where there’s smoke there’s fire

With the new Z6 and Z7 mirrorless cameras, Nikon also announced three new S-line mirrorless full frame lenses (additional information is available here):

• NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.8 S ($846.95)
• NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S ($596.95)
• NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S ($996.95)

The three new lenses are supposed to be very sharp based on the reports I have seen online and yes, they are not cheap. Keep in mind that the new S-line will be the top of the line series of mirrorless lenses (every S-line lens has Nano coating). A cheaper line of mirrorless lenses is rumored to be announced in the future. Let’s do a quick price comparison with the Sony/Zeiss full frame mirrorless lenses:

• The Zeiss Loxia MF lenses are priced between $950 – $1,500
• The Zeiss Batis AF lenses are priced between $1,200 – $1,700
• The Sony Vario-Tessar 24-70mm f/4 lens is $798
• The basic Sony 50mm f/1.8 is $200, the Sony Sonnar 55mm f/1.8 is $898 and the Sony Sonnar 35mm f/2.8 is $798

Now, let’s take a look at the MTF charts of the new S-line lenses – here are some comparisons with similar/current F-mount lenses:

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