Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 review

21st February 2022

Written by Thomas

Quality

Longitudinal Chromatic Aberration and focus shift

Lenses with focal ratios of f2.8 or larger are often prone to longitudinal color aberrations (loCA, a.k.a. “axial color” or “bokeh CA”). These normally show up as magenta coloration in the foreground and greenish hues in the background and are not easily corrected in post-processing. The new Z-Nikkor shows very little loCA and no focus shift when stopped down.

Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 Longitudinal Chromatic Aberration (loCA)

100% crops at 75mm f2.8 (top), f4.0 (bottom); left = foreground, right = background

Sharpness and contrast

Let’s have a look at the theoretical performance of the Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8, Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III (1st generation), Nikon Z 24-70mm f4 S and Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S:

Above: Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 at 28mm f2.8 (left), 75mm f2.8 (right)

Above: Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III (1st generation) at 28mm f2.8 (left), 75mm f2.8 (right)

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

Above: Nikon Z 24-70mm f4 S at 24mm f4.0 (left), 70mm f4.0 (right)

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

The MTF-charts of the new Nikon look very similar to the Tamron G1 although there are some slight deviations. So perhaps there are small differences in the type of glass – or Nikon’s computers simply calculate the MTF of a lens differently than Tamron’s computers. From the charts the new Z 28-75mm f2.8 should be behind the flagship Z 24-70mm f2.8 S in overall contrast and detail resolution. Comparing the new lens to the Z 24-70mm f4 S is inconclusive as the focal ratios differ so it depends upon how well the Z 28-75 sharpens up when stopped down to f4.0.

Looking at all the facts currently known about the new Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 and the 1st generation Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III it looks like both lenses are based on the same optical design and should perform very, very similarly. On the outside size and weight is also very close with the Nikon having the typical Z-Nikkor look and feel plus the added benefit of its multi function ring, thorough weather sealing, and fluorine coating. This all should make for a decent standard zoom lens with constant f2.8 aperture. The question remains, why Nikon did not use the optical design of Tamron’s 2nd generation (G2) lens which recently hit the streets and is a clear improvement over their G1 design.

Let’s see how this theoretical performance translates into real life results in the sharpness test based on Siemens-stars shot on a 45MP Nikon Z7. Processing was done in Lightroom 11.1/CRAW 14.1 from RAW to Adobe Color profile with the built-in lens profile compensating CA, distortion, and vignetting. Noise-reduction is set to 0, sharpening to 50/0.5/36/10, with no extra tone, color, or saturation adjustment. White-balance was adjusted to a neutral white and I did some exposure compensation to make the brightness of all crops match. So you will not see light fall-off in the corners.

The following are all 100% crops!

First up is an overview of the wide-open performance at different focal lengths. You can jump to the detailed results at different apertures and comparisons with other lenses by clicking on the crops of the respective focal length.

Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8; 100% crop from center, DX-corner, FX-corner

Above: 28mm, f2.8

Above: 35mm, f2.8

Above: 50mm, f2.8

Above: 75mm, f2.8

Nikon’s new lens delivers excellent sharpness in the center and very good sharpness at the DX-corner throughout the zoom-range with just a little softening at 75mm. The FX-corner looks pretty soft in comparison with it’s weakest performance at 35mm. The lens exhibits very little field curvature at the long end but has some at the shorter focal lengths.

The following 100% crops for each focal length shows the Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 from wide open down to f11 compared to the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III (1st generation), Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S and Nikon Z 24-70mm f4 S. The Tamron was shot on a 42MP Sony A7R II with a 3% lower linear resolution which makes these test-shots still very much comparable.

One thing is very clear from these shots: The Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 and Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III (1st generation) perform virtually identical.

If you want to see all the details and comparisons read on. Or you can fast-forward to the performance at long distances.

Performance at 28mm:

Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 at 28mm compared; 100% crop from center, DX-corner, FX-corner

Above: Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 at 28mm, f2.8

Above: Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III (1st generation) on a Sony A7R II at 28mm, f2.8; also available at f4.0, f5.6, f8.0

Above: Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S on a Nikon Z7 at 28mm, f2.8; also available at f4.0, f5.6, f8.0

Above: Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 at 28mm, f4.0

Above: Nikon Z 24-70mm f4 S at 28mm, f4.0, also available at f5.6, f8.0, f11

Above: Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 at 28mm, f5.6; also available at f8.0, f11

At 28mm the new Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 is even sharper in the center than the Z 24-70mm f2.8 S and sharper in the DX image circle than the Z 24-70mm f4S (at f4.0!). Impressive. But in the FX-corner both 24-70mm Nikkors win. You need to stop the new Nikkor down to f8 to get good FX-corner performance.

