Nikon Launches 2 New Z-Mount Zoom Lenses

2021.10.28

Along with news of the flagship Nikon Z9, two new zoom lenses were launched that together cover an incredible 24-400mm range in premium-quality lenses designed for professionals.

First up is the Nikkor Z 24-120mm F/4S, the most versatile Z-mount lens yet. Its 5X optical-zoom range covers ultra-wide-angle to telephoto reach with a moderate constant F/4 aperture throughout. With a minimum focusing distance of 35mm at any focal-length, this zoom reaches a 0.39X maximum magnification which makes it usefull for closeup photography.

Although relatively lightweight at 630g, the Z 24-120mm F/4S is an S-series lens built into a weatherproof body with tripe rings: A broad zoom ring, a customizable control-ring and a textured focus-ring, plus a configurable function button and focus-switch. The lens is fitted with a standard 77mm filter-thread too.

The second lens offers a telephoto to super-telephoto reach. This Nikkor Z 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6S VR provides a variable maximum aperture to achieve a relatively less heavy body than typical 4X telephoto lenses. Still, it weighs almost 1.5kg! Given the new Dual Stabilization capability of the Nikon Z9 launched today, the restricted aperture range should have minimal impact. Together the Z9 and Z 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6S VR can maintain a 6-stop advantage over hand-holding. In any case, for a market that demands ultra-fast shutter-speeds to freeze the action, stabilization does little to help action photography.

The Nikon Z 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6S VR pushes the reach available for Z-mount cameras using native lenses by almost a factor of 2X! This lens can focus down to 75-98cm, depending on the selected focal-length, which turns into a maximum magnification 0.38X which is very impressive for a long lens. Needless to say, the Z 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6S VR is weatherproof. It provides two function button a set of triple-rings for focal, focus and a custom function. The focus-ring on the lens offers Quickshift AF while an OLED display on the barrel shows distance.

These two lenses are expected some time this year. The Nikon Z 24-120mm F/4S will retail for $1100 USD or $1500 CAS, while the Z 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6S VR will cost $2700 USD or $3650 CAD. The exchange rate of USD-CAD makes these more favorable to buy in the US.

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