p.1 #1 · Nikkor Z lenses with high-performing autofocus?
Team Nikon, I have a question for you:
I plan on buying a Nikon Z8 because it seems to be the best value among high performing AF bodies with a stacked sensor. My primary mission is to photograph my fast moving children at close distances, most likely using 24-50mm range of FOV. I will be using high-FPS shooting with tracking AF.
For this to work well, I need a lens with high AF performance. What do you recommend? I am new to Nikon and looking at lens specs or reviews on B&H is not that helpful.
Which Nikkors in the 24-50mm range have the fastest and the most accurate AF? I am currently considering 24mm, 35mm, and 50mm f/1.8 S Nikkors, as well as the legendary 24-120mm. How does this zoom compare to f/1.8 S primes?
p.1 #2 · Nikkor Z lenses with high-performing autofocus?
I’ve had great results shooting fast action with the 35mm f1.2 and 50mm f1.2 on the Z8. The f1.8 primes are wonderful optically but slower focusing.
Contrary to DSLRs mirrorless bodies focus better wide open, the brighter the lens the better, besides high end lenses typically have faster motors and 2 lighter focusing groups.
p.1 #3 · Nikkor Z lenses with high-performing autofocus?
According to Nikon, the newly introduced Z 24-70/2.8 S II is its fastest focusing lens ever.
It is also, alongside the Z 400/2.8 TC VR S and the Z 600/4 TC VR S, the first Nikkor Z lens to work with Silky Swift VCM (SSVCM) AF motors.
The improved motors deliver autofocus that Nikon says is approximately five times faster than the AF on the original Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S.
Nikon also promises that autofocus tracking performance during zooming is about 60% better than before,
It should be noted that the first version of the Z 24-70/2.8 S, like the Z 70-200/2.8 VR S, was one of the lenses in the Z range with the fastest autofocus.
The Z 70-200/2.8 VR S in particular is definitely faster in AF than lenses such as the Z 85/1.2 S, or Z 135/1.8 S Plena and Co., where the AF is tailored to specific application scenarios, with high precision in fine adjustment and not, as with the 70-200/2.8, to sports and action-heavy AF scenarios.
So if the focal length range of 24-50 is particularly relevant and maximum AF speed is important, then the new Nikkor Z 24-70/2.8 S II should be the perfect target lens.
p.1 #4 · Nikkor Z lenses with high-performing autofocus?
I have the 24-120mm f/4 S and practically speaking, it's a great lens. It is fast focusing for most situations and yes, I have to bump the ISO up a bit, but that’s really not a problem in post. If I were asked to take candids of young children, I would use this lens or my 70-200mm f/2.8 S because of the variable distance of the subjects. I can set the focal length on the fly and get the shot.
I had the 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR and really liked that lens. I was originally going to get the 24-70mm S version, but after using the 24-120mm f/4 S, I never got around to it.
p.1 #5 · Nikkor Z lenses with high-performing autofocus?
I did some unintentional bird in flight shot with 35/1.2s, 85/1.2s when a bird happened to fly by. Not a great shot and the bird as expected was rather small in the frame but focus was perfectly fine.
135/1.8 Plena was also perfectly capable to tracking and focusing on seagulls that were flying by quite close to me. Have not really tried these lens specifically for actions beside seagull with 135/1.8 which I wanted to try and see what happened and I know of a place that I can try that.
70-200/2.8s, 100-400s were perfectly capable of sports/actions and bird in flight as well.
I tried these with Z8/Z9.
I posted bif shots with 35/1.2s and 85/1.2s in their respective image threads on this forum.
p.1 #6 · Nikkor Z lenses with high-performing autofocus?
The just-announced 24-70/2.8S2 is going to be your best performer.
I’ve shot track events with the 50/1.2 and been satisfied. The existing 24-70/2.8S is better still, if being 2 1/6 stops slower isn’t a problem for you.
What I carry for that focal range is the 50/1.2 and the 24-70/2.8S. I’ve never been frustrated. Neither is up to the speed of the 70-200/2.8S, though, and from what I’ve seen in review videos the new 24-70/2.8S2 is faster than that by a noticeable amount.
p.1 #7 · Nikkor Z lenses with high-performing autofocus?
...any of the f/1.2 primes or the f/2.8 S zooms, on a Z8 or Z9.
