Nikon Z 40mm f/2 lens review

It's compact, fast and affordable! Is the Nikon Z 40mm f/2 lens the perfect lens for Nikon Z shooters?
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[@randomstranger2472]

The smooth focus pulling on the videos looks perfect! Very human like!

[@henrydsilva]

Thanks Richard for excellent review. I love all your videos. All the best.

[@dummybert]

Amazing lens. The pros are super relevant: size, price, weight, and image quality. The cons seems pretty insignificant to me: plastic mount (which I don't care as it doesn't change the image quality), no lens hood included, and (very little) focus breathing. I was planning to buy a 50mm 1.8 but, overall, I think this lens it's an amazing deal. Great review, as usual. Thanks for your great work!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks Eduardo! This 40mm is definitely a really good deal!

[@RiposteThis]

People making a big deal about the plastic mount are ridiculous. If it was a 70-200 f2.8 or a 400mm sure, but a lens this small and light it makes no difference. And good plastic is better than cheap metal. It's just a picking point for people who will never even try this lens to talk about.

[@mneedes2]

A lens is a lever arm that applies torque to the mount. the shorter and lighter the lever arm, the less forces that are applied to the lens mount and the less strength that is needed in the mount. In this tiny lens that weighs around 170 grams, a plastic mount is BETTER than metal due to the weight savings.

[@WOLFTICKVIDEOS]

@Eduardo Garcia I actually have both and you can't go wrong either way. The 50 1.8 is a little better in all categories except size, weight, and price although rightnow the 50 1.8 is on sale making it just $200 dollars more than the 40. Good luck with your decision.

[@dummybert]

@@WOLFTICKVIDEOS I really feel like having both at some point. :)

[@stevenball9277]

I am considering this lens as my only lens to take with me on a long distance tramping holiday, mainly due to weight and size. The only bit that concerns me is the lack of an O ring on the lens mount, whilst the lens is sealed, that mount isn't, from I can work out from the specs. I can live with the real world optical constraints as the increase in quality over say a GoPro for outdoors is huge, I would have gladly paid an extra $30 for a metal lens mount with S lens level water sealing. Great review BTW.

[@warn0245]

Excellent review, as always. Thanks Richard!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you Sean! :)

[@felixdamith1]

Great review Richard… lovely information and comparison of the lens … great balance lens from Nikon

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks for watching Felix

[@billmoyer3254]

Richard, outstanding work. Here's wishing you 100k subscribers soon!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

haha thanks Bill! It maybe quite a while to reach 100k. I can only focus on creating some good contents and hopefully I will get there one day!

[@billmoyer3254]

@@TheRealRichardWong Yes, you will. Talent and hard work always win in the fullness of time.

[@craigcarlson4022]

I purchased my 40mm several weeks ago, but it's still on back order. Hopefully we'll see it soon! Love the 40mm focal length.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@Ivan__77]

Would you recommend 40mm f/2 or older 50mm f/1.4g with FTZ adapter as a go to every day combo for kids & family photography on Z7II? My favorite combo was D850 with 50mm f1.4g due to the light weight, size, versatility and capability when it comes to portraits with nice bokeh. Ever since I switched to Z system I noticed I am not picking up my camera as often as before due to the size and weight of S lenses and I am looking for a lighter but still capable option and this seems to be the only solution.

[@fffuuuiiis2948]

Thanks for the excellent review, good points. (I posted my same comments elsewhere). I like 40mm and have been waiting for this lens, for the compact size, as my first native Z mount, yet so far I found nothing compelling about it, still debating whether to shell out $300 for AF or not, I'm hesitating and have not pulled the trigger. Coming from using old-school lenses, I understand the complains about the plastic mount and agree that makes it sound like a cheap lens, but it doesn't bother me. Not a bad lens it seems, but sadly it's less compact than my $100 Hexanon with the adapter, the IQ is about the same, Hexanon is f/1.8 even. I could just spend that money on an AF m-to-z adapter and adapt a Voigtlander like the Nokton 40/1.4, or even the funky but tiny Heliar 40/2.8.

