The Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S zoom lens
Diogenes searched for an honest man, contemporary physicists search for a unified field theory, and I searched for a perfect camera and lens until I fell upon the Nikon Z 7II and the Z 24-70 f/2.8 S lens. Having this combo in my hands is like holding a small android being with one big eye that responds as faithfully as my cat to his breakfast. Below, I will struggle to find something to offer regarding the Z 24-70 S that is not already within the Internet’s documentation. Weight, lens structure, sharpness at this or that f-stop, bokeh, vignetting… Nevermind! Such facts are in abundance online. We can do better. We must search for the soul of this almost alive scientific instrument that records light and shadow. Our quest is to find the very essence of the lens. Because if any lens can earn the title of being an extension of our mind and vision, the Z 24-70 f/2.8 S is it.
Ed Ruth (edruthusa@yahoo.com) teaches photography and provides specialized one-to-one classes covering your camera and lenses. All photographs are significantly compressed by web host.
Z7II and 24-70mm f/2.8 at 41mm, Hot Dogs Here, 1/6s, f/4.0, ISO 800.
Nikon Z II & Z 24-70 f/2.8 at 47mm, 1/320s, f/2.8, ISO 500. In truth, f/2.8 has too narrow a DOF for this shot. But I still want to reach out and eat some.
Nikon Z II & Z 24-70 f/2.8 S: 47mm, 1/250s, f/7.1, ISO 100. Capturing foliage is one test of a lens. Here, the Z 24-70 S demonstrates that it is quite capable.
Nikon Z II & Z 24-70 f/2.8 S: 44mm, 1/400s, f/4.5, ISO 100. Given the abundance of Z 7II pixels (45.7MP) and the sharpness of the Z 24-70 S, cropping to simulate a macro lens is almost effortless.
Nikon Z II & Z 24-70 f/2.8 S: 63mm, 1/250s, f/3.5, ISO 100. The “Out of Focus” police will get me for this one! But it calls to me…
Nikon Z II & Z 24-70 f/2.8 S: 70mm, 1/2500s, f/4.5, ISO 200. Took some serious cropping to get this close. Perhaps a little too much touch up sharpening here!
Nikon Z II & Z 24-70 f/2.8 S: 70mm, 1/40s, f/22, ISO 200. This image does some justice to the Z 24-70 S lens. The colors are deep and the shades of green countless. At f/22, there is virtually no detectable diffusion. My Raw processor, DxO PhotoLab, has the remarkable ability of recovering almost “blown-out” highlights that existed in this image (my bad). Despite my clumsiness, this remarkable lens recorded sufficient visual data (digital information) for the software to function effectively and recover detail in highlights. See visual documentation of this here. Note, the f/22 aperture does quite well here in providing sufficient depth of field for a more detailed closeup.
Nikon Z II & Z 24-70 f/2.8 S: 70mm, 1/125s, f/5.6, ISO 100. The 24-70 is quite adequate for closeups but some cropping will be required.
Nikon Z II & Z 24-70 f/2.8 S: 50mm, 1/160s, f/3.5, ISO 200. The 24-70’s 50mm range is exceptional. Texture courtesy of DxO PhotoLab 6.
Can you find the above nut & bolt in the image below. Of course you can! This is to demonstrate how much resolution power is available when using the Nikon Z &ii and the Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens.
This image: Nikon Z 7II & Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S (at 46MM, 1/500s, f/8, ISO 100).
Nikon Z 7II & Z 85mm S, 85mm, 1/640, ISO 64. How did an 85mm prime lens sneak in here? Well, gosh, can’t part with that lens!
Photography can be fun, profitable, creative, and technically superior at the same time. Contact me for a custom one-to-one camera class in Bakersfield, California. Please text me at: 661-303-9210 (preferred) or email me using: edruthusa@yahoo.com for an appointment.