Indeed, when it comes to Nikon systems, this is the most affordable entry-level full-frame system in the mix. If you’re looking to invest in a full-frame camera system and looking for something lightweight and future-proof, you can look at Nikon’s mirrorless system cameras, with the Z5 being one of the cameras you can look into.
Compared with its more illustrious cousins, the Z6 and the Z7, this Z5 does not have a BSI sensor, which means its low-light performance isn’t going to be at par with some of the top-end mirrorless models.
That said, handling and performance are almost identical to the other mirrorless cameras from Nikon. Speaking of handling and performance, I will discuss compatible lenses in this discussion — specifically, the best lens for Nikon Z5.
Many lenses are an excellent match for the Nikon Z5. However, considering that the Z5 is primarily a still camera (and not a video camera), I have shortlisted lenses that are ideally suitable for shooting stills. Ok, without further ado, here are my options for the best lens for Nikon Z5:
Indeed, when it comes to Nikon systems, this is the most affordable entry-level full-frame system in the mix. If you’re looking to invest in a full-frame camera system and looking for something lightweight and future-proof, you can look at Nikon’s mirrorless system cameras, with the Z5 being one of the cameras you can look into.
Compared with its more illustrious cousins, the Z6 and the Z7, this Z5 does not have a BSI sensor, which means its low-light performance isn’t going to be at par with some of the top-end mirrorless models.
That said, handling and performance are almost identical to the other mirrorless cameras from Nikon. Speaking of handling and performance, I will discuss compatible lenses in this discussion — specifically, the best lens for Nikon Z5.
Many lenses are an excellent match for the Nikon Z5. However, considering that the Z5 is primarily a still camera (and not a video camera), I have shortlisted lenses that are ideally suitable for shooting stills. Ok, without further ado, here are my options for the best lens for Nikon Z5:
Related Post: Best Lens for Nikon Z50
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Reviews of Best Lenses for Nikon Z5
Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S
Features
- Chromatic and spherical aberration are well suppressed
- Smooth autofocusing
- Weather sealed design
If you’re looking for one lens that does it all, that means shooting portraits, and work as an excellent lens for travel photography, street photography, weddings, and everything else in between, the Z 24-120mm f/4 S is a great lens to work with. The focal length of 24mm to 120mm with its 5x zoom lets you shoot everything from wide panoramic landscapes to portraits, and you will never have a reason to take this lens off your camera.
As much as build quality is concerned, the lens is made of plastics mainly. However, it does not feel too bad in the hands. On the contrary, the lens does feel solid in the hands. The rear mount is made of metal, and a rear gasket seals the lens’ interior from moisture, dust, and dirt.
Three ED elements and three aspherical elements are provided in the lens, along with one aspherical ED glass element. Together, these elements ensure that the lens suppresses the effect of spherical and chromatic aberrations along with color fringing. It also improves the color saturation contrast of the images.
The lens also contains fluorine coating, ensuring that the front element is least affected by fingerprints, moisture, and dust. Cleaning the lens is also very easy that way.
The lens does have a customizable ring and a programmable focus lock button. The zoom ring is a bit tight to operate, but the manual focusing ring, on the other hand, ensures that the lens accurately adjusts focus.
In terms of performance, the lens is very sharp in the middle of the frame when shooting wide open at f/4. The corners, however, are noticeably softer. Even when zoomed in at 60mm, the lens showcases stunning sharpness in the middle of the frame. However, sharpness isn’t as good as at 24mm at the Center. Corner sharpness is softer even at 60mm when shooting wide open.
Even when the lens is zoomed at f/4, it features a sharpness that’s commendable at the Center of the frame. When the lens is stopped down to f/5.6 or beyond, the softness tends to go away but does not improve significantly.
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Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S
Features
- Weather restsiatnt design
- Stepping motor-driven autofocusing gives a smooth performance
- Solid performance across the zoom range
The 14-24mm is a fascinating lens to work with because of the wide zoom range and the fantastic optics. At 14-24mm, it’s a pretty wide-angle lens to work with. This lens is suitable for capturing photos of interiors of buildings, for shooting group shots, and for any general kind of photography where you don’t have a lot of room to maneuver.
