Nikon announces compact, lightweight and affordable Nikkor Z 40mm f/2 lens for its mirrorless system
posted Tuesday, September 14, 2021 at 12:01 AM EDT
Nikon has announced the Nikkor Z 40mm f/2, a compact full-frame (FX-format) prime lens for its expanding Nikkor Z lens lineup. The 40mm f/2 is the 20th lens in the Nikkor Z lineup and the 18th FX-format lens, not counting Nikon's Z teleconverters. The 40mm f/2 prime lens joins the Z 28mm f/2.8 lens as the most affordable lens for full-frame Z cameras, with a price just shy of $300.
With its 40mm focal length (60mm on DX cameras), the 40mm f/2 lens has an angle of view of 57 degrees, making it well-suited to a wide range of photographic subjects and delivering a natural perspective. The lens should work well for everyday snaps, street photography and travel photography. While perhaps not quite as well-suited to portraiture as Nikon's 50mm f/1.8 S lens due to a slightly shorter focal length and slightly slower aperture, the 40mm f/2 lens is also half as expensive as the 50mm f/1.8 S prime.
'Many creators have told us that they want extremely small lenses with fast apertures to complement their lightweight mirrorless Z series cameras,' said Jay Vannatter, Executive Vice President, Nikon Inc. 'The new 40mm f/2 delivers as a great lens for travel, street photography or everyday use.'
The compact walk-around lens is also designed to deliver strong close-up performance. The lens has a minimum focus distance of 0.29m (0.96'), resulting in a maximum magnification of 0.17x. For superior close-up performance, Nikon's recent Z MC 50mm f/2.8 is an alternative option, but the Z 40mm f/2 promises good versatility, nonetheless. The lens promises quick, quiet and smooth autofocus performance for both still photography and video applications. For video users, Nikon states that the lens has been designed with minimized focus breathing and smooth aperture control thanks to its electromagnetic diaphragm. The circular aperture diaphragm has nine blades, by the way.
In terms of its design, the Z 40mm f/2 is compact and lightweight. It is 45.5mm (1.8") long with a maximum diameter of 70mm (2.8"). The lens accepts a 52mm filter. The lens incorporates dust- and drip-resistant design with weather sealing. The Z 40mm f/2 includes an integrated control ring that can adjust focus, ISO, aperture and exposure compensation, depending on your camera's settings.
Inside the lens are a mere six elements contributing to the lens's small and lightweight design. The half dozen elements are organized into four groups. Among the six elements are a pair of aspherical lens elements. Since the Z 40mm f/2 isn't part of Nikon's S-Line of lenses, it doesn't include Nikon's specialized optical coatings like Nano Crystal Coating or ARNEO coating.
Looking at the Z 40mm f/2 lens within the context of Nikon's Nikkor Z lens lineup at large, the Z 40mm f/2 slots in between the Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S and Nikkor Z 50mm primes (f/1.2, f/1.8 and MC f/2.8) in terms of focal length. As mentioned earlier, the Z 40mm f/2 is tied for the least expensive full-frame Z lens with the Z 28mm f/2.8 SE. Like many of Nikon's prime lenses for the Z system, the 40mm f/2 doesn't incorporate vibration reduction (VR).
The Nikon Nikkor Z 40mm f/2 lens will be available this fall for a suggested retail price of $299.95 USD. The exact release information is not yet available.