Nikon Z 24‑200mm VR

Z-mount FX Mirrorless Lens

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Nikon Z 24-240mm

Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR (67mm filters, 19.9 oz./565g, 1.6'/0.5m close focus at 24mm, 2.3'/0.7m at 200mm, $897 or about $650 used if you know How to Win at eBay). bigger. I got mine at Adorama. I'd also get it at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay.

This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Nikon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, non-USA, store demo or used lens — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new lens. I've used many of these stores since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new lens before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.

 

July 2023   Nikon   Mirrorless   Mirrorless Lenses   All Nikon Lenses   Nikon Flash   All Reviews

 

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The Z 24-200mm VR is small, light and inexpensive, and makes AWESOME photos. It's not the old days of the 1990s when we needed big f/2.8 zooms to get great shots; today, my 24-200mm is all I need for just about anything in any light. Just look at these images; my Z 24-200mm does it all!

More samples at Bokeh, Macro and Spherochromatism.

These are just snapshots; my real work is in my Gallery.

These are all shot hand-held as BASIC ★ JPGs; no tripods, NORMAL or FINE JPGs or RAW files were used or needed.

Yellow Diamond at Luna Red, SLO

Golden Diamond at Luna Red, San Luis Obispo, California, 4:49 P.M., 07 June 2023. Nikon Z8 in square-crop mode, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 48 mm at f/5.6 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 64, +0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 12.6), as shot. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Pier Liquor, Oceano, California

Pier Liquor, Oceano, California, 7:43 P.M., 07 June 2023. Nikon Z8, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 57mm at f/5.6 handheld at 1/30 at Auto ISO 220 (LV 8¾), perspective correction in Photoshop CS6 (from 2012), Perfectly Clear (now sold as Radiant Photo). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

New Pismo Beach Sign

The New Pismo Beach Sign, Pismo Beach, California, 8:29 P.M., 07 June 2023. Nikon Z8, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 24 mm at wide-open at f/4 handheld at 1/8 at Auto ISO 220 (LV 5.9), HDR Merge (now in Luminar Neo) from one JPG shot. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Harry's and the Pismo Sign

Harry's and the Pismo Sign, Pismo Beach, California, 8:35 P.M., 07 June 2023. Nikon Z8, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 63 mm wide-open at f/6 handheld at 1/8 at Auto ISO 500, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 5.9), perspective correction in Photoshop CS6 (from 2012) and Perfectly Clear (now sold as Radiant Photo). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

I cropped this to a square, the equivalent of a ZEISS 150mm f/4 SONNAR T✻ on HASSELBLAD 6×6.

 

Brad's Seafood and BBQ, Pismo Beach

Brad's Seafood and BBQ, Pismo Beach, California, 8:37 P.M., 07 June 2023. Nikon Z8, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 88 mm wide-open at f/6.3 handheld at 1/8 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 8.3), Perfectly Clear (now sold as Radiant Photo). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Morro Bay as seen from the Irish Hills

Morro Bay as Seen from the Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo, California, 6:37 A.M., 08 June 2023. Nikon Z8, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 200 mm wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/100 at Auto ISO 90 (LV 12.1, Perfectly Clear (now sold as Radiant Photo). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Barn, Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo California

Barn, Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo, California, 7:27 A.M., 08 June 2023. Nikon Z8, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 92 mm wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/200 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 13.6), direct sunlight white balance, as shot. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Aztec Calendar, Fat Cat's Cafe, Avila Beach

Aztec Calendar, Fat Cat's Cafe, Avila Beach, California, 9:20 A.M., 08 June 2023. Nikon Z8 in square-crop mode, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 32 mm (equivalent to a normal ZEISS 80mm f/2.8 PLANAR lens on HASSELBLAD 6×6), f/5.6 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 12.6), Perfectly Clear (now sold as Radiant Photo). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Floating Boat, Avilia Bay, California

Floating Boat, Avilia Bay, California, 10:51 A.M., 08 June 2023. Nikon Z8, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 105 mm wide open at f/6.3 at 1/200 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 13.6), Perfectly Clear (now sold as Radiant Photo). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Fender L101166

Fender L101166, Port San Luis, California, 10:59 A.M., 08 June 2023. Nikon Z8, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 115 mm wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/500 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 14.92), as shot. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Yellow and Orange Fish Nets, Port San Luis, California

Yellow and Orange Fish Nets, Port San Luis, California, 11:00 A.M., 08 June 2023. Nikon Z8, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 160 mm at f/16 at 1/80 at Auto ISO 110 (LV 14.2), exactly as shot. More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Higuerra Street at Night after the Farmer's Market, San Luis Obispo, California

Higuerra Street after the Farmer's Market, San Luis Obispo, California, 8:29 P.M., 08 June 2023. Nikon Z8, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 41 mm at f/5 handheld at 1/8 at Auto ISO 1,250 (LV 4.0), perspective correction in Photoshop CS6 (from 2012), Perfectly Clear (now sold as Radiant Photo). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Wineman Hotel Neon Sign at Night, San Luis Obispo, California

Wineman Hotel Sign at Night, San Luis Obispo, California, 8:29 P.M., 08 June 2023. Nikon Z8, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 100 mm wide-open at f/6.3 hand held at 1/13 at Auto ISO 500 (LV 6.7), perspective correction in Photoshop CS6 (from 2012), Perfectly Clear (now sold as Radiant Photo). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

I cropped this later to a square, the equivalent of a ZEISS SONNAR 250mm f/5.6 on HASSELBLAD 6×6.

I love the colors I get from my Nikons. I also love what I get from my Canons, while every other brand is a notch or more below. How to Get Great Color.

 

Blue Door on Red Brick wall, Bodie

Old San Luis BBQ Co., Higuerra Street, San Luis Obispo, California, 9:31 P.M., 08 June 2023. Nikon Z8, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 28 mm wide-open at f/4.5 handheld at 1/13 at Auto ISO 1,100 (LV 4.6), perspective correction in Photoshop CS6 (from 2012), Perfectly Clear (now sold as Radiant Photo). More tech details. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Very Cute Great Pyrenees Puppy with Tongue

Monterey Street under Moonlight, San Luis Obispo, California, 8:29 P.M., 08 June 2023. Nikon Z8, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 39 mm wide-open at f/5 hand held at 1/4 at Auto ISO 6,400 (LV ⅔), Perfectly Clear (now sold as Radiant Photo). bigger or fit-to-screen.