The maximum aperture of f/2.8 is excellent for shooting event photography, astrophotography, low light, environmental portraits, and other related genres. In good light, you can use this lens to shoot landscapes, cityscapes, weddings, and different genres.
The rear mount of the lens is metal-made, and there is a gasket that ensures that the lens is weatherproof. You can use rear gel filters designed by third-party manufacturers to enhance the lens’s usability, especially for shooting creative photography.
A customizable metallic ring is present at the back of the lens that’s very smooth to operate. You can set the ring to change things like aperture, and the OLED display will show you the values based on your choice. The problem or the advantage (depending on what your perspective is) is that there are no clicks when you’re turning this ring. For a videographer, this is great, but not so much for a still photographer.
The focusing ring is also smooth. The zoom ring is a bit slender, but it does the job. Speaking of focusing, autofocusing is powered by a stepping motor-based mechanism. Autofocusing in the stills mode makes a noise that sounds like whirring. It’s pretty obvious. On the other hand, when shooting in video mode, autofocusing becomes near silent.
Now coming down to the lens performance. At a wide-open aperture of f/2.8, the lens is very sharp when fully zoomed out. There is no reason you think the lens can get any sharper stopping it. At the corner, the lens is still very sharp but not as sharp as the middle of the frame.
Stopping down the lens at f/5.6 or beyond improves the corner sharpness. Corner sharpness improves when you’re zoomed in even a little bit. When zoomed in to 24mm, the middle of the frame looks very sharp, but the corners start to look slightly softer.
Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S
Features
- Maximum aperture of f/2.8
- Weather sealed design
- OLED display window
One of my favorite focal lengths and a lens that’s extremely versatile because it can shoot various photography subjects. The wide zoom range of 24-70mm can be used to shoot weddings, portraits, street photos, fashion photos, landscapes, cityscapes, urban photography, and everything in between.
In terms of construction, the lens is designed out of plastic mainly. But it’s a fantastic piece of construction and feels very solid in the hands. The lens mount is made of metal and comes with a weather sealing gasket that ensures that the lens isn’t affected by moisture and dust.
Two ED and four aspherical elements are used in constructing the lens. Together these elements ensure that the lens can suppress the effects of chromatic and other aberrations. Apart from that, the lens also contains ARNEO and nano Crystal coating that provides that the lens can withstand the effects of ghosting and flares. It also improves color contrast and accuracy.
The lens has a customizable ring to which you can dedicate any function, including aperture control, exposure compensation, or ISO setting. The OLED display will show the values when you change them with this customizable ring. Then there is the sticky zoom ring that takes a bit of effort to operate, although it’s rubbery and, therefore, has some resistance. Finally, the lens has a focusing ring and is reasonably responsive.
Speaking of focus, autofocusing is very quick and precise. Manual focusing is smooth, but there appears to be no connection between the focus ring and the mechanical parts; therefore, it does appear a bit detached. However, it tends to do its job well.
In terms of performance, the lens is very sharp in the middle of the frame when shooting wide open at 24mm. However, sharpness tends to drop when you check the corners. Sharpness does not improve significantly when you drop the aperture. Even if you drop down to f/8, sharpness improves only slightly.
When you zoom in to about 40mm to check the result, the middle of the frame is again very sharp. However, comparatively the corners are not that sharp.
Nikon NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S
Features
- The lens features a built-in VR mode
- Weather sealed design
This is my second favorite lens, and the focal length is perfectly suitable for shooting portraits, weddings, fashion, and a host of other genres.
This is a heavy lens. At 1360 grams, this is as heavy as it gets. Even the DSLR equivalent of this lens is also heavy. But then you’re talking about DSLR lenses. The whole point of using a mirrorless lens is to cut down on the overall weight; that does not happen with this lens. The tripod collar is a pain because although the collar comes off, there is no way that the whole stub will come off. This will be a problem for some users because it feels weird to hand hold the lens with the stub attached.
