Nikon Z 40mm F2. First quick look + samples + 50mm F1.8S 

It is good to be back ! I hope you find this first look at the 40mm f2 video useful ! Let me know if you have any questions ! GoodBye !

For somebody into street shooting and if they don't want to spend tons of money. Put this lens on a Z5 and leave it there.

The new light weight primes are just what was needed especially as there are no major 3rd party players yet. I only wish the 28mm was f2. That would have been perfect.

I ve been waiting so long for this lens. One to take many photos without intimidating the audience. Very excited about it

I ordered mine this morning - now I can't wait to get this. 40mm is one of my favorite focal lengths! Its just wide enough not to distort like the 35mm. 40mm was the only lens I had on my Leica CL for years during the film days and then used it on a Canon 5D. Small, fast, cheap --- and if the shots posted by Ricci and Nikon are representative of what to expect. IQ wise it is going to be a winner. And for $300 -- Whats not to like? Now that I am a Nikon user, cant wait for this lens to get to me.

Happy to see additional lenses coming out for the hobby photographers. The best way to get someone into photography is to make it affordable, and if someone starts out with Nikon they are more likely to stick with it through their entire life/career.

It was so nice to see you in my subscription feed. Thanks for the short but sweet video Ricci.

I was waiting for this Great lens Can’t wait for the full review 😀

Thanks for the review, and good to see you back again. I pre-ordered it as I want an inexpensive, lightweight and small carry around lens. The 24-70mm f4 has been doing great so far in that area, but this makes the camera a little more discreet. And the f2 is nice for evenings and DOF.

Thank you! I preordered today and was looking for reviews! I can’t wait for it to come in!

Ricci! 🤗 So good to see you again, thanks for another informative vid! 👏🏻

You can't deny the value proposition this lens offers ... Nikon Z lens system starting to look pretty formidable. Better decision making by Nikon in the last few years I think.

Thanks Ricci! Great to have You back in "video business" :-) I will stick to my 50 mm 1.8S, and try to overlook the obvious size difference

I've preordered mine. Can't wait to try it out.

Love the focal length. Already told my camera store I want it when it arrives.

An interesting lens, and one that might find it's way on to my Z fc. I hoping to come and watch you talk at the show on Sunday. :-)

Great to have you back! I think the 40/2 looks great on the Zfc personally.

I have a quickly growing collection of vintage prime lenses. This will be my fully automated walk around lens 😊. I wouldn't buy it from the start, but when I saw the price I had to.

Nice little lens for street and carry around. Now i am waiting, and waiting and waiting for the Z 100-400. Thanks for your work and many greetz from germany.

Good to have you back, Ricci. Nice end to this video. I am sure that most people who know you and your position with Nikon will be a tad excited that you are "about to be" busy. Could you be preparing yourself for the launch of the Z9? Of course you are! I finally got a Z6ii and love it. I would love to see a Z9 that nails focus, with new focus modes that trickle down to the Z6ii's et Al. See you on-screen with the Z9 soon!

Ricci, thanks for the review. I purchased this lens back at the end of November but it has been back ordered ever since then. Hopefully i’ll get it soon. Love this focal length as well as the prospect of a light, compact mid range prime for my Z6ii for night street shots and walk around use.

Missed you. I'm looking forward too a more in depth video on the new Z Macro lenses.

I think for me it's going to be the perfect light weight lens for street photography Nice to see you back Ricci! Take it easy and don't forget to breathe 😊

Can't wait for your Z 9 video ;-)

Nice to see a new video from you! I got an email for the announcement and preordered, so hopefully should be able to use it by early October. I have a Canon 40mm f2.8 pancake that I’ve ended up adapting frequently to my Z6, but this should be lighter, faster to focus and faster aperture, and with better image quality to boot. If nothing else, it’s a bit lighter than my current walk around lens, the 70-200 2.8S!

