9 Best Nikon S Lenses in 2024

Exploring the world of photography with Nikon S Lenses offers a gateway to capturing stunning images, whether you’re a professional or an enthusiast. These lenses are designed to meet a wide range of photographic needs, from portraits to landscapes, ensuring every shot is as beautiful as intended.

Our top choice, the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S, stands out for its exceptional low-light performance and beautiful bokeh, making it a prime pick for photographers. Alongside this standout lens, there are eight other options to consider, catering to various shooting styles and requirements.

What Is the Best Nikon S Lens?

Selecting the best Nikon S lenses involved considering their performance in low light, sharpness, and autofocus speed. Each lens on this list is ideal for professional photography, offering unique advantages, from stunning bokeh to detailed close-ups. Their build quality and optical design were key factors.

Our Favorite Nikon S Lenses

Let’s take a closer look at the best Nikon S lenses. From wide-angle to telephoto, these lenses provide options for every photographer, ensuring top-quality images in any setting.

The Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S lens is a prime choice for photographers who need the best image quality in low light and desire beautiful bokeh for portraits. Its f/1.2 aperture is perfect for dim settings. The lens also offers exceptional sharpness, ensuring that every detail is captured with clarity. However, its weight of 2.4 lbs (1.09 kg) might be a bit much for those who prefer a lighter bag.

Optically, this lens stands out with its advanced design, including three aspherical elements and two extra-low dispersion elements. These reduce aberrations and ensure images are clear and color-accurate. The autofocus is quick and reliable, even in challenging conditions. 

Compared to the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S, the 50mm f/1.2 offers a larger aperture, providing advantages in low light and depth of field control. However, the 35mm might be a better option for those needing a wider angle and lighter lens for street or landscape photography. Both lenses deliver excellent sharpness and fast autofocus, making them good options for professional photography.

The Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S shines in its ability to capture sharp, clear images, even in low light. Its f/1.8 aperture lets in plenty of light, making it a strong performer when the sun goes down. This lens also creates beautiful background blur, enhancing portraits and close-up shots. 

Built to last, the lens combines metal and high-quality plastic, ensuring it can handle tough conditions. It’s light, at just 13 ounces (370 g), making it easy to carry all day. The weather sealing is a big plus, offering peace of mind when shooting outdoors.

Optically, the lens is impressive, with minimal distortion and chromatic aberration, thanks to its aspherical and extra-low dispersion elements. The autofocus is quick and silent, ideal for capturing fleeting moments without drawing attention. While it lacks built-in stabilization, it pairs well with Nikon’s IBIS-equipped cameras for steady shots.

The Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S is a good option for photographers who prioritize image quality and portability. Its performance in various conditions, from street scenes to intimate portraits, makes it a versatile tool in a photographer’s bag.

The Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S excels in delivering sharp, vibrant images, making it a top pick for landscape and architectural photography. Its wide aperture of f/1.8 is perfect for capturing detailed scenes in low light, offering a shallow depth of field for creative shots. 

Constructed with a combination of metal and high-grade plastics, this lens is both sturdy and light, weighing just 1.1 lbs (505 g). It’s designed to withstand tough shooting conditions, thanks to its comprehensive weather sealing. The optical design, featuring aspherical and extra-low dispersion elements, ensures minimal aberrations and high clarity across the frame.

Autofocus is quick and silent, ideal for both stills and video. While the lens lacks built-in stabilization, it pairs well with Nikon Z series cameras equipped with IBIS, ensuring sharp images even in challenging light. The Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S is a very useful lens for photographers looking to capture expansive scenes with exceptional detail and clarity.

The Nikon Z 85mm f/1.2 S is a standout lens for portrait photography, offering a wide f/1.2 aperture that excels in low light and creates stunning bokeh. This prime lens delivers sharp, clear images with minimal distortion, making it a top choice for professionals. Its optical design, featuring aspherical and extra-low dispersion elements, ensures high-quality images with accurate colors.

Weighing 2.5 lbs (1.2 kg), this lens is built to last, with a robust design that includes weather sealing for shooting in various conditions. Despite its weight, it balances well on Nikon Z series cameras, providing a comfortable shooting experience. The autofocus is both quick and precise, capturing moments with ease, although the lens lacks built-in stabilization.

The Nikon Z 85mm f/1.2 S is a solid choice for photographers who prioritize image quality, especially in portrait and low-light photography. Its construction, optical performance, and autofocus speed are its most notable features.

The Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S excels in macro and portrait photography, offering a 1:1 magnification ratio that captures stunning detail. Its f/2.8 aperture performs well in low light, creating beautiful bokeh that highlights subjects against softly blurred backgrounds. The lens’s optical design, featuring extra-low dispersion elements, ensures sharp images with minimal chromatic aberration.