Performance at 35mm:

Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 at 35mm compared; 100% crop from center, DX-corner, FX-corner

Above: Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 at 35mm, f2.8

Above: Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III (1st generation) on a Sony A7R II at 35mm, f2.8; also available at f4.0, f5.6, f8.0

Above: Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S at 35mm, f2.8; also available at f4.0, f5.6, f8.0

Above: Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 at 35mm, f4.0

Above: Nikon Z 24-70mm f4 S at 35mm, f4.0, also available at f5.6, f8.0, f11

Above: Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 at 35mm, f5.6; also available at f8.0, f11

Similar story as at 28mm but the FX-corner of the new Nikkor does not sharpen up as nicely when stopped down as at 28mm.

Performance at 50mm:

Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 at 50mm compared; 100% crop from center, DX-corner, FX-corner

Above: Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 at 50mm, f2.8

Above: Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III (1st generation) on a Sony A7R II at 50mm, f2.8; also available at f4.0, f5.6, f8.0

Above: Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S at 50mm, f2.8; also available at f4.0, f5.6, f8.0

Above: Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 at 50mm, f4.0

Above: Nikon Z 24-70mm f4 S at 49mm, f4.0, also available at f5.6, f8.0, f11

Above: Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 at 50mm, f5.6; also available at f8.0, f11

At 50mm f2.8 the Z 24-70mm f2.8 S pulls slightly ahead of the Z 28-75mm f2.8 in the DX image-circle. But the latter is still sharper than the Z 24-70mm f4 S at f4. Except again for the FX-corner where the new Z-Nikkor simply is no match for its older siblings. To achieve a well-balanced sharpness up into the FX-corner stop the lens down to f5.6 or even f8.

Performance at 75mm:

Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 at 75mm compared; 100% crop from center, DX-corner, FX-corner

Above: Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 at 75mm, f2.8

Above: Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III (1st generation) on a Sony A7R II at 75mm, f2.8; also available at f4.0, f5.6, f8.0

Above: Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S at 70mm, f2.8; also available at f4.0, f5.6, f8.0

Above: Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 at 75mm, f4.0

Above: Nikon Z 24-70mm f4 S at 70mm, f4.0, also available at f5.6, f8.0, f11

Above: Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 at 75mm, f5.6; also available at f8.0, f11

At 75mm the FX-corner of Nikon’s new Z 28-75mm f2.8 zoom lens finally shows better performance almost matching the Z 24-70mm f2.8 S at f2.8 and Z 24-70mm f4 S at f4.0.

Overall Nikon’s new 28-75mm f2.8 standard zoom convinces with very good to excellent performance in the DX circle. But outside (i.e. beyond 15mm image height) it softens visibly.

Performance at long distances

The Siemens-star test-targets are shot at a distance of 45x focal length (i.e. at around 3m for 70mm focal length). But performance of lenses also depends on the shooting distance. Therefore I present another series of images of a city around 1 km away. Processing was done in Lightroom 11.1/CRAW 14.1 from RAW to Adobe Color profile with the built-in lens profile compensating CA, distortion, and vignetting. Noise-reduction is set to 0, sharpening to 50/0.5/36/10, with no extra tone, color, or saturation adjustment. All shots were made from a heavy tripod with image stabilization switched off.

First up is an overview of the wide-open performance at different focal lengths. You can jump to the detailed results at different apertures and comparisons with the Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S and Nikon Z 24-70mm f4 S by clicking on the crops of the respective focal length. As usual I have selected the diagonal that provided the better corner results as almost any lens is a bit decentered.

Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8; 100% crop from center, DX-corner, FX-corner

Above: 28mm, f2.8

Above: 35mm, f2.8

Above: 50mm, f2.8

Above: 75mm, f2.8

In this long-distance test the new Nikon Z 28-75mm f2.8 repeats its very good performance in the center from the previous test. The DX-corner though lacks a bit of definition at 28mm and 35mm. And the FX-corner is very usable even wide open with 28mm and 75mm being better than 35mm and 50mm.

If you want to see all the details and comparisons with the Nikon Z 24-70mm f2.8 S and Nikon Z 24-70mm f4 S (shot at different days), read on. Or fast-forward to the next chapter on vignetting and distortions.

The following images show the complete scene wide open to give you an impression of the angle of view and vignetting. Following each main image are 100% crops from the center, DX-corner, and FX-corner. You can access the large originals but please respect our copyright and only use those images for personal use.