[@uniktbrukernavn]

Nice to see affordable, small and lightweight lenses in the Z lineup, they can't all be "noct" type, state-of-the-art lenses. The simple lens design probably make it less prone to flaring despite not having NANO coating. On Canon the video AF slows down to minimize noise and make the AF smoother and more pleasing to the eye, maybe Nikon did the same with this lens?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

yes i agree. "Noct" type lenses are more to show off what they can do, but for average user, lens like this 40mm is more relevant. Also I agree that the simple design must contribute to the good lens flare performance Thank you for watching uniktburkemavn

[@chickenpasta7359]

Thanks for using real world properly edited photos. A lot of reviews for this lens have, honestly, pretty mediocre image quality and it seems like people are just randomly snapping photos and rushed to get the video out for the lens shortly after release. I went ahead and ordered this lens as my compact travel photography kit. Thank you for the video

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks for watching! Yes as a photographer myself i really try my best to capture some nice photos for each of my review and find out it's pros (and cons).

[@ramv]

I bought this am very pleased with this. This with z6 ii is all you need.

[@charbelesber1257]

Great detailed review as always. Many thanks !

[@TheRealRichardWong]

cheers Charbel :)

[@johnyoung1606]

I always believe that your description is the best critically .... THANK YOU !!!!! i TRUST WHAT YOU SAY :)

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you so much John

[@fabshop6359]

Brilliant review. Following this review I now know that this lens is ideal for my needs so, off to buy one. Cheers, Tom.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Tom, glad it was helpful!

[@sbphotography3751]

Great review - love your calm style!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Glad you enjoy it! Thanks for watching

[@PrVladimir]

Thanks for the detailed, informative review!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks for watching Vladimir

[@clarkejones8090]

Richard, I agree with the other people who have said either that this is an excellent review or that you maintain this very high standard in all your reviews. Thank you. Re this lens. From what you have noted about it , for me it would be a "gateway" lens, so to speak, into the Nikon Z system. (The problem for me is that the camera body that would otherwise suit my needs, the Z5 , has an eye view finder that does not suit my eye . I can not see enough of the view) . Since I wrote this I went to a camera store and experienced the view finder of the Z5 again. This time I found it acceptable. I feel a bit foolish, as I cannot account for the difference in my experiences and assessments. But mainly I feel very pleased , as ,for me, the impediment to choosing/ investing in the Nikon Z system has been removed.

[@tsalikaki]

same here i'm buing a z5 and this lens for food photography this week so excited .

[@clarkejones8090]

​@@tsalikakiGood. I hope you get lots of pleasure from this kit.

[@Realletsplaygrey]

The lens seems so great

[@juanpsolf]

Thank you very much, Richard. I was going to buy it and I need a review like yours. I agree: sometimes I might use a "non" perfect lens, with some degree of "own personality"..

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Juan, thanks for watching :)

[@dr.seltsam1975]

Great Review ! Can't wait until my Nikon 40/2 arrives :)

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Enjoy your Z40/2 !

[@Eklipze]

Well said, the imperfections give the lens a character. This would be a good lens along with the Zfc and 28mm. I'm considering skipping the Viltrox 35mm and getting this lens. Weather sealing is really nice for have on vacation which the Viltrox is lacking. @Richard - what would you go with? The Viltrox 35mm or the 40mm f2 considering they're fairly similar in price. One thing to note on the video autofocus speed - would this be caused by a setting in your movie setting? i.e. the AF speed + AF tracking sensitivity? Are they on detail values?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hi Baingar, I was using the default autofocus settings when testing. Re viltrox 35 or Nikon 40 z... It's hard to choose haha there are things I like about each lens. The viltrox I like the more metal construction, the supplied lens hood and the aperture ring. And for Nikon, I like the really compact size and it's great flare resistance. For an everyday lens, I think I probably go for the Nikon myself mainly because of the size but I would be perfectly happy with the viltrox too to be honest especially I just love the 35mm focal length

[@S.Creations1]

Amazing review as always.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you!