This lens is built for the outdoors, with weather sealing that protects against the elements, and weighs 1.4 lbs (630 g). Its ergonomic design, including a large focus ring, makes manual adjustments easy and precise. The inclusion of Vibration Reduction technology is a big improvement, allowing for sharper images at slower shutter speeds.

This lens is a good option for photographers who need top-tier macro capabilities and image stabilization. Its build quality, combined with advanced optical performance, makes it a very useful tool for capturing detailed close-ups and flattering portraits.

The Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S is a versatile zoom lens that shines in a variety of shooting conditions. Its constant f/2.8 aperture allows for excellent low-light performance and depth-of-field control, making it ideal for both portraits and event photography. The lens’s sharpness is impressive across its zoom range, ensuring detailed images in every shot. With minimal distortion and well-controlled chromatic aberration, it delivers images that are clear and true to life.

As with all S lenses, this lens is built to last, featuring robust weather sealing for reliability in challenging conditions, and reflected in its 1.8 lbs (805 g) weight. Its ergonomic design and smooth operation make it a pleasure to use, even during long shooting sessions. The absence of built-in image stabilization is mitigated by the effective IBIS of Nikon Z cameras, allowing for steady shots without a tripod.

The Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S is a very useful lens for professionals who need flexibility without compromising on image quality. Its construction, optical performance, and autofocus speed make it a top choice for those looking to capture stunning images across a wide range of photography genres.

The Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S is a versatile zoom lens that covers a wide range of shooting scenarios, making it a great choice for photographers who value flexibility. Its constant f/4 aperture provides a good balance between size and performance, allowing for effective low-light shooting and a pleasing bokeh effect. The lens’s optical design, featuring aspherical and extra-low dispersion elements, ensures sharp images with minimal aberrations across its zoom range.

This lens is built for the demands of professional use, so its weight of 1.4 lbs (630 g) is no surprise, nor is the weather sealing that protects against the elements. Its autofocus is quick and reliable, capturing moments with precision. While it lacks built-in image stabilization, the effectiveness of Nikon’s in-body stabilization compensates well, allowing for steady shots in various conditions.

The Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S is a very useful lens for travel, event, and portrait photography. It delivers excellent optical quality, solid construction, and versatility across a wide range of photographic scenarios.

The Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S is a standout lens for those who capture landscapes, architecture, and interiors, offering an ultra-wide perspective that’s hard to beat. Its constant f/2.8 aperture ensures it performs well in low light, allowing photographers to create images with a shallow depth of field and beautiful bokeh, even at wider angles. The lens’s optical design, featuring aspherical and extra-low dispersion elements, minimizes distortion and chromatic aberrations, delivering sharp, clear images across the zoom range.

Its autofocus is both quick and precise, capturing fleeting moments with ease. The lack of built-in image stabilization is less of a concern in a wide-to-ultra-wide lens, and is mitigated by Nikon cameras’ in-body IS. Its build quality contributes to its 1.4 lbs (650 g) weight, which is still manageable for longer shoots.

The Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S is very useful for photographers who need wide-angle flexibility without sacrificing image quality. Its construction, optical performance, and fast aperture make it a good option for professionals and enthusiasts looking to expand their creative possibilities.

The Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S is a versatile telephoto zoom lens that excels in delivering sharp, vibrant images across a range of photographic genres. Its constant f/2.8 aperture ensures excellent performance in low light and provides a shallow depth of field for stunning bokeh, making it ideal for portraits and isolating subjects. The lens’s optical construction, featuring extra-low dispersion elements, minimizes chromatic aberrations, ensuring images are clear and sharp.

Weighing in at 3.2 lbs (1.4 kg), this lens is built to endure the demands of professional use, with comprehensive weather sealing for reliability in adverse conditions. Its autofocus is both fast and precise, capturing moments with ease. The built-in stabilization system combines with the excellent Nikon in-body stabilization in compatible cameras and helps ensure sharp images in various shooting scenarios.

The Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S is very useful for photographers who need the flexibility of a telephoto zoom combined with a fast aperture. Its construction, optical performance, and fast autofocus make it a good option for professionals and enthusiasts looking to capture high-quality images across a variety of settings.

Conclusion: The Best Nikon S Lenses

The best Nikon S Lenses, are some of the best lenses in the world, and we think that by examining their key features, performance in low light, and suitability for various photography genres, we have narrowed down the field for you. We have emphasized the importance of choosing the right lens for specific needs, whether for professional photography, travel, or macro shots, ensuring photographers can capture high-quality images in any situation.

Our top choice, the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S, stands out for its exceptional low-light performance and beautiful bokeh, making it perfect for portraits. This lens is a prime example of Nikon’s commitment to quality. But you can be confident that the eight other lenses reviewed, also offer options for every type of photographer.