To my mind, the Nikon Z fc is a thing of beauty in its own right, harking back to the design of the Nikon FM film SLR and rather like Nikon's retro-revival Nikon Df DSLR or more recent full-frame mirrorless Nikon Zf – though with a smaller APS-C sensor and a much more affordable price tag. It's easily one of the best Nikon cameras, particularly if you're a fan of retro styling but still want the mod cons in a compact body. So, what are the best lenses to buy for the Nikon Z fc?
The Z fc essentially takes the guts of the Nikon Z50 and encases them in a cool retro body packed with old-school manual control dials. As such, all lenses designed for the Z50 will work equally well on the Z fc, and that is reflected in my list. However, some variations particularly suit the retro camera, such as the silver edition of the 16-50mm kit lens. I've also picked a couple of third-party lenses that have old-school aperture rings on the lens barrel, which complement the manual nature of the camera. And for those lenses that don't have dedicated aperture rings, you can often set a control dial to change the aperture, thereby mirroring the effect.
While you can use full-frame Nikon Z lenses on this camera, these can be big and expensive, and the smaller APS-C sensor in the Z fc produces a 'crop factor' that reduces the effective angle of view of full-frame lenses, which is particularly problematic for wide-angle lenses, as they end up not being very wide-angle at all. To that end, most of the lenses I've picked are dedicated DX lenses, though a couple of FX lenses that particularly suit the Z fc have made the grade.
You'll see that I've put 'equivalent' focal lengths in our lens specifications below. This is so that you can judge their focal lengths in full-frame camera terms. I'm also paying special attention to in-lens VR (Vibration Reduction) systems, since the Nikon Z fc does not have in-body stabilization.
Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens tester and a Nikon aficionado, and has personally handpicked all the lenses in this guide as perfect companions to the Nikon Z fc.
Best lenses for the Nikon Z fc
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Best everyday lens for the Z fc
If you already have a Nikon Z fc, it may well have come bundled with the Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR kit lens. This newer Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR has the same focal length range but a much faster f/2.8 aperture that remains constant throughout the zoom range, and is a whole 2 1/3 stops faster when fully zoomed in, allowing for better low-light performance and a shallower depth of field to isolate subjects. Despite its pro-tier specs, the lens remains remarkably compact and lightweight at just 330g, pairing perfectly with smaller bodies like the Z fc.
In performance tests, the lens proved to be exceptionally sharp across the entire zoom range. Autofocus is fast, accurate, and nearly silent, making it suitable for both stills and video. Bokeh is significantly smoother than that of the variable-aperture kit lens, plus it has a robust metal mounting plate with weather-sealing. A 4.5-stop optical VR system tops things off. It may cost about three times as much as the kit lens, but considering its spec sheet, it's a bargain!
Read more: Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR review
Features ★★★★☆ |
It’s got a solid feature set that includes a constant f/2.8 aperture and 4.5-stop VR, and unlike most Z DX lenses, it comes complete with a hood. |
Design ★★★★☆ |
The design is relatively compact and lightweight for a ‘trinity’ zoom but lacks switches for A/M focus modes and VR on/off. |
Performance ★★★★★ |
The lens is super-sharp and has very fast and consistently accurate autofocus, although it relies heavily on automatic in-camera correction for distortions. |
Value ★★★★☆ |
It’s expensive for a Nikon Z DX lens but very much more affordable than the same kind of lens for full-frame cameras. |
Best compact zoom for the Z fc
The Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR is the standard kit zoom for the Nikon Z fc – and if you're debating whether to get this camera body only or pay just a little more to get the kit zoom too, I can help you out. Get the kit zoom! The silver edition especially suits the metal-bodied Z fc, too.
This lens offers a really useful 24-75mm focal range in full-frame terms, and its retracting mechanism means it packs away really small. It's a versatile little lens, too, because it can focus right down to 20cm for close-up shots. It even has a control ring for different camera functions.
I would say that the plastic build means it doesn't exactly have a premium feel, but that keeps the weight to a minimum. If you're desperate for a faster aperture, check out the newer Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR, but all things considered, this retractable zoom is still my top choice for an everyday lens.
