Nikon Adds Full Frame 40Mm F 2 Budget Prime To Their Z Series Lens Lineup

Nikon has announced the release of their new Nikkor Z 40mm f/2 lens for the Z mount mirrorless camera series. A compact and lightweight prime lens with “high portability ideal for casual everyday shooting” according to the Nikon website. This lens furthers the lineup for their full-frame Z mount mirrorless cameras.

The lens has a total length of approximately 45.5 mm and a weight of approximately 170g and provides a versatile 40 mm standard angle of view that can be used for a wide range of scenes. It has a 9-blade iris diaphragm and is a relatively fast lens with the widest aperture of f/2. Nikon promises “outstanding AF performance and dust and drip-resistance,” although said resistance is not guaranteed under all conditions. Presumably, if you’re silly enough to stand under a waterfall and shoot with this lens it won’t be covered!

Nikon says that the new lens “captures natural-looking portraits and close-ups like a 50mm, but it’s also wide enough for shooting indoors, on the street or in a crowd like a 35mm”. They also say that the main features of the lens include:

The bright maximum aperture of f/2 and a 9-blade iris diaphragm provide beautiful round-shaped bokeh.The 40 mm focal length supports a standard angle of view ideal for shooting portraits, snapshots and other subjects in a wide variety of scenes.The focal length becomes 60 mm (equivalent to 35mm [135] format) when mounted on a DX-format camera.A compact and lightweight body with a total length of approximately 45.5 mm and weight of approximately 170 g.Minimum focus distance of 0.29 m allows users to get close to their subjects.Adoption of an STM (stepping motor) enables quiet, fast and accurate AF control while maintaining a compact body size.Designed with consideration of dust- and drip-resistant performance so that it can be taken anywhere with greater confidence.Functions such as aperture and exposure compensation can be assigned to the control ring.Developed with consideration for video recording, offering extremely quiet operation, effective focus-breathing compensation, and stable exposure.

Is 40mm the new 50mm? It sounds like Nikon wants it to be. What do you think? The Nikon Nikkor Z 40mm f/2 lens is available to pre-order now for $296.95 and starts shipping soon.