The Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S is slower and less expensive than the better-known 14-24 ƒ/2.8 focal length. But it’s also smaller and takes regular screw-on filters. Here are some sample images I’ve shot with it on a Nikon Z8.
I’ve previously posted a detailed hands-on review of the Nikon Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S lens. These sample images are designed to go alongside that review.
With the supplied lens hood attached.
Technical Notes
These were all taken on a Nikon Z8. They were shot in RAW and have been lightly processed in Lightroom.
With a couple of exceptions noted below, I haven’t applied any of Lightroom’s editing fixes here for optical flaws. But that’s not to say there aren’t any. Newer lens and camera combinations like this often have built-in corrections. And that’s the case here. I’ve left the settings in the camera at their default settings (vignette control: on; diffraction compensation: on; auto distortion control: on). And unlike many other in-camera processing tools that only apply to JPGs or HEIFs, these apply to the RAW files as well.
Sample Images
You can click on each image for a full-size version for a closer look.
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/4 and a zoom setting of 14mm. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/4 and a zoom setting of 14mm. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/11 and a zoom setting of 17mm. I deliberately used a smaller aperture here to create the star shapes from the spotlights in the ceiling. But they’re also pointing straight at the camera, which greatly increases the risk of ghosting and flaring. But the lens’s coatings do a great job here of preventing that. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/4 and a zoom setting of 14mm. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with a Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z at an aperture of ƒ/8 and a zoom setting of 17.5mm. This one has had more post-processing done than others on this page. Among the edits was making the verticals true, as is usual with architectural shots. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/4 and a zoom setting of 14mm. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/4 and a zoom setting of 14mm. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/4 and a zoom setting of 19mm. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/8 and a zoom setting of 14mm. I cropped and straightened this one in post because I didn’t do a very good job of straightening the shot when shooting it (it’s shooting straight up). Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/11 and a zoom setting of 19.5mm. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/4 and a zoom setting of 16.5mm. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/4 and a zoom setting of 14mm. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/8 and a zoom setting of 14mm. Lots of lines here to test out the aspherical elements. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/4 and a zoom setting of 30mm. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/7.1 and a zoom setting of 14mm. I often use this shot as a good way not just to show a wide-angle, but because it includes corner-to-corner details that are good for revealing any sharpness issues. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/4 and a zoom setting of 14mm. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/8 and a zoom setting of 18.5mm. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/4 and a zoom setting of 14mm. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/4 and a zoom setting of 14mm. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/4 and a zoom setting of 19.5mm. Another shot where there’s a strong risk of ghosting and flaring from the direct spotlight just over and behind the elephant’s eye. There’s also little in the way of problematic chromatic aberration here in the contrasty windows at the top of the frame. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/4 and a zoom setting of 14mm. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/6.3 and a zoom setting of 14mm. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/4 and a zoom setting of 14mm. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Taken with Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm ƒ/4 S zoom lens on a Nikon Z8 at an aperture of ƒ/4 and a zoom setting of 14mm. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
I deliberately haven’t applied extensive corrections to these images. And the general rule of thumb in photography is that it’s better to get the shot right at the time of capture rather than trying to fix it after. That’s a great aspiration, but it’s not always possible to do if you’re bumping up against limitations or flaws in gear, conditions, or technique.
But it’s worth mentioning that there are some excellent tools available to help address common issues with lenses, such as distortion, chromatic aberration, and lens vignetting when editing the images. All-round image processing apps like Lightroom Classic and Capture One have solid tools built in already that often cater to specific lens profiles (or you can make your own).
Some more specialized tools can take it even further. DxO, in particular, sets the gold standard.Their software is built on the foundation of their incredibly deep archive of data from their extensive lab testing of the optical performance of lenses and cameras. But there are some other excellent specialized tools available. These are well worth a look (and have free trials):
DxO Pure RAW (for a suite of automatic RAW file corrections enhancement)
DxO ViewPoint (correcting for distortion and geometry)
Topaz Labs Sharpen AI (in addition to standard unsharp tools, includes focus correction and shake reduction)
On1 NoNoise (includes Tack Sharp AI, which applies sharpening)
I'm a professional freelance travel photographer based in Washington DC. Seven continents, up mountains, underwater, and a bunch of places in between. My images have appeared in numerous publications, and you can check out some of my travel photography here. More »
