My personal lens roadmap

Updated 2022-01-11

Going beyond 200 mm

When I switched from APS-C DSLR to FF mirrorless on the Nikon side, I quickly became aware of a need to do a review of my current lens collection. At the time I mostly owned DX F-Mount lenses with the exception of the amazing FX Sigma 24-105 art. My lens collection was far from complete as I lacked lenses suited for portrait work and lenses covering the range 100-400/600 mm. My most used lens at the time was the wide angle lens but when I bought my Fuji X system I started to explore longer focal lengths and I enjoyed to shoot with the 55-200 mm telephoto lens.

On the Nikon side however I didn’t use my Sigma 24-105 that much. At the time I gravitated towards seascapes using the wide angle lenses so I didn’t think that much about more inland landscape photography such as woodlands. Also where I live there aren't any big mountain ranges that I can shoot from a distance that would have benefited from a more telephoto oriented way of shooting. But now that I have switched to FF and changed my preferences a bit in what I want to photograph, I notice that I often miss the opportunity to zoom into the landscape and isolate details with my current lens set. Those motives are simply out of reach. Im also hoping to try out some wildlife photography in the future but as of now this is not a priority.

Compactness vs image quality

As im getting older I like my bag to be lighter and I dont want to carry to much gear. And certainly not gear that im not sure I will use on a trip. So then its a benefit if the lenses are as compact and light as possible. But I dont wanna sacrifice to much on image quality. Going FF of course means a bit bigger and heavier equipment but if you choose correct lenses they are fairly compact and light with good image quality. Of what I seen so far concerning the new Z mount is that all lenses practically outperform the previous F mount counterparts. As of today you cant go wrong in image quality with any of the released Z mount lenses. A bonus is that they are all pretty much tack sharp even when used wide open. That means that all lenses would be usable with any wider aperture in a landscape situation if so needed and this wasn’t always the case before.

Investing in primes

Previously I wasn’t that keen on using primes but I bought a 50 mm Z mount prime and I just love it for portraiture and travel photography. The F1.8 Z mount primes that Nikon has released seem all to be very good and im keen on expanding my prime collection. My main usage for those lenses would be portrait and travel photography. But Im interesting in doing some astro and macro photography aslwell.

The 20 mm F1.8 prime and the new 105 F2.8 macro lenses would be a great addition to that. Both could easily be used for landscapes but the latter would also be a good edition for portraiture.

And this got me thinking that I probably need to set up some kind of personal roadmap for future lens purchases that would suit my current various photography needs. My thinking is to keep the lens purchases as low as possible and choose lenses that would be good for most of my photography situations. With that in mind it surely will be compromises regarding image quality, weight, min aperture needs, price etc. A general rule will be that all lens purchases should preferably be in the native Z-mount but in some cases the price differences would be to great to justify a native lens. This roadmap is for my FF setup but certain longer focal lengths could probably be achieved by purchasing a complementary Nikon DX body in the future.

Lenses for landscape work

Focal lengths: Primary 14 to 200 mm, optionally extended to 400 mm Apertures: Fixed F4 or slower for landscape and F2.8 or faster for astro

Usually when I am out photographing, I use lenses that fits within the category wide angle. This is because I often take photos of seascapes. However, my interest has increased in photographing forest motifs, which makes lenses with longer focal lengths more interesting. Focal lengths up to 100 mm are quite common in this type of photography and those longer focal lengths are often good for isolating objects in an otherwise chaotic environment. This makes images taken with focal lengths up to 200 mm or more useful as a complement to images taken with wide-angle lenses. Because of the chaos that exists within woodlands there is also often easier to find a scene that works when using longer focal lengths.

For the most part, we usually strive for the image to be sharp from front to back when shooting those wider vistas. This means that pictures are taken mainly with apertures between F5.6 and F16. The exception is when you want to photograph in low light conditions such as the night sky. Then it is an advantage to have lenses with apertures that are faster. However, this is usually solved by using fast prime lenses that have a wide focal length of 24 or below. Until now, I have never tried astro photography and it can be acceptable done with F4 lenses so a specific astro lens is not something I currently have a strict need for.

Wide focal lenght options

Njupeskär, Fulufjället national park. Focal lenght on FF: 17 mm, Camera: Fuji X-T1

Nikon NIKKOR Z 20 F1.8 S - (Possible investment) - This prime lens would be used for astro/aurora photography but can also be used for fun wide angle portrait work and sunset timelapses As of now I havent done any astro photography but its an area im interrested in trying in the future.

Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30 f4 S (Performed investment) - This is my most used lens for my landscape photography.

Medium focal lenght options

Winter Oaks at eastern Järvafältet nature reserv. Focal length on FF: 82 mm, Camera: Fuji X-T3

Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70 f4 S (Performed investment) - The lens that came with my Z6 body. I see my selves using this focal length more and more since switching to FF. Probably because im more qurious about shooting woodlands now than before. Its a great focal length for woodland and general panorama photography.

Nikon NiKKOR Z 24-105 S (Probable investment) - This can optionally be a replacement for my 24-70 depending on image quality, size and weight. It would also be a perfect match for the trinity of lenses ranging from 14-400 mm. If the lens will be a F4 lens it could actually also be a good portrait lens. A substitute for this lens could be the NIKKOR 24-200 F4-6.3 but that lens would most likely be less good for portrait work because the F6.3 kicks in fairly fast.

Edit: The released lens was a Nikkor 24-120 F4

Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-200 F4-6.3 (Performed investment) - This lens seems to take care of many of my needs for landscape photography and family travels. This is a probable investment that I will make. It has good enough image quality, its fairly light and would mean that I most likely only need to carry two to three lenses when hiking. The cost of the lens is also beneficial.

Long focal length options

Mountain cabin at Hordland Fylke, Norway. Focal lenght on FF: 111 mm, Camera Fuji X-T3

Nikon NIKKOR 70-200 F2.8 S - (Unlikely investment) - This is a lens that most photographers buy because its a great multi purpose lens. With this lens I could do landscape photography and portraits. The downside is the weight of the lens. It would make my pack on the heavy side when hiking to location. Compared with the 24-200 this lens weights about 900 grams more and about 19 000 SEK more. And of what I have seen in tests the image quality of the 24-200 aren´t that far from the 24-200 when shooting on higher F stop numbers. It would also mean that I need to carry three lenses if I want to cover the range of 14-200 mm with added weight as the downside.

Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-200 F4-6.3 (UPDATE: Performed investment) - This lens seems to take care of many of my needs for landscape photography and family travels. This is a probable investment that I will make. It has good enough image quality, its light and would mean that I most likely only need to carry two to three lenses when hiking. The cost of the lens is also beneficial.

Nikon NIKKOR Z 70-(200/300) F4 S - (Not in Nikon's current roadmap but definitely a super interesting lens if it would appear)

Nikon NIKKOR Z 100-400 S (Possible investment) - This is an interesting lens but could possible be to expensive for me to invest in. As of yet we dont’t know what this lens would cost but if I look at the competition it would be in the range of 20-30 000 SEK. A joker in the mix is the NIKKOR 200-600mm that is also on the roadmap. But im guessing it woulden’t be any cheaper or easier to carry on hikes then the 100-400. With a good DX body this would be a 150-600 mm lens that could be used for occasional wildlife photography.

Edit: The released lens was a Nikkor 100-400 F4,5 - 5,6

Nikon NIKKOR Z MC 105 F2,8 S VR macro - (Performed investment) This is a very capable and sharp macro lense that would have multi purposes for me. It would be used as a landscape, macro and portraiture lens. This lens would probably be quite ofthen in the bag when going out to shoot landscapes just in case.

Sigma/Tamron 100-400 (Possible F mount investment) - Sigma and Tamron each have a 100-400 lens for F mount which has an attractive price and according to tests is also relatively sharp when used with high aperture numbers. The most likely investment would be the Tamron lens if I choose one of these.

My ideal setup would be: Two primes 20 mm F1.8 and 105 F2.8 macro prime lens coupled with three zooms 14-30 mm F4 S, 24-120 mm Fx S and 100-400 mm.

Optional setup: One 20 mm F1.8 prime with the zooms 14-30 mm F4 S and 24-200 mm F4-6.3. Bonus: Sigma/Tamron 100-400 mm F mount.

Lenses for portrait work

Focal lenght on FF: 49 mm, Camera: Nikon Z6

Focal lengths: Primary 24 to 100 mm, optionally extended to 200 mm Apertures: Fixed F2.8 or faster

With the birth of my son, my interest in portrait work has increased. With that in mind, I see my selves investing in a few good portrait suitable primes that I can use when I want more of a “bokeh” feeling. Generally, the slower landscape lenses would work for portraiture but it's nice to spice it up occasionally. If choosing zooms it would probably be the 24-70 F2.8 and 70-200 F2.8 but im not sure if I need that fast zoom lenses for my landscape work and they tend to be pricey and heavy. That would mean that I have quite expensive lenses for occasional portraiture. This points me more towards a few selected primes.

Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70 f4 S (Performed investment) - The lens that came with my Z6 body.

Nikon NIKKOR 20 or 24 F1.8 S - (Possible investment) - This focal length is more of an exotic lens for portraits. Usually it wouldn’t be a problem with distorted faces if you position the subject more in the center of the frame. This focal length would also be good for photos indoor where space is limited.

Nikon NIKKOR 50 F1.8 S - (Performed investment) - An all rounder that works great for portraits and travels.

Nikon NIKKOR 85 F1.8 S - (Unlikley investment) - The holy grail or portraiture.

Nikon NIKKOR 24-105 Fx S - (Possible investment) - This lens could most likely be used as portrait lens and landscape lens. If they go the F4 rout it would be a happy compromise between weight, image quality and ability to blur out the background. I see this type of lens as a multipurpose workhorse that I neglected during my Nikon APS-C days.

Edit: The released lens was a Nikkor 24-120 f4

New addition: With the release of the Nikkor Z MC 105 F2,8 S VR macro the incentive to buy an 85mm lens was slightly less. This is because the 100mm lens also has a macro function which I can use to advantage for landscape photography. For me, this lens is more useful and thus takes the place of the 85mm lens as a possible investment.

My most likely setup would be: The two primes 50 F1.8 and 105 F2.8 coupled with the zoom 24-70 mm F4 S

Lenses for family travels

Focal length at 35mm: 50 mm, Camera: Nikon Z6

Focal lengths: Primary 24 to 200 mm Apertures: Variable

When traveling I want something light and easy to bring with me. That could mean a “super” zoom range like 24-200 mm or longer. It could also mean compact and small zooms that acts a bit like pancakes. Nimble primes in the focal range of 35-50 mm could also be options to consider. On the other hand it could also mean a smaller DX camera body coupled with a compact zoom lens.

Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-200 F4-6.3 (UPDATE: Performed investment) - This lens seems to take care of many of my needs for landscape photography and family travels. This is a probable investment that I will make. It has good enough image quality, its fairly light and would mean that I most likely only need to carry two to three lenses when hiking. The cost of the lens is also beneficial.

Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-50 F4-6.3 (Unlikely investment) - The kit lens to the Z5 is very compact and small. The benefit is definitely the compact size and weight but the downside of that lens is the reach and I already have the 24-70 F4.

Nikon NIKKOR 35 F1.8 S prime (Possible investment) - This is a great focal length for street and travel photography. This is a bit wider then the 50 mm and would be good when shooting in the city. Not sure if i would use this lens if I had the 24-200 mm because it would cover pretty much all my needs combined with my 50 mm F1.8.

Nikon NIKKOR 50 F1.8 S prime (Performed investment) - This is a great focal length for street and travel photography. It captures what the eye sees and gives a near “i was there” rendering of the scene.

Most likely setup would be: One 50 mm F1.8 prime and the super zoom 24-200 F4-6.3. Optionally this could be a DX body with a 18-140 Z-DX lens.

Optional setup: A Z DX camera body with one Z-FX 35 mm prime and a Z-DX 18-140 zoom lens

My personal lens roadmap through 2022/2023 would then end up like this

If I add up everything above my most probable lens roadmap going forward would look like this:

Zooms

Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30 F4 S (Purchased) - Mainly used for my landscape work

Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70 F4 S (Purchased) - If im not expanding to a second FX body this lens maybe would be sold if I have purchased the 24-120 F4 S

Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-120 F4 S - Would be used as a main landscape and portrait lens. Could also be used as an alternative to the 24-200 when traveling.

Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-200 F4-6,3 (Purchased) - Would be used as a lightweight hiking landscape lens and main travel lens.

Nikon NIKKOR Z 100-400 F4,5-5,6 - Would be used as a landscape and wildlife lens. In this focal length the Sigma or Tamron could be a possibly alternative purchase

Primes

Nikon NIKKOR Z 20 F1.8 S - Would be used as a astro and landscape lens. Occasionally also portraits.

Nikon NIKKOR Z 50 F1.8 S (Purchased) - Mainly used as a portrait and travel lens

Nikon NIKKOR Z 105 F2.8 S macro (Purchased) - Mainly used as a landscape, portrait and macro lens

Optional DX setup (Travel and wildlife)

Nikon Z 50 or Z fc (preferable equivalent to the D7500 or D500)

Nikon NIKKOR Z-DX 18-140 lens