Placed my pre-order today. I have the 50 1.8S and it’s great but it’s far too large IMO for a 50mm lens. I think I’ll be happy with the 40mm for the weight and size even if it’s optically inferior.

Glad to see you well and about Ricci. Appreciate your guest appearance at Grays of Westminster👍😄 My take on this new move by Nikon? - BRAVO!👍👍👍. When I finally switched over to a Z body I want to keep my kit small and manageable so wasn’t motivated to get into a second mortgage for the 2.8 Z lenses. Back when I shot with the original F we only had, by comparison to today’s humongous lenses, tiny and handheld-able primes that do the job. So, will I be getting these new primes or compact zooms? You bet I am😄 By the way Ricci I’m a subscriber with full notifications turned on so not to worry about not coming out with frequent or regular videos, I’ll be notified and will certainly be all ears😄 Cheers from BC🇨🇦

Ricci, would love to see this 40mm against the 50/1.8 but shooting outdoors to compare purple and green fringing, also some shots against the sun to compare both lenses!

Nice video, thanks! Brief and compact, like the lens.

Already ordered. Thank you!

I've been looking forwar to this lens for sooo long, but after seeing the 28 SE-version i want this one in retro styled as well!

Packed with useful information and good examples! Sub'd! If you can explore the bokeh a bit more and have side by side comparisons to one of the clinical sharp lenses - that would be great 👍

Thanks for the review. Looks like a nice lens. Since I already have the 35mm 1.8s I probably won't have a need for this. I love the 35 1.8s though. Great lens.

thanks for the first look! (and really looking forward to your mentioned videos that you can't wait to show us! haha) anyway I have a question that I would be really glad to have you look into! as this lens does not come with a lens hood, I'm thinking of using my older HN-2 or HN-3 metal screw in lens hood for it.. could you check if they would cause significant vignetting?

Thanks for review.Will compare it with my TTArtisan 35 mm 1.4 and see which one to keep.

40mm f2 is extremely good. I wood have liked the manual focus button but other than thats its very good. Not too wide like a 35mm, not too tight like a 50mm. Good bokeh and Gives very good context of background . Great story telling tool

Thank you, Ricci!

This 40 looks really amazing. It 'might' replace my FTZ+50mm 1.8G setup lol. For the price, it seems like an awesome lens too! Heck, both the 28 and 40 look awesome. Thanks for showing some samples Ricci! Enjoyed the review!

Great video, I’d love to see a comparison to the 35 f1.8S lens.

Ordered! Will be stuck to my Zfc once it arrives.

didnt know you could set the lens ring to do something different than manual focus. very cool, thank you!

I purchased the 40mm because I wanted a prime just to do some basics . I think the quality is amazing , on my z 7.2 is sharp images it's a no fuss lens.Street photography has its own sent of agenda's. The appearance of the lense disarms passers by. It does not attarck attention or invite comments . I love it sharp chrisp . The lens has parameters the image is down to the photographer. It worth every coin you pay in my oppion. Great reviews on this channel. I get to view the lens before I purchase .that worth a lot .....

I like small and light lenses for street photography. This is a great addition to the Z range, especially at that killer price. I ordered mine yesterday before seeing any reviews.

a year later, I love this lens, the price is right, they need to bring out more lenses in this price range!

Great vid! this lens reminds me of the 58 1.4 for its creamy bokeh How nice would be a Z version of that lens!

Good morning everyone. Thanks for the quick overview. I got mine yesterday and after a few landscape and portrait shots I'm truly in love with this lens. I REALLY love the creamy out of focus bokeh and the light weight, versatile focal length as a walk-around lens. Only two caveats for me: - the plastic mount... Time will tell how long the plastic one will last - no lens hood? Not even a mount for buying one by myself? I use a lens hood all the time as protection against scratches and bumps in the the frontelement of the lens. I happily trade the loss in sharpness and color fringing for the lightweight and the lovely bokeh.

Waiting on your z9 video!!!

