Thank you for your video. Still waiting for mine (France). I would appreciate to see non long exposure field photos at F4, hand held photos. Why only long exposure landscapes. One of the reason you buy this one is also the 30mm side witch makes it a very polyvalent lens. I think you missed that part in your review. I will use 82mm filters and I think you could talk à little more about that too. Thats one great reason to buy this Lens, to avoid Lee filters ;). So great review, thank you for the time you sent. Still waiting for more field reviews.
Thanks Ricci - excellent review. Especially the Nisi filter options. I have the Lee 100mm square system but after watching your review I will be changing to the Nisi system. I have had the Z 14-30mm for a while and have never fully realised its potential as a landscape lens until I saw your amazing images. I was waiting for the new Z 14-24mm having owned the F mount 14-24mm F2.8 which I sold when I upgraded from the D850 to the Nikon Z7ii. However after seeing what you have achieved landscape-wise with this lens, I think the 14-30mm will remain as my wide angle lens of choice !!
I think my holy trinity for the Z6 will be 14-30 f4, 24-70 f2.8, and 70-200 f2.8. I think at ultra wide angle I'm ok with f4... plus I really like the fact that you can use a screw on 82mm filter. will keep my kit streamlined. I'm ok with little bit of vignetting. easy to fix in post. great review. thanks!
Not so easy if you need to do a large tonal correction. Example - shooting into the sun. Most of the frame is already underexposed 2-3 stops to keep the highlights under control. With 3 stops of falloff into the corner you need to bring the corners up 5ish stops. Show me one camera that has 5 stops of latitude in the shadows.
I've recently sold my D700, 16-35mm f4 VR, 24-70mm f2.8, 70-200mm f2.8 VR II & 85mm f1.8. I now own a Z6 with the Z 14-30mm f4 S, Z 24-70mm f2.8 S & 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 VR E. The 14-30 is sharper than my old 16-35 but not spectacularly sharp in the corners (but equally soft both left & right). Centre sharpness IS good. However, once my Hoya neutral filter is replaced by a CP filter, I get no vignetting at 14mm & f8. I'm yet to experiment wide open but do expect the corner sharpness to be lets just say - average. The 14mm end is probably closer to 15mm when the automatic distortion correction is applied. The Z 24-70mm f2.8 S is a spectacular lens! The high ISO performance of the Z6 is frankly amazing - the D700 wasn't bad but lags by at least 3 stops so shows how sensor tech has improved in 10yrs. I'm impressed by how good a job Nikon have done with their 1st F-F mirrorless, especially compared with a major rival.
Got this lens right before the sale ended. Compared it to my 20mm f1.8G both on the test chart and with actual landscapes on my Z6. I am blown away by the 14-30mm f4 at 20mm. It is every bit as sharp as the 20mm f1.8G at f4 and above. Same beautiful colors, contrast, and so forth. The 14-30 f4 has the overall IQ advantage at f4 because it shows no color fringing, while the 20mm f1.8G does have color fringing at f4 (and lower). Above that, identical. Distortion is nearly exactly the same, which is actually a huge complement to the 14-30 f4. I really dont care about "baked in" corrections. I care about final results. I compared straight out the camera. I compared the best auto picture corrections and the best manual picture corrections I could make. I peeped the heck out of the pixels. The 14-30 f4 being equal to the much hailed 20mm f1.8G at 20mm is a monumental achievement. Many people, including myself, consider the 20mm f1.8G god-like and Nikon's best ultra wide prime. Its crazy good, and the 14-30 f4 matches it. At 14mm, yes the distortion gets worse, but when corrected the images look great. At 30mm, fantastic straight out the camera. Overall, this is must buy if you are landscape shooter that needs to pack small and light. I am sure the new 14-24 f2.8 will be even better, but the size and weight are a huge con for me. Probably has a bulbous front element, too. Screw on filters are a big plus on the 14-30 f4.
As always a real world and evidence backed review Ricci. It aligns with the view I got from a quick play with the lens on a couple of occasions. The difference with my 16-35 in terms of IQ was really noticeable so it got traded in advance of the 14-30 arriving. The extra 10mm it gives over the 24mm end of the 24-70 is so useful for me at times.
