Nikon once again updated its Z lens roadmap, and we now know of a total of ten Z mount lenses that will be released in the coming years. Here’s a first look at the new lenses you can expect to see.
Table of Contents
The Updated Nikon Z Lens Roadmap
Here’s the roadmap it replaces:
In total, every Nikon Z lens we know about is as follows. Lenses that have not yet been formally announced are marked in bold:
- 14-30mm f/4 S
- 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 DX
- 20mm f/1.8 S
- 24mm f/1.8 S
- 24-50mm f/4-6.3
- 24-70mm f/2.8 S
- 24-70mm f/4 S
- 24-200mm f/4-6.3
- 35mm f/1.8 S
- 50mm f/1.8 S
- 50-250mm f/4.5-5.6 DX
- 58mm f/0.95 S
- 70-200mm f/2.8 S
- 85mm f/1.8 S
- 1.4x Teleconverter
- 2.0x Teleconverter
- 50mm f/1.2 S
- 14-24mm f/2.8 S
- 28mm pancake lens
- 40mm pancake lens
- 50mm macro lens
- 105mm macro lens
- 24-105mm
- 100-400mm
- 18-140mm DX
- 200-600mm (non-S lineup)
We don’t yet know the maximum aperture values of some of these lenses. Hopefully, Nikon will release that information soon.
When Are These Lenses Coming Out?
The new roadmap doesn’t list any date projections for when the unannounced Z lenses will go on sale. So, taking the old information into account as well, here is what we expect at the moment for Nikon’s future announcement schedule:
2020:
- Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S
- Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S
It is hard to predict what specific lenses will be announced in 2021 for a number of reasons. First, Nikon has released some surprises that were not previously on the roadmap (1.4x and 2x teleconverters, as well as the new Z 24-50mm zoom). And second, given the current economic conditions and COVID 19, it might push new releases further into the future.
Analyzing the Future Lenses
A lot of Nikon’s upcoming lens lineup looks very interesting. In particular, it’s great to see a company put specific effort into releasing pancake lenses – a 28mm and a 40mm lens. Personally, as someone who’s been pushing for more pancake lenses from major companies, I am very excited to see this!
It’s also nice to see not one, but two dedicated macro lenses on their way for the Z system. I’d have preferred a 150mm+ macro lens rather than a 50mm and a 105mm, but I’m not complaining. The Z cameras are great for close-up photography for a few reasons – focus stacking, in-viewfinder magnification, focus peaking – and they deserve more than an adapted lens.
The 100-400mm also seems interesting to me. The biggest gap in the entire Z lens lineup was – and still is – a small aperture telephoto lens. Heck, I’d be first in line to buy the Nikon Z 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3… if it weren’t DX only. Most likely, the 100-400mm will still be too heavy to be ideal (with a 70-200mm f/4 or 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 preferable for travel photography) but at least it’s something. Still, you’ve got to wonder why Nikon continues to hold out and not release a lightweight telephoto zoom for what is, ostensibly, a travel-friendly camera system.
We also get the first super-telephoto Z lens – the 200-600mm, though no word on its maximum aperture – which very well could win fans for wildlife and sports photography. Seeing as though it’s not an “S” series lens, chances are good that it will mimic something like the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 VR, a well-regarded budget super-telephoto lens.
Lastly, Nikon has two yet-unannounced wide-to-telephoto zooms: a 24-105mm S and 18-140mm DX. A number of photographers complained when the Z6 and Z7 were announced that the kit 24-70mm f/4 didn’t zoom far enough; for those photographers, the 24-105mm S might be just the ticket. (I also wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the new kit lens to go with Nikon’s upcoming high-end Z full-frame camera). The upcoming 18-140mm DX likely will not have the same level of image quality due to its long range, but it should still make a good superzoom for travel. The same goes for the new 24-200mm f/4-6.3 announced in February 2020.
Nikon Z Lenses Announced So Far
The list below keeps track of all the Nikon Z-mount lenses that have been announced so far, in order from least to most recent:
2018
- Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 S (our review)
- Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S (our review)
- Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S (our review)
2019
- Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S (our review)
- Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S (our review)
- Nikon Z 24mm f/1.8 S (our review)
- Nikon Z 85mm f/1.8 S (our review)
- Nikon Z 58mm f/0.95 S
- Nikon Z 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 DX (our review)
- Nikon Z 50-250mm f/4.5-5.6 DX (our review)
2020
- Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S
- Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S
- Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR
- Nikon Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3
- Nikon Z 1.4x Teleconverter
- Nikon Z 2x Teleconverter
If you want to find out more about the Nikon Z lenses, see Nikon Z Mirrorless Lenses page at Nikon USA.