The 24-70/2.8S Mk.I on either a Z8 or Z9 (I can't speak for performance of any other bodies) is very fast to focus and very accurate in tracking - so much so that I find it hard to believe that there can be much improvement of practical focus performance for still images with the updated Mk II lens as just announced.
YMMV, and perhaps there will be improvements for shooting video, but the 24-70/2.8S Mk.I is an excellent performer.
p.1 #8 · Nikkor Z lenses with high-performing autofocus?
I would throw in with Bernard. A key question is available light. For instance I established the 50 1.4 can hit AF on a Zf in low light better than the well respected 50 1.8. I have a 50 1.2 and love it for "must get the shot" situations. The new 24-70 sounds like the ultimate. Pair the 50 or 35 1.2 with the 24-70 on a Z8 and you would have the tiger by the tail for sure. Best bang for buck are the 1.8 primes though. Unless you are working exclusively outdoors, I would avoid lens with apertures above 2 for fast moving situations in low light if you want maximum accuracy with the highest hit rate.
As a side, I would be curious to see how the new 24-70 actually performs in low light regarding speed vs accuracy. Even if a lens is fast, it will be limited by the camera I believe. I have seen posts where even Z8's struggle a bit in low light for AF accuracy on eye focus with slower lenses. Not one of Nikon's strengths unfortunately unless you go to a Z9 maybe.
p.1 #10 · Nikkor Z lenses with high-performing autofocus?
The Z 600/4 TC also uses SSVCM for focusing.
I agree for the stated purpose the 24-70/2.8 S II would be best fit, though I haven't used it obviously, yet.
PixiPhotography wrote:
Well, then the new 24-70 2.8 S II is the best bet. I think its the only other Nikon Z lens to use VCM, other than the Z 400mm 2.8 TC
p.1 #12 · Nikkor Z lenses with high-performing autofocus?
I don't shoot action/sports with my Nikon, but I'm mildly concerned that the recommended lenses for shooting fast moving kids are the big expensive 1.2s. Sounds like you might be better off considering a used Sony A9ii and some Sony glass.
p.1 #13 · Nikkor Z lenses with high-performing autofocus?
It's somewhat hard for me to fathom folks not finding modern Z8/Z9's and moderate to high end glass to be fast enough. I was using manual focus Nikon lenses to track my moving children on a D700 as recently as 5 1/2 years ago. For so many shooting scenarios, I was prepared to improve my quality/quantity of light and understood/anticipated action and when/where to trap focus. Of course every shot was not perfectly blister sharp; however, sharpness is something of a bourgeois concept at times, and it's at least worth considering your display medium/size for these fast moving images
@old-gregg, what I think is more important before selecting lenses is to understand what environment/light you are shooting in, and is there anything you can do that optimizes the quality/quantity of light.
- If you are indoors, can you work near any large banks of windows or add any well valanced lamps/scones to bounce off a neutral ceiling and provide even 1 more EV of light that is somewhat even?
- If outdoors, can you setup places children might shoot/play to have more pleasant light
- Even in available darkness shooting, positioning yourself to work with available light can help.
- The 24-120 is one of the best lenses I've ever used and frankly hard not to recommend as an all around general purpose lens.
- If you need the extra stop more than you benefit from 70-120 (or that fits you're shooting style better), it'd be hard not to recommend either a well priced used 24-70/2.8 S version 1, or the new version 2.
- I've only had a Z8 for a little under a week, but I find it to be quite quick with my 50/1.8S and quite comfortable to carry.
I can't personally speak to any experience with the 24 or 35 1.8 lenses or the faster 35 and 50's. I'd be sorely disappointed in Nikon for not having a 28/1.8S though if most of my children were still very small. I can do just about everything for family photojournalish with a good moderately fast 28/50, and 105.
p.1 #14 · Nikkor Z lenses with high-performing autofocus?
Important to note that the Z8 is now the only Z camera that allows autofocus with fully open aperture on all lenses, meaning that AF accuracy just got EVEN BETTER.
I agree with Alan, and I think I tend to shoot moving things a bit more than he does, and am confused by anyone who is buying S glass and thinks any of those lenses are slow to focus. The obvious exception to this rule is the 35/1.8 S which is just a dumpy lens in general
p.1 #15 · Nikkor Z lenses with high-performing autofocus?