[@MadEnglishTV]

Thanks for the great review!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks for watching Mad English TV!

[@TheDka1]

Spot on as usual, thanks.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you so much TheDka!

[@cars291]

Thank you for the insightful review 👍

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Car S Glad it was helpful! :)

[@stevechan5569]

Excellent & detail review.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks Steve!

[@airbnbphotography]

2f is fast? what happen to FX lenses of 1.4 ?

[@gregcorker2193]

Really great review!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Greg Thanks a lot!

[@spsphotography]

Great review! I almost want to get one now haha!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Go for it Steven!

[@kornofilo]

Wait, does it have the gasket seal in the rear like the S series lenses? it was not very clear in the picture since he mount is plastic.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

No, there is no gasket seal i the rear, but there are in the front/main part of the lens. I was a bit surprised too. But when i study the way how the 40mm lens is attached to the camera, i noticed the rear of the lens actually sitting over of the camera lens mount, unlike most other lens mount which just touching. I'm guess that itself creates some sort of weather seal so Nikon only add the seal to the body instead? If anyone knows more about this, i would love to hear from you :)

[@kjltube]

Nice review of a nice lens. I will say though that the focus breathing example you gave (“the wall of left”), is actually very minimal to my eyes..

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Kevin, hm... maybe i was a bit too critical Thanks for the feedback :)

[@lfc7805]

Great review. How would you compare this with the 35mm F1.8 please? In terms of auto focus and image quality? Thanks

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Image quality the 35 1.8s should be better. Autofocus not too sure. 40 f/2 biggest advantage is it's compact size

[@FRANKWHITE1996]

vs 35mm f1.8 DX?

[@smkunder1]

Great video, I just picked up a refurbished unit from Nikon for 199 bucks. Going to use it on my Zf

[@TheRealRichardWong]

that's a great price!

[@Michael-qv7pn]

Its great to see nikon making lenses like that, i just would like them to treat them a bit more serious

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Michael, what do you mean by "treat them a bit more serious"?

[@Michael-qv7pn]

@@TheRealRichardWong i mean that i would rather want to see it with metal mount and lens hood (maybe one in the style of fuji's 35mm 1.4, small and compact) for maybe 50€ more, its great that they did include wheater sealing tough. Like you said on the end of the video Its not terrible, for me it just feels like Nikon doesnt take small light weight lenses too serious. Because for me this lens is mainly supposed to be a daily driver and travel lens, extras like a nice lens hood would make it more suitable for everyday and travel photography The point is, that with metal mount and lens hood which should be possible for about 50€ more, it would still fill the gap in the lineup fine

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I definitely happy to pay 50€ more for that.

[@vratinpatel7522]

Please make viltrox 35mm 1.8 vs nikkor 20mm video

[@quiver99]

Thank you very much for the nice review, Richard. Would you consider this if you’d already have a Z 50mm 1.8?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

It's a bit tricky.. usually i would say no because they are just a bit too similar. But i do shoot with 35 and 50 side by side sometimes when shooting weddings, and this 40mm lens is so affordable, so i may say yes this time?

[@quiver99]

@@TheRealRichardWong thanks for replying. I appreciate it. I wish you a great week.

[@Zlaja192]

Safe your money if you dont need the slightly wider focal length. The 50 smacks the 40 …no comparison when it comes to optical performance

[@mrbigg2u]

Hey Richard. I have just bought a z6ii for video, I own a D850 for stills. Would like a starter lens and not sure whether to go for this 40mm or the Viltrox 35mm f1.8... which would you go for? Thanks for the great content..... we all trust you! :)

[@mrbigg2u]

@Man in Dandism I bought the 40mm Z in the end...

[@chrisdunnink]

Great review!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks!