Read more: Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR review
Features ★★★★★ |
There’s a lot packed into this lens, including stepping motor-based autofocus and 4.5-stop optical VR. |
Design ★★★★★ |
The retractable design enables an unfeasibly compact packing size, similar to that of a pancake lens. |
Performance ★★★★★ |
Sharpness and clarity are very good and there’s minimal color fringing, but the lens relies typically heavily on automatic in-camera correction for distortion. |
Value ★★★★★ |
It’s great value in its own right, even better if you get it as a kit lens with one of Nikon’s Z DX format cameras. |
Best wide-angle zoom for the Z fc
When the Nikon Z DX-format cameras came out, I was worried that there weren't any ultra-wide-angle lenses for it, as this is one of the first lens types I would recommend after a telephoto. But Nikon has put that right, launching the excellent Z DX 12-28mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ VR.
This doesn't just offer wide-angle shooting for stills photography, but makes a great vlogging lens too. The extra-wide angle of view is ideal for arms-length walk-and-talk style filming, and its in-built VR will help with any jitters. The PZ (power zoom) mechanism offers smooth zooming while filming, and the lens doesn't change length while you do it, so it's not going to upset the balance if you use it on a gimbal.
The Z DX 12-28mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ VR is light, compact, and very keenly priced for a lens of its type. Bravo, Nikon!
Read more: Nikon Z DX 12-28mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ VR review
Features ★★★★★ |
Optical VR always comes in handy on Z DX lenses and this one also has a video-friendly power zoom. |
Design ★★★★☆ |
Like other Nikon Z DX lenses, it has a plastic rather than metal mounting plate but the overall design is very good. |
Performance ★★★★★ |
Expansive viewing angles are backed up by excellent edge-to-edge sharpness, throughout the whole zoom range. |
Value ★★★★★ |
A little gem for both stills and video capture, the lens is terrific value for money. |
Best street photography lens for the Z fc
For street photography and when I’m on walkabout or traveling, I really like lenses that are compact to stash, lightweight to carry, and make my camera inconspicuous for candid shooting. At less than an inch thick and tipping the scales at a mere 5oz, this Viltrox lens ticks all the right boxes, qualifying as a ‘pancake prime’. I also have an older Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5 pancake lens in my collection, but the relatively new 26mm is much more sophisticated, adding manual focus instead of being limited to autofocus, and having a fully adjustable aperture diaphragm instead of a fixed f/4.5 aperture.
On full-frame cameras, I like the generously wide-angle 26mm focal length, but that's not the whole story. I love that I can also use it in crop mode, or on a DX (APS-C format) camera body like the Z fc, where it gives an entirely natural perspective, equating to an ‘effective’ 39mm focal length.
Either way, the actual or effective focal length is coupled with a fairly fast f/2.8 aperture that enables quick shutter speeds for freezing motion, even under dull lighting conditions. That adjustable diaphragm that I mentioned also comes with a physical aperture control ring, which is a neat handling extra.
Best of all, the tiny Viltrox delivers excellent sharpness and clarity, punching well above its weight in terms of performance. If you'd rather stick with an own-brand Nikon lens, don't rule out the compact Nikon Z DX 24mm f/1.7.
Read more: Viltrox AF 26mm f/2.8 Evo review
Features ★★★★★ |
The feature set might not look overly exotic but in the context of a pancake lens, it’s relatively rich with stepping motor autofocus and focus/aperture control rings. |
Design ★★★★★ |
Build quality feels very sturdy, with an all-metal construction and weather-sealed mounting plate. The design manages to shoehorn useful features and high-end handling into an ultra-compact build. |
Performance ★★★★½ |
Performance is impressive by any standards and image quality is outstanding for a pancake lens, with excellent edge-to-edge sharpness, great clarity and well-controlled aberrations. |
Value ★★★★★ |
The lens costs about three times as much as the previously launched Viltrox 28mm lens but I reckon it’s more than three times as good, making it great value. |
Prime lenses have become very popular in the past couple of years. They're smaller and lighter than zooms, have faster maximum apertures, and need less correction for optical issues like distortion. So I was really pleased to see Nikon launch the Z DX 24mm f/1.7 prime, because it's designed specifically for the Z fc's smaller sensor and shows real commitment to this new format.