I love how I can shoot handheld under moonlight, even with my slow Z 24-200mm f/4~6.3 VR. See the glint off of the pole above the "E" in Monterey? That's moonlight!

With the Z 24-200's great stabilization, the Z8's built in stabilization and the Z8's great high ISO performance, there isn't anything I can't photograph hand held. f/2.8 lenses were for film.

If I wasn't so lazy I easily could pull the noise out of the sky. Tough; my website, my rules.

 

Splash Cafe Artisan Bakery, San Luis Obispo California

Splash Cafe, San Luis Obispo, California, 8:10 A.M., 10 June 2023. Nikon Z8, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 86 mm at f/6.3 at 1/50 at Auto ISO 100, +0.3 stops exposure compensation (LV 11.0), Perfectly Clear (now sold as Radiant Photo). bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Family having dinner on the beach at Oceano Dunes, California at Sunset

Perfect End to a Perfect Day, Oceano Dunes, California, 7:01 P.M., Wednesday, 20 April 2022. Nikon Z9 in square crop mode, Z 24-200mm VR at 85mm wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/640 at Auto ISO 64. +1.3 stops exposure compensation (LV 15.3), Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo) and then curves adjustment layer masks in Photoshop CS6 (2010) to lighten the foreground and darken the sky further. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Fishing at Sunset, Oceano Dunes, California

Fishing into the Sunset, Oceano Dunes, California, 7:37 P.M., Wednesday, 20 April 2022. Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 200mm at f/11 at 1/200 at Auto ISO 400 (LV 12.6), Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo) to darken the sun, sky and along the bottom and lighten the fisherman and the dark waves. bigger or fit-to-screen.

I cropped this to about the equivalent of 300mm and it looks great!

 

Pool Area, Best Western Casa Grnade, Case Grande, California

Pool Resort Area, Best Western Casa Grande, Arroyo Grande, California, 8:40 P.M., Wednesday, 20 April 2022. Cropped from Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 24mm wide-open at f/4 hand-held at 1/10 at Auto ISO 1,400 (LV 3½), Perfectly Clear (two passes to lift the shadows). bigger or fit-to-screen.

I braced my camera on a railing and shot away.

 

Elephant Seals, Ragged Point, California

Elephant Seals, Ragged Point, California, 3:08 P.M., Thursday, 21 April 2022. Cropped from Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 200mm wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/200 at AUTO ISO 200 (LV 12.0), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen or camera-original 45 MP © 9 MB JPG.

Yes, the Z 24-200mm VR is so sharp that I was able to crop this image from the camera-original 45 MP © 9 MB JPG, giving me the same image I'd get if I had hauled a 500mm lens — and cropping from a shorter lens gives me more depth-of-field to keep both seals in focus, which would have been tougher if I had lugged a 500mm lens with me. Whew! Back in the 1990s I paid over $5,000 for my used 14-pound AF-I 400mm f/2.8D which I hated hauling around to try to get this same shot on 35mm ISO 50 film.

 

Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo, California

Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo, California, 9:02 A.M., Friday, 22 April 2022. Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 130mm at f/8 at 1/160 at AUTO ISO 80 (LV 13⅔), screw-in Tiffen grad ND 0.6 filter to keep the sky from being too bright, Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo) and Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Nine Posts, Boardwalk, Baywood Park, los Osos, California

Nine Posts on Morro Bay, Baywood Park, Los Osos, California, 5:59 P.M., Friday, 22 April 2022. Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 60mm at f/8 at 1/125 at AUTO ISO 64 (LV 13.6), Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo), split-toned-print. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

The Three Stacks at Last Light, Morro Bay, California

The Three Stacks at Last Light, Morro Bay, California, 6:30 P.M., Friday, 22 April 2022. Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 125mm at f/8 at 1/320 at AUTO ISO 64 (LV 15.0), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Sea Otter at Last Light, Morro Bay, California

Sea Otter at Last Light, Morro Bay, California, 7:03 P.M., Friday, 22 April 2022. About a 2× crop from Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 200mm (400mm equivalent after my cropping) at f/8 at 1/320 at AUTO ISO 900 (LV 11⅙), otherwise as shot. bigger or fit-to-screen.

It's so much easier cropping from my Z 24-200mm VR than humping my 14-pound AF-I 400mm f/2.8D all over, which I originally bought in the 1990s expressly for snapping these otters on ISO 50 35mm film.

 

Morro Rock at Sunset, Morro Bay, California

Morro Rock at Sunset, Morro Bay, California, 7:28 P.M., Friday, 22 April 2022. Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 44mm at f/8 at 1/320 at AUTO ISO 64 (LV 15.0), Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo) and then Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Giuseppe's Restaurant, San Luis Obispo, California

Giuseppe's Restaurant, San Luis Obispo, California, 4:53 P.M, 01 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 95mm at f/6.3 at 1/640 at Auto ISO 64, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 15.3), Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.

 

Giuseppe's Restaurant, San Luis Obispo, California

Giuseppe's Restaurant, San Luis Obispo, California, 4:55 P.M, 01 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 185mm wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/800 at Auto ISO 64, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 15.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger.

 

Wind Waves in Sand, Oceano Dunes, San Luis Obispo County, California

Wind Waves in Sand, Oceano Dunes, San Luis Obispo County, California, 7:17 P.M, 01 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 51 mm at f/11 hand-held at 1/50 at Auto ISO 500, +1 stop exposure compensation (LV 10¼), Perfectly Clear and strong contrast increase with a curves layer (set to Luminosity blending mode) in Photoshop CS6. It's trivial to do all this with JPG images. bigger.

