Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 Z Review

[@bigdhav]

This with z9 is my dream kit

[@KamenKunchev]

I compared prices with similar F4 lenses for Canon and Sony and it appears Nikon has done it again - lowest price and best quality. I am getting one for my Z 6.

[@LarryHopper]

Mine has been on backorder for 2+ months and I am eager to receive it. Keep up the good work, Richard.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Larry, hope you will get your soon!

[@benjaminthorpe7990]

What a beautiful lens. It looks like it produces lovely images! Well done Nikon

[@bioliv1]

This must be the best all-around lens of any system now! Thought to get the Sony 24-105 mm, as it's on winter sale, but this lens is so much better. Hope Sony will make an upgrade soon? Or maybe I move to the Z-mount?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Why not just get a Z camera and keep your Sony so you can enjoy the best from both systems :)

[@bioliv1]

​@@scotttucker9613 Last day of winter sale for Sony 24-105 mm was yesterday, so glad I dropped it! I must really go into the thinking box now:-)

[@KungPowEnterFist]

@@scotttucker9613 This is the story of basically every Z lens vs its comparable E lens. Sony is easily 10-15 years behind in every case. The bright side is that E lenses cost the same amount? That's a pro, right?

[@mlai2546]

You can get an adapter and can keep using Sony lenses on Nikon Z bodies.

[@mlai2546]

@Peter Hamilton the smaller mount is really crippling Sony cameras. If you look at Chris Frost review of the Viltrox lens. He said Viltrox lenses on Nikon Z is apparently sharper compared to Viltrox lens for Sony. He does not know why.

[@sjofelumsk]

I'm in the process of getting into photography and like so many others I found your video after narrowing down my best options for my Z6II. I will probably end up having three or four lenses at the most and I'm looking for a first that would cater for most needs. I'll be doing product photography, some landscape and everyday use. I think this will be a perfect choice for that, especially seeing that this lens actually is quite capable at semi-macro footage as well - huge pro. It seems to be very versatile. Thanks for your thorough review, it helped me out quite a bit on making up my mind!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

It's indeed a really versatile lens

[@PvMLad]

Im finding it impossible to decide between this 24-120 and the tamron 35-150. Might have to rent both and decide based on feel.

[@cryptobyt2403]

This is true allrounder lens. I think ill get this lens and z50/1.8 when i got z6-3/ mk2 dunno, right now i use z50 with z35/1.8. This lens Close focus image so good. Tamron i think best suited for pro. Wedding business.

[@over-x-poser6289]

Nikon and Panasonic got it right. 24-105 Lumix offers better magnification & zoom mechanism + OIS vs a little more reach, FN-button/-ring and slightly lighter. A comparison sure would be interesting between the two, albeit probably close.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I will see if i get a chance to do that in the future :)

[@quiver99]

Agree on everything you say even if I’ve only made a photo shoot with the lens. Its a pleasure to use and I’m delighted to own it. Excellent review Richard, as usual. I wish you a lovely week.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you very much Turk99! Have a wonderful week :)

[@jimwlouavl]

Good review. I’ve been on my local store’s waiting list for a while.

[@David-pu6hx]

Great review! I just got mine last week. It is a great walk around do it all type lense!

[@Greetz108]

I would be happy if you would also test sun stars (from the real sun) in your reviews in the future. Sun stars from artificial light sometimes behave differently compared to the real sun. For example, I think of the Nikon 14-30mm f4 S in particular: lights on the Christmas tree look fantastic (see here: "DPReview TV: The great ultra-wide sunstar shootout"). But at the same settings with the real sun, the sun stars seem a bit jumpy and form less defined rays. You have to google for sample images. Furthermore, it is important that the atmosphere is free of any haze, dust, clouds, so that you get sun stars (whether beautiful or less beautiful). Of course, all sun stars can gain a boost towards beauty when the sun hangs in the dense treetop with lots of leaves or scratches another edge of an object (mountain, house wall, etc.). However, this type of test is rather less meaningful. As a landscape photographer I like to position the sun in the sky without an object scratching the sun. Okay, sometimes the sun hangs between branches etc. ;-) I would also like to point out something else: The sun stars also change with the focal length of the lens. For example, the new Nikon 24-70 f4 S has a nice sun star with defined lines at 24mm and f22, but no defined rays emerge at 35mm, 50mm and 70mm (anything above 24mm). Despite the closed aperture, these rays appear to have fanned out. I hope you understand my request Chris. Therefore, I would be happy if you consider all focal lengths with a closed aperture in your reviews and use the right sun (free atmosphere) as the light source. I've seen a lot of reviews here on KZbin and unfortunately the sun stars are very often neglected! As a landscape photographer who wants really nice sun stars (bless the old Nikon 20mm f1.8!), it's difficult to find this info on a number of websites. I think this adds even more value to your reviews. I hope I'm not alone with my thoughts and desires and would appreciate a "thumbs up" so Chris can read this. So thanks again for everything and may God bless you!

