The Best Travel Lens for Nikon Z5

Nikon Z 5 | Our most compact full-frame mirrorless stills/video camera | Nikon USA Model
  • 24.3MP Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera | Nikon’s most compact, lightweight full-frame interchangeable lens Z series camera
  • Outstanding Image Quality | Sharp, lifelike details, vibrant colors and great low-light performance
  • 4K/30p and 1080/60p Video Recording | Crisp, smooth videos with shallow depth of field; USB power delivery; HDMI output

What is the best travel lens for Nikon Z5?

So you’re planning on travelling and wondering which lens is best for travel photography with your Nikon Z5?

These days, most travelers use their smartphones to take pictures and post them on Facebook or Instagram. Don’t get me wrong, you can make impressive pictures with recent smartphones and they are very useful to document little details of your trip, but they are limited to one perspective.

So you’ll probably need a lense with a focal range that will allow you to get shots that are impossible to get with your cell phone (zoom or wide angle).

What makes a good travel lens?

Well, this is extremely subjective and depends on the type of photo you will make when you will be on the road. It also depends on how often you’re going to use it. Any lens can be good for travel, but having to commute by train, bus, plane, and moving around all the time makes it hard to carry a huge bag dedicated to your favourite lenses. There are always the risks to pay extra fees for them, to break them during the trip or to get your bag stolen.

Hence, most photographers like to travel light, with the lightest and most versatile setup possible. Getting the most out of one or two lenses is probably the way to go, with a range .

You may not know for sure what kind of shot you are about to make during your trip. If you plan on taking portraits, wildlife, street scenes but also landscapes, a zoom lens will be perfect since they offers the advantage of allowing close-ups and scenery shots, to some extent. For a more versatile use, this kind of lens will be the perfect fit.

Travels are full of surprises, and you may want to grab your Nikon Z5 and shoot as quickly as possible. For this situation, the best lens will be a bright wide angle lens since they are usually a good choice for street photography. They allow for close-ups and large scenes, and are generally pretty small and convenient to carry. If you are planning a city trip, this kind of lens should be attached in permanence to the body of your Nikon Z5.

Every photographer has its own favourite setup for snapping on the go. But if you are not sure on what travel lens to choose for your Nikon Z5, this small selection is suitable for most photographic opportunities while traveling.

Note: the product links in this article lead to Amazon.com


Summary

  1. NIKKOR Z 24-70 f/4 S (Zoom lens)
  2. NIKKOR Z 14-30 mm f/4 S (Wide angle)
  3. NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR (All around travel lens)
  4. Useful accessories
  5. Conclusion

Here’s the Top 3 travel lenses you should consider for your Nikon Z5:

NIKKOR Z 24-70 f/4 S

best lens Nikon Z6Weight: 500g
Filter size: 72 mm

The 24-70 mm f/4 S lens is the one that is usually provided with Nikon’s Z hybrids cameras. It can also be purchased alone. Stamped S, this lens is guaranteed quality by Nikon.

This lens is part of the fairly classic ranges, with a constant aperture of only f/4 but which allows a regular exposure, regardless of the zoom setting. This provides uniform illumination over the entire focal length range. 14 lenses in 11 groups are used for the optics, which is a technical issue. These lenses include an aspherical ED glass lens, an ED glass lens, three aspherical lenses, a fluorine-treated lens to remove fingerprints, moisture or dust, and finally lenses treated with nanocrystal to limit parasitic images, to prevent moisture from infiltrating, the zoom lens has many seals spread over critical areas. No water or dust can get in.

In short, it’s a simple but good lens if you want something versatile for your Nikon Z camera, which offers good performance, is compact and tropicalized.

Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S | Premium constant aperture mid-range zoom lens for Z series mirrorless...
  • Versatile 24-70mm wide-angle to medium telephoto zoom for Z Mirrorless cameras
  • New optical Formula that Achieves extreme sharpness across the entire frame with virtually no distortion
  • Constant f/4 max aperture for consistent exposure at any focal length

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OTHER OPTION

  • NIKKOR Z 24-70 f/2.8 S A twice as expensive and 300 g heavier alternative (805 g), more suitable for professionals travel photographers.

