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Nikon Z Lens Roadmap (Updated February 2025)

Everything you need to know about Nikon’s upcoming Z lenses.

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Nikon hasn’t added any new lenses to their Z lens roadmap for a while, and it looks like the roadmap is winding down. Still, there have been some big lens announcements both from Nikon and from third parties recently. As of February 2025, here’s what we can expect to see for the Nikon Z System over the coming months and years.

The Updated Nikon Z Lens Roadmap

The following is the final version of the Nikon Z lens roadmap. It was officially released all the way back in September of 2023. However, it’s a roadmap in name only. Just one lens on the roadmap below is unlabeled, and we now know that it is the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.2 S (announced officially in February 2025).

Nikon-Z-Lens-Roadmap-Update-2023

Nikon has also gone beyond the roadmap in some ways. The following lenses were total surprises when they were announced, never appearing on the official roadmap at all:

  • 1.4x and 2x teleconverters
  • Nikon Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3
  • Nikon Z 17-28mm f/2.8
  • Nikon Z 28-75mm f/2.8
  • Nikon Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S
  • Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR
  • Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4
  • Nikon Z 50mm f/1.4
  • Nikon Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ

In total, every Nikon Z lens we know about is as follows, in order by focal length. See Nikon DX vs FX for more information.

DX lenses:

  • 12-28mm f/3.5-5.6 DX PZ VR
  • 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 DX VR
  • 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 DX VR
  • 24mm f/1.7 DX
  • 50-250mm f/4.5-5.6 DX VR

FX lenses:

  • 14-24mm f/2.8 S
  • 14-30mm f/4 S
  • 17-28mm f/2.8 (Tamron optical design)
  • 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
  • 24-120mm f/4 S
  • 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR
  • 26mm f/2.8
  • 28mm f/2.8
  • 28mm f/2.8 Special Edition
  • 28-75mm f/2.8 (Tamron optical design)
  • 28-135mm f/4 PZ (video lens)
  • 28-400mm f/4-8 VR
  • 35mm f/1.2 S
  • 35mm f/1.4
  • 35mm f/1.8 S
  • 40mm f/2
  • 40mm f/2 Special Edition
  • 50mm f/1.2 S
  • 50mm f/1.4
  • 50mm f/1.8 S
  • 50mm f/2.8 MC (macro lens)
  • 58mm f/0.95 S Noct
  • 70-180mm f/2.8 (Tamron optical design)
  • 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S
  • 85mm f/1.2 S
  • 85mm f/1.8 S
  • 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S
  • 105mm f/2.8 VR S MC (macro lens)
  • 135mm f/1.8 S Plena
  • 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR
  • 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S
  • 400mm f/4.5 VR S
  • 600mm f/4 TC VR S
  • 600mm f/6.3 VR S PF
  • 800mm f/6.3 VR S PF
  • 1.4x Teleconverter
  • 2.0x Teleconverter

When Will Any More Lenses Be Announced?

Now that the roadmap is complete, it is likely that every new Nikon Z lens will be a surprise. At most, we will get development announcements or hints for some lenses, but the chances that we see another roadmap are very slim.

That begs the question: what’s missing? Although Nikon has a pretty extensive line of Z-mount glass at this point, there are still some types of lenses that we have yet to see. The following are the main examples that stand out to me – note that there is some flexibility in the exact focal length and aperture:

  • 14mm f/1.8
  • 24mm f/1.4
  • 85mm f/1.4
  • 70-200mm f/4
  • 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6
  • 200mm f/2
  • 300mm f/2.8
  • 500mm f/4
  • A 1.7x teleconverter
  • An FX lens covering 12mm or wider
  • A midrange zoom with an f/2 or f/1.8 aperture
  • A fisheye lens
  • Tilt-shift lenses
  • A macro lens longer than 105mm
  • An ultra-macro lens (2x magnification or greater)
  • A zoom macro lens
  • A high-end supertelephoto zoom (like a 180-300mm f/2.8 or 200-400mm f/4)
  • Various DX lenses, especially fast primes and zooms

I want to emphasize that there are no rumors or development announcements suggesting that any of these lenses are coming soon! However, given that these are the biggest gaps in Nikon’s lineup at the moment, I suspect that we will see some lenses like these eventually. Which one would you like to see most?

Third-Party Lenses

Already, there are well over 100 third-party lenses for the Nikon Z system, but almost all of them are manual-focus only. While there’s nothing wrong with manual focus lenses, to keep this article shorter, I’ll stick to listing some of the main third-party autofocus lenses below:

  • Meike AF 85mm f/1.4
  • Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2
  • Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 (our review)
  • Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 (our review)
  • Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3
  • Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 (our review)
  • TTArtisan 27mm f/2.8 (DX only)
  • TTArtisan 32mm f/2.8
  • Sigma 16mm f/1.4 (DX only)
  • Sigma 30mm f/1.4 (DX only)
  • Sigma 56mm f/1.4 (DX only)
  • Viltrox 13mm f/1.4 (DX only)
  • Viltrox 23mm f/1.4 (DX only)
  • Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 (DX only)
  • Viltrox 33mm f/1.4 (DX only)
  • Viltrox 56mm f/1.4 (DX only)
  • Viltrox 75mm f/1.2 (DX only)
  • Viltrox 16mm f/1.8 (our review)
  • Viltrox 24mm f/1.8 (our review)
  • Viltrox 35mm f/1.8 (our review)
  • Viltrox 50mm f/1.8
  • Viltrox 85mm f/1.8
  • Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8
  • Yongnuo 85mm f/1.8

Of the bunch, some of the most exciting are the Tamron lenses. The Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 pairs very well with the Z system considering Nikon’s inexplicable lack of lightweight telephoto lenses (apart from their two superzooms). I’ve shot with the Tamron 70-300mm extensively and really liked it as a portable telephoto option. Hopefully it proves popular enough that Nikon releases a lightweight telephoto zoom of their own to compete with it! Also on the telephoto side of things, Tamron makes a 150-500mm f/5-6.7 that undercuts Nikon’s 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 (costing $1200 rather than $1700), and a 50-400mm that undercuts Nikon’s 100-400mm S.