[@seanstours3913]

Best review on youtube for this lens , thank you

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Wow, thanks Sean!

[@ramonarias1234]

WOW! What an amazing lens Nikon created! thank you very much for your work, it is clear that this lens is the best kit option for any z body

[@exert2020]

Great video as usual.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you very much!

[@Kopetefish]

Love the silhouette photo at 10:51. Great review!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you , yes i like that photo too :)

[@Photojouralist123]

Hey Richard thanks man, love your review. I just booked mine for my Z9 Thanks

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Enjoy it John!

[@Photojouralist123]

@@TheRealRichardWong I really like your channel! I try to watch every episode

[@Raistlin7070]

I just bought this lens accidentally (complicated story) but I'm truly impressed with the portability and weight.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

purchased accidentally 😲 but glad to hear you are enjoying it

[@jamesduncanlinch6322]

Great review , thanks

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks James!

[@obedbrinkman]

looks like a stunning lens, will defenitly get one in due time 😎 great review!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks for watching Obed Brinkman

[@alotlater1905]

Unable to find the worshen edition anywhere

[@obsidian00]

This bad boy and a couple of primes and I’d be set…with a Z9 body of course 😉 …that being said, NIKON needs to bring back the gold ring on their top end lenses! 👍🏾

[@mlai2546]

They did for the 400mm. I am guessing there will be 3 versions: regular, S Line and Gold ring.

[@danielfrancione3710]

Nikon 24-120mm Lens is one of the Best lenses i have ever had, it doesn't matter if it's a f/4 it's Better to have the extra reach Than 24-70mm The Nikon 24-120mm kills the 24-70 dead in its tracks. i don't understand why most "Photographers dont't see it" The Nikon 24-120 is the Finest lens in its class that Nikon has ever produced.! { " "I truly wish other Photographers such as would give this lens the kudos such as YOU.!"" } ThanYou.!!! BostonMassachusetts/TimeTraveler Again ThankYou

[@brio_photographer]

I'm dreaming to get this lens + nikon z5 as my first kit as I switch to mirrorless

[@seba3233]

Nice video . for outdoor walks, street and portraits of my little daughter, what do you recommend on Nikon Z f? tamron 28-75mm f2.8 di iii vxd g2 or Nikkor z 24-120 f4 s

[@TheRealRichardWong]

It's quite a personal thing I feel. Back a few years ago, i would choose the Tamron because of it's 2.8 aperture. But now i would choose 24-120 because of it's wide end 24mm

[@seba3233]

@@TheRealRichardWong thanks 🙏🏼

[@rick-ross]

Excellent review. Thank you!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you Rick!

[@juansol1499]

Great review Richard! Thanks a lot. I've already have it. It's the 3rd version I've got from Nikon in the same range lens (24-120) and I agree with you in the terms you were talking about. Thanks!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Glad to hear we shared same experiience/thoughts about this lens

[@dougnelson423]

Great video Richard, thanks for your imput.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Doug Thanks for watching!

[@livejames9374]

Wow this is a really great lens.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you for watching

[@be_bigger_today]

You rock Richard! 💪💪💪

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks Peter!!

[@CGYPP]

Thanks Richard, yet another superb review (of a great lens)! I am wondering: how about VR efficiency? Did you try to handhold anything around 1/10s at 120mm? Any feedback will be appreciated.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hi Vaclav, the lens has no VR so it really relies on the camera's inbody image stablisation system for that. So i didn't really do any stablisation test with this lens as the result would depend on the camera (and the user) rather than the lens

[@CGYPP]

@@TheRealRichardWong oops. I thought it is a VR lens - my bad. Thanks for you reply anyway!

