Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm F4S lens review: Compact and capable performer

This is what you’ll get if you buy one of the mirrorless Nikon Z 6 or Z 7 cameras as part of a kit, but as one of Nikon’s S series of primes it’s meant as a ‘premium’ model. While we’ve yet to see what one of the ‘standard’ models is like build-wise, this sober-looking lens is a step or two above the DX equivalent zooms in the company’s range. It’s nicely made but it’s not quite up to the pro-oriented build of the Nikkor Z 24-70mm F2.8 S (reviewed here).

Still, with a part-plastic part-metal outer, this is intended as lightweight and compact design. It even has a retractable mechanism to keep it small when not in use – like the later Nikkor Z 14-30mm F4. Nikon has added a thin, serrated control ring designated for manual focusing but it can be customised from the camera menu to perform aperture selection or EV correction instead. Autofocus using a single stepping motor is practically silent too. All of which are very useful, especially if you intend to use it for occasional video capture. Indeed these lenses are better suited for video than the majority of their F-mount models, except perhaps for the AF-P series that use similar tech anyway.