The Nikon Z 24-120 f4 S: A Multitalented Lens

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In this article, I will share my experience using the multitalented Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S lens. As with my previous article on the Nikon 100-400mm (here), I won’t discuss performance in numerical terms or specifications. You can find that helpful information in the original Photography Life review (here). Instead, I’ll focus on how and why this lens has always been in my backpack, whether visiting a city, hiking mountains, or going on a photography expedition.

Focal Length

I just completed my re-read of an excellent adventure photography classic written by Galen Rowell nearly 40 years ago: “Mountain Light – In Search of the Dynamic Landscape.” The book is dedicated to adventure photography more than gear, but a section talked about how necessary the 24mm and 75-150mm focal lengths were for him; in very short, they were his bread-and-butter lenses.

Things in photography have changed a lot, and trends in landscape photography today are more about the extremes – especially ultra-wides, but also using longer telephotos to extract details from expansive scenes. I was so used to my 16-35mm f/4 and 70-200mm f/4 that I never even owned a midrange zoom before switching to the Z system!

However, part of that was because I wasn’t satisfied with the Nikon offerings in the past. But now, the Z 24-120mm f/4 has changed my mind completely. I bring with me and use my 24-120mm nearly every time I go out with my camera, whether to document travel, do my best in landscape photography, or even photograph wildlife when animals aren’t shy.

It isn’t a secret that zooms are helpful for their variety of focal lengths. But this one finds the sweet spot of four considerations: focal length range, maximum aperture, image quality, and bulk. There are better midrange zooms in any of these individual respects, but to my knowledge, none are so good in all four of them.

I like to think of a zoom lens (especially one covering both wide and telephoto) as a set of primes. Rather than composing by zooming in and out, I recommend defining how you wish to render the subject, then selecting the focal length (24 / 35 / 50 / 85 / 120) correspondingly. After making your choice, move the camera position instead of zooming to get the desired composition. Although you can still zoom in and out to fine-tune the composition, this approach helps prevent thoughtless composition that can sometimes plague the use of zooms.

Optical Qualities

The Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 has a fixed f/4 aperture. It isn’t as fast as f/2.8, but it is pretty good, given the focal range. Additionally, the vibration reduction on this lens is highly effective, helping a lot when using it handheld. It works exceptionally well in tandem with the camera’s in-body image stabilization, and if I’m not planning to take long exposures, I sometimes avoid bringing a tripod.

While the usefulness of using a tripod shouldn’t be underestimated, I found this way of working especially useful when trying to go fast and challenge the weather conditions, chasing out-of-the-ordinary situations. In doing so, however, you cannot be afraid to raise the ISO a bit.

The bokeh on this lens is not at the level of faster and brighter lenses, especially fast prime lenses or even an f/2.8 zoom of the same focal lengths. For that reason, I wouldn’t use it as my primary portrait lens, but it certainly is not uncomfortable with reportage photography. The fast and precise autofocus makes that even more true.

Finally, where image quality is concerned, I also find the Z 24-120mm f/4 plenty sharp and optimal for any landscape photography.

Other Features

Although this lens zooms externally and telescopes much longer while zooming, it feels durable and professional and can withstand extensive abuse without issues. As you’ve seen from my photos, I often shoot in very cold conditions – my low was using this lens at -37°C last March at the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic! (And this is just about the same in Fahrenheit, representing -35°F.) Unlike some of my gear in the past, I have never had an issue with the Z 24-120mm f/4 in these conditions. It feels confident and reassuring in comparison, and I cover it only when shooting in heavy rain.

A small bonus with the Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 is that it uses a 77mm filter size, which is also used by Nikon’s 100-400mm (and their 70-200 f/2.8 Z). Those who also want to carry an ultra-wide will find that the Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 shares 77mm filters as well, and it pairs nicely with the 24-120mm f/4. The same is true of the Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8. However, the other Nikon ultra-wides unfortunately have different sizes (though you could conceivably use a step-up ring with the Nikon Z 17-28mm f/2.8 and its 67mm filters).

At the same time, there is nothing wrong with using 24mm as your widest lens, either. I could also say that about using 120mm as your longest lens. With this range of focal lengths, a photographer can take excellent photos now, as in Galen Rowell’s time. And there is some joy in the simplicity that comes with just carrying one lens, a 24-120mm f/4.

Personally, as I previously discussed, I go with a two-lens kit most of the time given my wildlife photography. Most often, I pair this lens with the Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lens. This combination of focal lengths forms a versatile and hard-to-beat kit for nature photography, and a great number of my photos fall within the 24mm to 400mm range.

Conclusion

I have neglected midrange zooms throughout my photographic career, preferring to alternate between wide and telephoto lenses instead. This 24-120mm f/4 changed my mind because it balances everything so well, from image quality to bulk. It is not perfect, but it is much better than “good enough” and helps me produce my desired photos in this range of focal lengths efficiently.

In practice, I found it visibly better than the Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3, a lens that has gained a reputation for its versatility when fast apertures are unnecessary. I also found it a bit better than Nikon 24-70mm f/4, but mainly, I preferred it for the longer focal length range. (Photography Life has scientifically tested all these lenses anyway and shown their nuances, but this is my personal impression.)

I had trouble selecting the photos to illustrate this essay because of the sheer number of different photos and subjects that I have captured with it. This is as versatile as the photographer could ask a lens to be. It suits my style of nature photography perfectly and supports me in any other type of photography I throw at it.

I hope you found this essay about the value of the Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S lens in my photography enjoyable. As a Nikon shooter, I have not used Sony or Canon’s 24-105mm f/4 lenses, but I suspect I would like them as well for similar reasons, even though the small boost on the long end of the focal lengths is very welcome! If you have any questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments section below.

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