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Summary

On paper the Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II looks like a real winner - despite its high asking price. Nikon improved on so many features for photographers and videographers with their new optical design and fast autofocus. They even added new features like the (de-)clickable function ring. If the new lens also improves optical performance over its predecessor I’d consider the price of the new lens relatively fair for a professional 24-70/2.8 zoom from a camera manufacturer.

Buy it now!

Check prices on the Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II at B&H, Adorama, WEX UK or Calumet.de. Buy used gear from MPB. Sell your used gear to MPB. Alternatively get yourself a copy of my In Camera book, an official Cameralabs T-shirt or mug, or treat me to a coffee! Thanks!

Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II review so far
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The Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II is a professional general-purpose zoom designed for Nikon’s full-frame Z-series mirrorless cameras – and the first lens in Nikon’s line-up of Z-Nikkors to get an update. Its predecessor, the Z 24-70mm f2.8 S, was announced in February 2019 as the first Z-Nikkor zoom with a fast f2.8 focal ratio.

Nikon changed the optical formula of the Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II to an internal zoom design claiming better weather proofing, less focus-breathing, and no shift in the center of gravity while zooming. They also improved maximum magnification by 50%, made the new lens lighter, added a second customizable function button and a focus limiter, upgraded the focus drive from a stepper motor to a faster voice coil drive, applied their latest meso-amorphous coating, and also added two features which were so far missing from Z-Nikkors: The lens hood has a window to make operating rotating filters easier and the multi-function control ring can now be set to clickable for more tactile feedback e. g. when changing the aperture. The only features of its predecessor which didn’t make it to the new lens: The OLED display for indicating focal length, aperture, focusing distance and depth-of-field, and the fluorine-coating of the rear lens element (the front element is still coated).

The Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II will become available mid of September at a price of 2899 EUR (incl. 19% VAT) / 2797 USD / 2599 GBP. Read on for a detailed comparison of facts and features of the new lens and its predecessor.

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Facts and features

Let’s compare the Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II to its predecessor, the Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S, and the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III G2 (“Tamron” for short). As usual I’ve rated the features with a [+] (or [++]), when it’s better than average or even state of the art, a [0] if it’s standard or just average, and [-] if there’s a disadvantage.

Size (diameter x length): 84 x 142mm (3.4 x 5.6in.) plus around 50mm for the lens hood (estimated 105mm in diameter). The new lens doesn’t change length during focusing or zooming. The predecessor is quite a bit shorter at 24mm focal length: 89 x 126mm + 41mm lens hood. But it extends by 30mm when zoomed in to 70mm focal length. The Tamron is 76 x 120mm + 28mm lens hood + 18mm extension. [0]

Weight: 675g (23.8 oz.) plus an estimated 55g for the lens hood compares favorably to the 803g + 43g lens hood. But the Tamron is even lighter at 550g + 27g lens hood. [0]

Optics: Nikon simplified the optical design considerably with 14 elements (including 2 special dispersion elements and 3 aspherical elements) in 10 groups down from 17 elements in 15 groups. This reduces the number of glass/air surfaces by 10, making it easier to avoid/reduce reflections. The Tamron also has 17 elements in 15 groups. Both Z-Nikkors use Nikon’s “ARNEO” anti-reflective coating to reduce flare, glare and ghosting but only the new Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II profits from additional Meso-amorphous coating. [+]

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Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II (above), Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S (below)

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Minimum object distance is 0.24m (9.4in.) with a very short working distance of 8cm (1.6in.) at 24mm focal length. At 70mm focal length maximum magnification is 1:3.1 which is quite good and results in a better working distance of around 17cm (1.1ft.). The predecessor achieves a maximum magnification of 1:4.2 at 70mm focal length. This results in a working distance of 20cm. The Tamron has an MOD of 0.18m with a magnification of 1:2.5 and an extremely short working distance of 4cm at 28mm focal length. At 75mm focal length maximum magnification is 1:3.7 with a working distance of around 22cm.[+]

Image stabilization: None of the lenses in this comparison offer optical stabilization (VR). But Nikon’s full-frame Z bodies provide built-in sensor-shift stabilization over 5 axis – plus an optional electronic stabilization in video mode. [0]

Filter-thread: 77mm just like the Nikon Z 70-200mm f2.8 S. The predecessor needs larger and more expensive 82mm filters. The Tamron takes 67mm filters. [+]

Auto focus: All lenses in this comparison offer autofocus with built-in focus drive. But Nikon swapped the stepper motor to a voice coil drive (SSVCM). Tamron also has a voice coil drive. Manual-focus override is by simply turning the dedicated focus ring. The focus ring has the usual variable gearing which allows for very precise manual focus when turned slowly. You can reverse the focus ring direction and switch to linear response with different settings for focus throw in camera. [+]

Display: No, the Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II does not features the OLED display of its predecessor or some other S-class lenses. Same with the Tamron. [0]