Excellent review as always, RIcci! I'm debating on selling my Fuji kit and going with the Nikon Z7 andpossibly this 14-30 f/4 Nikkor S lens. I was initially concerned about image sharpness with this lens, but I think you convinced me that it is quite sharp at all focal lengths at mid apertures! As for filters, I was wondering what your reason is for preferring drop-in gels vs. screw-on glass filters....Is it because the screw-on filters adversely affect sharpness more than the gel filters? nd which gel system would you recommend that affects sharpness the least? Thank you sir!
Thanks for this video, switched from D750 to Z7 which I bought at Photography Show after hands on. Sold my 16-35mm and got the 14-30mm on pre-order. I have the Lee 100mm system so its useful to know that I can use my filters fine at 14mm if I take the polariser ring off as I don’t really use it much anyway.
I’ve had a rethink as I used polariser quite a lot on recent trip... and I now have this lens. Option 1. Invest in new Lee 100mm holder and polariser adapter plus adapter ring won’t work. Option 2. Remove polariser ring from current Lee system and consider screw on polariser - not sure this would work plus polariser limited to this lens. Option 3. Use a square polariser - they are available but no one seems to use them, or at least where you can find out more? Option 4. Buy Nisi 100mm holder and polariser and see if existing Lee square filters work - Lee claim the Nisi holder will scratch Lee filters. Option 5. Switch entirely to Nisi. At the moment, option 5 seems best.
Excellent. I just purchased the 14-30 a week ago and already have the Nisi V5 100mm filter set. I was wondering about the vignetting potential so your video cleared this up. The nice thing is that the Nisi 82mm CPL can screw right onto the 82mm lens without using an adaptor ring - then you can just add the holder. One less thing ; ) Appreciate the detailed video on this lens as well as the 24-200 which is my next purchase. Much appreciated.
Picked mine up the other day. Wish my camera wasn't recalled so I could try the lens out! As for waiting for the 2.8, I'm not sure I've ever shot a wide angle lense at 2.8. I guess there might be a rare case when you need that extra stop, but I imagine the 2.8 will be significantly heavier and larger. Thanks for the review.
Hey Ricci great video! After watching this, and seeing some of your Instagram posts of the Milky Way taken with the 14-30 S, I’m now torn as to whether to buy the 14-24 or the 14-30 S for my Z6. I like Astro and night photography so I always thought for best results I’d need the wider aperture but now, not so sure. Love the size, sharpness, and versatility of the 14-30 for filters. 14-24 f2.8 S lens I’m sure will be about $3k. I’d love to see a video comparing some shots of the stars wide open at f2.8 on the F mount 14-24, versus the 14-30 at f4. Cheers!
Your videos are the most useful, informative and profession in production quality on RU-vid. I have been waiting for this comparison and again, Z mount lenses are showing that Nikon's early promos for the Z system claiming superior optical performance due to the design options available with the wide flange and short flange distance were not just marketing hype. I have a Z6 and D850 and I am so pleased with the Z6 that I am considering selling the D850 and adding a Z7 for my portrait and catalog work, and using the Z6 for my travel, event, low light work plus dabbling with video. The D850 has been the perfect DSLR for me, but after using the Z6 for a few months, it is such a pleasure to use and carry that it seldom stays at home. The size and weight of the gripped D850 and large primes and 2.8 zooms never bothered me before the Z6 arrived but I really notice how much easier to carry or hike with so it is with me much more often. Thanks for your great videos!
Can you please pass on to Nikon dudes (if you know some) that a we need a new shutter setting. It would be very nice if we could set the shutter time to what we want. That would simplify using nds for long exposure
Most (Nikon ?) ( I'm a Nikon Z6 and d800 user) ) cameras seem to have this limit, I just bought a cheap cabled shutter remote for my Z6 to get over the fact, seems unnecessary as you say!!! Thought that the app might control the shutter but it doesn't work in bulb mode.
I think this guy works for Nikon which explains his lack of objectivity. There are some things to like about the 14-30 and many things to hate. Unfortunately none of the reviewers talk about the latter. The 14-30 requires MASSIVE software correction to have anything resembling respectable vignetting and distortion. We are talking more than 3 stops of light falloff in the corners at 14mm that no amount of stopping down can resolve. You have not seen anything like this in any $1000+ lens from Nikon or the first tier lens makers. The only things that come close are the Rokinon and Irix, and they cost 1/5 to 1/3 of the 14-30. Ultimately the 14-30 is an expensive lens intended for routine use by those that prize size the most. There is a market for this, but Nikon's obfuscations and the parroting of said obfuscations by the early reviewers are of Trumpian proportions.