With an effective focal length of 36mm in full-frame terms, this is a really handy walkaround 'street' lens or semi-wide standard lens for all sorts of photography. There's no optical stabilization, but that's normal on prime lenses, and the fast f/1.7 maximum aperture will offer lots of help in low light. This is a very light, compact, and effective lens at a very good price.
Read more: Nikon Z DX 24mm f/1.7 review
Features ★★★★☆ |
The main draw in terms of features is the ‘effective’ 36mm focal length combined with a fast f/1.7 aperture. |
Design ★★★★☆ |
It’s a really compact and lightweight lens but lacks optical stabilization and has a plastic rather than metal mounting plate. |
Performance ★★★★☆ |
Sharpness is excellent in the central region of the frame, less so towards the edges and corners. |
Value ★★★★☆ |
It’s good value for an own-brand Nikon Z DX lens but faces stiff competition from budget-priced independents. |
Best standard prime for the Z fc
I absolutely love the 27mm focal length of this Viltrox lens, which gives an ‘effective’ 40mm on the Nikon Z fc. I find it builds a really useful bridge between 35mm and 50mm in terms of perspective, but that’s just the beginning. The standout attraction of this lens is its super-fast f/1.2 aperture, which enables quick shutter speeds even under low lighting and, more crucially, a tight depth of field for isolating subjects by blurring the background.
In keeping with its ‘Pro’ credentials, the lens has high-end handling characteristics, including a customizable function button and a dedicated aperture control ring that comes complete with a click/de-click switch, ideal for stills and video, respectively. Fast autofocus and superb image quality complete the solidly built and weather-sealed package, all at a bargain price.
Read more: Viltrox AF 27mm f/1.2 Pro review
Features ★★★★★ |
Top-end features include an aperture ring with click/de-click switch, customizable function button and an AF/MF focus mode switch. |
Design ★★★★★ |
The super-fast f/1.2 aperture rating is the key design element, and the ‘effective’ 40.5mm focal length gives a natural perspective. Extensive weather-seals are fitted. |
Performance ★★★★★ |
Superb sharpness combines with dreamy, soft bokeh to give spectacular image quality. |
Value ★★★★★ |
It’s a crazy knockdown price for an f/1.2 prime lens with this feature set and performance. |
Best superzoom for the Z fc
There's no doubt that a longer zoom range is useful, and there may be times when the Z fc's regular 16-50mm lens won't let you zoom far enough for faraway subjects. That's where the Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR steps in. Its 27-210mm equivalent focal range means it's practically a superzoom lens and one that can tackle a far wider range of subjects. It's not usually available as a kit lens option, though, and it is quite expensive as a standalone purchase, so you might want to think carefully.
It is pretty compact and light for a lens with this range, but it's a bit disappointing that it comes with a plastic mounting plate. That's normal on cheaper lenses, but this isn't a cheap lens.
Read more: Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR review
Features ★★★★★ |
Powerful 5x zoom range is top of the features list, backed up by fast autofocus and 5-stop optical stabilization. |
Design ★★★★☆ |
There’s an additional, customizable control ring but no switches for A/M focus nor VR on/off, and the mounting plate is plastic. |
Performance ★★★★☆ |
Image quality and all-round performance are impressive but sharpness drops off a bit at the long end of the zoom range. |
Value ★★★★☆ |
Good value rather than entirely great, the lens costs about the same as a pair of Z DX 16-50mm and Z DX 50-250mm zooms. |
Best telephoto zoom for the Z fc
The Nikon Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR is a compact, light, and effective telephoto zoom designed specifically for the Nikon Z fc and other Nikon Z DX cameras like the Z50 and Z30. A telephoto lens is usually the first choice for an additional lens, and this one doesn't disappoint, with an impressive 75-375mm full-frame equivalent focal range – that's impressive magnifying power for a lens this small and light.
The build is plastic, as is the mounting plate, but don't let that put you off – it helps keep the weight of the lens down, and doesn't affect its optical performance, which is very good at this price. The slow maximum aperture of f/6.3 is a bit disappointing, but the Nikon Z fc delivers good image quality at higher ISOs, so you can use this to get faster shutter speeds where needed.
