Lens recommendations.

[fjkenney]

I have just purchased the z 50 with the 16-50. While I am pleased with the lens generally, I am looking to get a lens or two which are faster. It does seem that the camera is being held back by the slowness of the lens. The trick here is to find lenses which won't defeat the purpose of having a small camera.

I'm not averse to using an adapter or using non Nikon lenses. I would prefer a moderate zoom and lens stabilization. I've looked at a couple Canon lenses but it seems like I may be missing other options.

So, any recommendations?

 

[Bikerbrent]

I have just purchased the z 50 with the 16-50. While I am pleased with the lens generally, I am looking to get a lens or two which are faster. It does seem that the camera is being held back by the slowness of the lens. The trick here is to find lenses which won't defeat the purpose of having a small camera.

I'm not averse to using an adapter or using non Nikon lenses. I would prefer a moderate zoom and lens stabilization. I've looked at a couple Canon lenses but it seems like I may be missing other options.

So, any recommendations?

Welcome aboard, enjoy the ride. We look forward to seeing more posts and samples of your work.

You might also want to consider introducing yourself on New Member Introductions.

Someone will be along shortly to help you out.

 

[Clovishound]

I've looked at a couple Canon lenses but it seems like I may be missing other options.

So, any recommendations?

Welcome to the forum. First off, Canon lenses are not going to be a viable option. While it's possible there is an adapter(s) to get one to mount up, it's not going to be practical IMO. Stick with either Nikon, or 3rd party manufacturers, like Sigma, Tamron and Tokina, and get one that is made to mount on a Nikon.

Now to throw another monkey wrench into the works, you have a Z mount camera. That means to mount a lens directly to your Z mount camera, you need a Z mount lens. The F mount lenses from either Nikon, or 3rd party manufacturers will not mount directly to your camera. Nikon does make an FTZ adapter that will allow you to mount an F mount lens to your camera. I have one, and it works well, but a Z mount lens is a better solution, all other things being equal. Having said that, there are a lot more F mount lenses available right now than Zmount and an F mount lens adapted may be your best option. If you are using older Nikon lenses, all of the functions may not work. For example, a Nikon lens from the 80s will mount, and work, but you will have to manually focus and manually set the F stop. Most of the newer Nikon lenses will have full function.

Another consideration is FX vs DX. You have a crop sensor camera (DX). The good news is that a lens designed for full frame sensors (FX), will work fine on your DX camera. You will, however, likely be paying more for a comparable lens, and it will likely be larger and heavier. On the plus side, it will also probably be somewhat sharper, as you are only using the center portion of the image, which is normally the sharpest part of the image. A lot of Nikon Z mount full frame lenses do not have VR (image stabilization), as it is built into the body of all their full frame Z mount cameras.

It would also be helpful to know what kind of photography you do. There is a big difference in the needs for street photography vs wildlife.

If lens speed is a prime issue, you might want to look at a prime (single focal length) lens vs a zoom.

Sorry, if you already know most of this, but for better or worse, I made the assumption you are just starting out.

 

[Needa]

If you are looking for a faster lens the DX Z mounts will not fit the bill.
16-50 f3.5-6.3
18-140 f3.5-6.3
50-250 f4.5-6.3

 

[bluzman]

As the owner of a Z50, I'll give my $0.02 worth. I have the two DX Z kit lenses and I'm very happy with both. I also got the FTZ adapter mentioned above included as part of the package deal.

That said, after I got the Z50, I wanted a general purpose, "walking around" lens similar to my old AF-S DX 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR. At the time the Z DX version of that lens did not yet exist. Instead, I got a deal on a refurbished NIKKOR Z FX 24-70mm f/4 S. It's a full frame lens from the excellent S-line of Z lenses. With it I get an angle of view equivalent to 36-105mm. It doesn't have VR but it's really not necessary as long as I manage my shutter speed.

Later, I decided that I also wanted a fast prime. This time I opted for a Viltrox Z DX AF 23mm f/1.4. It has not disappointed.

So now I have a strictly Z mount set of gear that covers a pretty broad range of circumstances and doesn't require any adapters.

 

[Clovishound]

I have the 24-70 F4 mounted on my full frame Z5. It is an excellent lens. It is not, however small or light. Take that into consideration. It weighs in at over a pound. You intimated that size is an issue. It will likely seem huge compared to the 16-50 you currently have.