So I just bought the Nikon Z fc because it looks cool but honestly I have no idea what I am doing. I am going on a trip to Tokyo next month and want to take some nice street photos and pictures of food, but the camera didnt come with a lens. My budget is pretty tight, maybe like 300 or 400 dollars max. I keep reading about prime lenses and zoom lenses and it is all kinda confusing to me. Sorry if this is a dumb question but what is a good simple everyday lens that I should get? I just want something easy that looks good...
Ive shot with many lenses over the years, and for a Z fc in Tokyo, grab the Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 24mm f/1.7. Here is why:
- Tiny and lightweight
- Great in low light
In my experience, you have two solid prime options under 300 bucks.
- Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 SE: Gives a 42mm equivalent field of view. Matches the retro Z fc look perfectly.
- Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2: Better in low light with the f/2 aperture, but the 60mm equivalent crop is kinda tight for tight street shots. Id grab the 28mm for the wider field of view.
@Reply #1 - good point! That 24mm is really the way to go, especially for the vibe of the Z fc. Ngl, I had high hopes for the Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR when I first got the camera because it is so flat and easy to carry. Unfortunately, I found it pretty disappointing once the sun started setting. I was in a tiny izakaya in Shinjuku and every single photo of my food came out grainy or blurry because that lens just doesnt let enough light in. It was a huge bummer because those memories are basically just a smudge now. Technical stuff can be a headache, but basically, that f-stop number is the most important part for your trip. A lower number like f/1.7 means you can shoot in dark streets without everything looking like a mess. I also messed around with the Viltrox 23mm f/1.4 Z Mount which is super fast and fits your budget, but I had some annoying issues with it. The autofocus would sometimes just hunt back and forth instead of locking on. Not as good as the native Nikon glass in terms of reliability, which is frustrating when you only have a split second to catch a shot. Quick tip: stick to one focal length for the whole trip. Moving your body to frame the shot instead of zooming makes your photos look way more intentional and less like generic tourist snaps.
This thread is gold. Bookmarking for future reference 🔖
