The Nikon Z camera line-up has expanded! The Nikon Z9 and Z8 are now the flagship models, and the Nikon Z7 II is no longer king of the hill. But it matches both these cameras for resolution and at a much lower price, so our list of the best lenses for the Nikon Z7 II keeps this firmly in mind. We're looking for performance, for sure, but also a realistic price point to match the price of this camera.
The Nikon Z7 II is certainly not a second-division camera, just because the Nikon Z9 and Z8 have come along. It's still one of the best Nikon cameras to buy, not to mention one of the best mirrorless cameras all round. If you still want to take a money-no-object approach to choosing lenses for the Z7 II, you should head straight over to our guide to the best lenses for the Nikon Z9 and Z8. We stand by all these choices for Z7 II owners who only want the best.
But the costs will ramp up very quickly, and given that the Z7 II is now the 'affordable' high-resolution Nikon Z, here we wanted to pick a set of great lenses that are also realistically priced. In other words, you get near-as-dammit the same professional performance, but without the high-end outlay.
There is only one telephoto zoom in this guide, but it's a good one. We reckoned that most people would not use the Z7 II as a sports camera, but as a more all round landscape/travel/social photography tool – but if it's wildlife and sports that you're interested in, our guide to the best lenses for the Nikon Z9 and Z8 has a couple of great longer-range options that won't break the bank.
Rod Lawton
Rod is an independent photography journalist and editor, and a long-standing Digital Camera World contributor, having previously worked as DCW's Group Reviews Editor. He has used practically every interchangeable-lens camera launched in the past 20 years, from entry-level DSLRs to medium-format cameras, so he has the expertise to select the best Nikon lenses for you.
There’s a cheaper 50mm macro from Nikon, but this option gives you superior sharpness and a shorter working distance. Read more below…
Best lenses for the Nikon Z7 II in 2024
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Professional photographers and keen amateurs might gravitate towards the Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S, but that's twice the price of this lens. There's also the Nikon Z 28-75mm f/2.8, which is actually a little cheaper than the Z 24-70mm f/4 S, but it's also a lot longer and does not go as 'wide' – and there is quite a lot of difference between 24mm and 28mm.
It's true that the 24-70mm f/4 S has a smaller maximum aperture than these two lenses, but it's small, light, easy to pack in a bag and quick to use, thanks to its simple twist-action retracting design. It makes a great lens for travel or just general walkaround photography. All full frame Nikon Z cameras have in-body stabilization, so the f/4 maximum aperture is not often going to stop you shooting in low light.
If your idea of a standard zoom is a lens you can leave on your camera ready to throw in a bag when you need it, the Z 24-70mm f/4 S is a really good option.
This is an early Nikon Z lens that's been somewhat eclipsed by the later Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S and Nikon Z 17-28mm f/2.8, because of their wider maximum aperture. But the newer 14-24mm pro lens costs significantly more than the Z 14-30mm f/4 S and has a shorter zoom range, while the 17-28mm f/2.8 costs no more, but is a physically longer lens that doesn't go as wide.
So we're sticking with the 14-30mm f/4 as our top tip for an ultra-wide zoom that's portable, affordable and practical; it can even take filters on the front. It’s small and light, and delivers stunning sharpness right into the corners, and even at f/4.
There are four f/1.8 prime lenses in this guide, but this one could be the most useful of the four. At first glance, the Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S might look like an 'in-between' lens that doesn't go as wide as Nikon's ultra-wide zooms. But hold on – you may find 20mm is the ideal focal length for a lot of travel, architecture and landscape photography, with a significantly wider angle of view than a regular standard zoom, without the extreme perspective distortion and convergence of a 14mm or 16mm lens – it can be a challenge getting architectural subjects straight with more extreme lenses.
On top of that, the Z 20mm has a much faster f/1.8 maximum aperture than any zoom, making it especially good for night shots and interiors. Optically, it's excellent, with pretty exceptional edge-to-edge sharpness even wide open.
This is another Nikon Z lens that bucks the trend, skipping the f/1.4 maximum aperture you might expect for a more modest f/1.8. It will make some difference to background blur and shutter speeds in low light, but it's only a 2/3-stop difference. Nikon does not make a faster 35mm prime than this, so the comparison is somewhat academic.
Yet while most other makers have a range of f/1.4 primes, Nikon's decision to go with f/1.8 lenses is good for anyone who wants to combine value with performance. Like Nikon's other Z-mount primes, the Z 35mm f/1.8 S delivers excellent performance – it's extremely sharp wide open in the center of the frame, though the edges, while still good, don't quite catch up until around f/4.
For photographers who like to keep a 'nifty fifty' in their camera bag, this is the ideal choice. It's a lot more expensive than the old Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8G DSLR lens, so it's not a cheap option, but it is very sharp in the center of the frame, and the edges catch up very well by about f/4 too.