 

Mo's Smokehouse BBQ, Pismo Beach, California

Mo's Smokehouse BBQ, Pismo Beach, California, 7:55 P.M, 01 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II in square-crop mode and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 75mm (180mm equivalent on 6×6 cm Hasselblad) wide-open at f/6 hand-held at 1/20 at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 9.5), Perfectly Clear. bigger.

Catch that? 1/20 of a second at 75mm is easy to hand-hold with stabilization.

 

Wooly's Bar & Grill, Pismo Beach, California

Wooly's Bar & Grill, Pismo Beach, California, 8:01 P.M, 01 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 77mm wide-open at f/6 hand-held at 1/10 at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 8.5), Perfectly Clear. bigger.

Even better, this is shot at 1/10 hand-held at 77mm. These sharp stabilized slow speeds let me shoot at clean, slow ISOs like ISO 100 here and forgo the noise of the higher ISOs I'd need without stabilization.

 

Backlit LED PISMO BEACH Sign

PISMO BEACH Backlit LED Sign, 8:08 P.M, 01 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 39mm wide-open at f/5 at 1/25 at Auto ISO 100, +0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 9.3), Perfectly Clear. bigger.

 

Under the Pismo Beach Pier

Under the Pismo Beach Pier, 8:13 P.M, 01 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 135mm wide-open at f/6.3 hand-held at 1/8 at Auto ISO 640 (LV 5.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger.

It was pretty dark; this is right at sunset in the fog.

 

Orange Fog at Dawn, Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo, California

Dawn, Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo, California, 6:36 A.M, 02 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II in square-crop mode and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 92mm (210mm equivalent on 6×6 cm Hasselblad) at f/10 at 1/1,000 at Auto ISO 64, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 17¼), Perfectly Clear. bigger.

 

Fog Lifting over the Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo, California

Fog Lifting over the Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo, California, 7:02 A.M, 02 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 75mm at f/11 at 1/60 at Auto ISO 64, +0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 13.5), Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.

A bad thing about Nikon's mirrorless cameras is that their "Matrix" meters aren't as good as DSLR Matrix meters when we have snow, fog or sand in daylight. For some unknown reason Nikon now allows their mirrorless cameras to set exposures above LV 16⅓ (probably because some software coder thought that was a mistake that he "fixed"), letting things that should be white now look like gray. In the photo above I had to add +0.7 stops of exposure compensation rather than my usual minus 0.7 stops. In other words I added 1⅓ stops more exposure than usual to make the photo look they way it should, which my DSLRs and SLRs made since 1984 all do properly.

 

Tree Bridge at Dawn, San Luis Obispo, California

Tree Bridge at Dawn, San Luis Obispo, California, 7:50 AM, 02 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 24mm at f/8 hand-held at 1/10 at Auto ISO 64, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 10.0), Perfectly Clear. bigger.

I pulled two tricks here. First, I had to force White Balance to SHADE to warm it up; otherwise AUTO1 got fooled by the warm morning light and tried to render it too blue (cool). I could have used AUTO NATURAL LIGHT which might have been better, but I preferred to force it where I needed to get the look I wanted.

Secondly I exposed for the highlights and used Perfectly Clear and a curves adjustment layer in Photoshop CS6 to bring the grass back up to green rather than black as it was in the original JPG file. By "exposed for the highlights" I simply made sure that I didn't overexpose the highlights; I don't bother with the Highlight Priority exposure option.

Now down to Avilia Beach and Port San Luis for breakfast at Fat Cats Café:

Aztec Calendar on Red, Port San Luis, California

Aztec Calendar on Red, Port San Luis, California, 8:34 A.M, 02 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II in 4:5 crop mode and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 24mm (90mm equivalent on 4x5" film) at f/8 hand-held at ⅛ at Auto ISO 320 (LV 7⅓), Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.

After breakfast we explored the Avila Beach Pier:

Colorful Boat, Port San Luis, California

Colorful Boat, Port San Luis, California, 9:51 A.M, 02 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II in 4:5 crop mode and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 130mm (450mm or 500mm equivalent on 4x5" film) at f/8 at 1/160 at Auto ISO 64, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 14.0), Perfectly Clear. bigger.

 

Floating Boat, Port San Luis, California

Floating Boat, Port San Luis, California, 9:55 A.M, 02 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 97mm at f/8 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 13.6), Perfectly Clear, split-toned print. bigger.

 

Giuseppe's Restaurant, San Luis Obispo, California

Colorful Stools, Avila Beach Pier, Port San Luis, California, 9:56 A.M, 02 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 54mm at f16 hand-held at 1/25 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 13.3), Perfectly Clear, unneeded color removed with an adjustment layer in Photoshop CS6. bigger.

Need f/16 for depth-of-field with a long lens? No problem hand-holding at 1/25 at super-clean ISO 64!

 

Fog, Mountain, Mustard and Cow, San Luis Obispo, California

Fog, Mountain, Mustard and Cow, San Luis Obispo, California, 4:44 P.M, 02 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 55mm at f/8 at 1/250 at Auto ISO 64, -0.3 stops exposure compensation (LV 14.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger.

 

Morro Rock, Morro Bay, California

Morro Rock, Morro Bay, California, 9:48 A.M, 03 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 24mm at f/6.3 at 1/160 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 13.3), Perfectly Clear, split-toned print. bigger or full-resolution.

I added deliberate vignetting in Photoshop CS6 to keep your eyes on the rock and not out in the corners.

 

Harbor Hut Restaurant, Morro Bay, California

Harbor Hut Restaurant, Morro Bay, California, 10:34 A.M, 03 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 69mm wide open at f/6 at 1/400 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 14.5), Perfectly Clear. bigger.

 

Giuseppe's Restaurant, San Luis Obispo, California

Ford Seat Sculpture, Morro Bay, California, 3:25 P.M, 03 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II in square-crop mode and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 29.5mm (65mm equivalent on 6×6 cm Hasselblad) at f/7.1 at 1/200 at Auto ISO 64, -0.3 stops exposure compensation (LV 13.9), Perfectly Clear. bigger or full-resolution.

 

Three Stacks, Morro Bay, California

The Three Stacks, Morro Bay, California, 3:25 P.M, 03 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 200mm wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/640 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 15.3), Perfectly Clear. bigger.

