I'm leaving for my Japan trip in like two weeks and I'm honestly freaking out because I still havent picked a do it all lens for my Z6ii. I really want to just carry one single lens and leave the heavy bag at home for once. Right now im torn between the 24-120mm f/4 S and that 24-200mm superzoom. The 24-120 is an S-line so the quality is probably better but im scared I'll miss that extra reach for street shots. My budget is capped at $1100 max. Is the constant f/4 really worth losing the 200mm reach or am I gonna regret it the second I land?
To add to the point above: I was in this exact situation before my trip to Italy last year. I am super paranoid about low light noise and blurry shots, so I ended up choosing the constant f/4 zoom. Honestly, it was the safest bet for me. When I was walking through narrow streets late in the afternoon, the light dropped way faster than I expected. Because I had that constant f/4, my camera kept the ISO around 1600. If I had gone with the variable zoom, it would have forced the camera to shoot at f/6.3 at the long end, pushing my ISO to 6400 or worse. The image quality stayed clean, and the built-in stabilization worked well with my body to keep things sharp even at slow shutter speeds. I was really happy with how my photos turned out, and I never felt like I missed the extra reach.
Honestly, just go with the Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S. This lens has been my main workhorse for a while now and I'm super satisfied with how it performs. The sharpness is just on another level compared to the superzooms. Constant f/4 is a total lifesaver when you're ducking into temples or walking around Osaka after the sun goes down. While the reach might seem short, 120mm is usually plenty for street shots and you can always crop a bit in post. The Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR is a fine lens, but it gets slow pretty fast when you zoom in. Your $1100 budget fits the 24-120 perfectly anyway. It works well for basically everything and the S-line glass is noticeably better. Havent missed the extra 80mm once because the images are so crisp... it's just a better choice for a one-lens setup.
