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Nikon Forge Ahead With Z 20mm, Z 24-200mm Plus The D6

New Nikkor Z 20mm and Z 24-200mm announcements
I’m a mirrorless user myself and have often cast more than an interested glance at the extremely positive reviews which the Nikon Z7 has garnered. Key strengths of this first offering include several mores and a less, in all of the right ways:

• More Light Capture
• More Sharpness
• More Data Transfer
• Less Distortion

Our own Nikon Z7 page shows a very healthy score of 4.6 out of 5 based on today’s rate with 245 independent reviews. We’ve also published a first look here in our blog - checking out both the Z6 and Z7 cameras.

So with their new mirrorless system, Nikon were under some pressure (as are Canon) to redesign and manufacture an entire series of new lenses for their systems. Both have a huge range of DSLR models for literally any purpose, but both are newer to the mirrorless market.

Well it appears as though Nikon have been working very hard of late, as the release of the Z 20mm f/1.8 S Lens and Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR demonstrate. These two models couldn’t be more different, fulfilling entirely different needs. The esteemed S-Line 20mm Z-mount lens is a fast prime lens, which despite being versatile boasts nothing like the versatility of the Z 24-200mm. However, I could personally see both of these being purchased by the same user, if they shoot various styles.

Here are some subjects which the 20mm f/1.8 S lens will naturally excel at:

• Night photography including stars and Milky Way
• Landscape
• Architecture
• Interiors
• Weddings

And these are arguably well within the ultra-wide focal width possibilities, depending on how the photographer shoots:

• Portraits and family
• Street
• Documentary
• Products or commercial

It used to be that different genres in photography followed fairly strict guidelines as to what and how you could shoot. Thankfully those days are gone. An 85mm no longer has to dominate portrait shoots, with environmental portraits becoming more popular. This shows the versatility of the new Z 20mm offering. And by the way, the S-line is every bit as good as you can imagine, with beautiful natural colour, crisp detailed images especially when pixel peeping, together with throughly well controlled distortion.

How About the Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR?
That is quite the range for sure, with a proper wide angle to very decent telephoto length. The aperture isn’t the fastest ever, however the size, weight and price all reflect that. Sample images also show just how competent this lens also is. Being designed for mirrorless does not always mean manufacturers hold back with the amount of glass elements they add to lenses, however Nikon scored here, with such a versatile lens only weighing 570g at 114 mm long. Let’s be honest. It’s tiny for what it is.

Ideal uses for the Z 24-200mm Include:

• Lanscapes
• Portraits and family
• Weddings
• Travel
• Sports
• Fashion
• Wildlife at a push if you are near your subject

Naturally both lenses can be used for fine art or black and white work too.
The mirrorless zoom lens, whilst not sporting the S-line badging, does also include an impressive amount of advanced optical elements including aspherical and ED glass. In fact the zoom boasts 19 elements in 15 groups (including 2 ED glass, 2 aspherical lens and 1 aspherical ED glass elements), whilst the prime features 14 elements in 11 groups (including 3 ED glass and 3 aspherical lens elements) and elements with Nano Crystal.

But lets not get too technical here, it’s not all about numbers. It’s about images. Photographers shooting with either of these lenses will come to appreciate the drop dead gorgeous results which are possible with both, irrespective of subject matter. I’m sure seeing the samples here will convince you. If not, why not pop into either of our London or Sussex stores and try out either of these two lenses for yourself. We know you’ll be suitably impressed.

So how about the brand new state of the art Nikon D6 camera body?

Well it is a beast. It is fast. It is accurate. The D6 is well and truly aimed at working professionals and they know who they are. If you are fortunate enough to be buying one of these advanced DSLR bodies you know why you are investing. Reliability is a key driver and the D6 is about as robust as a camera can be. I’m going to leave it to our resident reviewer to give you more details on Nikon’s flagship camera, however suffice to say, you’ll be impressed.

And I am impressed at Nikon’s tenacity launching these new products across all fronts, proving their ongoing value in a crowded market. Whether you are a DSLR user or mirrorless, one cannot help but be continuously surprised by the quality of products Nikon are bringing out. Long may they continue to do so.

If you would like the latest and greatest reviews, check our blog review section here. If you have any feedback, we always welcome a comment, or drop me a line at Burgess Hill. Happy shooting.

Sample images include a range of images supplied by Nikon, all 20mm images shot on the D7 body and all 24-200mm were shot using the Z6.

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By Nick Dautlich on 12/02/2020