 

Giuseppe's Restaurant, San Luis Obispo, California

Yes, You Can Get "VAJ" on Your Woody's California License Plate, 11:19 A.M, 03 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 115mm at f6.3 at 1/400 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 14.6), as shot. bigger.

I shot this in SHADE white balance to warm it up; otherwise it was too blue.

Now up to Cambria:

Iceplant Flower, Cambria, California

Ice Plant Flower, Cambria, California, 11:54 A.M, 03 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 200mm at f/6.3 at 1/500 at Auto ISO 64, -0.3 stops exposure compensation (LV 14.92 Columbus Day), Perfectly Clear. bigger.

 

Wooden Walkway over Oso Flaco Lake, California

Wooden Walkway over Oso Flaco Lake, California, 10:58 A.M, 04 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II in square-crop mode and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 60mm (150mm equivalent on 6×6 cm Hasselblad) at f/11 hand-held at 1/60 at Auto ISO 90 (LV 13.0), Perfectly Clear, image vignetted for emphasis and flipped in Photoshop CS6 to read left-to-right, split-toned print. bigger.

After these shots we bid good-bye to Mark, Chuck and Charlie. Chuck took Charlie back to the airport.

From Oso Flaco Lake Dave, Jim, Iris and I kept heading towards home, stopping at Mission Santa Barbara:

Mission Santa Barbara, California

Mission Santa Barbara, California, 3:32 P.M, 04 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 80mm at f/8 at 1/250 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 14.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger or full-resolution.

 

Porsche Panamera Turbo

Porsche Panamera Turbo in GT silver and gloss black, Paradise Valley Cafe, 6:06 PM, 26 September 2020. Nikon Z7 and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 140mm at f/6.3 at 1/40 hand-held at Auto ISO 180 (LV 9.8), Perfectly Clear. bigger or full-resolution file.

 

Nikon Z 24-200mm Sample Image File

Desert Clubhouse, 5:21 PM, 27 September 2020. Nikon Z7, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 94mm at f/6.3 at 1/250 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.3), Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.

 

Porsche Panamera Turbo

Porsche Panamera Turbo in GT silver and gloss black, 10:10 AM, 28 September 2020. Nikon Z7 with Nikon SB-400 flash, and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 75mm at f/6.3 at 1/160 at Auto ISO 64, -0.3 stops exposure compensation (LV 13.3), Perfectly Clear. bigger or full-resolution file.

 

Nikon Z 24-200mm Sample Image File

Palms, 7:19 AM, 01 October 2020. Nikon Z7, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 29.5mm at f/11 at 1/25 at Auto ISO 64, -1 stop exposure compensation (LV 12.2), Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.

 

Nikon Z 24-200mm Sample Image File

Palms, 7:20 AM, 01 October 2020. Nikon Z7, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 200mm wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/250 at Auto ISO 64, -1 stop exposure compensation (LV 13.9), Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.

The depth-of-field is limited and doesn't have anything other than most of the palms in focus.

 

Nikon Z 24-200mm Sample Image File

Palms, Mountains and Golf, 7:21 AM, 01 October 2020. Nikon Z7, Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 89mm at f/13 at 1/50 at Auto ISO 64, -1 stop exposure compensation (LV 13.7), Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.

The depth-of-field is limited, as with all lenses, and doesn't have anything in perfect focus other than the mid field.

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Introduction       top

Sample Images   Intro   Format   Compatibility

Specifications   Performance   Compared

User's Guide   Recommendations

New   Good   Bad   Missing

Adorama Pays Top Dollar for Used Gear

Amazon

B&H Photo - Video - Pro Audio

Crutchfield

I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below.

This Z 24-200mm is a small, lightweight lens that does just about everything with great performance, making it my favorite go-to lens for Nikon's Full-Frame Z system.

It's more than sharp enough for everything reasonable as you see above, it's small and light enough to take everywhere, and focuses close enough to eliminate my need for a separate macro lens. Bravo Nikon!

Just turn the focus ring at any time for instant manual-focus override.

I got my 24-200mm at Adorama. I'd also get it at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

New       intro       top

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com Nikon's first use of an aluminum-alloy lens mount rather than plastic or professional chromed brass.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com Nikon's first do-it-all zoom for its full-frame Z system.

 

Good       intro       top

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com All-encompassing zoom range from very wide to long telephoto.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Sharp.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Very close focussing.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com No distortion as shot because Nikon's Z cameras always automatically correct for it.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Full-time manual-focus override.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Small.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Light.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Claimed dust and moisture resistance.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Raised mounting index dot can be found by feel in the dark.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Image Stabilization claims - and delivers - 5-stop improvement at 200mm.

 

Bad       intro       top

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com Offshored to Thailand; not made domestically in Japan.

 

Missing       intro       top

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No AF-MF switch.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No VR switch.

 

Nikon Z 24-240mm

Nikon Z 24-200mm VR. bigger.

 

Format       top

Sample Images   Intro   Format   Compatibility

Specifications   Performance   Compared

User's Guide   Recommendations

I got my 24-200mm at Adorama. I'd also get it at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

This is a full frame lens and I'm reviewing it as such.

It also works great on APS-C cameras, on which you may make the usual inferences.

 

Compatibility       top

Sample Images   Intro   Format   Compatibility

Specifications   Performance   Compared

User's Guide   Recommendations

I got my 24-200mm at Adorama. I'd also get it at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

This lens works only on Nikon's Z-series mirrorless cameras.

It does not so much as even mount on any other camera.

 

Specifications       top

Sample Images   Intro   Format   Compatibility

Specifications   Performance   Compared

User's Guide   Recommendations

 

I got my 24-200mm at Adorama. I'd also get it at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

Nikon calls this the NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR:

    NIKKOR: Nikon's brand name for all their lenses.

    Z: For Nikon's mirrorless cameras.

    VR: Vibration Reduction.

 

It also has:

    AF-P: Stepper (Pulse) autofocus motor: silent and ultra fast.

    ARNEO Coat: Magic anti-reflection coating that's especially good for use in high-speed lenses.