Continuing about the lens construction, this is a weather-sealed design and one that you will love using in all kinds of weather and lighting conditions. Additionally, the lens has a fluorine coating, ensuring it isn’t affected by moisture, dust, and fingerprints. This element also makes it easy to clean the lens.
Nikon’s OLED displays on the lens are not the smartest of features. Sure, they do show some customizable numbers like aperture value, exposure compensation, or even ISO depending on what you decide to use it for. But it only works when the lens is mounted on a camera. Even then, it turns off within ten seconds, and that’s annoying every time.
One thing that the lens seems to be missing is a VR switch. For some reason, despite being a VR lens, Nikon hasn’t provided a VR switch on this lens. So you’ve to dig into the menu feature to switch on or off the VR feature.
The manual focusing ring is very smooth and does well. Even though manual focusing is electronically operated and there is no mechanical connection, it does tend to do its job well. The manual focusing ring comes with a full-time manual focusing override.
Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S
Features
- Prime lens with the excellent optical performance
- Fast aperture of f/1.8
- Chunky focusing ring for smooth manual focusing
A bright 85mm lens is an excellent choice for shooting portrait images. This is the lens with which portrait and headshots photographers like to shoot most of their photos. At f/1.8, the aperture is bright and produces excellent exposure in any lighting. Being a prime lens means there are fewer moving parts inside the lens. Therefore, the engineers designing this lens could focus on the optics rather than the zooming bits. As a photographer, you must remember that you cannot zoom with this lens. You’ve to move with your feet to zoom.
A large manual focusing ring on the lens operates very smoothly and gives precise focusing control. However, it needs to be kept in mind that the lens has to focus on breathing issues. As you turn the manual focusing ring, you will see that the frame zooms in and out quite a bit.
The lens’ construction includes a decent amount of plastic though the lens appears pretty solid in the hands. The metal mount feels solid, and a weather sealing gasket at the rear seals the lens from the elements. This lens will work in outdoor inclement weather conditions. The metallic manual focusing ring appears solid in the hands as well. It turns smoothly to give you precise manual focusing adjustments.
Autofocusing is powered by a multi-focus stepping motor AF system, ensuring the system is silent when focusing. Both in the case of shooting stills and when shooting videos autofocusing is silent and accurate.
Mind you; the lens does not feature image stabilization. But that shouldn’t be a problem for most new Z mount Nikon systems with body-based image stabilization systems. Also, you wouldn’t miss image stabilization if you shoot at a shutter speed of 1/85 sec.
The lens’s optical performance is sharp when you’re shooting at f/1.8. However, it’s not the sharpest in the business. Though corners are near perfect, and a lack of sharpness is no reason to feel let down. A tiny bit of vignetting is present at the corners at the widest aperture, which goes away when the lens is stopped. Also, corner sharpness and the frame center get slightly better when the lens is stopped down to f/2.8.
Nikon NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S Macro
Features
- Weather sealed design
- Stepping motor-powered is autofocusing for smooth results
- Weather sealed design for work in all conditions
This is a versatile piece of equipment for users looking for a macro lens and then double it up as a prime focal length for shooting portraits. This is Nikon’s current flagship lens for shooting macro photos on the Z mount.
A 105mm focal length gives you sufficient room to maneuver when shooting macro photos. Ideally, you don’t want a situation where the subject is too close to the camera when you hit your images—especially creep-crawlies and very shy stuff. Macro lenses are a joy to work with because there are many subjects you can capture pictures of.
Also, the wide-open aperture of f/2.8 is a useful aperture to work with because you can take advantage of the wide-open aperture to produce some nice bokeh. Speaking of bokeh, the lens comes with nine rounded aperture diaphragm blades to ensure that the lens has beautiful bokeh.
