I recently published an article about the best lenses for the Nikon Z7 and Z7 II, but the list expands a bit for lower resolution sensors. In this article, I’ll go through every Nikon Z lens plus some F-mount lenses to see how they perform on the Z5, Z6, and Z6 II.
First, I want to clarify something. Bad lenses do not get any sharper or better on a low-resolution sensor. What happens instead is that the gap between good versus great lenses gets narrower when you don’t have as many pixels; you’re not able to see minor differences or flaws in the lenses as easily. The result is that the list below is basically the same as in my earlier article but with some lenses added that didn’t quite make the cut last time.
As with before, these recommendations are only based upon the sharpness numbers that we’ve measured in the lab at Photography Life (see the full list of lenses we’ve tested here). This means that lenses we haven’t measured don’t make it into this article, nor do lenses that have other good qualities but aren’t tack-sharp. So, take this article as a jumping-off point that compares baseline sharpness and not as a substitute for more detailed reviews.
So, let’s take a look at our recommendations. I’ll start with the Nikon Z lenses and then move to F-mount lenses that can be adapted with the FTZ adapter.
Z-Mount Lenses
Highly Recommended for the Z5, Z6, and Z6 II
- Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 S (our review)
- Nikon 14-30mm f/4 S (our review)
- Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 S (our review)
- Nikon 24-70mm f/4 S (our review)
- Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 S (our review)
- Nikon 20mm f/1.8 S (our review)
- Nikon 24mm f/1.8 S (our review)
- Nikon 35mm f/1.8 S (our review)
- Nikon 50mm f/1.2 S
- Nikon 50mm f/1.8 S (our review)
- Nikon 58mm f/0.95 S
- Nikon 85mm f/1.8 S (our review)
- Nikon MC 105mm f/2.8 S Macro
Recommended for the Nikon Z5, Z6, and Z6 II
- Nikon 24-50mm f/4-6.3 (our review)
- Nikon 24-200mm f/4-6.3, though “highly recommended” at 35mm and 50mm focal lengths only (our review)
Not Yet Measured in Lab
- Nikon MC 50mm f/2.8 Macro
- Nikon 28mm f/2.8
- Third-party Z-mount lenses
The extra lenses that made the cut to “highly recommended” this time are the 14-30mm f/4 S and 24-70mm f/4 S. These two lenses aren’t quite as sharp as the others, but the 24 megapixel sensor helps equalize things enough to make the differences harder to spot. The 24-200mm f/4-6.3 also just barely reaches the level of “highly recommended” but only at the 35mm and 50mm focal lengths.
This isn’t to say the 24-50mm or 24-200mm are bad lenses. In fact, the 24-200mm is my main travel lens on my Nikon Z6. But side by side, you’ll definitely notice some sharpness differences between those lenses and the others, assuming good enough technique.
Now let’s look at the F-mount lenses that qualify as “highly recommended” on the Nikon Z5, Z6, and Z6 II. Only about a dozen F-mount lenses reach that standard on the 45-megapixel cameras, but there are several more this time. Where applicable, I’ll include a link to our review of the lens in question.
F-Mount Lenses
There are so many F-mount lenses available in the first place, and we haven’t tested all of them in the lab (especially third-party lenses). Keep in mind that the following recommendations are based only on sharpness and there are other reasons you may want a lens in practice. Nevertheless, here’s the list:
- Sigma 14mm f/1.8 A (our review)
- Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G (our review)
- Nikon 19mm f/4E PC (our review)
- Nikon 20mm f/1.8G (our review)
- Nikon 24mm f/1.4G (our review)
- Sigma 24mm f/1.4 A (our review)
- Nikon 24mm f/1.8G (our review)
- Sigma 24-35mm f/2 A (our review)
- Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G (our review)
- Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8E (our review)
- Nikon 28mm f/1.4E (our review)
- Nikon 28mm f/1.8G (our review)
- Nikon 35mm f/1.8G (our review)
- Tamron 45mm f/1.8 (our review)
- Nikon 50mm f/1.4G (our review)
- Nikon 50mm f/1.8G (our review)
- Sigma 50mm f/1.4 A (our review)
- Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G II (our review)
- Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E (our review)
- Nikon 70-200mm f/4G (our review)
- Nikon 85mm f/1.4G (our review)
- Nikon 85mm f/1.8G (our review)
- Tamron 90mm f/2.8 (our review)
- Nikon 105mm f/1.4E (our review)
- Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 (our review)
- Nikon 300mm f/4E PF (our review)
- Nikon 500mm f/5.6E PF
- Any of Nikon’s exotic super-telephotos (see our reviews of the 300mm f/2.8, 500mm f/4, and 800mm f/5.6, among others)
- All Zeiss Otus lenses and many other Zeiss lenses that we haven’t lab tested
Naturally, some lenses that didn’t make the cut may still be the right choice for your requirements. I chose to have an arbitrary cutoff when making the list above: There must be at least one focal length/aperture combo at which the lens scored at least 2900 in the center, 2200 in the midframe, and 1900 in the corners in our Imatest tests. These numbers aren’t special in and of themselves except as a way to create a hard cutoff that is neither too strict nor lenient.
The result is that some lenses missed the cut if we haven’t measured them on Imatest, or if their numbers are just slightly low. This doesn’t mean they’re bad lenses. For example, the Nikon 58mm f/1.4G simply doesn’t reach those corner sharpness numbers, but does it need to? It’s an excellent portrait lens meant for capturing beautiful bokeh and the corners will usually be out of focus anyway.
