Nikon NIKKOR Z 24mm F/1.8 S vs Nikon NIKKOR Z 35mm F/1.8 S — Which Is Better?

The Nikon NIKKOR Z 24mm F/1.8 S and the Nikon NIKKOR Z 35mm F/1.8 S are both Nikon Z primes for full-frame cameras, built to the same S-Line standard. The 24mm arrived in 2019, one year after the 35mm.

What separates them is field of view rather than tier: the 24mm gives a wide-angle view and the 35mm a standard one.

The 35mm F/1.8 S is the smaller and lighter lens, measuring 86mm long and 73mm across at 370g, against 96.5mm, 78mm and 450g for the 24mm.

They also take different front filters, so 72mm accessories fit the 24mm directly and 62mm accessories fit the 35mm directly. Both lenses accept front filters, so each works with screw-in polarisers and ND filters in its own size.

Focal length is the buying decision here, and it should match your subject. The 24mm gives you room to fit tight interiors, wide landscapes and group scenes without stepping back, while the 35mm keeps faces and street scenes natural with a tighter, standard perspective.

The aperture is a similarity: both offer F/1.8, so either lens gathers the same light at its widest setting for dim interiors and evening streets. The 35mm reaches 0.19x maximum magnification, bringing small subjects such as food or flowers closer than the 24mm at 0.15x. Both focus to 25cm, with autofocus, manual focus and a focusing ring.

Weather sealing is shared, so either lens can be taken out in rain and dust. That protection suits landscape work with the 24mm and all-weather street shooting with the 35mm.

Neither lens offers built-in image stabilisation, a fluorine coating or teleconverter compatibility. Stabilisation for slower shutter speeds must therefore come from the camera body instead of either prime.

The 35mm F/1.8 S carries the more elaborate correction package, with three aspherical elements and two low-dispersion elements. Aspherical elements help correct distortion and spherical aberration across the frame, and low-dispersion glass helps reduce colour fringing, both useful when shooting wide open at F/1.8.

The 24mm uses 12 elements in 10 groups, against 11 elements in 9 groups for the 35mm, a difference in layout rather than a simple advantage. Neither lens uses internal focusing, so the barrel moves during focusing rather than staying fixed in length.