Thank you so much for this video review! I think your statement regarding "character" vs clinical sharpness [my words] is outstanding. There are times I want to shoot an "arty" image as opposed to a high level of image acuity. Sounds perfect on an Zfc or Z5 for travel. Cheers!

Would love to see a comparison of the 40/2 on a FF body vs the 28/2.8 on Nikons crop sensor!

Thanks for the video. Very useful. Convinced me to put an order in. In my case, I have a need for a lens for video which is fast, still autofocuses quietly and is close focussing but a bit wider than my 50 1.8s. I wasn’t sure if the 40 would be internal focusing (also needed) but see from Nikon specs that it is. For 250GBP it’s a bit of a no brainer and I don’t even mind if it’s a tad less sharp than the 50.

nice! will get one

For plastic mounts, people need to also keep in mind that while metal mounts are ideal, they are really only necessary (or "Required") on heavier lenses like the 24-70 or 70-200 especially. For lighter lenses, a plastic mount isn't that big of a deal, and these lenses are cheap enough that if you did break one, they're basically throw-away lenses (the cost to fix one is probably similar to just buying a replacement). I mean metal would be nice, but I have yet to break a plastic lens mount (even the cheaper DX lenses for the DSLRs are pretty durable). The only time I can see a plastic mount really breaking is if someone bangs the lens into something, but if that's the case, and you break the mount, then your lens may be damaged in other ways too (ie. out of alignment) if you've hit it so hard that you broke the lens mount. Again, for heavy lenses, yes they should (and they do) have metal mounts, but for lighter lenses, it's not necessary IMO. For sharpness, I did get into a debate with someone once about sharpness, and this person seemed to think that was all that matters with lenses. I suggested that perhaps while sharpness IS important to most photographers, you have to weigh out other aspects of the lens like vignetting, transmission and CA, among other things. If you have a super sharp lens that vignettes really bad, for example, that could probably be worse than a slightly less sharp lens that has very little vignetting. So people should keep in mind that while sharpness is probably everyone's #1 priority when looking at a lens, it shouldn't be the only thing you consider. You also have to ask yourself if the differences in sharpness between two lenses for example, is visible in real world practice or just at 100 or 200% in Photoshop. In some cases you may not see the sharpness differences at normal viewing distance, and I think that when you look at true pro photographers, they may be shooting with lenses that perhaps AREN'T the sharpest when viewed in a "lab" environment (ex. on a screen at 100%) but they are a good balance between sharp enough, and other factors, including cost. Plus some of the most famous images we've seen were shot with lenses that were probably not the sharpest thing on the planet (and people forget that it is possible to have a lens that's "too sharp" too).

I'm considering getting this when I'm ready to travel again. I love my Z6 but the weight and size of glass makes it hard to travel with a smaller bag and it can weigh way too much at times

Looking at the sample pictures taken with this lens made me really hope for a 58mm f1.2 lens to pair with my Z fc. Something styled after the original Noct and designed to have similar character would be an amazing portrait lens for both DX and FX bodies :)

Thanks buddy!

I put my order in. Now waiting for the 28mm.

I love this 40. Using it on a Z50. Also have the 50/1.8S and frankly I’m considering returning it. This Nikon and Z mount is new to me

40mm… it’s the sort of lens you have never used before or have used previously. Profound!

Looks pretty good to me

Looks like a interesting lens. I'd like to see a inexpensive 16mm lens like canon announced. I'm not a canon person but their lens lineup is pretty interesting

I wish camera companies made more of these low element count optics, I love small optics that take up less bag space.

HI Ricci!! Thanks for your content. I was waiting a lot for this lens. compact size and weight to change my 50 mm 1.8G version adapted with FTZ adapter. could you please compare it with this little guy? I'm hoping it is better in sharp and aberrations, which is enough for me to move on. I'm sure the 1.8 Z version is just perfect, but I am happy with the F version already. I just want to avoid the extra size and weight of FTZ adapter. Also, the 1.8 Z version is heavier than adapter+lense, but for sure a direct comparison bt the 50 and 40 Z versions would be really interesting to see too, to see how far they are. Thanks!

