Photographers using the Nikon 24mm f1.8 S will love this lens for starscapes, according to Nikon’s claims.
If you’re using a Nikon Z series camera and know anything about how good the company’s Z mount lenses have been, then you should be very excited about their new Nikon Z 24mm f1.8 S. This lens has been designed for the new Z mount system the company introduced, and features 12 elements in 10 groups. There are also nine aperture blades, nanocrystal coatings, and a minimum focusing distance of under one foot. The Nikon Z 24mm f1.8 S weighs less than a pound while having a large 72mm filter thread on the front. For those of you who love to peep your pickles (I mean, pixels), you’ll be happy to know about the single ED lens element and the four aspherical elements. Like every other lens for the system thus far, the Nikon Z 24mm f1.8 S is weather resistant. You get all this for $999.95 when it hits stores in October. That’s not a bad price tag at all. More sample photos are after the jump.
Nikon’s press release specifically targets this lens to environmental portrait shooters, cityscape shooters, and starscape photographers. They’re stating that anyone will be able to use this lens, but the fact that they’re flat-out mentioning portraiture is a pretty big claim. They’re confident about the image quality here, as they should be. The Nikon Z system has excellent lenses, and with firmware updates, their camera systems have improved for sure. But the system still has some catching up to do. In the full-frame world, they’re a bit behind on native lenses (as is Canon). But they’ll eventually catch up, I hope. Both Sony E mount and the L Mount alliance have more of a selection.
Tech Specs
| Launch Time and Date | Wednesday, September 4, 2019 at 12:01 A.M. EDT |
| Product Name | NIKKOR Z 24mm f/1.8 S |
| Mount Type | Nikon Z Mount |
| Focal Length Range | 24mm |
| Focal Length | 24mm |
| Maximum Aperture | f/1.8 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/16 |
| Format | FX |
| Maximum Angle of View (DX-format) | 61° |
| Maximum Angle of View (FX-format) | 84° |
| Maximum Reproduction Ratio | 0.15x |
| Lens Elements | 12 |
| Lens Groups | 10 |
| Compatible Format(s) | FX / DX |
| Diaphragm Blades | 9 (rounded diaphragm opening) |
| Nano Crystal Coat | Yes |
| ED Glass Elements | 1 |
| Aspherical Elements | 4 |
| Super Integrated Coating | Yes |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| AF Actuator | STM (stepping motor) |
| Minimum Focus Distance | 0.82 ft. (0.25 m.) |
| Focus Mode | M/AF |
| Rear Focusing | Yes |
| Filter Size | 72mm |
| Accepts Filter Type | Screw-in |
| Approx. Dimensions (Diameter x Length) | Approx. 3.1 in.(78.0mm) maximum diameter x 3.8 in. (96.5mm) Distance from camera lens mount flange. Based on CIPA guidelines. |
| Approx. Weight | 15.9 oz. (450 g) Based on CIPA guidelines. |
| Lens Type | Prime |
Sample Images
If these images are straight out of the camera and haven’t had any sort of editing done to them, then these are impressive. But Nikon’s colors have always been a bit weird we’ve found. Also, you can notice the distortion in the portrait subject’s legs towards the bottom. Either way, we’re sure that we’re going to have a lot of fun with it when a review unit comes in.