Read more: Nikon Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR review
Features ★★★★☆ |
Strong features include a 75-375mm ‘effective’ zoom range, fast autofocus and 5-stop optical stabilization. |
Design ★★★★★ |
The retractable design makes for a small stowage size and the lens is refreshingly lightweight, although it has a plastic mounting plate. |
Performance ★★★★☆ |
As advertised, autofocus is rapid and stabilization is very effective. Sharpness drops off a bit at the long end but is very good overall. |
Value ★★★★★ |
As one of Nikon’s Z system (albeit DX format) lenses, it’s great value for money. |
Best telephoto prime for the Z fc
This new lens from the Viltrox Evo line-up takes me back to my youth! It’s a DX (APS-C) format lens, so once you factor in the 1.5x focal length multiplier, it feels just like using a 135mm prime lens on a full-frame camera. I used to find this focal length perfect for tight head shots in portraiture, for still life photography, and for general telephoto shooting when I wanted to simply cover a bit of distance or to isolate subjects within a scene with a tight depth of field.
Adding to the retro charm of the ‘effective’ 135mm focal length, the Viltrox feels pretty old-school in terms of handling, with a physical aperture control ring and a large manual focus ring, even if the latter is electronically coupled to the stepping motor autofocus system. It’s actually bang up to date with fast and virtually silent autofocus, a customizable function button, and a click/de-click switch for the aperture ring.
If you’d rather go for something slightly shorter but with a faster aperture, there’s also the very similar Viltrox AF 75mm f/1.8 Evo, which launched at the same time. This one has an ‘effective’ focal length of 112.5mm. We gave both lenses 5-star ratings in our reviews.
Handling is excellent, not only due to the little extras that I’ve just mentioned, but also because the APS-C design enables a relatively compact and lightweight build, ideal for like-minded mirrorless camera bodies. And to mix metaphors, the proof of the pudding is in the pictures, with beautiful image quality and excellent all-round performance.
Read more: Viltrox AF 90mm f/2.2 Evo review
Features ★★★★★ |
The strong features list includes fast and accurate autofocus and a dedicated aperture control ring. For Nikon and Sony, there’s also an AF/MF switch, customizable function button and click/de-click switch, although these are lacking in the Fujifilm version, in keeping with Fuji own-brand lenses. |
Design ★★★★★ |
The design of the lens manages to combine a conveniently compact and lightweight construction with solid and sturdy build quality, complete with weather-seals. All in all, the lens has a great look and feel. |
Performance ★★★★★ |
Edge-to-edge sharpness is excellent even when shooting wide-open at f/2.2, along with superb clarity, contrast and color rendition. Bokeh is super-smooth, while color fringing and distortion are kept to a minimum. |
Value ★★★★★ |
This APS-C format 90mm lens is more expensive to buy than the full-frame compatible Viltrox AF 85mm f/2 Evo lens but it’s still outstanding value for money. |
Best portrait lens for the Z fc
Compared with full-frame cameras, APS-C models like the Z fc can struggle to deliver a tight depth of field. That’s because DOF is more dependent on the ‘actual’ focal length rather than the ‘effective’ focal length after the 1.5x crop factor is applied. To compensate, I love that this lens has an ultra-fast f/1.2 aperture, which is capable of delivering a really tight depth of field at typical shooting distances for portraiture.
Making the most of the tight depth of field, the Viltrox combines superb sharpness with beautifully smooth bokeh in defocused areas, with a natural-looking roll-off between the two. It’s a great portrait lens that enables you to really isolate the main subject within a scene by blurring fussy-looking backgrounds.
Handling is excellent, and although the lens is necessarily a bit chunky due to the super-fast aperture rating, it’s well stocked with features. These include an aperture control ring with a click/de-click switch, a handy AF/MF focus switch, and a customizable function button.
