f/16. At this focal length, the deciding factor on which aperture to use depends upon how much depth-of-field is desired stopping at f/16. It was a similar showing at 35mm and 50mm, with both values exhibiting impressive performance at the wider apertures – before tailing off very slightly at f/11, and rather more noticeably at f/16 and f/22. Zooming out beyond 50mm, lens quality did not quite attain the heights achieved by the shorter focal lengths. It was still good, just not as good. Again, the wide apertures did well – with f/8 a peak for the 120mm setting,

before diffraction took its toll at f/16 and f/22. There’s no VR system, which is a possible issue with non-IBIS-equipped bodies. But I tried the lens on the Z 7II (with electronic front shutter), which does have IBIS. While testing, I was consistently getting sharp shots at 1/8sec at 120mm. WC

Verdict I found the Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S a great partner for the Z 7II. It’s compact for its coverage, optical quality is very good – especially at the mid apertures and shorter focal lengths – and is great to use. Some minor flaws include performance at the small apertures and its modest f/4, although the latter is not really an issue with the fine high-ISO performance of Nikon Z cameras. Without doubt, the Z 24-120mm f/4 S is a welcome addition to Nikon’s Z family. It’s incredibly practical to have so many standard zoom options. At £1099, this is a more expensive model than the 24-70mm f/4 (£999) and 24-200mm f/4-6.3 (£849), but is still excellent value for what’s on offer. PROS Great walkaround lens, useful focal length range, S-level performance, lens function button, manual focus barrel and function ring great to use CONS No integral VR (relevant to Z fc and Z 50)

ROUND THE BACK A few Z mount lenses are coming through with non-metallic mounts, but the 24-120mm is an S lens – no compromises here

BEACHED The Z 24-120mm f/4 S makes for a lovely walkaround lens. Here, it was used at 40mm on a Nikon Z 7II, using 1/80sec at f/8 and ISO 200

58 Photography News | Issue 96

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