I agree... No one is talking about that. I wish you could turn the correction on/off. But it does give me a small 14mm that takes filters. By the way NOTHING even approaches Trumpian lying... ANYWHERE.
Same here, now I'm having 2 filter systems in my bag, lucroit with hitech filters for my 14-24 f2.8 and the 100mm nisi v5 for my 24-70 S, I can't wait for the 14-30 s to make my bag lighter..
Excellent review as usual Ricci. I have had mine since the launch date and love it. What would you say is the optimum aperture performance on this lens (sweet spot)
Would be interested how the lenses compare in corner sharpness not only in the center. My 16-35 really falls apart in the corner especially when wide open, 14-24 is definitely better but far from perfect.
Thanks Ricci, an informative video one agin.. On a side note it was great to see you at the NEC last mount very good talks and nice to have a chat. One think a was amazed at how much you manages to crop your king fishers. wow. Just one thing I have a number of Lee 100mm filters do they fit the Nice?
Great video Ricci. I currently have the 14-24 f/2.8G and am considering the 14-30 f/4S, but the smaller filters would not be an advantage as I would still need to carry the 150mm set for use on my 19mm f/4 PC-E. I am thus wondering if the upcoming 14-24 f/2.8S would be any sharper than the 14-30 f/4S when both are stopped down to f/8? Or would you expect the only advantage to be the larger aperture of the 14-24 f/2.8S?
Thanks for your detailed review. Let's hope the QC on the 14-30 lens is better than on the 16-35 lens. The latter was well known for its sample variations. Also since you are a NiSi user check out the new V6 filter holder.
thanks for the video, there is many reviews and comparison between it and the 14-24mm says that the 14-30 is softer specially at dx corners and fx corners. and dow dxomark.com released the review of the 14-30 and it shwos its much softer than the 14-24mm even compairing it to 14-24 @ 2.8, many people are saying there is bad copies of this lens, what do you think
Ricci, you know what? Do a comparison on which lens is better at 24 and 28 mm: the 14-30/4, the 24-70/4, or the 24-70/2.8? That’s going to be really helpful, thanks!
@@RaymondParkerPhoto thanks i just bought the Z6 with 24-70 and cannot afford a new lense just yet. I will keep that on my radar and wait for more reviews to come out as well. Thanks!
nice review , i shoot sports and get really close to the action currently use a 16-35 on a d5 but just changing to z9 so looking for a real life comparisson , cheers for the info
nice review ! I am convinced now with 14-30 F/4 for my z6ii :-) any experience with polarpro VND 2-5 and new freewell magnetic kit with mist, polarizer, VND 2-5, VND 6-9... in a beautiful package box ?
Hi and thank you Ricci for this review. You make this review with a Z7, but did you make the test with a Z6? Sometime a same lens with different camera does not give the same result. Thank you.
Hi Ricci Thanks for your review. I am in doubt of buying the Z 14-30 or the Z 35 1.8 (I already have the Z 24-70 f4). I know they are very different lenses! But i can spent my money only once. Can you say something about the quality of the lenses in comparison to each other. Especially aspects as sharpness, CA, etc . Thanks Henk
Ricci, we need to talk. Stop the Z videos my wife and bankaccount are threatening to leave me if i buy this lens and i dont know how I am going to tell them that i already pre orderd it! Lol joke ofcourse, great review and thanks for the Filter part, thats the part most forget but for a landscape lens is VERY important.
Ricci, I currently own the Nisi V6 filter holder system (with the Pro CPL/not the Enhanced CPL) as I await my copy of the 14-30mm from Adorama next week. While testing the system with a Sigma 24-105mm f4 (same 82mm filter thread as the Nikon 14-30mm), I ave been getting light leaks in the lower left of my images when I use the geared CPL and the light leak in images disappears after I remove the CPL. Have you experienced this? If so, how did you correct it?
