Comments on: The New Nifty Fifty— Er, Forty? Nikon Nikkor Z 40mm F/2 Lens Review

By: Clive W

Clive W — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 18:42:05 +0000

Just looking at the Zf has my credit card itching and a 40mm like this would be an ideal companion for it, even with its plastic mount. (I was hoping this SE version might have a metal one to go with its 1978 focusing ring.)

Incidentally, I know those of us who wanted an FE when it was new are getting on a bit, but not enough to ‘remember the days prior to manual focus’. Was that no focus at all? Or just a change of phrasing that escaped the editor?

By: Jay Dann Walker in Australia

Jay Dann Walker in Australia — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 09:22:59 +0000

Agree with all comments here. But 40mm? Meh.

Not wide enough (35/2.0 D is my preferred ‘classic’ in this range) and a little too close to ‘ standard’.

Fifty years ago when 35mm shooters aspired to a 50 and a 135 and that was it, or one of those el cheap zooms half the size of a military bazooka (with most results to match), the legions of amateurs would have lined up half way down the street for one. Today – I’m not so sure.

Then the minimum focusing distance. 29 cm, 11.4 inches. This is close? Hey, that’s a foot less a few specs from your subject. Not that impressive.

The price is right, though. Me, I would opt for a 28 which is my ideal or even a 24. In the Z range, even in Australia these are still affordable if one shops around. My highly reputable secondhand gear dealer in Melbourne has a new one for just over AUD $400. A good price given the pitiful state of our South Pacific Peso.

But then the 24 even new is only a little more expensive. And the 28 can be picked up used for around the AUD $220 mark. So…

All this said, there will be those who find it useful or even love it for the little it does, and good for them. Not for me.

Good images, though. For general users it will probably satisfy, and that’s good.

DANN in Melbourne

By: Alan

Alan — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 02:12:25 +0000

I bought one when they first came out a few yrs ago. Because I’ve always liked that focal length, I bit the bullet and bought a used FTZ adapter solely to swap the plastic mount for metal. Other than the psychological benefit of a metal mount and a more solid click when mounting, it does impart the rubber gasket found of other Z lenses. The plastic mount does not have the rubber gasket but rather little overhang of the outer barrel which doesn’t provide a seal. Fortunately switching to the metal mount in no way affects alignment or focus.

By: Huss

Huss — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 05:48:52 +0000

I like the idea of this lens, but all plastic for $300-ish? C’mon! I don’t know of any 3rd party mfg that uses plastic lens mounts.
Even the latest TTartisans 50mm f2 Z mount lens uses a metal mount. And that nugget is $70!

By: Lee

Lee — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 17:42:27 +0000

It’s nice to see Nikon opting to provide a small, fast, autofocus, prime lens option for their mirrorless cameras. Not everyone can afford to spend, or wants to spend $600 to get a fast, standard focal length, prime lens. $250 is a reasonable price for a brand new, all-plastic, fast, standard focal length, prime lens. The small size and weight of this 40mm f/2 lens makes it a very attractive option for the bulk of general photographers, and for many Nikon Z-mount users this lens will be the most cost-effective option for such a lens.

One could certainly buy an older, used, F-mount Nikon 50mm f/1.8G for $125 off eBay, but unless you already have an FTZ or FTZii adapter, then the lens is useless on a Z-mount camera. A used FTZ adapter costs $100-150 and a used FTZii adapter costs $200. And with the FTZ adapter, you lose all the benefits of having the smaller, lighter lens in the first place. This means there’s little value in adapting the older, cheaper, F-mount 50mm f/1.8G to your Z mount mirrorless camera if you don’t already have the FTZ adapter. This would generally apply to people who started with a Z-mount mirrorless camera, did not switch over from Nikon DSLRs, and already had a set of F-mount glass.

By: Rowan Hazel

Rowan Hazel — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 22:36:59 +0000

40mm is a wonderful focal length, more versatile than 50mm IMO. It’s pretty much the classic fixed lens rangefinder standard. The Z 40mm will pair nicely with the Z 28mm pancake on full frame cameras. Bokeh shmokeh – leave that for longer lenses 😉

I use an EF 40mm f/2.8 pancake on my 6D. Image quality is fantastic from f/2.8 & the combo fits in my handbag. Pairing it with a 24mm f/2.8 makes for a very compact walk around & street lens kit.