Good review. Thinking about getting this for my Z6 and a 105 macro as a prime combo. I don’t see buying the 40 and the 50 macro.

Thanks for the video, I'll get one for my Z6 to carry it out more. BTW, can I repost your video?

While I've not yet made the move from my D850 to Nikon mirrorless (sorta waiting on the Z9), I know what you mean about the small lens with character idea. I recently purchased the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G after having built a stellar collection of great glass. I just really wanted something so small and light, I could shoot with one hand. I use it a lot for my B+W work. I've really tested it so I know it's strengths and weaknesses and have had so much fun with it. As much as I really do like clinical perfection, there are other factors that come into play when choosing a lens.

Hey Ricci, thanks for the vid! It's great to see you back! Are you still planning to compare 50 f1.8 and MC 50 f2.8 ? Thanks

Great little lens this is, I’m using on the z Fc and actually a like it better, than the 28mm f2.8 se delivered with the camera, I was wondering when will you be able to review the new Z 18-140mm DX lens, I have already preordered to use on both z Fc and Z50?! Thanks, keep up the great honest job!!!

Hello On the official photos from Nikon it appears that the 40mm Retro looking SE version has 2 differences : the manual focus grip seems different and the front lens element seems to stick out further outside by ~1mm meaning that vignetting can be slightly lower and it may also be more prone to lens flare without the sunshade on

Great show. Could you do a AF test for video @f2.0 ? thanks.

I have purchased and use both 28mm and 40mm. All I do is people photography, no video. I love the 40 on my Z50 because the FOV is 60mm, nice short portrait lens. And the 28mm gets used on my Z5 for event work, I like the wider view over a 35mm... Now if Nikon could come up with some sort of 75-100 range in a similar size and build. I just find the Z lenses in general to be too big... Love referring to your channel!

Nice to see some budget stuff coming out. Personally I’m just slowly losing my mind waiting for the Z9 to come out, or at least pricing and firm specs. I know I won’t be able to get one until probably next year anyways, but looking forward to retiring my D3 finally, and maybe even my D500.

Thanks for portraits but would prefer more natural light photos. I feel many times pictures taken with proper lighting and studio kind of set-up do not show the lens' real character. I am glad that Nikon is bringing smaller lenses, I don't care if apertures are slightly different to perhaps maintain the small size as long as the lens has good IQ and/or character.

Any thoughts on how it would compare to some of the newly released Viltrox Z mount lenses?

i know i'm in the minority on this, but i feel like this and the 28mm 2.8 will actually be really nice complements to the 50mm 1.8. If I'm in a studio or otherwise controlled setting, you better believe the 50mm 1.8 is on and not coming off except MAYBE for my 85mm 1.4. but those two? I can take this shit everywhere.

It reminds me of my beloved 35mm afd

I hope you are testing the Z9 already!

Hi Ricci! It's been a while since I've commented on your channel. I've been in university for a while which has kept me (mostly) away from my cameras. That having been said, my shooting style while in school has changed to small and light. I've noticed with my full-frame Z that I'll use it more if the lens package meets that small-and-light profile. I've been a fan of the 40 mm in the past and have a vintage collection. So I'm excited to see Nikon pop this 40 mmm/F2 into the line-up. Have you had a chance to use it more? I'd like to see a bit more; maybe some shots with your narration in the background. Your insights have been valuable to me and they helped me in the early days of the Z-Mount! Stay well.

Hey just posing a question here: When testing for sharpness, shouldn't you test it on close/mid and long focusing distances? I thought lenses in the 35-50mm range worked best at mid distances as they are mostly used at those distances (full body portraits, etc).