Nikon Z Lens Delivery Issues
At this point, the biggest issue Nikon is facing is delivery issues due to COVID 19 and other logistical issues. Although the Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S was released a while ago, it is nowhere to be found, and the date of the release has been pushed all the way to September of 2020. The same goes for the Nikon Z 24-200mm zoom, which only recently started showing up in stores.
I hope Nikon can address this issue as soon as possible, since there are many Nikon Z shooters who are waiting for their pre-orders to arrive…
Spencer,
I think the reason that Nikon isn’t prioritizing a small-aperture telephoto for Z-mount is that the 70-300 AF-P is very new. AF-P lenses were basically the prototype for the Z lens focusing system, and being such a recent optic, there hasn’t been much time for optical technology improvements. Any gain in optical performance would likely need to come from the Z mount dimensions, and those have much greater impact on wide angle lenses rather than telephotos.
I know that people who are moving to the Z system are reluctant to spend money on an F mount lens, but this is a relatively inexpensive lens and all reports (including reputable folks like Thom Hogan) are that it works excellently on the FTZ adapter; even better than it does on the DSLRs in some cases. If I wanted this type of lens, I’d just buy a refurbished model; I would definitely get my money’s worth over the next few years while awaiting a Z mount replacement, which by then, Nikon may have made some technological and optical advancements.
I’d much rather Nikon focus on Z lenses that have no recent F equivalent, or have no F equivalent at all. So, for things not on the roadmap, I prefer wide-to-mild-telephoto wide aperture primes (f/1.2 lenses from 35mm to 85mm – the 28mm f/1.4E and 105mm f/1.4E are both recent and excellent and shouldn’t be a priority to replace – I’m certainly not ready to replace mine as I’ve had them less than a year) to a replacement for the 70-300 AF-P.
That said, I want to make clear that I agree with Nikon’s priorities in terms of what’s already on the roadmap. Like several others have mentioned, I will likely move into the Z system when the 28mm and 40mm pancakes arrive, hopefully around the time the Z6s/Z7s (or whatever they call them) arrive. I have a D500 and D850 now, so image quality and autofocus performance are not issues with my current equipment; portability is. Were I to buy into the Z system today, I’d really want a Z6 or Z7 kit with the new 24-50 for travel, with a plan to get the superlative 24-70 f/2.8S for pure image quality. The 24-70 f/2.8E is the one high quality F optic I’m not buying unless I get an excellent deal.
But having a Z camera and very compact lens so I have something sized similarly to my Nikon FM2/T film camera with the 28mm f/2.8 AiS but full-frame digital and autofocus is the system-seller for mirrorless for me.
Agreed, that’s very likely Nikon’s reasoning behind it. And the 70-300mm AF-P does match extremely well with the Z cameras.
Still, I’m personally not a big fan of the FTZ adapter in general, including how the camera must be removed from its tripod in order to attach it, and how autofocus accuracy doesn’t match the exceptional Z lens performance when it’s used (though its autofocus speed is excellent). Plus, as light as the 70-300mm is, it still would be nice to save the weight and leave the FTZ at home.
It’s not the end of the world that Nikon hasn’t released a lightweight telephoto for the Z6 or Z7, but I’m still hoping we get one sooner rather than later.
I am thinking that the 100-400mm lens will be relatively small. The current 80-400 isn’t that much larger than the 70-300 VR (not sure vs AF-P) but if they can make it a bit smaller, it might work as a stopgap until they produce these smaller zooms.
What I really want to know is when these lenses will actually be available. I am thinking the Z6s and Z7s will have upgraded AF and I will want to move from my DSLR’s, but it will be much less attractive for me without the 100-400 and 200-600 lenses.
I have the Z50 and the two kit lens. I have a whole fleet of Nikon Cameras and the Z50 and the two kit lens now gets the most use. Id also like to see the D500 upgraded. The D7500 is also an awesome camera. Considered a step backwards? Not by those who bought one!
I’m a bit annoyed that the 135mm 1.8s got scrapped.
The pancake 28mm and 40mm are essential. My decision to move into the Z system will depend on those lenses. Nikon should inform better and release them faster.
nikon underestimates the need for pancake lenses. I would sell my leica Q or fuji X100 at any time and get a Z6 in addition to the Z7 as soon as I had a pancake on the Z.
It would be nice if the lenses would have a common filter thread size. As it stands right now, it seems to be all over the place. I get that it’s going to be difficult to achieve at some point. All I’m asking for is more consistency across the lineup.