If you want something even faster, there is of course the newer Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S, although it’s twice the size and more expensive, so it's definitely one for serious bokeh fans. Otherwise, we would recommend the Z 50mm f/1.8 S as the ideal all-rounder.
The classic 'portrait' lens has become such a standard that every camera maker has one or, in Nikon's case, two. The 85mm focal length means a longer shooting distance that gives faces and people more natural proportions, while a fast maximum aperture allows attractive background blur.
The newer Nikon Z 85mm f/1.2 S is the ultimate Nikon Z portrait lens, but it's huge, heavy and very expensive, so we would still recommend the Nikon Z 85mm f/1.8 S for Z7 II users. Even at f/1.8, you will still get strong background blur, and it's a lighter lens that will be easier to hold and use over longer periods. It's also one of Nikon's S-line lenses, so don't let the affordable price fool you – this lens delivers excellent optical performance.
A 70-200mm f/2.8 is a classic 'trinity' lens for professional photographers but, like other examples of its type, the Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S is huge, heavy and expensive. That's why we really rate the only slightly 'shorter' Nikon Z 70-180mm f/2.8.
You lose in-built VR and 20mm at the long end of the zoom range, but you keep the f/2.8 maximum aperture and save quite a chunk of change. If you're worried about the lack of optical VR, there's always the camera's own in-body stabilization to fall back on (optical lens VR does help with stabilization, though).
If portrait, social and event photography is your daily job, we would probably still suggest the Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S, but if that lens is just too heavy and too expensive, or you're just not sure you would get enough use from it to justify the cost, the Z 70-180mm f/2.8 is a terrific alternative.
Nikon makes two macro lenses for its full-frame Nikon Z cameras. The cheaper option is the Nikon Z MC 50mm f/2.8, which would be fine for occasional close-up work, though macro specialists might find its short focal length and working distance a hindrance. Instead, we would recommend the Nikon Z 105mm f/2.8 MC as the best macro lens for the Nikon Z7 II.
It's not especially cheap – but it's not especially expensive either, given its stunning optical performance. It also has in-built VR, a multi-function OLED display and weather sealing, which could be especially useful for outdoor nature photography. If you use your Nikon Z7 II for close-up and macro work, this is the lens for the job.
The Z7 II uses the Nikon Z mount and is compatible with all lenses designed for that mount. Nikon’s own Z-mount lenses all have Z at the start of their model names.
Some Z-mount lenses are designed for use with APS-C format cameras rather than full-frame cameras such as the Z7 II. Nikon lenses that fall into this category have DX as part of their model names. While they physically fit on the Z7 II, these lenses produce a cropped image, so they’re not ideal. None of the lenses in this guide is a DX-format lens.
If you are buying a third-party lens for the Z7 II, always check that it is designed for full-frame (or FX) Nikon Z cameras, rather than APS-C (or DX) Nikons.
The Z7 II is also able to use F-mount lenses, which are made for use with Nikon’s DSLR cameras. For this, you need an adaptor such as the Nikon Mount Adapter FTZ II. The idea is that owners of older DLSR cameras can buy a Z camera and still use their old lenses.
How do I know which lens to get for my Z7 II?
The reason there are so many types of lens in the first place is that different scenes demand different lens designs, particularly when it comes to focal length and aperture rating.
Usually, you will decide what you want to photograph, then get a lens with the focal length that suits the situation. For example, to shoot landscapes you will need a wide-angle lens, while for sports and wildlife you will need a telephoto.
The lens experts in our testing lab run a range of tests under controlled conditions, using the Imatest Master testing suite. Photos of test charts are taken across the range of apertures and zooms (where available), then analyzed for sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations.
We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the centre of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths.
There's more to it than just the technical side, though! Beyond the lab, our reviewers test lenses in real-world environments – and sometimes on professional shoots! We work with lenses both indoors and outdoors, in studio conditions and in natural light, with as many different subjects as is possible (or appropriate – there's no point testing a landscape lens' ability to shoot a portrait!).
We take into account everything from handling and ease of use to speed of autofocus and the overall quality of the images produced.
Rod is an independent photography journalist and editor, and a long-standing Digital Camera World contributor, having previously worked as DCW's Group Reviews editor. Before that he has been technique editor on N-Photo, Head of Testing for the photography division and Camera Channel editor on TechRadar, as well as contributing to many other publications. He has been writing about photography technique, photo editing and digital cameras since they first appeared, and before that began his career writing about film photography. He has used and reviewed practically every interchangeable lens camera launched in the past 20 years, from entry-level DSLRs to medium format cameras, together with lenses, tripods, gimbals, light meters, camera bags and more. Rod has his own camera gear blog at fotovolo.com but also writes about photo-editing applications and techniques at lifeafterphotoshop.com