[@obedbrinkman]

cupcake lens 😀 great review, will buy the lens

[@TheRealRichardWong]

haha thanks Obed

[@cheeseminer7672]

I bought last week I made great photos i. The weekend. No flare in the sun, in f2 is a little soft, nothing bizarre...in f2.8 is great

[@KonstantinosMp]

This lens with the Z5 body would be a great combo imho

[@senoe80]

perfect review

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you!

[@2222paulr]

I am torn between this and the 28mm for my z5.

[@airbnbphotography]

I wish the would have the 16-50 mm lens for fx ! I never seen such small lens with wide range...

[@gingrai00]

Are the Zed lenses and cameras different than the Z models we have here in the States?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hey Peter, They should all be the same

[@TwlShooter]

Would be nice to see a quick comparison between this lens and third party 35 f1.8 and 50 1.8, close focus bokeh sharpness and micro contrast

[@SefaradiTal]

Hi Richard, great video, but the 16-55mm lens is a cheap way for Nikon to get people to shoot photos quickly. They can’t compare to the quality of a prime lens, but this is besides the point of the main discussion on your video. Whether it’s plastic or metal, long as there is good bokeh between 35 and 50, then it should be the best to compromise and save money!

[@SefaradiTal]

But back to your point: i want to add that this video is revolutionary between the 35 and 50mm 1.8

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks SefaradiTal for watching and the comments about this 40mm lens!

[@MsBeresovich]

What is better on a full frame viltrox 35 1.8 or nikor 2.0?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Do you mean the nikon 40mm f/2 Z? Both good for different reasons, for example 40mm is more compact but Viltrox has aperture ring. Overall i prefer the Nikon a bit more because of it's more compact size

[@solomonessix6909]

Voigtlander makes the LH-90IIS Lens Hood-Compact that I think would be perfect on the 40mm f2. It shares a 52mm filter thread with the 40mm f2.. The I am uncertain if the image would be obstructed by the lens hood opening meant for Voigtlander’s new 90mm lens’ s field of view.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

oh great info Solomon! But yeah if it's designed for 90mm, then the opening maybe a bit too narrow for a 40mm lens

[@TheRealRichardWong]

hey Solomon, did you just post a reply? i saw a notification but when i click on it, it said comment no longer available. It seem to happen a lot recently to me (disappearing comment) i think they are trying to filter spam but end up filter out a lot of valid comments. so can you please post again if you did post a comment

[@solomonessix6909]

@@TheRealRichardWong I did post some. It’s weird that it was removed. I ravenously posted that I found at the perfect sized Voigtlander Lens Hood LH-40N. It fits their 40mm f2 with 52mm filter threads. It’s just very pricy.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Ok I can read your reply this time now. Thanks for the info. Yeah KZbin is doing some weird thing thanks 😊

[@meyerardila8155]

Good Review Ricrhard, still a good lens and I dont see why pay double for a 1.8 lens the visual difference will be just peeping looking at 200%.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

hi Meyer, i much prefer the size of this "cupcake" for my daily use :)

[@meyerardila8155]

@@TheRealRichardWong agree 170gr vs 415gr is a winner.

[@marvincerdena]

Great video! Thank you! If I get this lens, will I still need the 15-50mm f4.5-6.3 that came with the Nikon Z50? Thank you so much!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yes the zoom lens covers much wider angle

[@marvincerdena]

Thank you so much 🙌🏼

[@ankitaryan8671]

I am getting my z50 with 16-50 and 50-250 kit lenses. I was also planning to get the 50mm 1.8G with the ftz adapter. Now I am confused whether I should get this 40mm Z lens

[@TheRealRichardWong]

This lens for sure. Much more compact and better autofocus especially for video

[@ankitaryan8671]

@@TheRealRichardWong Thanks 😊 Will play around with the two kit lenses for some while as this is my first camera....and get this 40mm in 1-2 months.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yeah enjoy and don't rush. This lens will probably be out of stock for a few months easily anyway

[@AntonisKorakakis]

I just got this lens. A disadvantage that no one talks about is that the control ring is too soft and it changes settings very easily. I have assigned the aperture to the ring and even with the slightest accidental touch it changes at least 1-2 stops.

