Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II

Nikon introduced this 24-70mm f/2.8 standard zoom in 2025, and it is still in production. It is a current design for full-frame Z-mount cameras. Event, wedding, portrait and travel photographers are the natural audience.

It covers the span most photographers use first, from wide views to tightened portraits. That breadth suits a working day with mixed assignments. One lens stays on the camera from morning preparations to evening speeches.

The trade-offs are the weight of f/2.8 glass and the absence of in-lens stabilization. Neither will matter to everyone, but both shape how you shoot.

The lens weighs 1 lb 7.8 oz (675 g) and measures 3.31 in (84 mm) across and 5.59 in (142 mm) long. It accepts 77mm filters, which screw directly onto the front thread, so a polariser or ND filter must match that size.

At 24mm the lens takes in whole rooms, large groups and wide scenes. The 70mm end makes the subject larger and cleans up distracting backgrounds for portraits. Mid focal lengths suit reportage, environmental portraits and detail work around a venue. The 70mm limit is generous for people, but distant sport and wildlife need a longer lens.

The maximum aperture stays at f/2.8 through the whole zoom. You keep the same light gathering at 24mm and 70mm alike, which helps handheld shooting in dim churches, marquees and evening streets. At the long end, f/2.8 also separates a face from a busy background. Stopping down remains possible at any focal length for group shots that need depth.

Closest focus is 0.8 ft (24 cm), which lets you fill the frame with flowers, food or rings at a wedding. Maximum magnification reaches 0.32x, so small subjects gain real presence without a lens change. Detail work like table settings and favours also sits within reach. Zooming is manual, on its own rotary ring.

Eleven aperture blades help the opening stay round as it stops down, which tends to keep out-of-focus highlights smooth in evening light.

The lens is weather sealed, which suits outdoor ceremonies and travel in poor conditions. Nikon also applies fluorine coating to the front glass. That coating helps water and oil slide off, so rain spots and fingerprints wipe away easily between shots.

There is no in-lens image stabilization. Stabilization, if your camera provides it through the body, has to come from there. In dim venues, brace the camera or keep shutter speeds brisk for handheld work. The f/2.8 aperture partly offsets this, since it lets in enough light for those brisk speeds.

No zoom lock is fitted. Carried front-down, the barrel can creep outward under its own weight.

Three aspherical elements carry specially shaped surfaces that help correct distortion and spherical aberration. Distortion can bend straight edges, so this correction matters for interiors and architecture at 24mm. Two low-dispersion elements help reduce chromatic aberration, where colours focus differently and fringe along high-contrast edges, such as backlit portraits.