See our full Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.2 Pro review
Features ★★★★★ |
Top-ranking features include great glass, a click/de-click aperture ring, AF/MF switch and AF-hold button). |
Design ★★★★★ |
Up-market build quality includes a full metal casing and metal mounting plate, complete with extensive weather-seals and great handling. |
Performance ★★★★★ |
Fulfills all the aspects of image quality that you want from this kind of lens, including excellent sharpness, beautiful bokeh and minimal aberrations. |
Value ★★★★★ |
It’s twice the price of some of the most inexpensive Viltrox lenses but worth every cent and much more, being a top-class optic. |
Best macro lens for the Z fc
The Nikon Z DX MC 35mm f/1.7 is a compact and lightweight standard prime for Nikon’s APS-C (DX) Z-mount cameras, offering both a fast aperture and close-up macro capabilities. Its 35mm focal length translates to an effective 52.5mm on a DX camera, providing a natural perspective favored for general shooting, portraits, and street photography. The bright f/1.7 aperture allows for beautiful bokeh, excellent low-light performance, and fast shutter speeds.
While designated as a 'macro' lens, its native maximum magnification is 0.67x, not a true 1.0x macro. However, the 1.5x crop factor of the DX sensor makes this effectively a 1.0x magnification in full-frame terms.
Performance is highly impressive, delivering excellent sharpness in both general shooting and close-up macro photography. Autofocus is fast, silent, and accurate thanks to a linear stepping motor, and is a welcome departure from the often-sluggish focus found in many macro lenses. Color fringing and distortions are negligible with in-camera corrections.
Its superior build quality includes a durable metal mounting plate and weather seals, while weighing just 220g, and its dual functionality as a fast standard prime and close-up lens makes it a versatile and worthwhile addition to the DX system.
Read more: Nikon Z DX MC 35mm f/1.7 review
Features ★★★★☆ |
Top features are the fast f/1.7 aperture rating and macro facility, but there’s no image stabilization and the hood is sold separately. |
Design ★★★★☆ |
The design is simple but effective. The lens is certainly streamlined but I’d have preferred an A/M focus mode switch to be fitted. |
Performance ★★★★★ |
Image quality is highly impressive in all respects, and autofocus is fast and consistently accurate for close-ups as well as general shooting. |
Value ★★★★☆ |
It’s a lot pricier than its sibling Nikon Z DX 24mm f/1.7 lens but better built and more versatile, making it pretty good value. |
Lab test data and comparisons
The lens experts in our testing lab run a range of tests under controlled conditions. We take photos of Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts, then use the Imatest Master testing suite to analyze sharpness, distortion, and chromatic aberrations at the centre of the image frame, corners, and mid-point distances across the range of aperture settings (up to f/22).
The graphs below show the comparative performance of the lenses in this guide, based on our in-house lab tests. For zoom lenses, we repeat our test at the widest and longest ends of the zoom range, plus intermediate 'mid-wide' and 'mid-telephoto' settings. Use the dropdown menus to select between them (for primes, the same data appears on all graphs for ease of comparison). Only full f-stops are labelled on the X-axis for sharpness, so, for example, an f/1.2 or f/6.3 lens would correlate to f/1 and f/5.6, respectively.
Kicking off with standard zooms, which most of us use for everyday shooting, the Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR kit lens is very good, but the higher-spec, constant-aperture f/2.8 version is noticeably sharper and an altogether better performer. The Nikon Z DX 18-140mm naturally gives you a much greater zoom range, but image quality is less impressive. The Viltrox primes are all great. The Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR and Z DX 50-250mm bring up the rear for control over color fringing, at the short and long ends of the zoom range respectively. The Viltrox 26mm pancake prime appears to have the worst distortion, but some of the Nikon lenses are flattered by automatic in-camera corrections that can't be disabled.
For more detailed graphs of each lens's performance, which give the full picture, check out the graphs in our full standalone lens reviews.