    Aspherical: Specially curved glass elements for sharper pictures.

    D: Couples distance information to the 3D Matrix Meter.

    E: Electronic diaphragm for silent operation.

    ED: Magic Extra-low Dispersion glass for reduced secondary chromatic aberration.

    G: Gelded; has no aperture ring.

    IF: Internal focusing; nothing moves externally as focused.

    ∅67: 67mm filter thread.

 

Optics       specifications       top

Nikon Z 24-200mm Internal Optical Construction

Nikon 24-200mm internal optical construction. ED, Aspherical ED and Aspherical elements.

19 elements in 15 groups.

2 ED extra-low dispersion elements, which help reduce secondary axial chromatic aberration.

2 Aspherical elements.

1 Aspherical ED element.

Internal focussing.

Nikon Super Integrated multicoating (SIC), also ARNEO coating claimed.

Fluorine front coating to resist dirt and smudges.

 

Filters       specifications       top

Plastic 67 mm filter thread.

 

Coverage       specifications       top

Full-Frame FX (24 × 36mm) and DX (16 × 24mm).

 

Diaphragm       specifications       top

Nikon Z 24-240mm

Nikon Z 24-200mm VR. bigger.

7 rounded blades.

Electronically actuated.

Stops down to f/22 ~ 36.

 

Focal Length       specifications       top

24-200mm.

When used on a DX camera, it sees the same angles of view as a 35-300 mm lens sees when used on a full-frame or 35mm camera.

See also Crop Factor.

 

Angle of View       specifications       top

84º ~ 12⅓º diagonal on FX.

61º ~ 8º diagonal on DX.

 

Autofocus       specifications       top

Internal focussing.

No external movement as focussed, so no air or dust is sucked in.

 

Focus Scale       specifications       top

Not on lens, but may be displayed in-camera.

 

Infinity Focus Stop       specifications       top

No.

 

Depth of Field Scale       specifications       top

Not on lens, but may be displayed in-camera.

 

Infrared Focus Index       specifications       top

No.

 

Close Focus       specifications       top

1.6 feet (0.5 meters) at 24mm.

2.3 feet (0.7 meters) at 200mm.

 

Maximum Reproduction Ratio       specifications       top

1:3.6 (0.28 ×).

 

Reproduction Ratio Scale       specifications       top

No.

 

Image Stabilizer       specifications       top

Rated 5 stops improvement at 200mm.

 

Caps       specifications       top

LC-67B 67 mm snap-on front cap, included.

LF-N1 Z-mount rear cap, included.

 

Hood       specifications       top

Nikon Z 24-240mm

Nikon HB-93 Hood. bigger.

HB-93 hood, included.

 

"Case"       specifications       top

Nikon CL-C2 Lens Case

Nikon CL-C1 Lens "Case". bigger.

Nikon claims it includes a case, but it's only a CL-C1 cloth bag.

A tube sock works better.

I love my Think Tank Retrospective bags for carrying this lens with my Z system: a wider lens and my SB-400 flash.

 

Size       specifications       top

3.01" ø maximum diameter × 4.49" extension from flange.

76.5 mm ø maximum diameter × 114 mm extension from flange.

 

Weight       specifications       top

19.931 oz. (565.05 g) actual measured weight.

Rated 20.1 oz. (570 g).

 

Quality       specifications       top

Nikon Z 24-240mm

Nikon Z 24-200mm VR. bigger.

Made in Thailand.

 

Announced       specifications       top

12 February 2020.

 

Promised for       specifications       top

Original promised for mid-April 2020, then June 2020, and finally July 2020, this all during the COVID‑19 global epidemic.

 

Included       specifications       top

Lens.

LC-67B 67 mm snap-on front cap.

LF-N1 Z-mount rear cap.

HB-93 Hood.

CL-C1 Lens "Case".

 

Packaging       specifications       top

Corrugated cardboard box.

Corrugami inner supports.

 

Nikon's Model Number       specifications       top

20092.

 

Price, U. S. A.       specifications       top

July 2023

$897 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

About $650 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

April 2023

$797 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

About $625 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

December 2022

$797 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

About $650 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

August 2022

$897 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

About $700 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

May 2022

$797 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

About $700 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

July 2021

$897 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

About $750 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

June 2021

$797 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

 

February ~ October 2020

$897 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

 

Performance       top

Sample Images   Intro   Format   Compatibility

Specifications   Performance   Compared

User's Guide   Recommendations

 

Overall   Autofocus   Manual Focus   Breathing

Bokeh   Distortion   Ergonomics   Eyeblow   Falloff

Filters   Flare & Ghosts   Lateral Color Fringes

Lens Corrections   Macro

Minimum & Maximum Apertures   Mechanics

Sharpness   Spherochromatism

Stabilization   Sunstars  Teleconverters

 

I got my 24-200mm at Adorama. I'd also get it at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

Overall       performance       top

The Z 24-200mm works great. It's so much better than you think, especially for its size and weight.

 

Autofocus       performance       top

Autofocus speed is only moderate on my Nikon Z7, which wins no prizes for autofocus.

It pretty good on my Z9.

 

Manual Focus       performance       top

Manual focus is excellent.

Just grab the rear focus ring at any time for instant manual-focus override.

 

Focus Breathing       performance       top

Focus breathing is the image changing size as focused in and out. It's important to cinematographers that the image not breathe because it looks funny if the image changes size as focus gets pulled back and forth between actors. If the lens does this, the image "breathes" by growing and contracting slightly as the dialog goes back and forth.

The image from the 24-200mm gets slightly larger at 200mm as focussed more closely.

The image from the 24-200mm gets only very slightly larger at 135mm as focussed more closely.

The image does not change size as focused (there is no breathing) at 105mm.

The image gets smaller as focussed more closely at 70mm and wider.

Perfect; if you're shooting a video or major motion picture with this, shoot at 105mm or even 135mm if you need freedom from breathing.

 

Bokeh       performance       top

Bokeh, the feel, character or quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to how far out of focus they are, is neutral. Blur circles are just circles.

