Walkaround lens for Z9?

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MikeJ said:
Thanks John and Charles, looks like the 24-120 is the way to go. And I agree Charles, that f6.3 at the long end bothers me too.
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Either that or the 24-200…haven’t shot the former yet since it came with my Z8…but the latter is really good. They’re comparable in size and weight…so it depends on whether the fixed f4 and 120 or 200 that goes to f6.3 is more important. I’m taking both on my trip to the UK in a couple of weeks amd will do some comparison walks to see whether the extra length or the speed is better…my guess is that walking around in the city it will be the 24-120 and the opposite when walking around outside the city where length might be more important. Of course…the 24-120 gets to 180 in DX so that might be a deciding factor.
 
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MrFotoFool said:
Not many people would consider a large, gripped Z9 a casual walkabout camera! o_O

But I agree with others, Z 24-120 f4 is a good option.
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I was thinking that myself…my Z7II was that for me but things might change now that I’ve got the Z8…if I decide the Z7II won’t get used I might as well send it along to somebody that will use it…but OTOH the resale value while not insignificant isn’t really all that much.
 
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FWIW, my Z6 II walk around lens is the 24-70mm f/4 S. Which I love for travel, scenics while hiking and general purpose use. If I walk around with the Z9 it will generally have the 500mm PF mounted up but that’s a different kind of walk around photography 🙂
 
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DRwyoming said:
FWIW, my Z6 II walk around lens is the 24-70mm f/4 S. Which I love for travel, scenics while hiking and general purpose use.
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Thomas Heaton just did a youtube video where he compared the 24-70 f/4 to the 24-120 and he picked the former. while i am enamored with the combination of quality and flexibility of the 24-120, you're right, the 24-70 isn't obsolete

DRwyoming said:
If I walk around with the Z9 it will generally have the 500mm PF mounted up but that’s a different kind of walk around photography 🙂
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yah, the 100-400 popped into my mind as a great walkaround lens 😂 but i gathered that's not the kind of walkaround the OP was looking for 😂
 
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You're right, @John Navitsky, I'm more looking for an all-in-one sort of lens for when I'm out and about and don't want to carry a full kit. Like when I'm traveling with my wife, who isn't a photographer. Something I can capture wide to medium telephoto without having to change lenses all the time.
 
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Isn’t the 24-120 too big to for trying to hike compact?

I remember there was a site to visually compare camera sizes and lenses
Forgot the name
 
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JoelKlein said:
Isn’t the 24-120 too big to for trying to hike compact?

I remember there was a site to visually compare camera sizes and lenses
Forgot the name
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the 24-120 is a smallish, but not tiny lens. it's also quite light.
 
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Yeah, I have that site somewhere, @JoelKlein. Oddly enough, the Z9 is pretty close in size to my gripped D500, which is what I've been using for my one-camera kit, with the 18-200mm attached. I stow the combo in a LowePro Toploader 75, slung over my shoulder. There's also room for an SB-800, spare batteries, etc. That's kind of what I want to replicate with the Z9.
 
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The S 24-120mm is much sharper than the 24-120 f-mount I had and quickly got rid of when I saw how soft images were with this lens in the 24-70 zoom range. For people and street and macro photography the 105mm f/2.8 S lens is a good choice and is two-thirds the weight of the 24-120mm lens. Or the 85mm f/1.8 that is less than half the weight of the 24-120mm lens.
 
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First choice (and another vote for): Z 24-120mm f/4 S - also great on smaller bodies for walkaround (I use it on the z6ii a lot). Side note: this is a far better lens than the AF-S 24-120mm f/4 which I found to be soft to the point of not being satisfactory on even a 24mp D750 (so I didn't buy either!). Downside: not that small - 4.7" long

Second: Z 24-70mm f/4 S - that said, it has been idle since I got the 24-120mm, and will likely sell it. Upside: smaller than the 24-120mm if you have restricted bag space.

Third: Z 24-200mm - a weaker lens though if you want full use of the Z9's sensor. Upside: zoom range

Fourth: Z 40mm f/2 - this I've used far more than I thought, but more on the z6ii than on the z9. Surprisingly good, with very nice bokeh @ f/2. Upside: quite small, light, and unobtrusive. I can fit it on the z6ii in my 3L walkaround bag plus 8x30 binoculars. Also quite inexpensive. Downside: prime lens means lack of flexibility; not great corners, but if you're shooting f/2 you probably don't care ;)

Fourth and a half: Z 28mm f/2.8 - haven't tried this, but I'm sure it would be good for street photography. Also the Z 26mm f/2.8 pancake would be good if you super limited space.