Center sharpness
Use the dropdown menu to select between wide-angle, mid-wide, mid-tele, and telephoto zoom settings
| Timestamp (f-stop) | Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR () | Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR () | Nikon Z DX 12-28mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ VR () | Viltrox AF 26mm f/2.8 EVO () | Viltrox AF 27mm f/1.2 Pro () | Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR () | Nikon Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR () | Viltrox AF 90mm f/2.2 EVO () | Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.2 Pro () | Nikon Z DX MC 35mm f/1.7 () |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2273 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2086 | N/A |
| 1 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2391 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2041 | 1620 |
| 2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2640 | N/A | N/A | 2440 | 2277 | 2146 |
| 3 | 1812 | 1974 | 2059 | 2042 | 2669 | 2081 | N/A | 2395 | 2566 | 2236 |
| 4 | 2130 | 1920 | 2028 | 2455 | 2502 | 2027 | 1859 | 2409 | 2550 | 2244 |
| 5 | 1998 | 2046 | 2168 | 2492 | 2189 | 2093 | 1883 | 2343 | 2330 | 2257 |
| 6 | 1932 | 1845 | 1945 | 2265 | 1938 | 1897 | 1713 | 2004 | 2048 | 1942 |
| 7 | 1589 | 1556 | 1622 | 1942 | 1454 | 1557 | 1545 | 1594 | 1720 | 1583 |
| 8 | 1338 | 1226 | 1300 | 1650 | 1192 | 1242 | 1257 | 1232 | 1364 | 1241 |
| 9 | 1026 | 1021 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 989 | 939 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Fringing @ f/8
Use the dropdown menu to select between wide-angle, mid-wide, mid-tele, and telephoto zoom settings
| Product | Value |
|---|---|
| Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR | 0.07 |
| Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR | 0.64 |
| Nikon Z DX 12-28mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ VR | 0.03 |
| Viltrox AF 26mm f/2.8 EVO | 0.44 |
| Viltrox AF 27mm f/1.2 Pro | 0.1 |
| Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR | 0.13 |
| Nikon Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR | 0.26 |
| Viltrox AF 90mm f/2.2 EVO | 0.35 |
| Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.2 Pro | 0.15 |
| Nikon Z DX MC 35mm f/1.7 | 0.18 |
Distortion
Use the dropdown menu to select between wide-angle, mid-wide, mid-tele, and telephoto zoom settings
| Product | Value |
|---|---|
| Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR | -0.8 |
| Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR | -0.33 |
| Nikon Z DX 12-28mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ VR | -0.11 |
| Viltrox AF 26mm f/2.8 EVO | -2.14 |
| Viltrox AF 27mm f/1.2 Pro | -0.91 |
| Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR | -0.68 |
| Nikon Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR | -0.14 |
| Viltrox AF 90mm f/2.2 EVO | 0.56 |
| Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.2 Pro | 0.78 |
| Nikon Z DX MC 35mm f/1.7 | 0.22 |
There's more to it than just the technical side, though! Beyond the lab, our reviewers test lenses in real-world environments. We work with lenses both indoors and outdoors, in studio conditions and in natural light, with as many different subjects as possible (or appropriate – there's no point testing a landscape lens' ability to shoot a portrait!).
We take into account everything from handling and ease of use to autofocus speed and the overall quality of the images produced.
Find out more about how we test and review on Digital Camera World
How to choose the best lens for the Nikon Z fc
Which lenses fit the Nikon Z fc?
The Z fc uses the Nikon Z lens mount and is compatible with all lenses designed for that mount. Nikon’s own Z-mount lenses all have Z at the start of their model names.
You can can use any Z-mount lens on the Z fc, although some Z-mount lenses are designed for use with APS-C format cameras such as the Z fc, rather than full-frame cameras. Nikon lenses that fall into this category have DX as part of their model names. These lenses are typically smaller, lighter and cheaper than the equivalents designed for full-frame cameras.
If you buy a DX lens and later upgrade to a full-frame Nikon Z camera, the image you get through the DX lens will be cropped compared with a full-frame lens.
The Z fc is also able to use F-mount lenses, which are made for use with Nikon’s DSLR cameras. For this, you need an adaptor such as the Nikon Mount Adapter FTZ II. The idea is that owners of older DLSR cameras can buy a Z camera and still use their old lenses.
How do I know which lens to get for my Z fc?
The reason there are so many types of lens in the first place is that different scenes demand different lens designs, particularly when it comes to focal length and aperture rating.
Usually, you will decide what you want to photograph, then get a lens with the focal length that suits the situation. For example, to shoot landscapes you will need a wide-angle lens, while for sports and wildlife you will need a telephoto.
You can watch this video that explains focal length: it helps you work out what kind of lenses you need for different genres of photography.
