Will we see less expensive lenses for the Nikon Z-system? We found at least one clue…
posted Thursday, August 30, 2018 at 3:45 PM EDT
As Dave Etchells mentioned just yesterday in his interview with Nikon Z7 engineers, we've now confirmed that Nikon is planning at some point to introduce Z-mount lenses that are not part of the higher-end S-Line. These lenses will be designed with a greater emphasis on "compactness and value" according to Nikon.
We thought readers might be interested in where we got that information, which appears in a brochure titled "A New Era in Optics", which Nikon handed out at the Z system announcement event in New York City last week.
No focal length or other specification details are given, but the second category below, simply labeled "other lenses", is displayed in obvious contrast to the S-Line lenses they have listed both now and ones planned for future launch. So as of now, it looks like there will eventually be two classes of Z-mount lenses, with the possibility of some smaller and more affordable choices, which should please anyone thus far concerned about the cost of entry into the new Z-mount system.
Lenses "other than the S-line" are promised to "strike an optimum balance
between advanced functionality, compactness and value for money..."
Nikon won't say exactly when these lenses will appear, but from all we've been able to determine, we're not expecting anything in the near future. For now, Nikon wants to keep the focus (pun intended) on the S-Line. That said, as Dave also mentioned, it seems like a likely guess that smaller and less expensive lenses might be introduced to coincide with a smaller, less expensive Z system camera body.
One thing we've yet to ascertain is whether or not the Z-mount will eventually find its way onto an APS-C body. As always, stay tuned to this channel for the latest and most extensive coverage!
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