It used to be possible in the past (look at the AI/AI-S lenses). Why not now?
Another aspect I don’t quite get: For years, Everyone[TM] beat the drum that mirrorless cameras and their lenses would be smaller, lighter, better. Yet I wouldn’t call the current lenses “compact”… Who really needs a f1.2 lens?
Also, will Nikon eventually release a range of primes for their DX cameras? Or will they be the realm of slow zooms?
A bellows unit and some extension tubes would be nice to have, too.
Just for shit and giggles — will there be an adapter to adapt the S mount lenses?
We dont need another wide zoom, normal zoom, 50 mm or 85 mm! We have them! Nikon must cover a wider range of lenses like a macro and supertele lens. That should be first priority! Too much of some lenses and nothing of other kind. With this policy, Sony and maybe Canon will be in the lead for years…
Given the long delays in Z lenses coming to market Nikon should release a revamped FTZ adapter that can AF its older screw-drive lenses. It’s a lot easier to make a better adapter than design a Z 135mm/1.8 to replace the classic 135/2.0 DC.
That 135/1.8 lens is not even on the roadmap. The Sigma 135/1.8 works perfectly fine with the existing FTZ adapter. All old lesnes are working with old bodies and were designed for them. If I were R&D manager at Nikon, I would categorically refuse to work on adapters for antique lenses, as long as there are more urgent projects massively delayed. You think, Nikon has a bunch of engineers sitting around and wait until exotic ideas drop in?
If Nikon doesn’t speed up the development process and also the manufacturing problems, they will soon become a museum anyway.
Joachim, do you think Z cameras are flying off the shelves? They aren’t. Nikon’s biggest problem is that their DSLR users haven’t felt compelled to buy a Z camera that is less capable than their existing gear. The fact that the existing FTZ adapter can’t AF Nikon’s AF-D lenses nor index AI/AI-S lenses serves as an additional disincentive for owners of those lenses to ever switch to Z.
If Nikon R&D has time to design and build a Dodo bird like the 58mm/.95, they have time to design an adapter with screwdrive motor. Adapter design isn’t exactly rocket science.
Marco, I am Nikon user since 2010. I never bought any D-lenses because at the time I started with Nikon, the G-lenses were more silent and optically better. When did Nikon introduce the last D-lens?
So, anyone who wants to stick to old lenses and believes that they are better than the new ones should do so. Just don’t expect me to care about as I’m not that old and inflexible. I think, only Leica-owners are more conservative and attached to the past than Nikon owners are and maybe that’s a good thing, I don’t know. But it’s for sure nothing I want to find out.
And I tell you, even if Nikon would come out with such an adapter, the Z cameras would not take off more, they would not fly off the shelves. After that it’s still the lack of the “superior optical viewfinder” what the museum wardens like to criticize. And after that OVF would be included, they would start to moan about the need of batteries, as the old Nikon F didn’t need one. Did I mention that I don’t care about all that reasoning?
Nikon doesn’t need more adapters, they need to make up their minds where the future can be for them. Maybe they already tried to become more Leica-ish? The Noct – you have no idea how much I agree with you about that waste of resources! The grey “special edition” “holy trinity” just to remind Nikon owners, there once was one, but these days the lads in R&D can’t make them working again…
If Z doesn’t fly, then it’s not because of the lack of adapters. Each adapter is a confession “we can’t make the new ones quickly enough, so you need to take what you have”.
“Z cameras less capable than their existing gear” – this joke I also read numerous times and it looses it’s humour each time a bit more. Kind of this sentences usually only come from museum people who rather drank a gallon of old fixer than touch a modern system to find out for themselves what it s capable of to do.
But seriously, there is something Z cameras (and mirrorless in particular) are worse in. Nasim calls it “Red dots” and to me it’s “red/green colour blobs”. Looking at the Fuji GFX 100, the 10 k$ oversize FF beast, it’s also “RGB-beams”. Looks ugly and is hard or impossible to repair in post.
So honestly you and me better keeping at least one DSLR. For the museum. And for frontlight pictures.
The noct lens serves only 3 functions: 1. Show the world what the Z mount is capable of. 2. An engineering exercise to gain experience with the new mount, and 3. To be used by a small group of people for photos otherwise impossible. As an engineer, I recognize that these types of projects are not inteded to sell well, but they are intended to learn more.