Here are photos from headshot distance wide-open. Click any for the camera-original © files:

Nikon Z 24-200mm Bokeh sample image file

Nikon Z 24-200mm Bokeh sample image file

Nikon Z 24-200mm Bokeh sample image file

Nikon Z 24-200mm Bokeh sample image file

Made-in-U. S. A. Davis 6250 weather station, 25 September 2020. Nikon Z7 and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 1/1,600, 1/800, 1/640 and 1/500 at Auto ISO 100.

Click any for the camera-original © files.

As always, if you want to throw the background as far out of focus as possible, shoot at 200mm at f/6.3 and get as close as possible.

 

Chinatown, San Luis Obispo

Chinatown Sign, San Luis Obispo, California, 4:25 P.M., Wednesday, 20 April 2022. Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 200mm wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/400 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 14.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Distortion       performance       top

Wave Mural, Morro Bay, California

Wave Mural, Morro Bay, California, 10:33 A.M, 03 June 2021. Nikon Z7 II and Nikon Z 24-200mm VR at 37mm at f/8 at 1/250 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 14.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger.

Automatic distortion correction works well!

The Nikon Z 24-200mm has no visible distortion as shot on Nikon's Z cameras because they always automatically correct for it in JPGs.

Beware: if you shoot raw and then open these files with non-Nikon software, it's very likely that you will have no distortion correction and will see distortion. I haven't tried; I don't shoot raw.

In-camera correction is perfect, except at 24mm where there is an invisible amount of barrel distortion.

For more critical scientific use, use these corrections in Photoshop's lens correction filter to JPG images.

These aren't facts or specifications, they are the results of my research that requires hours of photography and calculations on the resulting data.

On Full-Frame at 30' (10m) on Z7

Correction factor with corrected images

24mm
+0.50
35mm
±0.00
50mm
±0.00
70mm
±0.00
105mm
±0.00
135mm
±0.00
200mm
±0.00

© 2020 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

 

Ergonomics       performance       top

Nikon Z 24-240mm

Nikon Z 24-240mm

At 24mm. bigger.
At 24mm. bigger.

Nikon Z 24-240mm

Nikon Z 24-240mm

At 200mm. bigger.
At 200mm. bigger.

Ergonomics are easy.

The zoom ring is half the lens, and works great.

The focus ring is electronic and always active.

 

Eyeblow       performance       top

Eyeblow is when air pumps in or out of the back of the lens as zoomed and comes out of your camera and blows in your eye!

This lens pumps way in and out as zoomed. On my Z7 it's most obvious if the flaps on the left aren't pushed all the way in and air blows in and out of the connectors!

 

Falloff       performance       top

Falloff on full-frame is invisible, although if you look hard you might see a little bit wide-open at 24mm.

I've greatly exaggerated the falloff by shooting a gray field and placing these on a gray background; it will not look this bad in actual photos of real things:

 

Nikon Z 24-200mm Falloff, Vignette control at NORMAL.

 
f/8
f/11
24mm
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
50mm
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
100mm
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
200mm
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff

 

© 2020 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

 

If you're silly enough to turn off Vignette control and then go looking for it, you'll see a bit more wide-open at 24mm and a barely visible amount wide-open at 200mm, and that's about it:

 

Nikon Z 24-200mm Falloff, Vignette control OFF.

 
f/8
f/11
24mm
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
50mm
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
100mm
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
200mm
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff
Nikon Z 24-200mm falloff

 

© 2020 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.


Filters, use with       performance       top

There's no need for thin filters. Go ahead and use your standard rotating polarizer and grad filters.

At 24mm, I can use one regular filter with no vignetting on full-frame — but I can't stack any more. If you have a very thick rotating mount for a grad filter, you may want to test it to be sure there's no vignetting. Don't use polarizers at the 24mm setting; the sky's natural polarization will appear as a dark band in the sky with any lens that wide.

At 35mm I can use two stacked 67mm filters with just the tiniest bit of vignetting. One filter is no problem.

At 50mm I can use two or three stacked 67mm filters with no vignetting.

At 70mm and longer I stacked four or more 67mm filters with no vignetting.

 

Flare & Ghosts       performance       top

There aren't any ghosts or flare worth worrying about.

See examples at Sunstars.

 

Lateral Color Fringes       performance       top

Nikon Z cameras all correct for this automatically, and this correction can't be turned off, so there are no fringes shot as JPG.

If you shoot raw and then create images from this raw data using other than Nikon software, it's entirely probable that your particular software won't correct for this, and you could then see color fringes.

In extreme cases there can be some blue fringes on high-contrast edges off in the corners — but only if you're looking for them.

 

Lens Corrections       performance       top

Nikon's Z cameras always correct for lateral color fringes (chromatic aberration). This has been part of Nikon's secret sauce since 2007 and never appears in any menu.

Other cameras may be slightly different, but the Z6 and Z7 correct for distortion, diffraction and falloff.

Distortion, diffraction and falloff correction are all ON by default.

Distortion correction cannot be turned off; its menu option is grayed-out. This is because this lens has strong distortion which is always being corrected. This lets Nikon make a sharper lens because the engineers don't have to worry about optical distortion as much as they did in the days of film.

You may turn diffraction correction ON or OFF.

You may set falloff ("Vignette control") correction to OFF, LOW, NORMAL (default), or HIGH.

 

Macro Performance       performance       top

Macro is great; it gets super close and it's sharp:

Nikon RF 24-200mm Macro Performance Sample Image File

Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch on full-frame at close-focus distance at 200mm wide-open at f/6.3, 25 September 2020. Nikon Z7 at 1/500 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 14.9). bigger or camera-original © file.

 

Nikon RF 24-200mm Macro Performance Sample Image File

1,200 × 900 pixel (6.8× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a large 14 × 21″ (35 × 55 cm) at this same high magnification.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a huge 27½ × 41¼″ (70 × 105 cm) at this same high magnification.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a mammoth 55 × 82½″ (1.4 × 2.1 meters) at this same extremely high magnification!

