Making a zoom lens that covers focal lengths from wide to telephoto is no easy task for an optical engineer. We have seen a number of attempts from different manufacturers to make a solid 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom over the years, but most of those lenses disappoint when it comes to consistent sharpness across the focal length range, high levels of vignetting, distortion and lateral chromatic aberration. We have already published our assessment of the best 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses on the market for the Nikon F mount and our conclusion was that all 24-70mm had their own strengths and weaknesses, with some being better at some focal lengths compared to others. Nikon started from scratch with its Nikon Z mount and highlighted its advantages over the F mount, stating that the Z mount lenses will be superior thanks to shorter flange distance and large throat size. And as we have seen so far from our reviews, the Z mount lenses indeed offer superb performance when compared to the F mount equivalents. We have just completed our assessment of the Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens in our lab and the results are simply astonishing – it looks like Nikon has managed to make world’s best 24-70mm f/2.8 lens.
