Poll reveals the best Nikon lens of all time – and I reckon the winner is an inspired choice!

The folks over at Photography Life have put together a couple of excellent tournament-style polls to crown the best Nikon kit of all time. Last week, I rebuffed the community’s decision to crown the Z8 as the best Nikon camera of all time (despite owning one myself), but this time, I reckon it’s hit the nail on the head in awarding the Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S top honors.

In fact, if I could have only one lens for the rest of my life, I’d choose the Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S. When it comes to balancing imaging performance, versatility, budget and size/weight, Goldilocks would choose the Z 24-120mm f/4 S every time. It’s just right.

I remember covering the release of Nikon’s first full-frame mirrorless cameras, the Nikon Z6 and Z7, and being blown away by the performance of the Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 S kit lens. So when the Z 24-120mm f/4 S was released nearly three years later, I didn’t expect the pair to, near enough, match each other’s imaging prowess over 24-70mm. To this day, unless budget and/or size are big concerns, my wholehearted recommendation is the Z 24-120mm f/4 S.

Sure, it’s not particularly fast, but it’s not a specialist lens. It’s designed to be a one-and-done solution for street, travel and landscape photographers who want to travel light. And since it’s an S-Line lens, you get great build quality and a customizable control ring and L-fn button to boot.

So, what other delights turned up on the Photography Life list? Well, I didn't expect to see the new Nikon Z 24-70mm 2.8 S II in second place and the Nikon Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena in third. I’m surprised by the former’s inclusion (which is actually sitting on my desk as we speak), only because it’s so new, so I question how many people have had the chance to use it. That said, it is undoubtedly a fantastic addition to the ‘trinity’ line-up.

The Plena is an optic I had the pleasure of using one afternoon on a portrait shoot, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Still, it's not a lens your average Nikon hobbyist or even pro would consider.

I was very pleased to see that plenty of F-mount glass got the nod, the incredibly good value (nowadays) Nikon AF-S 120-300mm f/2.8E FL being a favorite of mine. But two glaring omissions (for me at least) were the Nikon 58mm f/1.2 Noct-Nikkor and the recently discontinued Nikon AF-S 300mm f/4E PF ED VR.

The Noct is quite simply one of the most (if not the most) legendary Nikon lenses of all time. And the 300mm f/4 is a personal favorite of mine, thanks to its small size, razor-sharp imaging, and decent pricing. Still, you’re never going to please everyone! To see the full list of 25 optics in all its glory, make sure you check out the Photography Life article.

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