Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II: at a glance: 

• $2,796 / £2,599
• Standard zoom lens 
• For Nikon Z-mount mirrorless cameras 
• 0.32x maximum magnification ratio at 70mm
• 84mm x 142mm 
• 675g 

Many professional and advanced photographers crave a 24-70mm f/2.8 for their kit bags. A standard zoom with a fairly wide aperture gives you the opportunity to cover a range of subjects without having to switch lenses too frequently. The Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II lens is a follow up to the 2019 version, which arrived a year after the entire Nikon Z system debuted. 

The original 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is a great lens, but it is large, heavy and cumbersome, making it less appealing as an everyday lens. This new Mark II version addresses that issue by being both lighter and smaller in diameter. It also has some other improvements which should not only improve image quality, but also make it an attractive option for video users, too. However, this comes with a significant price tag of $2,796 / £2,599.

Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II – Features

The 24-70mm f/2.8S II lens is the world’s first 24-70mm lens with an internal zoom mechanism. That means that the lens that you see is the lens that you get – no extending barrel making it larger / more unwieldy than when it’s packed away. It also makes it more flexible in certain situations too; for example, when using the lens on a gimbal. With no difference in size to consider, you won’t need to recalibrate the gimbal every time you change the focal length. Filters are also easier to use when the front of the lens stays fixed and doesn’t move back and forth.

At 675g, the lens is the lightest 24-70mm f/2.8 lens for full-frame cameras in the world. The lens design has been changed compared with the predecessor to help achieve this. It now features dual-sided aspherical lens elements and ED glass, which Nikon says helps to keep the lens light, while also still delivering “superb” image quality. 

In order to reduce optical problems like ghosting and flare, the lens includes a number of special coatings, including anti-reflective Meso Amorphous and ARNEO coatings, plus customised super integrated coatings. There’s also fluorine coatings on the front and rear elements to repel dust, dirt and moisture. 

This is the first Nikon zoom lens to feature a “Silky Swift Voice Coil Motor” (SSVCM) which is designed to deliver fast and accurate AF. There is also the promise of near-zero focus breathing too. In fact, when it comes to AF, Nikon says that the lens boasts 5x faster AF than the predecessor, is 50% quieter, is 60% quicker at focus tracking when zooming and has a 40% reduction in scan time at the telephoto end of the lens. 

A new 11-blade aperture (up from 9 for the previous generation) works alongside precision-crafted aspherical lens elements to produce attractive bokeh. 

It’s not a macro lens but it does offer very close focusing – just 0.24m at 24mm, and 0.3m at 70mm. The maximum magnification ration is 0.21x – 0.32x. 

There’s no optical image stabilisation in the lens, but since all full-frame Nikon Z cameras include it in body, that’s unlikely to be an issue. It seems improbable that anyone using an APS-C Z-series camera would attach a lens like this to it. The Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR would be a much better choice. 

Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II – Build and Handling

Having an internal zoom is great for knowing exactly how big (or how small) the lens is going to be. I’ve used many zoom lenses where it seems quite compact when retracted, but actually extends an astonishing amount, often making the lens more cumbersome to handle and requiring you to retract the zoom frequently when you’re carrying it around. 

This lens is a little longer than the Mark I lens, being 142mm, compared to 126mm, but it’s not hugely noticeable in practice. What is more obvious is that it’s significantly lighter, and it’s also got a smaller diameter. The overall result is that it feels more attractive as an everyday carry around lens. Although it’s obviously quite a bit bigger and longer than the Nikon Nikor Z 24-70mm f/4 S lens, I’d be very happy to have this with me almost permanently attached to a camera if I was keen to stick to a one-lens setup.

As with many Nikkor Z lenses, the outward design is reasonably minimalist. There’s an autofocus / manual focus switch, plus a focus limiter switch. There are also two L-Fn buttons, which can be set to control a wide variety of shooting settings depending on your preference. These buttons are designed to be accessible by your thumb when shooting in either portrait or landscape format, and as such, both will do exactly the same thing. I’d perhaps like the option to set one to control one thing, and the other a different thing (as well as keeping the option to use them both for the same thing), but this is me being pretty picky. 