Excellent video Ricci, you demonstrated the qualities of the Z14-30 very well. I do have some questions for you if you are able to answer them please. First up - When comparing the 14-30 v 16-35 you test the corners at f4 but not stopped down, I would be interested to see the comparison at f8 or f11 between the two lenses, does the ghosting on the 16-35 disappear? Also it would be unusual to use that type of lens wide open, in most cases the lens would be stopped down making full use of the dof that is available, so seeing that comparison at different apertures would be useful. Next is the 14-30's performance at other focal ranges between 14mm and 30mm, what is it like, I appreciate that the ultra wide view obtained at 14mm is great for certain landscapes, but how does the lens perform at 20mm/24mm/28mm? Thanks for the video's thoroughly enjoy them, keep them coming.
Couple of reasons why I didn’t include lots of different aperture setting was time I didn’t really want to end up with a 40 minute long video and also Iv been some tests with this lens and others for Diffraction so might be in a separate video looking at that. I mostly used the lens to shoot ultra wide and I thought most people would be interested in how the lens performs at the extreme. I do have shots taken at 20mm 24mm 28mm and 30mm and it performs just as well as it does at 14mm!
@@RicciTalks Thanks for responding so promptly, that makes sense I don't think we would want a 40 minute video, maybe two part video's in the future, part 1 - technical, part 2 image quality, just a thought. I think for the time being I am going to stick with my 16-35, I guess that only pixel peepers will see the additional sharpness and on prints up to A2 I guess no one will know which lens was used.
Hi Ricci, I too would love a video exactly like you have done but at the other ranges too, especially 30mm, as I would like to know I can shoot wide but switch to using 30mm end, and maybe cropping rather than having to change lenses when busy at a wedding/event indoors. I carry two cameras so knowing its very sharp at 30mm is also important. Many thanks though, its the detail and professional way you do this that has will keep me as a long time subscriber.
finally, with the new lee holder, is there a problem if you put a polarized front? and if has, can i correct with lighroom? could i maybe see a sample?
Do you know if the 14-24 f2.8 Z-mount lens will be able to use screw-in filters? I prefer to use the Kasa magnetic filters system, so that will affect my decision on which lens to buy.
Since you work for nikon, can you tell us when the next Z cameras with dual card slots will be available? I currently use the D750 and all your videos demonstrate a marked increase in sharpness with the new S lenses. But i cannot move to the mirrorless without dual card slots.
Hi! thanks, i think it would be great, and possibly more real test, a D850 + 14-24mm VS Z7 + 14-30mm to see the "real difference" between two systems, because i think maybe the adapter may cause a loss in sharpness in the F lenses mounted in the Z body, thanks again
I'm watching this 2 years after it came out. I've seen a video on the difference between the 14-30 f/4 z and the new 14-24 f/2.8 z. The 14-24 is sharper. The person making the video used a z7 with higher resolution. I'm using a z6 II. I'm sure you've tested the 14-30 to the new 14-24. Would I see much difference in sharpness and image rendering with the z6 II? I know you will with the z7 or z7 II. I already have a 100mm filter set. The 14-24 is close to $1500 more plus the cost of new filters that could cost up to $1000. I'm a hobbyist but I spend my money on what I want if it's justified.
One important fact you left out when comparing the 14-30mm Z-mount lens to an F-mount lens is that when you are NOT using a tripod, the image stabilization is 5-way. You get the x and y stabilization in addition to pitch, roll, and yaw. For many landscape photographers this is less of a factor as tripods are used so often, but ... if you plan on using the wide angle for travel photography, the extra effectiveness of the 5-way image stabilization will be a strong reason to put aside the 16-35mm or the 14-14mm.
I have heard from a number of people that focus stacking using the Z6/Z7 does not align properly when using the 14-30 F4 Can you test this and confirm? Also, will the new Nikon 14-30 f2.8 take screw on filters or will we be back to the dinner plate filter holder that I need for my 14-24 f2.8 Thanks!
Any thoughts of 14-30 f4 S vs the new 24mm 1.8 for astro and landscape? Sale this weekend on 14-30 has me considering this, but f4 for astro has me a bit concerned I'll have ISO up a bit high. I planning to use on Z7 I'll be getting soon to get higher rez images over my Fuji X-T3 as my primary shooter now...new to Nikon so not quite sure how the performance would be on Z7 in astro at f4, I hear Z6 is a bit better in low light and higher ISO.
