BIG TEST
For a grand day out with your camera, a standard zoom gives the ideal balance of versatility and good performance. Here are the best buys...
Most of us shoot with a standard zoom lens for most of the time, so it pays to have a good one. But just how good does it need to be and how much do you have to spend? Many of us can’t stretch the budget to the likes of the Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S or the AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR, both with price tags north of £/$2000, and wouldn’t want to use such a relatively big and heavy lens for everyday shooting anyway.
Pretty much every Nikon camera body is sold as a ‘kit’ option, complete with a standard zoom, apart from the top-flight D6 DSLR and Z 9 mirrorless cameras. That said, as the last DX (APS-C) format DSLR standing, the D7500 is sold with an 18-140mm that’s more of a ‘superzoom’ than a standard zoom, with a 27-210mm ‘effective’ zoom range.
Mirrorless DX format Z-system cameras including the Z 30, Z 50 and Z fc are often sold with the Z DX 16-50mm, and the Z DX 18-140mm is the only real native alternative. For FX (full-frame) DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, there’s a lot more choice, so you can pick something that best suits your shooting style, opting for a really compact lens, or something with a bigger zoom range, or perhaps with a relatively fast and constant f/2.8 aperture. Whichever you go for, there are some great budgetfriendly buys to be had.
Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR
£329/$307
Barely bigger than a pancake lens when retracted, the compact build of this lens is in keeping with slimline Z DX bodies
Weighing just 135g and measuring 32mm when retracted, this Z-mount DX lens looks and feels unfeasibly small. Indeed, the optical elements are absolutely dwarfed by the relatively enormous diameter of the Z-mount flange. Even when extended for use, the overall length is only 55-60mm, depending on the zoom setting. The only real minus point is the fairly slow f/6.3 aperture rating at long zoom settings.
As you’d expect in such a small lens, there are no onboard switches. Swapping between autofocus and manual focus modes therefore requires a quick dip into camera menus. The optical design includes four aspherical elements and one ED (Extra-low Dispersion) element. New-generation optical VR has an impressive 4.5-stop effectiveness. Build quality is good but there’s no weather seal on the mounting plate. As with other Z DX zoom lenses and some low-budget FX lenses, including the Z 24-50mm on test, the mounting plate itself is made from plastic but should prove perfectly durable. Another similarity is that the companion HN-40 hood isn’t supplied with the lens, being sold as an optional extra for around £20/$25.
Performance
Sharpness is very good, even when shooting wide-open at the shortest zoom setting. But lev
