Nikon Nikkor Z 24mm f/1.8S Lens Review

The Nikon Z series of lenses, for their full frame mirrorless system, continues to grow apace, and the Nikkor Z 24mm f/1.8S is the latest, awaited it must be said with a keen sense of anticipation. At this point, we have already reviewed the Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8, the Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 and the Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.8S. All three were found to be superb and duly awarded the accolade of Editor's Choice.

Can Nikon really do it four times in a row? It's time to dust off the Nikon Z7 Full Frame 45.4MP body, load the XQD card and find out if they can.

Nikon Nikkor Z 24mm f/1.8S Handling and Features

The first impression is again of a well made, very understated lens in terms of appearance, it being little more than a tube with one control ring and an AF/MF switch. Adding a slight variety in appearance, the front end of the lens is slightly fluted outwards. It weighs in at a svelte 450g, is dust and water resistant and has nano crystal coatings that enable us to peer into the front element and clearly see the 9 bladed diaphragm. The aperture has a very well rounded appearance, boding well for the delivery of smooth bokeh. The diaphragm is electronic, as on all recent Nikkor lenses, making the operation smooth, silent and accurate. This is ideal for videographers in particular.

There is a provided bayonet fit petal lens hood. This clips firmly into place and has no tendency whatsoever to be accidentally shifted. Within the bayonet fit is a standard 72mm filter thread.


The manual focusing ring is very broad and allows for an excellent grip. It is electronic and totally silent in operation, but it is more than that as it can be programmed to adjust focus (full time), aperture or exposure compensation; all silently and so having excellent potential for video shooting as well as stills. The focusing range extends down to 0.25m, or 0.82 feet, offering a maximum magnification 0f 0.15x. This is fine for a 24mm lens, allowing focusing close enough to include powerful foreground elements in an image. 24mm is a very practical length for a wide-angle lens and we do need to get in close to make the most of the potential for sweeping, dramatic perspective.

Optical construction is 12 elements in 10 groups, including 1 ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) and 4 Aspherical. Holding the maximum aperture to f/1.8, as opposed to the much larger and heavier f/1.4 lenses, has perhaps advantages in terms of portability and makes better sense in many ways with the potentially smaller mirrorless system bodies.

AF is driven by two near-silent motors and the point of focus is found with no hesitation whatsoever. In general terms, handling is superbly straightforward. Some lenses just gel instantly with a photographer, and there is nothing here to detract from that shooting experience.