When you look at the Nikkor Z-mount primes—including the two still left on the Road Map—you can see that Nikon is still missing options compared to the rest of the world.
Nikon has put the primes into several clear groups:
- f/1.2 S-Line lenses (35mm, 50mm, 85mm)
- f/1.8 S-Line lenses (20mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 135mm)
- Slower aperture compact lenses (26mm f/2.8, 28mm f/2.8, 40mm f/2)
- Macro lenses (50mm, 105mm)
- Exotic telephoto lenses (two 400mm, 600mm, 800mm)
The groups all have obvious missing pieces, though:
- A wider fast prime seems obviously needed, to compete with “fast” competitor lenses
- Three additional f/1.8 options would be needed to be 100% competitive
- The compact line could use a couple of additions
- A longer macro (150mm+) is missing
- The telephoto prime range between 135mm and 400mm is empty and only covered by zooms at this point
Thus, I can quickly come up with at least eight additional primes necessary to fully round out Nikon’s prime lens lineup: 16mm f/1.8 S, 24mm f/1.2 S, 24mm f/2.8, 28mm f/1.8 S, 70mm f/2.8, 105mm f/1.8 S, 150mm f/3.5 macro, and 200mm f/2 TC VR S. If I were to add in specialty lenses, a fisheye and a couple of tilt-shift lenses would be nice, too. So make it an even dozen primes to completely round out Nikon’s fixed focal length needs.
It’s interesting that 28mm and 105mm are covered focal lengths, but not in the f/1.8 line that many would ask for. Technically, the 50mm f/2.8 macro could be considered to be another in the slower aperture compact lens line. And we have four zoom lenses that fill that 200mm gap in the prime lineup. Little things like that tell me that Nikon is well aware of all prime focal length needs, and is trying to at least give you an option were they have a gap, even if it’s not the option you’d prefer.
In looking at Canon, Panasonic, Sigma, Sony, and Tamron in terms of “other primes” that don’t live in my projected 30 prime lens lineup for Nikon Z-mount, I come up with only these two missing pieces: 18mm f/1.8, 60mm f/2.8.
In general, I think Nikon is using a very pragmatic and rational approach to filling out the prime lens lineup for the Z-mount. They started basic (35mm, 50mm, 85mm f/1.8 trio), then started sprinkling in lenses from the other lines as they expanded the f/1.8 line. Moreover, other than the compact, slower aperture lenses, which have some variability to the optical characteristics, Nikon’s managed a remarkably high and consistent level of image quality on all these primes. Without a doubt, the equivalent F-mount prime always lags the Z-mount one, with the only real exception being in the exotic telephoto lenses, where “they’re just all really good.”
Finally, there’s this: while Nikon is touting the Z8 and Z9 as state-of-the-art video cameras, Nikon really doesn’t have a video-centric lens in its lineup (prime or zoom). I put this in the specialty category (“nice to have”), and we’ve got plenty of third-party video-centric lenses that can serve in the meantime.
Here’s my take on the 30-lens prime lineup Nikon should be pursuing (my additions in bold):
- f/1.2 S-Line lenses (24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm)
- f/1.8 S-Line lenses (16mm, 20mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 105mm,135mm)
- Slower aperture compact lenses (24mm f/2.8, 26mm f/2.8, 28mm f/2.8, 40mm f/2, 70mm f/2.8)
- Macro lenses (50mm, 105mm, 150mm f/3.5)
- Exotic telephoto lenses (200mm f/2 TC, two 400mm, 600mm, 800mm)
- Specialty lenses (16mm fisheye, 20mm PC-E, 50mm PC-E, 85mm PC-E)