Take a look at my Instagram account Iv shot some Astro with the 14-30mm at 14mm 25second shutter speed, f4, iso 3200, there’s a fair bit of information around showing how higher iso can be a benefit to Astro work. The 14mm allows you to shoot 25 seconds without moving stars.... the 24mm you would need to shoot about 5-10seconds ... but Iv not used the 24mm for Astro yet.
What you call "ghosting" is chromatic aberration. Uneven focus of the blue wavelengths in the case of the 16-35. Are you manually focusing these? I've seen several of your comparisons and it seems that some of the sharpness (more often I would call them contrast differences, actually) may partly be due to slight differences in the focus plane. The Z lenses do have excellent contrast. It's also notable that this lens has automatic correction applied to the raw data by Adobe applications. There's a lot of curvature that is straightened out in this lens, as you can see using a different raw conversion that doesn't have the auto correction.
Thanks for your detailed review! I just bought the NiSi v5 Pro Filter holder and realized, that most of the ND Filters have some rubber gasket glued on their filters to prevent light leakage. However, this reduces the usable diameter from 100mm to about 80mm. Would this be an issue with the 14-30's 82mm Filter Thread? What ND Filters do you use? Thanks! :)
Not an issue I use the NiSi 8stop 10stop and 15stop 100mm filters along with 0.9 grad medium and a 1.2grad medium. All work perfectly fine in the 14-30mm
Hi Ricci! I'm thinking to purchase this lens but i saw alot of articles that there are many bad copies of that lens. Can you please explaij how to detect bad lens straight from the box? Thanks
I noticed that the Z 14-30mm lens was sharper than the F 14-24mm lens. Do you think any of that was due to the FTZ adapter? Is the 14-24 as sharp when shooting with a D850 compared to the D7 with the adapter? I ask because I'm looking to purchase the D7 to fit the myriad of F lenses I own. If I'm going to lose quality then I may stick with DSLR or jump fence out of Nikon for mirrorless.
Before you started to compare sharpness of the images, did you notice, that size of D850 is 10% smaller on the samples from 14-24/2.8? may be it is a bit wider?
Thanks for this awesome and super complete review!! Can I ask if the Haida M10 will also work without vignetting? May you have the chance to test it? Thinking now in what to buy, the M10 or the V5 Pro. BR!
The comparison was not apples to apples and by Mr. Vestuto's on comment was not meant to be a technical review of the filter systems. As Mr. Vestuto recommended I compared the stills of the 2 systems and I didn't see the difference in the vignette. The Haida at 5:17 and the Nisi at 6:36 look identical without their CPL in place. Yes, the Haida had a more pronounced gradual vignette with the CPL mounted, However; there was no comparison with the CPL on the Nisi because if was difficult to remove and screw in. This in itself is a demonstration of the convenience provided by the Haida system. Go take a look for yourself and draw your own conclusion. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7UmUWfgKEtY.html
Hi, sorry I need to know urgently which filter holder 100mm guarantees no vignetting on the 14-30 nikon s-line. (nisi v5 pro? Nisi v6?) I used the nisi S5 I had on the 14-24 but vignette up to 18mm ... So unusable. Thank you for your answer.
Thank you, Ricci. I enjoy your "make your own decision" style, and the results are undeniable. I own the 14-24 f/2.8, and it's one of the sharpest lenses I've owned. To see the performance of this new lens is striking! I'm leaning more toward the Z system.
How about people who have old lens? Must sell old lens and buy z lens to get sharp image? In indonesia nikon is rare, and to sell nikon lens is very difficult.
price is a big difference.. not everyone can afford sharper quality plus if youre not doing any professional work then the highest quality is not necessary
Personnaly I will try the 14-30 f4 as it seems that z6/7 have an amazing ISO capabilities, but I'm looking forward for the upcoming 20 f1.8 S for the true Astrophotography work.
@@Bassiavet me too, but i idont know yet, when it will arrive thats why i am thinking of getting the 35 mm first for astro, then buy 20mm when it comes out for astro and landscape
These reviews seem to favor the z glass with kind of an unfair comparison! Try comparing the sharpness with the z lens on a z7 and the afs lens on a d850. I bet the results would be different.
I bet you're hoping your comments spur some folks to dump their D850s, D5s, and other perfectly capable DSLRs so you can jump on those steals ASAP. I know pros getting paid top dollar still using their D3s. The smart money sits and waits for the first adopters to get fleeced.