A control ring is found towards the rear of the lens. Again, this can be set to access a number of different shooting parameters. The ring can be de-clicked, so you can choose to have it turn either with tactile feedback, or smoothly and silently. The latter is particularly useful for video, or if you just don’t like the sound and/or are trying to be discreet. 

One thing you won’t find on this lens is the LCD window seen on the original, which displayed some shooting information. Frankly, I can’t imagine many people would miss that though, and it’s certainly worth the sacrifice to keep the size and weight of the lens down. 

The S II lens is both dust and drip-resistant, and it certainly feels very robust. I’ve been using it with the Z8 for this test, and it really feels like a pro-level piece of kit that can happily accompany you in all weathers. 

A 77mm filter attachment size is the same as the Z 70-200mm f/2.8 S lens, which is useful if you’ve got any filters or accessories you want to use with both lenses. The previous generation of 24-70mm lens had a 82mm filter attachment size. 

The HP-117 lens hood comes with the lens, which includes a filter window – that means you don’t need to remove the hood when you’re working with rotating filters, for example when using polarising or variable ND filters. 

Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II – Autofocus

As I’d expect from a lens of this calibre, focusing is extremely quick and as near to silent as it’s possible to get. It’s rare for any false confirmation of focus to appear, and generally it snaps onto the subject with ease. 

I’ve been using it with a Z8. If I’m photographing one of my daughters, I’ll set it to eye detect and let the Z8 get on with it. It’s been able to keep up with an erratic toddler most of the time, too. 

Older models, such as the original Nikon Z7 might not be as quick to work with this lens, but using the top-line camera really shows what it’s capable of. 

Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II – Image Quality

Pictures taken with this lens are excellent, as I’d anticipate. 

It produces sharp results across the frame at every focal length, as well as throughout the aperture range. The absolute sharpest results can be seen if you stop down from the maximum aperture of f/2.8, to around f/4-f/5.6, but the overall impression of sharpness wide open is fantastic too. 

Looking at uncorrected raw files I can see there is some slight barrel distortion at wideangle, turning to pincushion distortion as you zoom in. There’s also a very slight amount of vignetting in the corners when shooting at f/2.8, but it’s not terribly unattractive. Both are very easily corrected using the default options in ACR or similar software. 

In terms of aberrations, instances of fringing is pretty much non-existent, with only a minimal amount of unattractive flare if shooting directly into the sun on a very, very bright day. In normal / ordinary circumstances it’s extremely well controlled. 

The out of focus areas are rendered very nicely and attractively, giving you scope to create some beautiful work for portraits and the like, especially if you shoot at the 70mm end of the lens.

Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II – Verdict

For those in need of a high-end 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, this is pretty much the perfect lens. Of course, you pay a premium for that, and it therefore won’t appeal to everybody. 

If you’ve already got the older Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens, you might also want to consider whether the size and weight reduction is worth shelling out for – the original is still an excellent lens. To that end, you can also still buy the original 24-70mm f/2.8 lens and save yourself a decent wad of cash. If you can live with the heft of it, then it might be worth thinking about. 

You could also think about whether the 24-70mm f/4 S lens is a better option for you. Sure, you lose the wider aperture, but it’s much smaller, cheaper and still produces excellently sharp results. 

Still, if you want the best of the best and have the budget to pay for something like this, it’s an ideal lens that is great for a huge variety of different scenarios. You could conceivably have a lens like this as your only lens, or certainly as your main lens and be very happy indeed. 

Overall, while this is certainly not a cheap option, for the versatility and image excellence it offers, it’s a superb choice. 

Related reading:

• Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN II Art Review – Perfect zoom lens
• New Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.8 S lens for Z series mirrorless
• Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.4 Review – Brighter is not always better

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Full specifications

Price	$2796 / £2,599
Filter Diameter	77mm
Lens Elements	14
Groups	10
Diaphragm blades	11
Aperture	f/2.8-f/22
Minimum focus	0.24m-0.33m
Length	142mm
Diameter	84mm
Weight	675g
Lens Mount	Nikon Z
Included accessories	Front and rear caps, cloth lens case, HB-117 lens hood