Meanwhile, the Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 is a totally different type of lens that really flies in the face of typical lens design. For event photographers who want a single do-it-all lens, it’s an extremely appealing set of focal lengths that could replace a multi-lens set.

As for the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2, it’s essentially a version of Nikon’s own 28-75mm f/2.8 but with newer, improved optics and the Tamron label rather than the Nikon label. Nikon’s Z 28-75mm f/2.8 is based off the “G1” version of Tamron’s lens. I think that for most photographers, picking up the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2 makes more sense than choosing Nikon’s Z 28-75mm f/2.8 at this point.

I’m also excited about the three Sigma DX lenses. Sigma is one of the best third-party lens companies, and these three lenses are a good start considering that there aren’t very many Nikon-brand Z DX lenses yet. All three Sigma lenses fill useful spots in the lineup, for anything from astrophotography to portraiture and street photography.

Finally, Viltrox has some interesting glass if you’re looking for a fast DX lens on a budget. The 13mm f/1.4 could be a good choice for DX Milky Way photography, while the 56mm f/1.4 and 72mm f/1.2 seem like good options for DX portrait photographers. Of Viltrox’s full-frame lenses, the one that interests me the most is the 16mm f/1.8, which performed surprisingly well in our review.

Most of the other third-party lenses listed above have Nikon Z equivalents already, so they aren’t as exciting at first glance, but they could still make sense if you’re trying to save money.

Black and white Landscape photo Tamron 70-300mm
NIKON Z7 + TAMRON 70-300mm F/4.5-6.3 @ 114mm, ISO 64, 1/30, f/5.6

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 oldest to most recent:

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

  • Nikon Z 35mm f/1.2 S
  • Nikon Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ

If you want to find out more about the Nikon Z lenses, see Nikon Z Mirrorless Lenses page at Nikon USA.

Nikon Z Cameras

All the lenses above are Nikon Z mirrorless only, meaning they will not fit on any Nikon DSLR regardless of the adapter you use. At the moment, these are the only cameras which work with Nikon Z lenses:

Of these cameras, the Nikon Z30, Z50, Z50 II, and Zfc have a DX sensor (AKA 1.5x crop sensor), while the others have a larger FX camera sensor. However, all of Nikon’s Z lenses fit on all of these cameras, DX or not. If you use one of Nikon’s DX lenses on an FX camera, your photos will be automatically cropped to fit the DX area. See more at Nikon DX vs FX.

About Spencer Cox

I'm Spencer Cox, a landscape photographer based in Colorado. I started writing for Photography Life a decade ago, and now I run the website in collaboration with Nasim. I've used nearly every digital camera system under the sun, but for my personal work, I love the slow-paced nature of large format film. You can see more at my personal website and my not-exactly-active Instagram page.

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Ted

Sony just announced a 400-800mm lens. This seems like a fantastic zoom range for a wildlife shooter, covering a range of small to large-animal cases, and Sony’s lens is pretty light. I wonder why this isn’t on the Nikon roadmap. The Nikon tele primes are excellent, of course, but they do force you into some difficult choices.

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Tom

It’s also worth mentioning where Nikon’s lenses are manufactured since many of them are made in China (so benefiting their economy and likely with more quality discrepancy). Also made there are some of the 3rd-party cheap brands mentioned in the article: Viltrox, TTArtisan, Meike, Yongnuo…

www.nikonimgsupport.com/eu/BV…lang=en_GB

The 35 mm F1.2 S, not on that list, is made in Thailand, like its 50 mm sister.

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Mikael

I would love a 28mm 1.8S lens and a 70-200 f4S.

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Serge

Tamron updated its 70-180 for a VC version, hope it will be (Nikon or Tamron branded) soon available for Z-mount also.

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Jason

now Ttartisan presents 75mm f2 and 56mm f1.8 af fx. it seems that 75 one offers a good value for money

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Ashish

Nikon z 85mm 1.4 when launching

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Rich

Voigtlander for Nikon z lenses are really gaining a lot more attention since the Zf. Thoughts of adding these to your reviews? There’s a lot of opinions that the apo lanthars are leica-light but at a fraction of the cost. Would love to see your assessments! Also, excluding manual focus lenses is now missing a big part of the fun we now get with the Zf. Cheers!

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Pete J R

I completely agree. I bought the Voigtlander 40mm f1.2 to pair up with the Zf. It looks and feels great to use and takes very good images. It feels odd to have the aperture ring at the front of the lens (as opposed to, at the back, like the old Nikon lenses) and I sometimes miss the near instant autofocus. However, I find that I can slow down my photo taking and enjoy the experience more – and think about what I am actually trying to achieve in an image. Some lens reviews here would be very helpful.

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Ken

120-300 2.8 Z mount would be wonderful

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Michael Wickenhauser

I am missing a 300mm pf lens with z mount as the old one was – compact , light, and almost a macro, perfect for travelers !!

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haswell

FTZ for screw AF lenses . Why is it ignored? There exists even EF-Z adapter which works fine according to kenrockwell.

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