Nikon Nikkor Z 26 mm f/2.8 review - Summary

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Nikon Nikkor Z 26 mm f/2.8

16 May 2023

Maciej Latałło

11. Summary

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Pros:

excellent resolution in the frame centre,
sensible image quality on the edge of the APS-C/DX,
negligible longitudinal chromatic aberration,
slight lateral chromatic aberration,
lack of problems with spherical aberration,
low astigmatism,
moderate vignetting on the APS-C/DX sensor.

Cons:

distinct vignetting on full frame,
noticeable distortion,
a bit too high coma at the maximum relative aperture,
performance against bright light could have been better.

The task of the Nikkor Z 26 mm f/2.8 was much more difficult than that of the Nikkor Z 28 mm f/2.8, tested by us earlier. It stemmed from the wider angle of view and noticeably smaller dimensions. Still it has to be said that the lens managed just fine. It provides a surprisingly good image quality in the frame centre for a pancake lens and a completely acceptable resolution on the edge of the APS-C/DX sensor. It also fares well when it comes to astigmatism.

There are compromises, especially when it comes to the performance on the very edge of full frame – the resolution is a tad too low, and you have to deal with an influence of coma, vignetting and distortion. Distortion could be forgivable because the lens's field of view is wide enough so it could be corrected with preserving declared parameters. Of course you shouldn't forget about 'pixel pump' but, in the case of such small lenses, such compromises I am more than willing to forgive.

If only the Nikkor Z 26 mm f/2.8 performed better against bright light and if its autofocus was a tad faster we would give it happily a very high score. Still, even with such flaws our overall impressions are very positive indeed. In our opinion it is a very well-put-together lens without any doubts.