Nikon Nikkor Z 28-75mm F/2.8 Lens Review

Nikon continues with their expansion of the range of Z system mirrorless lenses and, so far, every lens has been a winner. This is quite something to keep up, but we now have the extremely useful Nikkor Z 28-75mm f/2.8 - a full-frame (FX) lens that covers from a reasonable wide-angle to short telephoto, at a constant f/2.8 maximum aperture. The lens can also be used on the crop sensor (APS-C, DX) cameras where we have a "35mm equivalent" field of view of 42-112.5mm. To see how the new lens handles and performs we couple it up with the new Nikon Z9 with its 45.7MP sensor. A new lens and a new flagship camera body. Let's see how we do.

Nikon Nikkor Z 28-75mm f/2.8 Handling and Features

The lens weighs in at 565g, and on the Z9 body seems relatively light and compact. The centre of balance is fairly even, with the weight of the lens just tilting the camera forwards if placed on a flat surface. Starting our usual tour of the lens and its features, we have a provided petal lens hood that clips cleanly and positively into its bayonet fitting. There is no tendency for this to become detached or loose in use, so a locking catch is not provided, nor is one needed. Within the bayonet mount for the hood is a standard 67mm filter thread. The front element is fluorine coated to help repel dust, moisture and grease and the whole lens is dust and drip-resistant, subject to Nikon's caveats as usual. It is good that the website quantifies the weather resistance to some degree and in practice, no problem was found in wet weather during the review process.

First up is the very wide zoom ring, which affords an excellent grip. It is clearly and accurately marked with focal lengths of 28, 35, 50 and 75mm. This does extend the lens and adds to the already front-heavy balance. However, this is not really an issue and the lens gels well with the Z9 body.

The only other control is the silent control ring. By default, this is manual focus but via the camera menus, it can be set to adjust aperture, ISO or exposure compensation. The silent AF, silent aperture control via the ring and very low focus breathing will be appreciated by videographers.

The maximum magnification is 0.34x, which is usefully close. The minimum focus distance, measured from the sensor plane, varies with the focal length:

Optical construction is 15 elements in 12 groups, including 1 ED (Extra-Low Dispersion), 1 Super ED and 3 Aspherical. The diaphragm comprises 9 blades for improved bokeh.

The lens is completed by the well made and smoothly fitting metal bayonet and there is nothing else to it, all other functions being the purview of the camera itself.

In terms of handling, it is spot on and so very simple to use that we are firmly in the territory of a lens being just the extension of the photographer. The close focusing and highly practical focal length range make this an ideal travel companion and general-purpose optic. But how well does it perform? Let's find out.