Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S Sample Images: Real-World Examples

I’ve previously posted a detailed hands-on review of the Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S lens. It’s a very versatile zoom lens with impressive optics. And, in part, because it’s only moderately fast (with a maximum aperture of f/4), it’s moderately priced. The combination makes it an attractive take-anywhere lens option. Not surprisingly, it’s the main kit lens that Nikon is bundling with its higher-end Z-mount mirrorless cameras (it’s also available as a standalone lens).

These sample images are designed to go alongside that review.

If you’re trying to get a feel for how much ground the zoom range actually covers, I’ve also posted a set of zoom range examples shot at different focal lengths.

Technical notes

These were all taken on a Nikon Z8. They were shot in RAW and have been lightly processed in Lightroom.

One other thing to keep in mind when looking at handheld shots like these: the 24-120mm has no optical VR of its own. Any stabilization is coming from the camera body, which surprises people upgrading from the F-mount 24-120mm f/4G, since that one did have VR. On a full-frame Z body like the Z8 that’s a non-issue, but on the DX bodies without IBIS — the Z30, Z50, Z50 II and Zfc — you get no stabilization at all with this lens.

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.

Since my objective here is to give a sense of real-world performance rather than technical lab tests, I’ve left the settings in the camera at their default settings (vignette control: normal; diffraction compensation: on; auto distortion control: on). After all, most users of this lens are likely to be shooting with those default settings. And something worth noting is that, unlike many other in-camera processing tools that only apply to derivative JPGs or HEIFs, these apply to the master RAW files as well.

With this lens it’s worth spelling that out a bit further, because the optics are designed around the correction. Uncorrected, the 24-120mm has roughly 4 to 5 percent barrel distortion at 24mm, and about 2.6 stops of corner darkening at 24mm f/4. The distortion profile is applied in camera, baked into the NEF, and Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw won’t let you switch it off for this lens on any Z body. If you want to see what the glass is doing on its own, you need a different converter, such as Nikon’s own NX Studio, RawTherapee, or DxO PhotoLab.

Sample images taken with a Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S zoom lens

You can click on each image for a full-size version for a closer look.

Price & availability

Nikon uses this lens as a kit lens with some of their Z-series mirrorless cameras, alongside similar options like the Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 S. But you can also buy it as a standalone lens. It launched at an MSRP of $1,099.95, but Nikon has since brought that down to $999.95, which makes it the cheapest S-line zoom in the Z lineup.