I’m walking a 1000km Camino in Spain with the 26 and I love it. So convenient and fun as a lightweight travel lens.
Lee
September 7, 2024 10:26 pm
I have the 26 2.8 and the 28 2.8, I much prefer the 26. It’s basically my body cap in my 6L peak design sling. I can fit it, a 14-30, 24-200 and the 40 F2 in that bag with a Zf or a Z8 body and it’s a pretty great travel kit in a relatively compact bag. I prefer the output of the 26mm as well. It’s a bit slow to focus but still works fine.
Horea Preja
December 9, 2023 2:57 pm
I own and shoot Z20mm, 28mm, 40mm, 50mm, 24-50mm (sold), 24-70mm/2.8, 24-200mm and of course the one we are talking about here – the 26mm. Autofocus in low light is the slowest from them all. Period. The noise, marginal and something you don’t have to worry about in photography. But the micro-contrast and sharpness is in the 20mm, 40mm and 24-70mm/2.8. And we are talking here about real life photography, fast reportage like shooting. Probably is not good for landscape photography, but if you don’t care about this genre is a very good lens. The images out of it are from a different world compared to the 28mm. The sharpness in the frame (I don’t care about the corners – although I sometimes put secondary subjects there in order to balance the frame and be in contrast with the main, the primary subject) is exceptional. It is definitely a keeper. The 28mm can go… but… in this digital era we are in, we have too many clinical sharp lenses. The 28mm isn’t clinically sharp so it can stay…😊. The effort of selling is too big, for the money I can get from it, to even bother…
This is exactly how I see the 26f2.8 as well. I am kind of surprised it was tested here primarily as a landscape lens when it is more of a street/casual lens. Sadly, the 20/24/26/28/35 and 14-30 don’t suite my needs (for various reasons) either. I prefer the 24-50 or 24-70F4S for now. I’d still like an f1.2/f1.4 or even the 24F4 of the 24-120F4S as a prime lens. What I want would also be great for video/vlogging. A 22f2VR with S qualities, nice bokeh, nice sun-stars, physically not be too long, and I would pay even more than $400-600 for it. We could use a few more options…
C n
October 16, 2023 12:06 am
In the sentence heading the Pros and Cons section for this lens, “Here’s how I’d sum up the pros and cons of the Nikon Z 28mm f/2.8.”, you meant “the Nikon Z 26mm f/2.8.”
I’ve been using the 26mm since it came out, but on my Z50 as a walk-about lens, under my coat and unobtrusive. It seems that I shoot it at f/2.8 over 80% of the time. Mostly nighttime photos while walking around town, before and after dinner while traveling. I’m blown away by the portability. It reminds me of my Pentax MX and ME with a 40mm f/2.8 pancake lens. I carried it with a belt clip and 400 ISO Kodacolor. (this is a 39mm on a APC crop sensor) I much prefer it to the 28mm f/2.8 that I have. I like the smaller bulge in my coat and the extra 2mm of wide-ness. I carry the 24-120 on my Z6ii when I’m going for higher quality photos. I’ve got the 12-28 DX zoom, but haven’t used it nearly as much. I love the lens and will probably eBay the 28mm f/2.8. I just don’t use it anymore. Size matters!
Claus
May 31, 2023 4:59 am
For me a very fine lens. Ericbowles summed it up very well. Hardly bigger than the camera cap ;-)
I thought long and hard about buying a Fuji X100T or X100V. With the 26mm on my Z7, the search was now over for me.
Jdizzle
May 17, 2023 9:51 pm
Hmmm… I see this as something not really touched on. A street/walk around lens on the zfc which I’d probably mostly shoot ppl with at 2.8. I used the 27 2.8 on Fuji with x-t1 way back and this is very similar, loved that set up. For landscape I have full frame and shoot stuff like the 20 1.8 s. So it doesn’t really bother me that it isn’t sharp in corners.
Mark Laidlaw
April 18, 2023 4:39 pm
As always, terrific photos (is there an article about your post workflow? The color and contrast are perfect)
But outside of size, this lens makes no sense compared to the 28mm. Stopped down the 28 is better across the frame, is internal focusing, has two external housing options, better ergonomics, and is about half the price.
The 26 is definitely a solution looking for a problem, and I wonder if the upcoming DX 24mm will be a similar story if it too is at f/2.8.
If anything this review demonstrates though, is that Spencer can take a killer photo with anything.
ericbowles
April 12, 2023 11:43 am
Good review, Spencer. I have the 26mm f/2.8 and your observations accurately reflect my experience and observations.