The last point I’d like to make is about adapted lenses. If you’re already willing to use these F-mount lenses with the Nikon FTZ adapter, you should keep your options open and look at lenses originally made for non-Nikon cameras. With a third-party adapter that functions similarly as the FTZ, you can use various other lenses like Canon EF and Sony FE on the Nikon Z system while retaining autofocus in some cases. We haven’t tested very many of those lenses in the lab, but some of them are seriously good and well worth considering if you have the right adapter.
Conclusion
There are dozens of lenses with excellent sharpness for the Nikon Z5, Z6, and Z6 II – both Z-mount and F-mount. Again, sharpness isn’t the only factor that matters when choosing a lens, but you can at least rest assured that the lenses above are “sharp enough” that you can pay attention to their other characteristics instead.
If you’re really looking for peak sharpness (or you’re using a Nikon Z camera with more than 24 megapixels of resolution), you may find that our Best Lenses for Nikon Z7 and Z7 II article is a better answer to your questions. That article parses out some of the smaller sharpness differences between these lenses and ends up eliminating a lot of F-mount glass that doesn’t quite make the cut.
In any case, I hope this article was useful for you in choosing a lens set for your Nikon Z5, Z6, or Z6 II. If you have questions about why certain lenses made the cut or didn’t, I’ve used most of these lenses personally, so just ask me below. Keep in mind that we haven’t tested every lens on the market at Photography Life, so if it’s not on our lens review list, I probably don’t know for sure if it would make the cut or not.
IMO, the #1 image enhancer is a tripod. Raise the mirror, use the EFCS and an X second exposure delay, when possible. In the studio, I use Norman P2000 flash rigs with Sigma ART lenses for maximum image quality. Most of the time, my Nikon AF-S lenses stay in the case, and the ART lenses are mounted.
I wonder if there are plans to compare the quality and sharpness of the 50mm 1.8 prime lens that fits my D800 and the new 50mm Micro prime on a Z7.2?
Why not summarise into one statement? ” All Nikon lens are best lens” Nikon couldn’t be in better hands than here on photographylife.com
Nikon has made a few duds but for the most part, any modern lens is going to give incredibly sharp photos in the right hands. This includes Nikon but also most third parties like Sigma and Tamron. Even superzooms are getting very sharp these days. Not a bad time to be a photographer!
Soon to be trying the Zfc. Any thoughts of the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 S and us with this camera. Also any recommendations of a (Tamron or Sigma) full frame zoom to be used with a Nikon Z frame connector
Thanks
Mark
It would be a bit lopsided in terms of weight but would certainly perform up to the Zfc’s sensor. I think it’s the sharpest zoom lens we’ve ever tested.
I honestly don’t give a damn about super sharp. All Z lens are amazing, including the 24-200. No customer will see a difference and that’s what matters to me. Pixel peaking is for who has no life.
I didn’t see the amazing sigma 35mm 1.4, considered one of the best Sigma lens.
Glad to hear! None of this is important if you already have lenses you like. I use the 24-200mm as my main lens on the Z6 and love it.
You don’t show a review for the MC 105 f2.8 VR S. But you “highly recommend it. Does that mean your testing has shown it to be sharp?
I’ve been using it for the last few weeks and it is an amazingly sharp lens! Working on the review right now.
Waiting eagerly for that review! It’s on the top of my want list, on paper looks like the perfect lens, so I’m waiting to see how it behaves in real life situations :)
I love my Z 24-200 but the sharpness at 200mm isn’t really good (at least with my copy).
Anyone tested the Tamron 17-35 F2.8-4? Could be a very affordable alternative to the 14-30 and also uses cheaper and smaller 77mm filters.
My copy is the same way, although I’m still happy with it overall. I’ve used the 17-35mm f/2.8-4 extensively on the Nikon D780 and loved it. Haven’t had a chance to measure it in the lab, but that’s not as important as real-world practicality, which it has in spades.
Do you remember up to which focal lenght you can use F2.8 on the Tamron 17-35 f2.8/4? Just at 17mm?
14-30 F4? Why? My previous post looks like you dumped it.
It’s one of my favorite lenses – sharper than it has any right to be, definitely sharp enough to clear the bar for this article. Not sure what other post you’re referring to but I’ve liked it for a while.
I think you need to go back and read your own review of the 14-30 F4. What distinguishes that lens is every reviewer wants to say it’s great but reality always gets in their way. Even Thom doesn’t recommend it.
For this article, I only considered the sharpness numbers from our lab tests, which are high enough on the 14-30mm to clear the threshold for this article. Issues with distortion and sample variation aren’t a part of this article, so I recommend reading the individual reviews of these lenses for more context.
Hi Spencer, I found your articles on recommended Z lenses very valuable. I’m curious about something: did you test non AF-S/AF-P lenses like the AF-D Nikkor 20mm f/2.8 on a Z camera? It’s manual focus only with the FTZ but quite good for the money, in my view. Cheers.
We haven’t tested many of those on a 45 megapixel sensor yet unfortunately. I’ve heard good things about that lens though.
I use the 20mm AIS version of the lens (same optics) but use more often the AI 20mm f/3.5 on a D800E (36MP) because it is very flare resistant (no lens hood needed) and very small. Manual focusing is very easy with ultra wide angle lenses. Both lenses’ sharpness is great overall, very sharp in the center (they outperform the sensor’s resolution stopped down 1 EV) and a bit less sharp in the edges and not that sharp in the corners (who cares?). Distortion is there (20mm!) but easily fixable in post. They both render colour beautifully (as do about all Nikon lenses). Results are good with open aperture. Stopped down one or two steps helps further. That said: All… Read more »