Uhh, sorry, they are less capable for my needs (action) than my current DSLR’s. The AF on the Z series, even with the latest firmware, can’t track like a D500 / D5, especially with a fast moving dog coming right at you. Plus, I love wildlife photography, and they don’t keep up for that either. I would love to move the the Z series, but I am not going backwards with AF. Sony doesn’t force you to go backwards. Now Canon also provides superior AF as well. I am waiting patiently for Nikon because I like their ergonomics and I can use the adapter for some of my existing lenses for awhile while I replace them with Z lenses. This is not a small decision, as I will need 3 bodies and at least the new Z 70-200 (a requirement for my work). Also note that Nikon isn’t even shipping the new Z 70-200, a staple of all different kinds of photographers from action to portriats. So a lot of people are not waiting around because they are addicted to antique DSLR’s, it’s because there is not a more capable mirror-less camera / eco-system available for their use.
If I were shooting weddings or family portraits, I would already have switched (despite not providing 2 card slots, XQD is extremely reliable and despite lack of a native 70-200 lens), as it is obvious the Z cameras / system is better for that work. Also, it is obviously better for video, if that is a big part of the equation.
sceptical, I agree on everything you mentioned except “going backwards with AF.” Tracking is worse, yes, but accuracy is better and more consistent, especially on fast lenses. And honestly, the tracking on a D800/810/850 also jumps off to “something more shiny” after a few shots when using “3D-tracking”.
But as I said, I agree with everything else.
As for the people waiting around: few really tried a Z for themselves, most of them are filling the forums with things they heard or saw on YouTube. At the beginning the system was worse, but it isn’t catching up fast enough, neither AF-wise nor lens-wise. And I would not recommend buying into Z to anybody. I was hoping for more from Nikon, but then, they already manage to crash system 1 against the wall, maybe they don’t like to succeed?
I have both Z6 and Z7 as well as a D7200 and D850. Both the new cameras are fantastic. I do not care if there is complete compatibility with screw mount as the new lenses for Z are far and away superior, even if somewhat slower, than the F mount options. The FTZ adapter works well for me with my Tamron, Tokina, and Sigma lenses. I am a pro who shoots sports and wildlife as well as news photography.
It would be ideal for Nikon to provide lenses light and compact enough for travel.
When traveling internationally, I typically bring a D850 with a 19mm f4PC, 70-300mm f4.5-5.6E, plus a pair of Z6, 14-30mm f4S, 24-70mm f4S, plus an FTZ.
There being no likelihood that Nikon will be releasing a Z-mount perspective control lens, the one lens that I am pining for Nikon to release is a light and compact Z-mount 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 even if it is not an S.
But if there is still no word on such a lens by Q1 of next year, I will take a look at the 24-200mm to possibly replace the 24-70mm f4S and the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E for travel. It seems that the 24-70mm range of the 24-200mm performs well enough. If the 70-200mm range of the 24-200mm is good, then I will likely get a 24-200mm f/4-6.3 for international travel.
I cannot understand who make the lens roadmap decision, if Nikon is keen to have its mirrorless Z cameras in professional business. A lot of professional lenses are not there… Say, 24mm F/1.4, 35mm F/1.4, 50mm F/1.4, 85mm F/1.4, 200mm F/2, 300mm F/2.8, 400mm F/2.8, or Nikon just want the prosumer customers?
Don’t ask for new lenses while Nikon has troubles to deliver the ones on the roadmap. :D
With the current AF system the longer teles will not work much better than the DSLR lenses in front of the FTZ adapter do. So, let’s hope that Nikon brings the Z 8 or 9 (if that will be the pro body’s name) together with one or two pro lenses. But first they need to fill the gaps in their current line-up by delivering the promised items.
Nikon doesn’t make most of their turnarround exclusively with professional photographers. So, nothing wrong with going for the prosumers to fill the bank and pay the R&D costs. Pros will not finance much of this developments.
They want to sell the most number of lenses, not necessarily to cater to high end professionals. They are doing a 50 1.2. And I think they should do a 85 1.2 also. As far as the tele primes – that is a very small market. And there’s not a lot of demand for them until they get their higher end bodies out.
i think we are going to see lotsa 1.2 (35-50-85) like canon R and like nikon z 50 1.2, i was even expecting the 2.8 line to go down to 2.0 ‘to motivate pros even more (and pump up the prices ofc)
Vincent, I am a professional sport and news photographer and I have never needed, nor used, any of those f1.2 or f1.4 lenses. My fastest lens is a 1.8 and my 70-200 is f2.8. I’ve shot professional baseball, soccer, and track and field with these lenses and been published many times. Eventually, Nikon will have these exotics in the Z mount but I, like most professionals, realize that optical quality and reliability is much more important than an extra 1/3 stop of light.
Actually the Z mount 1.8 outperforms some 1.4G versions.