[@ramonarias1234]

I think you can just disable the ring

[@AntonisKorakakis]

@@ramonarias1234 thanks, I know. I just like working with the ring and I was a bit disappointed...

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hey antonis, sorry I don't have the lens with me right now to check again. but from memory it was quite similar to the other 1.8 S lenses. Do you have one to compare?

[@AntonisKorakakis]

@@TheRealRichardWong no unfortunately not but I will first chance. Thanks for the reply 🙏

[@skyrunr]

Yes, I'd rather have a few function buttons than a control ring for that reason. I think every Z lens should have one Fn button and the S should have 2-3.

[@yesrbiradar]

I have Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f/2 SL-II S Aspherical Compact Manual Focus Lens for Nikon, do you think it is a good option to buy new 40mm Z lens ?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

hi Shivashankar , i haven't use the Voigtlander Ultron before so can't comment/compare the picture quality. Do you feel you would benefit from autofocus? if yes, then my answer is probably yes

[@yesrbiradar]

@@TheRealRichardWong I don't have any problem with focusing as I love manual focusing and I don't take sports pic. Thanks for your reply.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

If you enjoy manual focus. I think the voiglander might be more fun to shoot with

[@Zlaja192]

They are very similar… if you enjoy the Voigt, dont get the Z. I compared them side by side and the Voigt is a tiny bit better in sharpness, while Bokeh wise they are very similar. In the end they both have a very similar optical design… the only difference you will see, is that the Z is a bit better in the corners wide open. Stop down the Voigt and the corners catch up while the center stays a tiny bit sharper…

[@sankarmondal89]

Can a hood be attached? Is there image stabilization?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

you could use a 52mm screw on lens hood, no the lens does not have VR

[@BusyZyoung]

great review, thanks Richard

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks for watching! :)

[@olivierroubieu]

The review is good, but your photos are fantastic!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you very much Olivierr

[@VanDanmark]

"Cupcake lens!" I love it! 😁

[@skyrunr]

Having also used this lens, I would mention that this lens is BETTER than 1.8G primes in MANY aspects, and that is a HUGE win! These compact primes can be a bit soft near minimum focus distance wide open, as I also tried the 28SE this week. I prefer the 28SE build, feel, and FOV on DX. It is slightly softer than the 40 wide open. Both improve dramatically by stopping down 1-2 stops. I've experienced some wider bands of CA that are not easily correctible, but not a deal breaker for such a FUN lens either. NX Studio does a great/better job with normal CA compared to LRClassic. I'm happy enough with the 16-50DX and 24-50 as compacts for now, and I sure hope they make more of these both wider 20mm and longer 135 or 200mm!

[@hanhnguyen9029]

Tôi đã quyết định mua nó sau khi xem đánh giá của bạn. Và tôi thấy rất hài lòng với ống kính này. Cảm ơn bạn.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you for watching :)

[@alwinbenjamin]

😍😍

[@NCSTalkid]

I own z 28 and z35s. After i use it. I dont mind the premium price of nikon s prime lens. 35mm f1.8s so good. It deter me from buying other lens beside z50/1.8 and z24/1.8. The IQ so good. Price really worth it

[@NCSTalkid]

And i plan on selling z28 because of it lol

[@MrWazzin]

It looks like AF slowness is more about your camera/settings

[@bambamhakkai]

i swapped my brand new Viltrox 35mm to a 2nd hand this lend and i never regret because the Viltrox is heavy as f

[@tonyhayes9827]

Thankyou Richard for another calm logical review without the bullshit hype you get on some channels.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

haha thanks Tony, interesting as i feel i'm still not calm enough

[@TechWeLove]

❤Can you do a comparison, side by side, for the Nikon Z 40mm versus the Nikon Z 24-70 zoom lens ? ❤ I'm creating a studio setup, and for my current needs, the 40 mm is probably what I need, but it would be nice if a comparison video, between these 2 lens, existed on KZbin. Thank-you. ❤️

[@TerekkiTerekki]

Lol

[@markshirley01]

I noticed your video autofocus comment on the lens was a month ago on the Z6. Hopefully it maybe a bit better on the Z6 with the new AF firmware, and hopefully better on the Z6 II.

