Challenges in Designing Kit Lenses
Earlier this year Petapixel had an interview with someone from Nikon’s engineering department, and one of the topics they had talked about was the challenges faced when designing kit lenses.
Personally I found this part of the interview very insightful as this is a topic no one had talked about openly before, and while subconsciously I had a vague idea of why certain decisions were made, reading the comments made from the engineering division itself definitely put things in perspective.
To briefly summarize what this particular section of the interview was about, Ohshita-san (from Nikon’s Third Designing Department in Nikon’s Optical Engineering Division) mentioned that the design and manufacture of each lens has to be considered individually, and depending on what their identified target audience was they would tune the performance and specifications towards their needs.
He continued by saying that among these, kit lenses were the most challenging to make, as they had to be made affordable, lightweight and compact, and yet be able to showcase what the system is capable of and have an impactful first impression for new users to the system.
Truth be told, the term “kit lens” does not usually bring about a good impression of a lens, analogous to how the first zoom lenses made were vastly inferior to their prime counterparts, and most users (including myself at the beginning of my photography journey) view kit lenses as a cheap lens that comes with the body that works just OK.
Reading through this particular point mentioned in the interview, it did make me stop and appreciate the effort that went into designing a kit lens that is bound by so many different constraints, especially these days whereby many high performing kit lenses are available that do not compromise on image quality.
Looking back at when the Z6 and Z7 were first launched, it became quite clear why the 24-70/4S was the first lens to be launched together with the new mount and bodies - they had to provide a lens that could perform very well throughout its zoom range so as to portray what the new mount was capable of, yet they also had to make sure the lens had a small enough footprint to maintain the image of mirrorless cameras being more compact and convenient, and all of this with a severe price constraint slapped on it as it was meant to be a lens paired with the initial bodies to bring new users to the system.
As the lens lineup grew over the years, many people (including me) did move on to other primary lenses by outright replacing the 24-70/4S or upgrading whilst still keeping it as a backup; mainly with the 24-70/2.8S or the 24-120/4S.
This was only possible, in my opinion, because when the 24-70/4S was launched it showed the promising potential of the new mount and new technology used in the optical design, so it was easier to convince users of the Z-mount to upgrade to a different primary lens based on one’s needs, knowing that the whichever path chosen there would not be heavy compromises on the image quality.
If we look at the current FX standard zoom lens lineup for the Z mount, we can argue that there are many other lenses that could be paired as a kit with a Z body these days - and that is definitely the case whereby in different bodies have different “kit lenses”, which also differ by country and region as well.
If we take a look at the offerings in Japan, for the FX Z-bodies, we have/had these kits available:
Z5 with 24-50/4-6.3 or 24-70/4S or 24-200/4-6.3
Z6 (discontinued) with 24-70/4S
Z7 (discontinued) with 24-70/4S
Z6II with 24-70/4S (not available at launch - available much later after the Z6II’s initial launch)
Z7II no kit option
Z8 no kit option
Z9 no kit option
Zf with 40/2 SE
Some other countries and regions do have different kits available, and unfortunately I do not have any information as to why such a marketing decision was made. I do sometimes envy the other regions where you could obtain the 24-120/4S as a kit - it is totally not an option here at all!
Anyway minor rant aside, now with the Z6III launch upcoming, I do foresee that it could be available as a kit, which brings the question which lens would it be coupled with?
While I think that without a doubt the 24-70/4S and the 24-120/4S are definitely prime candidates as kit lens for the Z6III, either both kits are available or only one of them is available is up for debate - one being a more budget friendly version, whilst the other being a more versatile all-in-one lens.
However, I do think that if Nikon plans to market the video specs of the Z6III, as according to the rumored predictions are supposed to be class-leading for this price bracket, it would not be surprising to also see a launch of a PZ-styled zoom lens that is more catered towards the video market (similar to the DX 12-28/3.5-5.6 PZ), and having that offered as a kit with the Z6III as well.
Which might also perhaps explain why the Z6III seemed to have its launch delayed?
Nevertheless, moving back to the main topic on kit lenses in general, I think that I can understand why a kit lens is so important in a brand’s lineup, as it acts as a showcase example of what is possible to users which would lead to potential upgrade sales down the road. And for this I think my respect for kit lenses - and the amount of thought given into designing and manufacturing them by the engineers, have gone up significantly.