The lens is built using heavy-duty plastic and feels solid in the hands. The metal mount at the rear of the lens feels very solid. The rear also has a weather sealing gasket that takes care of the weather sealing bit.
Like the other Nikon Z mount lenses that have come out in recent times, this, too, has a programmable ring at the back of the lens. An OLED display window allows you to monitor exposure compensation, aperture value, or ISO depending on your preferred use at any given time.
The focusing ring is smooth and very accurate and precise. On the other hand, autofocusing is a tad slow and can be a problem if you’re shooting regular photography and not macro photography. For macro photography and videography, slow but precise autofocusing is very smooth to operate.
Still, on autofocusing, the lens does show some focus breathing as you zoom in and out. This can be an issue if you’re shooting videos.
The built-in image stabilization of the lens is designed to work in tandem with the built-in image stabilization of modern Z-mount camera systems. When working in tandem, the lens offers rock-solid hand-held performance. This comes in handy for shooting hand-held stills as well as videos.
In terms of optical performance, the lens is very sharp. Even wide open at f/2.8, the lens offers excellent sharpness that’s enviable for many zoom and prime lenses. Stopping down the lens does not improve the sharpness quotient any bit. Even corner sharpness is very good; you don’t have to stop down the lens to enhance performance.
Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2
Features
- Two macro lenses with a 1:1 maximum representative ratio
- Weather sealed design
- Programmable control ring
There are many things to like about the 40mm f/2 lens. This is one of the most inexpensive lenses from the Nikon Z mount stable and one that is likely to be very popular with photographers. The 40mm is a fantastic focal length for everyday photography moments. With this lens, you can shoot street photography, weddings, interior photography, and even landscape. The fast aperture of f/2 ensures that the lens will be very useful even in low light conditions.
The 40mm offers a focal length roughly the equivalent of the human eye perspective; therefore, the lens will be helpful for photographers who love capturing photos from the human eye perspective.
The lens is made of plastic. Even the lens mount is made of plastic. There is no weather sealing on the lens either. If you’re going to use this lens in inclement weather, be very careful that you don’t expose it to moisture or dust. At 170 grams, this is one of the lightest lenses around.
Only six elements constituting the lens are grouped into four groups. That includes two aspherical elements. That corrects any spherical aberrations. The lens also has a super integrated coating that takes care of ghosting and flares for the large part. In bright lighting conditions, however, a bit of flare is present prominently.
The manual focusing ring on the lens is smooth and does not show significant focus breathing when turning that ring. If video shooting is what you plan on doing with this lens, you will enjoy the smooth focusing ring and the lack of focus breathing. Autofocusing is very snappy as you shoot with this lens.
Please note that the lens does not have image stabilization built-in. But if you’re using one of the latest Nikon Z mount camera systems, then the lens will work with the built-in image stabilization system of the camera.
Performance-wise, the lens is sharp in the middle of the frame. This lens is, however, not as sharp towards the corners wide open. The softness of the image is noticeable. Stopping down the lens to f/2.8 and then down to f/4 improves overall sharpness and contrast, noticeably improving the quality of the images.
Wide open corners tend to produce a bit of vignetting, which goes away when the lens is stopped to f/4.
Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S
Features
- Maximum aperture of f/1.8 captures a lot of light
- Stepping motor-powered autofocusing is very smooth
- Control ring with programming option
I have this love affair with 50mm primes. I also love the 35mm and the 40mm primes (one each of which I have listed here). The 50mm prime is such a versatile piece of the optic. You can do much with this lens if you know what you’re doing. The 50mm prime has very few optics to talk about. Such as this piece of glass has 12 elements arranged in 9 groups. Therefore engineers can concentrate on the optical superiority of the lens.
The lens’s construction includes two aspherical elements that take care of the spherical aberrations and distortions. On top of that, the lens comes with two extra-low dispersion elements that can suppress the effects of chromatic aberrations and color fringing. Finally, the lens features a Nano crystal coating and a super integrated coating to ensure that the lens can counter the effects of lens flares and ghosting. The build quality of the lens is good. However, it’s made of plastic essentially. The lens mount is made up of metal. A weather sealing gasket around the lens ensures that the lens can withstand the impacts of nature.