 

Minimum & Maximum Apertures       performance       top

 
Maximum Aperture
Minimum Aperture
24mm
f/4
f/22
35mm
f/4.8
f/29
50mm
f/5.6
f/32
70mm
f/6
f/36
105mm
f/6.3
f/36
135mm
f/6.3
f/36
200mm
f/6.3
f/36

 

Mechanical Quality       performance       top

Nikon Z 24-240mm

Nikon Z 24-200mm VR. bigger.

This is an all-plastic lens, with an aluminum (not chromed brass) mount. This is Nikon's first lens with an aluminium mount.

The glass is glass and the mount is aluminum, but everything else except for a few small internal bits are plastic.

This isn't 1981 anymore; this lens may no longer be built to pro standards or to take a beating six days a week, but back in 1981 we couldn't get lenses with this broad a zoom range and VR and this image quality, either.

 

Noises When Shaken

Mild to moderate clunking.

 

Made in

Nikon Z 24-240mm

Nikon Z 24-200mm VR. bigger.

Made in Thailand.

 

Sharpness       performance       top

Lens sharpness has nothing to do with picture sharpness; every lens made in the past 100 years is more than sharp enough to make super-sharp pictures if you know what you're doing. The only limitation to picture sharpness is your skill as a photographer. It's the least talented who spend the most time worrying about lens sharpness and blame crummy pictures on their equipment rather than themselves. Skilled photographers make great images with whatever camera is in their hands; I've made some of my best images of all time with an irreparably broken camera! Most pixels are thrown away before you see them, but camera makers don't want you to know that.

If you're not getting ultra-sharp pictures with this, be sure not to shoot at f/11 or smaller where all lenses are softer due to diffraction, always shoot at ISO 100 or below because cameras become softer at ISO 200 and above, avoid shooting across long distances over land which can lead to atmospheric heat shimmer, be sure everything is in perfect focus, set your camera's sharpening as you want it (I set mine to the maximum) and be sure nothing is moving, either camera or subject. If you want to ensure a soft image with any lens, shoot at f/16 or smaller at ISO 1,600 or above at default sharpening in daylight of subjects at differing distances in the same image.

If you live in a laboratory, it is slightly less sharp in the corners wide-open, and these corners sharpen-up as stopped down.

In real-world shooting, it's super-sharp as are all Nikon and Canon lenses today. I have no problem using the images from this lens for anything including huge mural-sized prints (you can count every pebble and every leaf in this photo of a clubhouse from 330 feet (100 meters) away, for instance) — but if you're a dweeb looking at pixels at 300%, yes the more expensive Z lenses can be a little sharper in the far corners wide-open — where nothing usually is in focus outside the lab.

I greatly prefer a lightweight lens like this that covers every focal length and lets me get to my locations and bring back great photos without having to carry a Z 24-70/2.8 and Z 70-200/2.8 and swap between them — which loses photo opportunities.

Nikon's MTF charts at 10 cyc/mm and 30 cyc/mm:

Nikon Z 24-240mm
Nikon Z 24-240mm
MTF at 24mm at f/4.
MTF at 200mm at f/6.3.

 

Spherochromatism       performance       top

Spherochromatism, also called secondary spherical chromatic aberration or "color bokeh," is an advanced form of spherical and chromatic aberration in a different dimension than lateral chromatic aberration. It happens mostly in fast normal and tele lenses when spherical aberration at the ends of the color spectrum are corrected differently than in the middle of the spectrum. Spherochromatism can cause colored fringes on out-of-focus highlights, usually seen as green fringes on backgrounds and magenta fringes on foregrounds. Spherochromatism is common in fast lenses of moderate focal length when shooting contrasty items at full aperture. It goes away as stopped down.

It doesn't have any spherochromatism, which I expected as it's so slow at 200mm:

Nikon Z 24-200mm Spherochromatism

Mondaine A132.30348.11SBB at close-focus distance at 200mm at f/6.3 on 45MP Z7, 25 September 2020. bigger or camera-original © file.

 

Nikon Z 24-200mm Spherochromatism

1,200 × 900 pixel (6.8× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a large 14 × 21″ (35 × 55 cm) at this same high magnification.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a huge 27½ × 41¼″ (70 × 105 cm) at this same high magnification.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a mammoth 55 × 82½″ (1.4 × 2.1 meters) at this same extremely high magnification!

 

Image Stabilization       performance       top

Optical Image Stabilization (OIS, IS or VR (Vibration Reduction)) works great, actually delivering five stops of real-world stabilization on my Z7 with firmware 3.11, which for the first time actually matches what Nikon claims.

I get 100% perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness most of the time at 1/8, handheld free standing, at every zoom setting!

"Percent Perfectly Sharp Shots" are the percentage of frames with 100% perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness I get when I'm shooting hand-held while free-standing with no support or bracing. Hand tremor is a random occurrence, so at marginal speeds some frames will be perfectly sharp while others will be in various stages of blur — all at the same shutter speed. This rates what percentage of shots are perfectly sharp, not how sharp are all the frames:

 

At 24mm on Z7 (with firmware v 3.11)

% Perfectly Sharp Shots
1
1/2
1/4
1/8
1/15
1/30
1/60
1/125
1/250
Stabilization ON
5
17
30
100
100
100
100
100
100
Stabilization OFF
0
0
0
0
33
67
100
100
100

I see two stops of real-world stabilization.

 

At 50mm on Z7 (with firmware v 3.11)

% Perfectly Sharp Shots
1
1/2
1/4
1/8
1/15
1/30
1/60
1/125
1/250
Stabilization ON
0
33
67
100
100
100
100
100
100
Stabilization OFF
0
0
0
0
20
50
60
100
100

I see three-and-a-half stops of real-world stabilization.

 

At 100mm on Z7 (with firmware v 3.11)

% Perfectly Sharp Shots
1
1/2
1/4
1/8
1/15
1/30
1/60
1/125
1/250
Stabilization ON
0
17
10
90
100
100
100
100
100
Stabilization OFF
0
0
0
0
17
0
5
20
83

I see five stops of real-world stabilization. Excellent!