[@parshua]

Thanks for the review Richard, you never disappoint. I have a question though: Did you take a look at distortion in RAW? Here you just show a video sample footage, which may be digitally corrected. How does it perform in RAW?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

hi parshua, thanks for watching! Re the RAW, yes i had a look, and they look pretty much the same as the video (which is actually a HDMI screen capture ). Nikon RAW file's distortion control are embeddedd and automatically applied , so if i have to remove that, actually need to do quite a bit of work to remove those profile/metadata. I have done that in some of my previous Z lens review, but not every Z review as I'm still undecided which way is the "better" way to do.

[@parshua]

@@TheRealRichardWong I assume you have read the DPReview article regarding the embedded profiles and that has influenced your method. While I respect that, I'd argue that the optical performance of a lens is independent of the digital corrections, and since digital corrections can always be applied later anyway, there is no need to include them in lens tests. Further more, digital corrections are not always necessary and in most circumstances, I do not apply them in the software I use (DxO Photolab) unless they have visual influence in the image. If you don't show us the actual optical performance of the lens in your review, there is no way for us to assess its suitability for our requirements without actually buying it ourselves, which is counterproductive in a review. Thanks again for your hard work.

[@CarmenBota]

Hi Richard, do you think this lens would be suitable for studio product photography?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yes I think so!

[@CarmenBota]

@@TheRealRichardWong thank you very much

[@CamMead]

Looks like a great lens! I could see myself with one :)

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Get a Z ;)

[@NetvoTV]

Can you make video compare the available lenses of Nikon Z and Panasonic L mount, which is better right now and what's their future?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Sorry quite unlikely at this stage, mainly because of the huge amount of work/time required to do a thorough, objective analysis of lenses from both camps. Just to give you some context, a "simple" 3-lens vs review could easily take me 1 month.

[@nerwin]

Pretty impressed how close it focuses. Considering selling my 105 2.8 S & 24-70 f/4 S for this lens. Hmmm!

[@PrVladimir]

Looks like a great lens! Thanks!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks for watching Vladimir!

[@shadyninja1]

Nice review but it would have been better to review this lens with the more regular z6 or z7 series or even the z5 cameras

[@TheRealRichardWong]

oh why is it ?

[@shadyninja1]

@@TheRealRichardWong it's because most of us can barely afford a Z9 Nikon.

[@FunMushizzle]

​@@shadyninja1 disagree, everything noted here in terms of lens performance is applicable to a Nikon Z5 to Z7II, the sharpness, bokeh, coma, sunstars, focus speed etc. will all be identical on any Nikon Z body. The only variable is sensor size in megapixels and that's largely irrelevant as all of to a lens review.

[@chuckg4947]

Thank you for your excellent review. I have a question- What would be the better lens to buy as an all around and /or travel lens? This lens or the 24mm-200mm z lens?

[@DjCjFoto]

Hard decision, either one is excellent. I owed 24-200, but I sold it once I purchased 24-120s. I love it so far, one of the best lenses I ever touched, normally in its class.

[@Lon1an]

Z24-200 is a bit softer and a bit slow on autofocus but still a very good lens! I have it on my z50 and on my z6 I have z 14-24 f2.8s . Perfect combo for landscape.

[@chuckg4947]

@@DjCjFoto Thanks!

[@chuckg4947]

@@Lon1an Thanks!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

i agree it is hard to choose. i guess it depends on how often you need the 120-200mm especially closer to the 200mm focal length. If you think you need to shoot at close to 200mm very regularly, then get the 24-200. Otherwise the 24-120 is an excellent lens you will be very happy with!