I rate the lens a little higher in several areas: Build quality is a relatively solid. The metal mount and compact size suggest something that is solid and well built – not cheap and light. That fits the need for a lens that will be stuffed in my pocket or jammed in an extra space in my bag. I keep the hood on the lens and occasionally use filters, so I found the hood design and the extending front element a non-issue.
This lens is small enough to be useful on DX cameras. I have the Z50 and this lens makes a good choice for street photography or travel with the Z50 instead of my Z7ii.
Sharpness is very good in the center and softer at the corners, but the midframe is pretty good compared to alternatives. It’s only the most extreme corners that are soft, so a 5×7 crop or DX crop eliminates the problem areas. I did not find corner softness was a significant issue in most compositions.
Distortion and vignetting are a minor issue since I’m doing most processing in Lightroom. Increasingly lenses are designed with the expectation that they are easily corrected, and that expectation allows design compromises favoring the overall image.
Handling is a real plus. This is such a tiny lens, I found it amazing they could even make such a lens. I was able to hold the camera with one hand in positions that would be difficult with most lenses. The reasonably fast aperture lets me use the lens for travel under a wide range of conditions – interiors, pre-dawn, blue hour, shallow DOF, etc.
One thing you did not mention is the unusual optical design. The front element is about the size of a dime – just 10mm or so. The lens elements diagram shows the extreme to which Nikon engineers went in building a lens for the much larger Z mount and 35mm sensor.
Overall, I liked the lens and see using it for travel, for a second camera or a remote camera, or for landscapes when my primary purpose is using a long lens for wildlife. Yes, there are some compromises, but it’s a good addition for those times when you need a very small and light kit.
Thank you, Eric! And I’m glad to hear your second opinion on these topics. It’s a great lens for DX or 5×7 crops – I like 5×7 more than 2×3 anyway a lot of times.
The lens design is really surprising, you’re right. The optical construction diagram looks completely backwards, with a large and bulbous element at the back! It’s not a lens that would have been possible on a smaller mount. It probably shows that Nikon was pushing against the physical limits of optical quality for such a tiny lens.
Matt
April 11, 2023 9:10 pm
It seems that Nikon may have created a solution in search of a problem by building two lenses that are both compact, differing just 2mm in focal length. I have the 40mm and will probably look for a used 28mm instead of this lens. Thank you for the review!
I’m walking a 1000km Camino in Spain with the 26 and I love it. So convenient and fun as a lightweight travel lens.
I have the 26 2.8 and the 28 2.8, I much prefer the 26. It’s basically my body cap in my 6L peak design sling. I can fit it, a 14-30, 24-200 and the 40 F2 in that bag with a Zf or a Z8 body and it’s a pretty great travel kit in a relatively compact bag. I prefer the output of the 26mm as well. It’s a bit slow to focus but still works fine.
I own and shoot Z20mm, 28mm, 40mm, 50mm, 24-50mm (sold), 24-70mm/2.8, 24-200mm and of course the one we are talking about here – the 26mm. Autofocus in low light is the slowest from them all. Period. The noise, marginal and something you don’t have to worry about in photography. But the micro-contrast and sharpness is in the 20mm, 40mm and 24-70mm/2.8. And we are talking here about real life photography, fast reportage like shooting. Probably is not good for landscape photography, but if you don’t care about this genre is a very good lens. The images out of it are from a different world compared to the 28mm. The sharpness in the frame (I don’t care about the corners – although I sometimes put secondary subjects there in order to balance the frame and be in contrast with the main, the primary subject) is exceptional. It is definitely a keeper. The 28mm can go… but… in this digital era we are in, we have too many clinical sharp lenses. The 28mm isn’t clinically sharp so it can stay…😊. The effort of selling is too big, for the money I can get from it, to even bother…
This is exactly how I see the 26f2.8 as well. I am kind of surprised it was tested here primarily as a landscape lens when it is more of a street/casual lens. Sadly, the 20/24/26/28/35 and 14-30 don’t suite my needs (for various reasons) either. I prefer the 24-50 or 24-70F4S for now. I’d still like an f1.2/f1.4 or even the 24F4 of the 24-120F4S as a prime lens. What I want would also be great for video/vlogging. A 22f2VR with S qualities, nice bokeh, nice sun-stars, physically not be too long, and I would pay even more than $400-600 for it. We could use a few more options…
In the sentence heading the Pros and Cons section for this lens, “Here’s how I’d sum up the pros and cons of the Nikon Z 28mm f/2.8.”, you meant “the Nikon Z 26mm f/2.8.”