RoamingScott wrote:
Important to note that the Z8 is now the only Z camera that allows autofocus with fully open aperture on all lenses, meaning that AF accuracy just got EVEN BETTER.
Z6III also recently received this feature, Maximum Aperture Lv, with FW 2.0.
p.1 #16 · Nikkor Z lenses with high-performing autofocus?
RoamingScott wrote:
Important to note that the Z8 is now the only Z camera that allows autofocus with fully open aperture on all lenses, meaning that AF accuracy just got EVEN BETTER.
... unless a lens suffers from the focus shift. That's the reason why Sony offers a configurable setting called "Aperture Drive in AF". Interestingly enough, one of the options it offers (IIRC it's called "standard") behaves differently based on what lens is mounted.
p.1 #17 · Nikkor Z lenses with high-performing autofocus?
RoamingScott wrote:
I agree with Alan, and I think I tend to shoot moving things a bit more than he does, and am confused by anyone who is buying S glass and thinks any of those lenses are slow to focus. The obvious exception to this rule is the 35/1.8 S which is just a dumpy lens in general
I am glad I asked, because the 35/1.8 S exactly what I rented with the Z8 body. This lens is my only experience with Z-lenses, and I was hoping others are better.
p.1 #19 · Nikkor Z lenses with high-performing autofocus?
RoamingScott wrote:
Important to note that the Z8 is now the only Z camera that allows autofocus with fully open aperture on all lenses, meaning that AF accuracy just got EVEN BETTER.
The ability to focus wide open isn't about accuracy, it's about improving AF speed in low light.
Because all lenses suffer from some level of focus shifting, accuracy can at best only not be measurably worse than with the default behavior with which a lens focuses at the aperture at which it is configured between wide open and f5.6. In my casual tests the focus still seemed excellent which indicates that the Nikon lenses I tried suffer from very low focus shift.
As far as f1.8 S primes are concerned, their AF can be good enough in some situation, but it is significantly worse than higher end lenses. Like it or not, this is the reality.
Having owned an a9II and a9III, it really depends on the lens with Sony as well. The former 85mm f1.4 GM for instance was super slow focusing even on those bodies. The new one is much better.
p.1 #20 · Nikkor Z lenses with high-performing autofocus?
bernardl wrote:
As far as f1.8 S primes are concerned, their AF can be good enough in some situation, but it is significantly worse than higher end lenses. Like it or not, this is the reality.
While it's true that Nikon has put in more effort into autofocus in some of the larger lenses than the small f/1.8 ones which don't have dual focus motor or SSVCM, in my experience the f/1.8 primes focus just fine on Expeed 7 cameras and what problems that I've encountered regarding focusing are universal to mirrorless cameras (tendency to focus on details behind the main subject, etc.) and not specific to a particular lens. If Nikon had put SSVCM into the smaller f/1.8 lenses, they would no doubt have been significantly larger, heavier, and more expensive than they are with their current, single stepper motor implementation. There has to be a balance in the implementation to achieve good value in the product overall. For me I have the f/1.8 series because I know they're excellent at all apertures and I can carry them anywhere without having too heavy a bag, which wouldn't be the case if I carried six primes of different focal lengths at f/1.2 apertures (which don't exist yet, but could). Even though I could get the f/1.2's, they won't replace the f/1.8's since they're very large and heavy, which would communicate the wrong message to my subjects (some people like to show off, to others it is a strong put-off signal), and limit my options of comfortably carrying all the focal lengths that I want to carry, at fast apertures, anywhere where I might want to go. Lenses like the 35/1.8 and 50/1.8 are also superb for use on small gimbal stabilizers for video, which cannot be said of the so-called "higher-end" (but not really, they're more expensive and heavier, but not universally better) lenses. For example, photographylife's MTF graphs for the 50/1.8 S peak at 3987 while for the 50/1.2 S they peak at 3630, illustrating just one aspect of different compromises for different lenses. All the S-line lenses are really good lenses of their types. They also focus just fine. Compared to some other manufacturers' lenses, e.g. Canon's, RF mount small primes seem to have quite noisy focusing motors which signals of going on the cheap with the making of those lenses, whereas the f/1.8 Nikkors are very quiet, another signal of the ambitious objectives Nikon had with these lenses.