The lens features a stepping motor-powered mechanism that’s pretty smooth in autofocus.
The f/1.8 aperture is bright enough for various genres, including low-light photography. The lens’s focal length is versatile, allowing you to shoot in multiple photography conditions. You can shoot street shots, weddings, portraits, and everyday moments. However, 50mm isn’t the best focal length for filling a frame with a subject’s face. When working with a subject, ensure you don’t get too close. Otherwise, you will distort the facial features of the subject.
Nikon NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.8 S
Features
- Stepping motor-powered autofocusing mechanism
- Weather sealed construction
- Programmable control ring
This standard prime lens is designed for the full-frame Nikon Z mount camera systems. The lens has a fast wide aperture of f./1.8 and a good solid build quality, making it an ideal companion for photographers. Several things go in favor of this lens. Let’s take a deeper look.
In construction, the lens consists of 11 elements arranged in 9 groups. It includes two extra-low dispersion elements and three aspherical elements that take care of chromatic aberrations, color fringing, and
The lens also uses Nanocrystal and integrated coatings. Together these coatings suppress the effects of ghosting and flares.
Please note that the lens is made of leading plastics, but the lens mount is made of metal. Also, a weather sealing gasket has been used to ensure that the lens remains unaffected mainly due to the effects of moisture and dust.
Autoofucisng is powered by Nikon’s stepping motor autofocusing technology that’s quick and precise. The lens comes with a full-time manual focusing override. The extensive manual focusing ring is smooth to operate. However, I noticed that the manual focusing ring lags a bit when it turns. This could be an issue for still photography.
One good thing about the lens is that there is no focus on breathing at all. This is great for someone doing video shoots with this 35mm prime.
In terms of performance, the lens is slightly soft at the corners when shot wide open at f/1.8. The Center of the frame is a bit better still not the best. Stopping down the lens to f/2.8, the corner becomes sharper, and the contrast becomes a bit better. The Center of the frame improves over what I saw with f/1.8. Corner sharpness tends to be sharper than f/2.8 when shot at f/4.
Nikon NIKKOR Z 20mm f/1.8 S
Features
- Maximum aperture of f/1.8
- Weather sealed body
- Stepping motor-powered autofocusing mechanism for smooth operation
The 20mm is an acquired taste for some. Others swear by this lens. It all depends on your style of photography and how the lens fits that schematic. This 20mm lens is a great way to shoot wide-angle shots because of the extended angle of view. You can shoot indoor photos, architecture, landscapes, environmental portraits (as long as you don’t get too close to filling the subject in the frame), weddings, and other shots.
The construction of the lens includes 14 elements arranged in 11 groups. That includes three aspherical elements and three extra-low dispersion elements. Together, these elements ensure that the spherical aberrations, chromatic aberrations, and color fringing are suppressed.
The lens is made out of plastic mainly but is built solidly. The rear of the lens that’s the lens mount is a metal made. A weather sealing gasket has been used to construct the lens to ensure that moisture and dust do not affect the lens.
The lens also features a Nano crystal coating, and along with that super integrated coating. Together these elements ensure that the lens can suppress the effects of flares and ghosting—this dramatically improves color contrast and accuracy.
The lens features what is known as a multi-focus system. This system incorporates two separate AF drive units that are synchronized to result in a fast and accurate autofocusing performance. The system uses a stepping motor technology that’s silent and accurate simultaneously.
The lens features a full-time manual focusing override that ensures that you can grab the focusing ring at any time and turn it to ensure that the lens is manually focused.
In addition, internal focusing ensures that the lens’ barrel length does not change during focusing.
Like many of the other Z-mount lenses, this one also comes with a programmable control ring. This ring can be controlled to ensure that you can use it for any specific purpose you may choose. Like aperture control, ISO, exposure compensation, or precise focusing distance.