[@mpkpawan7579]

Sir is this lense good for videography

[@TheRealRichardWong]

It works ok. but i think it's not the best choice unless you want a compact lens

[@ramonarias1234]

for me this lens has the best bokeh of all primes

[@TwlShooter]

Supriced by the microcontrast really moody rendering the softness in the corners just helps with the pop or 3d effect that the more clinical perfect lenses lacks

[@jeffrey3498]

I believe there’s no weather sealing on the lens mount.

[@fjphoto23]

Yes. I also believe it is not meant to be out in the rain like a wildlife lens.

[@jeffrey3498]

@@fjphoto23 Yup, street photography lens par excellence 😎👍

[@andreanthony6924]

This isn’t a weather sealed lens since it does not have a rubber ring on the back of the lens

[@sdhute]

Canon seems to be beating Nikon on lens prices. Quality not known but by price.

[@bombaybigman]

this is the lens that people might consider nikon instead of other brands... hint to Canon 🙂

[@Jimmyageek]

Only Trio you need is 20mm F1.8 + 40mm F2 + 24-200mm!

[@MichaelSeneschal]

100% I’ve been calling it a muffin lens, but cupcake lens sounds tastier. :) :) :) :) :)

[@TheRealRichardWong]

LOL !!!

[@jeffreyprokopowicz9842]

I wish Nikon made this 40mm lens an S version like the other primes. Why economize the 40mm focal length?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hi Jeffrey, there are already 35 and 50 1.8 S both are excellent, so this is to fill a gap in the more affordable end of the line up which there are not that many choice right now

[@jeffreyprokopowicz9842]

@@TheRealRichardWong HI Richard, thanks for replying! I love the 40mm focal length, and I'm just disappointed that it's not of the quality level of the affordable f1.8 primes. BTW, excellent work you do with your videos and photography.

[@northofbrandon]

You say 'weather seal' @ 11:57 Why no WR Gasket @ back ???? Disappointing. To be more accurate the lens is 'drip proof'

[@eagleeatsmonkey3621]

It is a criminal act in 2023 to cheat customer with a cheap plastic lens mount at this price … plastic worn out easily and is not easily recyclable and harm our environment with millions of worn plastic mount … a metal mount only cost $2 more in a manufacture process and we will gladly pay a few bucks more for a metal mount

[@allee2445]

Agreed. Even Canon RF nifty-fifty, which is about 30% cheaper has a metal mount. I don't get why Nikon has to put plastic mount on this and few other Z lenses.

[@spa1ktc]

A plastic mount has about zero effect on image quality and yet help much in keeping both weight and price down. If using plastic is an issue of itself, then it's probably best to give up photography all together. This is clearly Nikons way of offering an affordable lens with great IQ suitable for everyday carry.

[@NguyenHung-rm9ik]

Where are you buy ? Can you send address to me buy, please ?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

From your local camera shop :)

[@NguyenHung-rm9ik]

@@TheRealRichardWong thank you so much

[@NguyenHung-rm9ik]

I living in VietNam. But it's still buy yet at local shop.

[@igg5589]

Stop advertising this lens. It has just terrible soft focus. Focusing problems in lower light/ indoors. And if you stop it down then it looses all advantages of being fast lens. Just bought and instantly regret. Indoor portraits are not for this lens (of course you can make them, but you can make them also with 50 years old manual f1.8 lenses).

[@user-pf9mw1rc4p]

Richard, "40mm" is pronounced "40 millimeters", not "40 mils". 1mil is one-thousandth of an inch which is the thickness of an average hair (which I don't have a lot of, and judging from your video, you don't have a lot of, either ... hahaha:-))