Fifth choice: Z 14-30mm f/4 S - I haven't tried this, but if you tend toward WA/UWA, it's an acceptable choice. Upside: flexibility for WA. Downside: distortion (mostly correctable); most expensive of the lenses I've listed.

Sixth choice: Z 50mm f/1.8 or Z 85mm f/1.8 - if you're ok with a prime that's not really small.

Alternate path: Voigtlander NOKTON 50mm f/1 Aspherical - not great corners, but f/1 so would be good for street work. I've not tried this, but Cosina makes good stuff. Downside: Most expensive lens here... Manual focus only! (with peaking though)

Hope this helps! Cheers!

...Dave...
 
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JoelKlein said:
What about the Z24-50?
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here’s some of the little guys
IMG_0829.jpeg
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My walk around lens is either the 24-200mm or 100-400mm depending on where I'm walking. There will always be trade offs, but for general tourist mode I love the Z7ii + 24-200. Compact and light weight.
 
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You can’t go wrong with any Z lens, what’s important is to get a Z lens. And it needs to be a full frame lens, not DX. If you’re ok with used you can find great deals on the 24-70 f/4, lots of people traded them in for the (admittedly better) 24-120. Enjoy your new Z9!
 
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I had the Z 24-200 but it got to 5.6 and 6.3 very early in the zoom process. If having f4 available to you is important consider the Z 24-120. I also got used to using the lens function buttons and the 24-200 does not have the function buttons.
 
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One more for the 24-120!

While it doesn't get you to the focal length you are used to, you can use DX mode or crop in at home to give it more reach, comparable with the quality you got out of your D500.
 
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MikeJ said:
I recently took the mirrorless plunge, picked up a mint used Z9 (coming from a D500). This is my first full-frame, so I have a mix of FX and DX glass from 11mm all the way up to 600mm. I’m looking for a walkaround, general purpose lens to take the place of my DX 18-200mm VRII. Something that I can use when I’m just out and about with photography maybe not my main focus (pun not intended but fully accepted). I also bought the FTZ II and know I can use that lens on the Z9.

So my options are:
  1. Use the 18-200mm knowing I’ll be shooting in DX mode all the time ($0 cost to me).
  2. Keep using the D500/18-200mm as my walkaround kit ($0).
  3. Pick up a used F-mount 24-120mm AF-S (I’ve seen on Fleabay around $300-400).
  4. Pick up an F-mount 28-300mm AF-S, which looks like the FX version of the DX 18-200mm. Unfortunately discontinued, so not sure what the cost to me would be, but could also be used on the D500.
  5. Dig a little deeper (after getting the Z9) and pony up for the Z-mount 24-200mm ($800).
  6. Any other options I’ve missed?
What are people’s thoughts? If #5 is the best option, I might have to go with #1 or #2 for a while till I can justify another large-ish purchase! I am planning on keeping the D500 as a backup anyway, so #2 is feasible, unless weight constraints come in to play, such as flying.

Also side note – seems odd the long end of the Z 24-200 is f6.3, when the long end on the DX 18-200 is f5.6, especially since looking at pictures of each the Z looks larger.
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First, I would venture tp say, welcome to the world of mirrorless. It's a yes yes in my book. Then, I did similar, although not from such a wonderful DSLR as yours. I switched to the just launched Z6i at the time, thinking I have all these wonderful lenses already (F mount) and along with the Z6 I bought the then FTZ l. Happy days. No! Why not use the full frame capability of the Z6? The final straw was my daughter capturing a cheetah kill of an impala, on video on my new camera, and complaining that the 300mm lens was hunting all the time and making a din of a noise into the bargain. At that stage there wasn't yet much to choose from in the range of Z mount lenses but I decided, being retired and all (and wishing I was still earning) to start investing in the Z mount lenses. I've never regretted that decision. The new lenses are AWESOME. Fast focus, clarity to die for, silent, and giving the full frame into the bargain. One can always change down to crop sensor if one wants to in any case. The light they let in is magic. So here I am with a Z9, and just gone to the launch, in South Africa, of the Z8 at our best camera store in the country. So my suggestion, if possible, is your point 5. You won't stop at the Z24-200mm I bet.
 
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No doubt the 24-120 has more features than the 24-200, but sometimes that extra reach is just nice to have.I would love to exchange my 24-70 for the 24-120 but really my most used lens is the 100-400. Maybe some day.
 
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