Good catch, thank you! Updated.
I’ve been using the 26mm since it came out, but on my Z50 as a walk-about lens, under my coat and unobtrusive. It seems that I shoot it at f/2.8 over 80% of the time. Mostly nighttime photos while walking around town, before and after dinner while traveling. I’m blown away by the portability. It reminds me of my Pentax MX and ME with a 40mm f/2.8 pancake lens. I carried it with a belt clip and 400 ISO Kodacolor. (this is a 39mm on a APC crop sensor) I much prefer it to the 28mm f/2.8 that I have. I like the smaller bulge in my coat and the extra 2mm of wide-ness. I carry the 24-120 on my Z6ii when I’m going for higher quality photos. I’ve got the 12-28 DX zoom, but haven’t used it nearly as much. I love the lens and will probably eBay the 28mm f/2.8. I just don’t use it anymore. Size matters!
For me a very fine lens. Ericbowles summed it up very well.
Hardly bigger than the camera cap ;-)
I thought long and hard about buying a Fuji X100T or X100V.
With the 26mm on my Z7, the search was now over for me.
Hmmm… I see this as something not really touched on. A street/walk around lens on the zfc which I’d probably mostly shoot ppl with at 2.8. I used the 27 2.8 on Fuji with x-t1 way back and this is very similar, loved that set up. For landscape I have full frame and shoot stuff like the 20 1.8 s. So it doesn’t really bother me that it isn’t sharp in corners.
As always, terrific photos (is there an article about your post workflow? The color and contrast are perfect)
But outside of size, this lens makes no sense compared to the 28mm. Stopped down the 28 is better across the frame, is internal focusing, has two external housing options, better ergonomics, and is about half the price.
The 26 is definitely a solution looking for a problem, and I wonder if the upcoming DX 24mm will be a similar story if it too is at f/2.8.
If anything this review demonstrates though, is that Spencer can take a killer photo with anything.
Good review, Spencer. I have the 26mm f/2.8 and your observations accurately reflect my experience and observations.
I rate the lens a little higher in several areas:
Build quality is a relatively solid. The metal mount and compact size suggest something that is solid and well built – not cheap and light. That fits the need for a lens that will be stuffed in my pocket or jammed in an extra space in my bag. I keep the hood on the lens and occasionally use filters, so I found the hood design and the extending front element a non-issue.
This lens is small enough to be useful on DX cameras. I have the Z50 and this lens makes a good choice for street photography or travel with the Z50 instead of my Z7ii.
Sharpness is very good in the center and softer at the corners, but the midframe is pretty good compared to alternatives. It’s only the most extreme corners that are soft, so a 5×7 crop or DX crop eliminates the problem areas. I did not find corner softness was a significant issue in most compositions.
Distortion and vignetting are a minor issue since I’m doing most processing in Lightroom. Increasingly lenses are designed with the expectation that they are easily corrected, and that expectation allows design compromises favoring the overall image.
Handling is a real plus. This is such a tiny lens, I found it amazing they could even make such a lens. I was able to hold the camera with one hand in positions that would be difficult with most lenses. The reasonably fast aperture lets me use the lens for travel under a wide range of conditions – interiors, pre-dawn, blue hour, shallow DOF, etc.
One thing you did not mention is the unusual optical design. The front element is about the size of a dime – just 10mm or so. The lens elements diagram shows the extreme to which Nikon engineers went in building a lens for the much larger Z mount and 35mm sensor.
Overall, I liked the lens and see using it for travel, for a second camera or a remote camera, or for landscapes when my primary purpose is using a long lens for wildlife. Yes, there are some compromises, but it’s a good addition for those times when you need a very small and light kit.
Thank you, Eric! And I’m glad to hear your second opinion on these topics. It’s a great lens for DX or 5×7 crops – I like 5×7 more than 2×3 anyway a lot of times.
The lens design is really surprising, you’re right. The optical construction diagram looks completely backwards, with a large and bulbous element at the back! It’s not a lens that would have been possible on a smaller mount. It probably shows that Nikon was pushing against the physical limits of optical quality for such a tiny lens.
It seems that Nikon may have created a solution in search of a problem by building two lenses that are both compact, differing just 2mm in focal length. I have the 40mm and will probably look for a used 28mm instead of this lens. Thank you for the review!
You’re welcome, glad it was useful!