Nikon Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S reviews roundup: is it worth the price?
Released in april 2019, the Nikon Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S is an ultra wide angle lens for the new Nikon Z mirrorless cameras. It has a f/4 aperture, it’s relatively compact and light and if you’re into landscapes and architecture that’s the perfect lens.
Specs:
- Mount: Nikon Z mount
- Optical stabilization: No
- Weather sealed: Yes
- Weight: 485 grams
- Min. aperture: f/4
- Max. aperture: f/22
- Minimum focus distance: 0,28 m
- Filter size: 82mm
What do the critics think of the Nikon Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S?
Overall, most reviews on the web say that the Nikon Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S is a great wide angle lens for the Nikon Z system: it’s super compact and lightweight, you can easily add filters (that’s not always the case with wide angle lenses), and it gives irreproachable pictures with an outstanding sharpness. Autofocus is fast, quiet and accurate.
The wide field of view is ideal for travelling and shooting landscapes and architecture.
Well, overall the criticisms are rather positive for this lens and that’s simply a fantastic wide angle lens and a must-have if you own a Nikon Z-mount camera.
Most reviews like…
- Good quality of construction (Dust and moisture resistance)
- Excellent image quality with minimal flare and chromatic aberration
- Easy use of screw-in filters
- Light and compact design
- Short minimum focusing distance
- Fast, quiet, accurate autofocus
- Low vignetting and minimal distortions (using camera software)
Most reviews don’t like…
- Some copies seems to have a lower image quality
- Fairly expensive
- Some vignetting
- f/4 maximum aperture
For more infos about the positive and negatives sides of the Nikon Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S, check out the selection of reviews below:
Websites Reviews
Pcmag.com – ★★★★☆ Editor’s choice (‘It’s exceptionally compact and light – especially if you’re used to similar lenses for SLR systems – but still snaps sharp, distortion-free images. It might be the only native ultra-wide option, but it’s one that I don’t hesitate to recommend.‘)
Photographylife.com – 4.3/5 – (‘At its best, it’s excellent – somehow cramming a filter thread, a class-leading zoom range, and top-of-the-line performance into a seriously portable package. It lives up to the promise of what a mirrorless lens can be. At its worst, you’ll see insane distortion – nearly fisheye level – plus heavy vignetting.’)
Cameralabs.com – Recommended (‘Its optical performance is very good (with a few exceptions) and its resistance against flare and glare let’s you shoot with confidence even in strong contra-light situations.‘)
Photographyblog.com – ★★★★½ Highly Recommended (‘If you’re in any way interested in wide-angle photography, whether that be landscapes, architecture or anything else, it’s well worth the investment and comes highly recommended.’)
Ephotozine.com – ✪✪✪✪✪ Editor’s choice – (‘It is another gem, without doubt a superb performer that handles really well. There are some interesting design features, such as the compulsory in-camera distortion correction, but there is no denying the usefulness of the end result. ‘)
Digitaltrends.com – 8/10 (‘While the lens is excellent overall, it’s not entirely perfect. The lack of a focus distance scale on may discourage some landscape photographers that frequently rely on the feature. The f/4 aperture also puts limits on low light work, but the trade-off is a relatively long zoom range.’)
Amazon users reviews
- 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