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NIKKOR Z 14-30 mm f/4 S (Wide angle)

what lens for Nikon Z6Weight: 485 g
Filter size: 82 mm

This ultra-wide-angle zoom for Nikon hybrids is just out. It completes the Nikkor Z range which already includes the 24-70 mm f/4 S, 50 mm f/1.8 S and 35 mm f/1.8 S.

Design, the 14-30 mm f/4 S zoom resembles the Z 24-70 mm f/4 S. They are equipped with the same multifunction ring, have about the same weight and of course are made for Nikon Z-mounts. 14 lenses are included in this wide angle lens. 4 of these lenses are made of ED glass, 4 are aspherical and nanocrystal treated and one lens, the front one is treated with fluoride to limit fingerprints and other dirt. All of these 14 lenses are grouped into 12 groups. As for the diaphragm, it is equipped with 7 blades.

The NIKKOR Z 14-30 mm f/4 S wide-angle lens is designed for those who take landscapes or street pictures. It is also ideal for interior and architectural photos. In short, for all those who need a wide shot.

Sale
Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S | Premium constant aperture wide-angle zoom lens for Z series...
  • NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S is perfect for adding depth and drama to stills and video as the ideal partner for compact Z series cameras
  • Compact 14-30mm zoom range with a fixed f/4 aperture and outstanding image quality
  • Retractable lens mechanism collapses the lens down to a mere 3.5 inches for safe and minimal packing

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NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR (All around travel lens)

Nikon z best travel lens Weight: 570 g
Filter size: 67 mm

If you are looking for a versatile and capable all-purpose lens for a wide variety of situations, then this 24-200mm f/4-6.3 is the perfect travel lens and you won’t need to carry the duo 24-70 + 70-200 mm. It has a fairly wide focal range that ranges from wide angle to zoom and weighs only 70 grams more than the 24-70mm f/4. It’s tropicalized and can be used in difficult conditions in combination with your Nikon Z camera. The only downside is that the aperture is not constant so don’t expect photos to be as sharp and with a background blur as beautiful as a fixed focal length that will have a larger aperture.

Overall, it’s a lens that provides a good balance between image quality, weight and size and that will serve you whenever you want to travel light without losing in shooting possibilities.

Sale
Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-200mm VR | Compact all-in-one telephoto zoom lens with image stabilization for Z...
  • Lens features Nikon technologies including Aspherical Lens Elements, ED Glass Elements, ARNEO Coat and Fluorine Coat
  • Lens features built-in Vibration Reduction image stabilization
  • The customizable, clickless control ring offers quick and quiet access to most used camera settings

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ADDITIONAL OPTIONS

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Useful accessories for travel photography

Travels can be hectic, so you want to make sure that your lenses are safe and sound all along the trip. A good quality carry bag is mandatory to protect them from the weather and bumps. A UV filter will also help protect your lens by adding a layer of glass that can be scratched or dripping with water with no harm to the lens. Finally, a polarizing filter is always useful to get a glare-free result in any shooting scenario you might face.

Here is a small selection of useful accessories to complement your lenses and your Nikon Z5:

Conclusion

If you want to go on a trip soon and are wondering what is the best travel lens for the Nikon Z5, think in advance about the types of photos you plan to take mainly: landscapes, portraits, night shots… Think about the focal lengths you need for that.

You can also go on Google, type in the name of the country or the tourist sites you want to visit and you will see which focal lengths are mainly used. This will give you an idea of what equipment you will need to bring but remember that taking a single lens with you might be too limiting. The flexibility of an all-around lens is very useful but generally they offer a lower image quality than a fixed focal length.

Another thing, if you plan to do a lot of walking or hiking, take into account the total weight with the camera body and the lens. If the whole thing is too heavy or bulky and lacks discretion, you won’t want to bother with it and would rather just take your smartphone with you. You may also not want to risk damaging an extremely expensive lens.

And finally, perhaps the most decisive point about choosing the perfect travel lens for your Nikon Z5 will be if you need to get a portfolio of professional quality travel photos or videos (it may be your business or it may become your business who knows?).

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