Ive been shooting with the Z6ii for a couple years now and honestly I love the ergonomics, but Ive been feeling like my glass isnt quite keeping up with the sensor resolution lately. I mostly do landscape work when I hike in the Sierras, so weight is a huge factor for me, but Im tired of soft corners. I already own the 24-70 f/4 and while its decent for travel, I need something that will give me that tack-sharp, clinical look for large format prints.
Im trying to decide if I should just bite the bullet on a prime or if there is a zoom that actually holds its own. Here is what I am looking at:
- Budget is around 2k but I can stretch for the right piece of glass.
- Needs to be weather sealed because I spend way too much time in dusty or damp conditions.
- Mostly interested in landscape and maybe some architecture.
Is the 50mm f/1.2 S really the king here or is the 14-24mm f/2.8 sharper across the frame? Ive heard mixed things about the micro-contrast on the zooms versus the primes and I really dont want to have to rent everything to test it out. What are you guys using when you need that absolute maximum detail?
If you want that clinical, corner-to-corner sharpness for large prints, stop looking at zooms. I know the flexibility is nice for hiking, but if you want to eliminate soft corners, the prime lenses in the S-line are just on another level. Honestly, if you are hiking, be careful with the weight of the faster glass.
- The Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S is absolute magic for micro-contrast, but it is heavy and might be overkill for landscape if you aren't doing portraits.
- I would suggest looking at the Nikon NIKKOR Z 20mm f/1.8 S instead. It is significantly lighter than the 50mm f/1.2, weather-sealed, and probably the sharpest wide-angle piece of glass I have ever mounted to my Z6ii.
- If you really need a zoom, the Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S is technically better than most, but I have found that primes still beat it for corner sharpness at infinity focus. Make sure to use a sturdy tripod with these lenses because at this resolution, any slight movement is gonna show up in your prints. Just be careful about the weight factor when climbing, as that 50mm f/1.2 is a brick. If you want maximum detail without breaking your back, stick to the f/1.8 prime series, they really are the sweet spot for landscape.