 

At 200mm on Z7 (with firmware v 3.11)

% Perfectly Sharp Shots
1
1/2
1/4
1/8
1/15
1/30
1/60
1/125
1/250
Stabilization ON
0
0
0
67
83
70
90
100
100
Stabilization OFF
0
0
0
0
0
0
10
25
83

I see about five stops of real-world stabilization. Excellent!

 

Sunstars       performance       top

With a 7-bladed rounded diaphragm, I get only soft, weak 14-pointed sunstars on brilliant points of light at best.

Ignore the vertical smear at f/4; it's a sensor artifact called interline transfer smear; it's not a lens defect.

Ignore the crazy rainbow effects at the smallest apertures; these are sensor artifacts caused by taking a picture directly of the sun and exposing for the dark undersides of the palm trees.

Click any to enlarge:

Nikon Z 24-200mm Sunstars

Nikon Z 24-200mm Sunstars

Nikon Z 24-200mm Sunstars

Nikon Z 24-200mm Sunstars

Nikon Z 24-200mm Sunstars

Nikon Z 24-200mm Sunstars

Click any to enlarge.

 

Teleconverters       performance       top

NO.

Sorry, neither the Nikon Z TC-1.4× teleconverter nor Nikon Z TC-2× teleconverter will work.

Neither can mount to this lens as each converter has optics that poke into the back of the lens. If your lens doesn't have airspace at its back, as is the case with this lens, the converter can't mount:

Nikon Z TC 1.4x

Nikon Z TC 1.4x

 

Compared       top

Sample Images   Intro   Format   Compatibility

Specifications   Performance   Compared

User's Guide   Recommendations

I got my 24-200mm at Adorama. I'd also get it at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

As I've covered throughout this review, this lens takes the same pictures as the more expensive Nikon Z lenses, and it's much less to carry than any other selection of lenses to cover the same 24-200mm range.

Some people love hauling around the huge Z 24-70mm f/2.8 and Z 70-200mm f/2.8, and as you can see, the 24-200mm takes the same great pictures, while weighing a lot less and leaving a lot more cash in your wallet. Even better, I never miss photos having to swap between the Z 24-70mm f/2.8 and Z 70-200mm f/2.8; with my Z 24-200mm I jus flick my wrist and I've got whatever focal length I want.

Better than having a slew of exotic lenses, this lens gets us to any focal length with a flick of the wrist. With this lens I get my picture while others are still fumbling changing their fancy lenses and missing the shot I just got.

Don't let me stop you if you prefer the big Z 24-70mm f/2.8 and Z 70-200mm f/2.8, but what I shoot moves and changes too fast to want to be weighed down with al that gear and changing lenses from shot to shot.

If I worked in a lab and only wanted to shoot test charts, I'd scan them with a flatbed scanner, which is usually a part of every printer/FAX/scanner combo. It makes better images of flat charts than any lens. This 24-200mm might be a tiny bit softer out in the corner in some weird conditions in a laboratory wide-open, but honestly in real-world shooting I always get great results with this lens, and it's always with me.

See also All Nikon Z Midrange Zooms Compared.

 

User's Guide       top

Sample Images   Intro   Format   Compatibility

Specifications   Performance   Compared

User's Guide   Recommendations

I got my 24-200mm at Adorama. I'd also get it at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

Nikon Z 24-240mm

Nikon Z 24-200mm VR. bigger.

Sadly Nikon got cheap and chose not to include AF/MF or VR switches.

Therefore you have to go into your camera's menu system to set these.

AF/MF is usually available at the 𝒊 button, and you may be able to add VR to that same control.

You may also want to program either of these into your My Menu menu.

The one and only control Nikon did provide is a zoom lock at 24mm. It turns orange to let you know when it's locked.

 

Recommendations       top

Sample Images   Intro   Format   Compatibility

Specifications   Performance   Compared

User's Guide   Recommendations

I got my 24-200mm at Adorama. I'd also get it at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

Ken Rockwell with Nikon Z9

iPhone self-portrait with Z9 & Z24-200mm, Wednesday, 20 April 2022. bigger.

This 24-200mm is usually what's on my camera. It's that good and that flexible.

I love my Z 24-200mm lens. It's small, light, sharp, focuses super close and does everything well. It replaces a slew of other lenses.

I use a clear (UV) protective filter instead of a cap (exactly like an iPhone) so I'm always ready to shoot instantly. I only use a cap when I throw this in a bag with other gear without padding — which is never. The UV filter never gets in the way, and never gets lost, either.

The very best protective filter is the nearly indestructible Hoya multicoated HD3 67mm UV which uses hardened glass and repels dirt and fingerprints.

For less money, the B+W 67mm XS-PRO MRC-nano 010M, Nikon 67mm NC (No Color/Neutral Clear), Hoya 67mm NXT Plus UV and Hoya 67mm UV MC are all excellent filters, but the Hoya HD3 is the toughest and the best.

If I was working in nasty, dirty areas, I'd use an uncoated 67mm Tiffen UV filter instead. Uncoated filters are much easier to clean, but more prone to ghosting.

Filters last a lifetime, so you may as well get the best. The Hoya HD3 stays cleaner than the others since it repels oil and dirt.

All these filters are just as sharp and take the same pictures, the difference is how much abuse they'll take and stay clean and stay in one piece. Since filters last a lifetime or more, there's no reason not to buy the best as it will last you for the next 50 years. Filters aren't throwaways like digital cameras which we replace every few years, like it or not. I'm still using filters I bought back in the 1970s! The Hoya HD3 stays cleaner than the others since it repels oil and dirt, and you'll be using it long after you've thrown this lens away in 50 years.

I got my 24-200mm at Adorama. I'd also get it at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Nikon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, non-USA, store demo or used lens — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new lens. I've used many of these stores since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new lens before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.

Thanks for helping me help you!

Ken, Mrs. Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.

 

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08 Jul 2023 prices & samples, 21 April 2023 prices, 07 Dec 2022, 04, 05 August 2022, 12 October 2021, 10 July 2021, 07-08, 15 June 2021, 01-03, 28 October 2020