Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S Review

Introduction

This review covers everything you need to know about the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S, an ultra-wide zoom lens for Nikon’s mirrorless Z System. The Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S is a small, minimalist lens on the outside, but looks can be deceiving. Under the hood, the lens sports a complex optical design with 14 elements in 12 groups, including a whopping four aspherical and four extra-low dispersion glass elements. It also earns Nikon’s “S-Series” designation to indicate their signature lenses.

Announced in January 2019, the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S was the first ultra-wide lens ever made for the Z System. Nikon has since released other mirrorless ultra-wides, including the Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S, the Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S, and the Nikon Z 17-28mm f/2.8. Yet none of the others can match the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S’s combination of focal lengths and portability, which is largely why it’s remained popular all this time.

The Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S targets landscape photographers who want a lightweight, sharp ultra-wide zoom and don’t need a particularly large maximum aperture. Although f/4 isn’t bad, it’s still dim enough to make Milky Way photography a little tough. Dedicated night-sky photographers tend to prefer at least f/2.8 lenses instead, if not f/1.8 or f/1.4.

That said, as someone who bought the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S and has been using it almost since day one, I’ll show you later in this review that you can take good Milky Way photos with this lens. I’ll also explain the lens’s build quality, optical characteristics, and value relative to the other alternatives currently available for the Nikon Z System. Our team at Photography Life has tested four copies of the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S in the field across several years (two copies also tested in the lab), and you can be confident that our hands-on review will answer all your questions about this lens!

Build Quality

One of the first things you’ll notice about the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4, especially compared to other ultra-wide zooms, is how small this lens is. Partly, this is because the lens is collapsible. You just need to rotate the zoom ring a little “wider than 14mm” for the front element to retract significantly – and back in the opposite direction to unlock it again.

The telescoping barrel of the lens is most extended at 14mm and, except for the locked position, is the most compact at 30mm. On my copy of the lens, there is no meaningful wobble to the extended barrel even at 14mm. This is a welcome sight for using the lens in adverse conditions, although internal zooms (or internally-focusing primes) are ideal if you’re shooting in especially bad weather.

One nitpick I have is that it’s very easy to unlock this lens (i.e., un-collapse it) by accident when you’re grabbing it out of your bag. Pulling even gently on the top part of the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S will un-collapse it, when that’s likely not your intention. I don’t think you’d damage the lens by doing this, but it can be annoying when you’re trying to remove the lens from your bag quickly.

Still, I can’t complain about the size or the weight of this lens. It’s shorter and lighter than almost any other ultra-wide zoom available today, with a weight of just 485 grams (1.07 pounds). By comparison, this lens’s predecessor – the Nikon 16-35mm f/4G VR for the F-Mount – weighs 680 grams (1.50 pounds) and is significantly larger. Someone in the comments can correct me if I’m wrong, but to the best of my knowledge, the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S is the lightest full-frame zoom lens on the market that can reach 14mm. That achievement is all the more impressive considering how many years have passed since the lens was announced.

One of the most impressive things about this lens is the 82mm filter thread on the front of the lens. Although 82mm filters are on the large side, getting any screw-in filter to work at 14mm is very unusual. Most 14mm lenses on the market require bulky filter-holding systems attached to the outside of the lens if you want to use any filters.

In fact, when Nikon announced this lens, they advertised it was the “world’s first 14mm filter-attachable lens” for full-frame cameras. (It’s no longer the only such lens – for example, Canon’s 14-35mm f/4L has a 77mm filter thread – but it’s still one of very few.)

As with most lenses these days, the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S is made of high-quality plastics in an effort to minimize the weight and cost of the lens.  For $1350, the first time you hold the lens, you’d be justified in wondering whether you got your money’s worth.

That said, as you’ll notice over time, it’s a pretty sturdy thing. I’ve used my copy of the lens for years in consistently harsh conditions: sandstorms, sub-freezing temperatures, torrential downpours, and the blazing sun of the desert. I definitely don’t baby my lenses, but the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S has held up through everything I throw at it.

One nice benefit of Nikon’s Z lenses so far is that they have a fluorine coat on the front element. This is a nice touch that makes it easier to wipe off water, dust, or thumbprints without smearing. The 14-30mm f/4 is no different in that regard, with a front element that repels water quite well and remains fairly easy to clean.

In terms of plastic vs metal, I actually prefer plastic lenses overall. They don’t sap the warmth from your hands in cold weather as quickly, and they’re usually lighter, too. Plus, assuming the plastic is high quality, it doesn’t bring much of a durability penalty; I’d be less worried if I dropped most plastic lenses than most metal ones (in part due to weight).

At the same time, if you’re planning to drive a car over your wide-angle lens or drop it in a river, I still think I’d prefer the Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S – mainly because it’s halfway toward being an internal zoom. (The front element of the 14-24mm f/2.8 S moves within the stationary outer barrel.)

Handling

If you’ve handled enough Nikon Z lenses, you won’t be surprised by the feel and controls of the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S. It has just a single switch – autofocus vs manual focus – plus a zoom ring and a control ring (which most photographers will likely keep for controlling manual focus).

It’s more streamlined than it should be. A custom function button would also have been a nice touch, and the same goes for an additional customizable dial. But it seems that Nikon wanted to save those features for the more expensive Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S. Also, I would have preferred an extra VR switch, even though it would only control the in-camera stabilization system, since the lens itself lacks VR.

Apart from that, there’s not much to mention here. A lens with minimalist handling isn’t my first choice, although it’s not a dealbreaker – it just makes operations a little slower.

Specifications

• Full Name: Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S
• Mount Type: Nikon Z Mount
• Focal Length: 14mm to 30mm zoom (2.1× zoom)
• Angle of View (Full-Frame): 114° to 72°
• Maximum Aperture: f/4 at all focal lengths
• Minimum Aperture: f/22 at all focal lengths
• Aperture Blades: 7, rounded
• Filter Size: 82mm
• Lens Elements: 14
• Lens Groups: 12
• Special Elements: 4 ED glass, 4 aspherical
• Super Integrated Coating: Yes
• Nano Crystal Coating: Yes
• Fluorine-Coated Front Element: Yes
• Electronic Diaphragm: Yes
• Vibration Reduction: No
• Internal Focusing: Yes
• Internal Zooming: No
• Control Rings: Zoom, focus
• Function Button: No
• Focus Motor: Stepping motor
• Minimum Focus Distance: 28 cm (11 inches)
• Maximum Magnification: 0.16× at 30mm (1:6.3)
• Mount Material: Metal
• Weather/Dust Sealing: Yes
• Dimensions (Length × Diameter): 85 × 89 mm (3.3 × 3.5)
• Weight: 485 g (1.07 lbs)
• MSRP: $1350
• Lowest Sale Seen: $1150 (check current price)

Here is the construction of the lens, courtesy of Nikon:

The next page of this review covers the optical characteristics of the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S, including focusing performance and sharpness tests in the lab. Click the menu below to go to “Optical Performance”: