Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II Announced
Last week the Nikon NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.2 S was announced.
The dedicated special contents page and technical specifications of the lens can be viewed here:
About a week right before the official announcement, Nikon Rumors reported that the lens was coming soon, and most users (including me) were wondering what would warrant an upgrade to the already solid Z 24-70/2.8S lens.
As discussions went on in the rumor thread, it seemed like most users would consider upgrading for the following advantages:
Weight reduction
Internal zoom mechanism
Increased zoom range
Larger aperture
As we knew that it was a Mark II, an increased zoom range and a larger aperture were definitely off the tables (they would definitely have marketed it as a new separate lens in this case), which brings the discussion down to pretty much:
“How much a weight reduction would warrant you to upgrade?”
“Is internal zoom even possible for this focal range without making it humongous?”
“Is this lens more for users who are buying a standard 2.8 zoom for the first time rather for current 24-70/2.8S users who want to upgrade?”
Truth be told, at that point of time I was equally confused (and intrigued as well) as to what the reason would be for them to release a refresh of the 24-70/2.8S.
On the official announcement day, it seems like they actually managed to do what most users want for a high end 24-70/2.8S, and then include some extra new icing as well.
To summarize the list of changes and new features of the 24-70/2.8S II,
130g (16%) lighter than the 24-70/2.8S, reduced filter size to 77mm
Internal zoom mechanism which maintains a compact 142mm length throughout the zoom range
Incorporation of their SSVCM into a zoom lens for the first time, resulting in 5x faster autofocus performance
Upgraded lens coatings to use the high end Meso Amorphous Coat to improve image clarity even in backlit situations
Variable minimum focus distance so that the lens can focus closer at shorter focal lengths (with maximum reproduction ratio at longest focal length)
New diaphragm design for more rounded bokeh
New click-declick switch for the clicking mechanism of the control ring
New filter adjustment window in lens hood for adjusting ND or CPL filters
It is a pretty impressive list of improvements across the board - individually they may seem like small improvements, but putting them all together does make it a very appealing lens for both new and current users, and I can imagine many current users of the 24-70/2.8S suddenly getting interested in upgrading for the improvements.
Personally while I am not in the market for a 24-70/2.8 lens, I am glad to see how they managed to refresh a solid lens with improvements in both handling and image quality.
Based on this release, I think I expect the following to happen:
Refresh of 70-200/2.8S with weight reduction and incorporation of SSVCM while maintaining internal zoom
An EXPEED 8 powered camera (Z9II?) that could make full use of the higher scan rate and AF acquisition speeds of the new lens
Future S-line lenses would have the control ring click switch as the norm
Lens hoods with filter adjustment windows would come to more lenses, notably lenses that are often used with video or landscapes
Now, if only they could make an internal zoom 35-150/2.8…