[@ApoErylle]

I hope you could still guide me in my decision making. I do have the nikon 24-70 f4 s lens. This coming June, we'll be having a trip to Vietnam and I'm planning to upgrade the said lens to the 24-120 f4 and bring along the 50 f1.8 s for lowlight situations. Is the 24-120 f4 a substantial upgrade from 24-70 f4 lens?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I have never compared the two f/4 zoom lenses so i can't tell you the difference in terms of image quality. However i would say the main difference is the zoom range if i'm getting a 24-120 f/4 instead of the 24-70 f/4

[@leobn2010]

Thanks for taking the time to do this thorough video! Cheers!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

My pleasure Leo! Thanks for watching

[@selvamakephotography]

Im planning to buy Z6ii with 24-120 f4 next month with additional battery offer ...is this right choice to choose?? Or i have Another plan Sony a7iv only body with some Third party 28- 70mm 2.8 ...which one will be good for wedding all rounder with single lens for now

[@TheRealRichardWong]

@@selvamakephotography this 24-120 f/4 is a fantastic lens if you don't need faster aperture

[@SPictures_S8]

Currently im using f mount 24-120mm for event photography, it do well for me. And im having Z5 with 24-200mm lens which not performing well in event photography. So, plan to buy this 24-120mm for my z5, is this lens workable as my f mount for d750...?? please share your opinion..

[@TheRealRichardWong]

This is a much better lens than the f mount 24-120 in many ways

[@roniL2000]

I’m debating about upgrading my 24-70 f4 to either the 24-120 or the 24-200. My issue is that I feel that the 24-120 isn’t enough of a focal range difference to justify the upgrade. In terms of the 24-200, I like it but I’m worried about the flaring and slight IQ differences at 24. Any chance you can share some thoughts in terms of the difference between using 70mm vs 120mm?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

If i already have the 24-70 f/4, i probably won't get the 24-120 as you said the difference isn't big enough. you can use this Nikon website to see the difference between 70mm and 120mm yourself :). imaging.nikon.com/lineup/lens/simulator/

[@roniL2000]

@@TheRealRichardWong oh! Thank you very much, I didn’t know I can see the difference on the website

[@CC3GROUNDZERO]

As an owner of this lens, I just found out that Nikon disabled the fully mechanical shutter whenever this lens is attached to your camera. Apparently this was done as a poor man's version of vibration reduction / image stabilization because the lens is very susceptible to shutter vibration especially at longer focal lengths. This might be okay, but what just doesn't sit right with me is how Nikon never openly mentions this. Customers are forced to find out after buying the lens.

[@roniL2000]

How does this compare against the 24-200?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

this should be better in terms of IQ.

[@rbvan]

I was waiting for your review Richard! Great job once again. Silly question in regards to corner sharpness… you did a jump from 24mm right to 50mm. Do you think the results would be the same for 28mm and 35mm? I’m wondering if a 28 and 35 the corner sharpness would be as good as at 50mm. Thanks again! 🙏

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hi riicosreallife, 28 was quiet similar to 24mm from memory, but i haven't check the 35rmm sharpness.

[@SokTeJebo]

Its helps with disortion, and sharpnes is a bit better at 35mm, when i shoot groups of ppl i try to be between 35-40 when i dont have enough room to use 50mm+, this lens is superb at 35+

[@bosskoron6178]

Thank you for good review!👍

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks for watching :)

[@marknorris3769]

is minimum focus distance from sensor or from front lens element ?

[@yheah7192]

Always from sensor, for all brands

[@marknorris3769]

@@yheah7192 thank you

[@julienmerelli2191]

I would have preferred a 35-150 like the Tamron ;)

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Julien oh yes Tamron 35-150 is awesome! But that's a lens hat is double the price (despite it is a 3rd party lens) and 50% heavier. so quite a different lens targeting very different users.

[@julienmerelli2191]

@@TheRealRichardWong I've heard that the Nikon 28-75 f2.8 could be made by Tamron... if it's true I think it could be possible to get a Nikon 35-150 in 2022 or early 2023... I hope so ;)

[@ZEAPONTech]

💪💪💪

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hello zeapon!!

[@SokTeJebo]

This lens is much better and feel alot more solid in quality then 24-70 f4 which was big let down imo

[@michaelschroeder1158]

24-120 s lens

[@bravobrave7777]

Хороший объектив, но как обычно конский ценник(

[@archascents5157]

no VR? disappointing

[@Digmen1]

Kee Orah - Go woke go broke! Speak english!

[@Cleverconveyence]

?