Considering the strides they’ve made with their full-frame cameras, it’s sometimes odd to look at Nikon and see them announce a new lens for APS-C cameras. Don’t get me wrong, I feel the same way about Canon doing it. Overall, it’s nearly impossible to beat what Fujifilm does at this point in the APS-C camera world. But the new Nikon Z 24mm f1.7 DX looks almost like a pancake lens and reminds me of what I wish Fujifilm would do: small lenses with a fast aperture and a nice build.
For the record, Fujifilm has all those things; but in recent times, they’ve seemingly started to lose their way and become tempted by the SLR-style camera world. Yet Nikon doesn’t really have that issue. With a few APS-C cameras already under their belt, the new Nikon Z 24mm f1.7 DX is offering photographers quite a bit. Here are the specs you need to know:
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Nikon Z 24mm f1.7 DX Tech Specs
Here are the new specs on the Nikon Z 24mm f1.7 DX:
- Nearly 35mm field of view equivalence
- 7-inch minimum focus
- Stepping motor
- Minimum aperture of only f11
- 9 elements in 8 groups
- 7 aperture blades
- 46mm filter thread: which means it’s a pretty small lens
- 2.8 inches by 1.6 inches
- 4.8 oz. Apparently, that’s the weight of something like a deck of cards.
- Available for $279.95
Who is it For?
Nikon is obviously not targeting the new Nikon Z 24mm f1.7 DX at the higher-end crowd. We’re told by Nikon that this lens has some weather resistance. The diagram here confirms that as we can see the sealing in yellow. Photographers won’t necessarily need a lens filter, but if there is no rubber gasket at the mount, it would give me pause about using it. With that said, we’ve used Nikon lenses that don’t have a gasket at the mount before and instead simply have a lip that comes over the mount instead. All of Nikon’s full-frame lenses that we can think of have better weather resistance. Instead, this is a cheap lens designed to give photographers something to use when traveling. Most importantly, it’s supposed to be something around a 35mm field of view with a fast aperture. Lots of newer photographers will find a lens like this super appealing. Considering Nikon’s rebates and deal announcements, they might also heavily discount it in sales efforts.
Though I doubt it would happen, I think Nikon would be missing a very big opportunity here if this didn’t become an available kit lens. Nikon’s marketing information provided to the press really emphasizes the bokeh and the accessibility for creators overall. And if that’s the case, I think that Nikon should offer it as a bundle option. Most people picking up a camera for the first time won’t understand the value of prime lenses though. They’ll instead go for zooms because their phones previously did that so poorly. Still, there’s something to be said for the beauty that a fast aperture lens delivers — specifically, one that you want to carry around with you everywhere.
Nikon Z 24mm f1.7 DX Sample Photos
The following images were provided to the Phoblographer by Nikon.
Given the nature of what Nikon is showing us, I’m very perplexed. Several of these images are around food, water, the boardwalk, and in nature. All of those places require weather resistance; and I’m curious to see how this lens holds up in the long term. Travel bloggers and vloggers alike both really need weather resistance and better build quality — especially if you’re newer to the field and know little to nothing about using cameras.
Though I’m critical of this, I have to transparently say that every time we’ve questioned Nikon’s durability, we’ve always been surprised. I’m simply trained to do this, considering the stuff that both Sony and Sigma produce.
This is a question I currently ask myself and that I hope gets answered eventually. But if this were their full-frame camera system, I’d be more inclined to understand that a photographer would stay.