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Aperture ring and other control elements: Like many Z-Nikkors both 24-70mm f2.8 zoom lenses have a slim multi-function control ring at the back of the lens in addition to the dedicated focus ring. The control ring can be assigned to operate the aperture (which is the default), exposure compensation, or ISO sensitivity – or simply switched off. The new Z-Nikkor has a switch on the right side to make the ring clickable for more tactile feedback e.g. when operating the aperture. The Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II also has an AF/MF switch and two extra L-Fn buttons which can be assigned many different functions e.g. AF-lock. This is different from its predecessor which only has one L-Fn button and makes it easier to operate the button when shooting in portrait orientation. There is also a switch to limit close focus to 33cm, which is the closest focus the lens can achieve at every focal length. The Tamron has one focus set button which can be assigned more functions via Tamron’s Lens Utility (TLU) than what the Z-Nikkors have to offer. [+]

Lens profile: All three lenses come with an integrated lens profile which can be controlled from the camera. Vignette control offers the usual options of High, Normal, Low and Off. Diffraction compensation and Auto distortion control can be activated or deactivated. Adobe supplies a profile for RAW development of the Tamron lens. [+]

All three lenses cover full frame/FX or smaller. [+]

Price: 2899 EUR (incl. 19% VAT) / 2797 USD / 2599 GBP. The older version currently goes for 2150 EUR / 2100 USD / 2100 GBP. The Tamron is much cheaper at 850 EUR / 850 USD / 650 GBP. [-]

Both Z-Nikkors come with a flimsy pouch which has no strings to pull it close. So if you put the lens in your bag it might easily slip out of its pouch and bang around unprotected. This is simply unacceptable for a lens costing north of 2500 EUR/USD/GBP. The lens hood is included and locks in place to avoid accidentally falling off plus it is reversible for transport. The new version has a windowed design which allows for easier access to rotating filters like polarizers but puts away with the black velvet coating of its predecessor. The Tamron comes without a pouch and the reversible lens hood is included but has no lock and no filter window. [+]

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Sealing: All lenses in this comparison have a rubber grommet at the lens-mount plus further special weather-sealing throughout the construction. But only the new Z-Nikkor has an internal zoom, which is easier to protect from the elements than the extending barrel designs of the other zooms. Both Nikon and Tamron employ fluorine coating on the front lens to repel water, dust, and dirt and should make for easier cleaning. The Z 24-70mm f2.8 S also had the rear lens coated. [+]

At a score of 1[-]/4[0]/9[+] the Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II is an exceptionally well featured design – albeit at a high asking price. It is lighter than its predecessor, has a promising new optical formula and finally sports two features that other Z-Nikkors sorely miss: A (de-)clickable function ring and a lens hood with a filter window. You may miss the OLED display of its predecessor but I think not many users valued this highly.


Focus and zoom

Nikon claims a huge 5x improvement in focus speed from the voice coil drive in their new zoom over the stepper motor in its predecessor which I measured at 0.35 sec with Reikan Focal. I clocked the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III G2 at around 0.3 sec for the move from infinity to 1:10 magnification at the longest focal length. It will be interesting to see whether the Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II can achieve sub 0.1 sec focus speed.

Both the Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S and Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III G2 show a bit of focus breathing: The image became 3.5% less magnified on the Z-Nikkor and 1.5% more magnified on the Tamron when I adjusted focus from infinity to 1:10 magnification. Nikon claims that the new Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II should have very little focus breathing.

Nikon’s newest zoom lens should also be better in keeping focus while zooming. This characteristic is called parfocal. While the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III G2 kept its focus perfectly over the complete zoom-range the Z 24-70mm f2.8 S became gradually less sharp when zooming back and then suddenly snapped back into perfect focus. Obviously Nikon implemented a control curve to compensate for the effects of zooming on focus but this was only good enough for videographers filming at lower resolutions. Nikon claims to have improved parfocality on their new zoom and I’ll put this to the test in my full review.


Sharpness and contrast

Let’s have a look at the theoretical performance of the new Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II first and compare it to the performance of its predecessor and the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III G2:

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Above: MTF Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II at 24mm f2.8 (left) and 70mm f2.8 (right)

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Above: MTF Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S at 24mm f2.8 (left) and 70mm f2.8 (right)

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Above: Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III G2 at 28mm f2.8 (left) and 75mm f2.8 (right)

These MTF charts show the computed lens-performance wide open without influence of diffraction at 10 line-pairs/mm (in red/yellow) and 30 lp/mm (in blue/gray). Higher values are better (more contrast) and the closer the dotted and solid lines are together the less astigmatism (= resolution depends on the orientation of the test-pattern) the lens has. The x-axis displays the “image height” which is the distance from the optical axis (=center of the sensor) in mm.

From the charts the new Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II should have an advantage over its predecessor especially in the fine detail at the long end. The Tamron also looks very good but suffers from stronger astigmatism.

In my full review I’ll show you how this theoretical performance translates into real life results in the sharpness test based on Siemens-stars shot on a 45MP Nikon Z8 set to 16 image Pixel shift shooting resulting in 180MP RAW files.


Summary

On paper the Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II looks like a real winner – despite its high asking price. Nikon improved on so many features for photographers and videographers with their new optical design and fast autofocus. They even added new features like the (de-)clickable function ring. If the new lens also improves optical performance over its predecessor I’d consider the price of the new lens relatively fair for a professional 24-70/2.8 zoom from a camera manufacturer.

Check back soon for my full review of the Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II!

Check prices on the Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S II at B&H, Adorama, WEX UK or Calumet.de. Buy used gear from MPB. Sell your used gear to MPB. Alternatively get yourself a copy of my In Camera book, an official Cameralabs T-shirt or mug, or treat me to a coffee! Thanks!

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