Thank you, I shall consider this lens is good enough to replace the 50mm & 35mm F/1.8,

How do you think this compares to 28mm 2.8 z? I wanna buy one of these as a walk along lens. I like to shoot street style with just odd things that stand out in a regular day. Like a dog laying in the sun, interesting garbage on the street, food, casual portraits, street scapes. Appreciate your vids! So informative and lots of work!

Thanks of the review, 1 question : is shaper de 40mm at f2 or zoom 24-70 s at f4 in de center and edge of image, thanks

Like the size and quality of the photo for the price but wonder how the plastic mount will wear?

Seems like a nice travel lens.

My favorite shooting experiences ever, were on my D90 with a Sigma 30mm 1.4. I preordered this as I think I will enjoy having a similar experience with this on my Z6II, as I did considering the crop factor with my old Sigma. Also, I love the S lenses, but I do agree that they are so clinically perfect, that I find something lacking. There is indeed something to 'wabi-sabi' after all.

Nikon needs to make one with a metal mount. But if sigma starts making their line for Nikon, I'll get the sigma 40mm. It's an excellent lens and very sturdy.

7:48 great portrait

I just recently picked up the Nikon Zf, with the 40mm f2. And I love it. But I want to know if it’s worth picking up the 50mm 1.8 s, Since they’re so close in focal length and aperture? I don’t do professional work this would be just to take nice pictures of my family and we go on vacation.

I believe Nikon needs to capitalize on its Z-mount. Something outside of the current lens roadmap. It will be nice to see 105/1.2 or zooms with f2 or even better f1.8. I am certain that Nikon will catch up (exceed) with AF but exceptional (first of) lenses could be excellent selling points for Nikon. Those new (not S) lenses are for sure appealing and attractive and could serve for on-boarding new customers and have their application. But Nikon users and Nikon itself needs something jaw-dropping product that everybody wants.

Ricci, your eye is excellent, as the low glass element count should give the lens a more lifelike rendering than a larger Z prime. Thank you!

One thing I noticed, that you never said anything about, was the position of the aperture in the lens. Its right at the front of the lens. Every nikon lens I have ever seen has the aperture blades at the body-side back of the lens. Can you expand on this?

Any upcoming Famware update for real time tracking!

When do you think the 100-400 lens is out?

Hello Ricci, its good to see you again, i missed your video's and your comments. Is the 40 mm weather sealed? Because its a "small" lens will it be also good for streetphotografie?

Regarding the 40/f2 , well , you should have being being busy with Z9 , I suppose . When we would be able to go see a video on that .? Thanks

Looks like a great Nifty Forty. 😆

Coming from micro four-thirds that this looks like the Sigma 19mm for the four thirds... I think I like the 28mm for my z5

The 28 and 40 great on a Z6 with a Zhiyun M3 gimbal - probably no need to rebalance

Do you know the latest on the Nikon Z 6 II firmware?

I picked up this lens and love it. At first I wasn't impressed with it on my Z50 but when I attached the lens to the Z5 and changed my decision. With the 1.7 crop in movie mode the picture quality rivals the 50mm f/1.8 which is attached to my Z6II. Another note though I used to see on RU-vid that I have watched this video before and now it doesn't but it does keep the like button that I have selected. Now the videos with info on the right just states when this video was created. Have you noticed this also?

Maybe I'm weird but I don't like 35 OR 50 haha..It's the two lenses I've had love hate/indecision about more than any with camera systems. One is too wide and slightly distorts people, one is almost portrait length and doesn't show enough context. So I ended up with both most of the time, not really loving either. I learned to shoot on a 40mm on film, and shot with a Fuji 27 2.8 for years. As well as a Canon 24mm 2.8. STM (with their 1.6x crop). Wide and long I'm more certain about, 24 to me looks right, so does an 85. 35/50 both look kind of wrong haha. It would be interesting if Nikon dropped a 40 1.4 S though to compete with the Sigma or Voigt. I'd rather this lens be more premium, but end of the day, the focal length is more important.