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Product photos: Mitchell Clark
We've had the chance to spend some time with Nikon's updated 24-70mm F2.8 S II, which was announced earlier this year. It's an update to an already-solid offering, but one that's substantially lighter than its predecessor, while still promising solid build and image quality.
Since the lens is designed to be a workhorse for a wide variety of users, we also wanted to share some of our impressions on what it was like to use, compared to both its predecessor and the options available on other mounts.
In use
Photos don't always tell the whole story. While the Nikon 24-70mm F2.8 S II isn't noticeably more compact than Canon's stabilized, extending zoom offering, it is substantially lighter.
This lens's big trick is that it's the first of its kind to zoom internally. While that's likely to be more important for videographers using it on a gimbal who want to avoid their setup's center of gravity shifting, it's also a definite nice-to-have for photography, too. The lens not shifting as you zoom makes it that bit easier to control and faster to get the composition you're trying to achieve.
Having also spent a lot of time with Canon's 900g (31.7oz) 24-70mm F2.8 IS USM L recently, I was also very pleased with the Nikon's light weight: 675g (23.8). I found myself throwing it in a bag or taking it out on hikes that I'd normally be hesitant to bring a full 24-70mm F2.8 on, and I could comfortably carry it around without absolutely needing a neck strap. Nikon isn't the first to release this kind of lens at this size and weight, but it's nice that Z-mount users now have it as an offering, since the Sigma version isn't available.
The ability to click and declick the lens at will is a big upgrade.
While I typically prefer dedicated aperture rings, most shooters will likely be happy with the programmable control ring on this lens. It's right where you'd expect an aperture ring to be, so you can set it as that and use it like you typically would (albeit without hard stops at each end) if you want, but you can also use it to control things like ISO, exposure compensation, autofocus selection point and more. We also deeply appreciate the ability to click or declick it; while the clickless control or aperture rings Nikon and others include are good for video, they can be frustrating to use for stills. With this lens, neither side has to give anything up.
Speaking of video (just for a moment, promise), focus breathing is well-controlled throughout the lens's zoom range. Its included lens hood also has a door that you can use to adjust filters without taking it off, though my variable ND filter and its magnetic adapter ring wouldn't fit on the lens with the hood mounted. Photographers using more sensible filters will likely be pleased that it has a 77mm thread, rather than an 82mm one, though, assuming they haven't already heavily invested in larger filters.
This lens' autofocus is quick and decisive, even when shooting moving subjects wide open.
Nikon Z8 | Nikkor Z 24-70mm F2.8 S II | 70mm | F2.8 | 1/80 sec | ISO 64
Finally, there's autofocus. Nikon claims the motors are five times faster than the ones on the previous model, and that they should be much better at retaining focus while zooming. In my experience, they are extremely quick, even when shifting from close focus to infinity, and I never found a situation where I felt like the lens, rather than my skills, was the bottleneck (though I didn't get to test it out in any of the pro-level situations that it's designed for, such as shooting a wedding).
Optics
This isn't a full-fledged review, but it's at least worth touching on a few things that I noticed while shooting the 24-70mm F2.8 S II. The biggest was the relatively intense vignetting that shows up throughout its focal length when shooting wide-open, which makes the image look a fair bit darker than at other aperture settings. However, it clears up relatively quickly, being relegated to the corners at F4, and almost completely gone by F5.6. This doesn't seem to be a compromise to achieve the internal zoom, though, as I noticed similar levels of vignetting at F2.8 using its predecessor as well.
70mm
F2.8
F4
F5.6
F8
As for sharpness, the 24-70 F2.8 S II is, unsurprisingly, quite good; it captures fine details from edge-to-edge, even wide open. Longitudinal chromatic aberration appears to be well-controlled, too, only showing up in the most challenging of situations.
24mm
F2.8
F5.6
F8.0
70mm
F2.8
F5.6
F8.0
I found the bokeh to be relatively pleasing in most scenarios, without too much distracting businesses. However, I wouldn't say that rendering specular highlights is this lens's specialty. While the bokeh is relatively clean, at the long end, you see some pretty intense cat's eye effect wide open, where lights are rendered as more of an eclipse than a circle. It's present throughout the range, though less noticeable at the wide end. At all ranges and apertures, you'll likely see some bokeh that isn't perfectly circular, but by the time you're at F5.6, it starts to take a decidedly octagonal shape across the frame.
Versus the original
The II is larger than its predecessor's retracted state, but is smaller than it extended to 70mm. It also has much larger focus and zoom rings.
Design-wise, I consider this lens an improvement in almost every way; it's only fractionally longer than its predecessor's fully retracted state, but it stays that size even if you want to walk around with it zoomed to 70mm. It's also hard to complain about the small status display being replaced by a portrait-orientation function button, as I never found it to be particularly useful, since I'd often have to move my head to look down at the top of the lens.
I also found the command dial much more useful, now that there's a clicked mode; I always ignored the clickless-only version on the original 24-70mm F2.8 S, but found myself frequently using the clicky one on the II. The lighter weight is also immediately noticeable when comparing the two side-by-side, and makes it nicer to carry around.
I also appreciate the focus limit switch added on the II. While I didn't find myself reaching for it as often as I would with a more telephoto lens, there were a few times when it was handy to have.
The II's closer minimum focusing distance is also noticeable in real-world use, though optically it doesn't appear to be at its best at those distances.
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