There are several ultra-wide lenses that you can use for the Nikon Z System, especially once you take into account the ability to adapt lenses. Below, I’ll compare many of these options and how they perform in sharpness head-to-head at different focal lengths. We’ll start at the wide end:
14mm
The Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S holds up well at 14mm compared to some very tough competition, including a pair of popular prime lenses (the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 Art and the Samyang 14mm f/2.8, both DSLR lenses that I tested by adapting them via the FTZ adapter.)
Here’s how I would rank the overall performance at 14mm:
- Sigma 14mm f/1.8 Art
- Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S
- Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G
- Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S
- Samyang 14mm f/2.8
A simple ranking like this lacks some nuance, though – for example, the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S is nipping at the heels of the 14-24mm f/2.8G, and beats it at certain apertures and portions of the frame.
16-17mm
The Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S sharpens up a bit at 16mm, and it’s easily one of the best lenses here. I’d rank them as follows:
- Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S
- Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S
- Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G
- Nikon Z 17-28mm f/2.8
- Nikon 16-35mm f/4G VR
18-20mm
Here, I’d rank them as follows:
- Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S
- Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S
- Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S
- Nikon 20mm f/1.8G
- Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G
- Nikon Z 17-28mm f/2.8
It’s extremely impressive for the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S to beat the Nikon 20mm f/1.8G at a similar focal length. That lens has long been one of Nikon’s sharpest wide-angles, which goes to show how good the Z 14-30mm f/4 S really is. I should also point out, even though the Nikon Z 17-28mm f/2.8 is ranked lat of the six lenses listed here, it’s still a sharp lens any way you slice it. (The Nikon 16-35mm f/4G is actually the weakest of the set at 20mm, but back when we tested that lens many years ago, we only tested it at 16mm, 24mm, and 35mm.)
24mm
Here’s how I would rank them at 24mm:
- Nikon Z 24mm f/1.8 S
- Nikon 24mm f/1.8G
- Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S
- Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S
- Nikon Z 17-28mm f/2.8
- Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 S
- Nikon 16-35mm f/4G VR
Right in the middle of the pack! Although, this particular ranking is one of the more subjective ones. For example, the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S is actually sharper than the Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S in the corners this time – but in the center, the sharpest of all these lenses is the Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S! It was definitely a judgment call on how to rank them at 24mm, and I encourage you to look at the specific numbers in more detail if you want a clearer picture of the situation.
28-35mm
And now we reach the longest focal length of these lenses, which ranges from 28mm to 35mm depending on the lens. How does the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S hold up?
I would rank them as follows:
- Nikon 28mm f/1.4E
- Nikon 28mm f/1.8G
- Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4
- Nikon Z 28mm f/2.8 and Nikon Z 17-28mm f/2.8 (tie)
- Nikon 16-35mm f/4G VR
Sharpness Comparisons Verdict
What we see here is that the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S is in the middle of a very impressive pack. Compared to DSLR-era zooms, it handily beats the Nikon 16-35mm f/4G VR and is neck-and-neck with the previous king, the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G. Some of Nikon’s F-mount primes are (unsurprisingly) sharper at their respective focal lengths, but the fact that the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S is on even footing with the Nikon 20mm f/1.8G is pretty amazing.
Compared to other mirrorless lenses, the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S beats the Nikon Z 17-28mm f/2.8 throughout the shared range of focal lengths, but not by too much. I could see the 17-28mm f/2.8 being a good choice if you prioritize your maximum aperture over a wider range of focal lengths. The big winner of this comparison, however, is the Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S – one of Nikon’s best zoom lenses ever made, and one of only a small handful of lenses that I have ever given a perfect 5.0/5 star rating in my review. And then Nikon’s mirrorless S-series primes simply blow everything else out of the water.
All in all, it’s a strong showing for the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S. It certainly outperformed my expectations, even though a handful of Nikon’s best lenses can still out-resolve it.
The next page of this review sums up everything and explains the pros and cons of the Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S. Click the menu below to go to “Verdict”:
Table of Contents