Nikon 20080_EDI_2

Bright aperture, disappointing optics, and a build score that's dead last. This S-line prime doesn't earn its badge or its price.

The f/1.8 aperture is the star here. It sits in the 71st percentile, which means it's brighter than most lenses in our database and genuinely useful for low light or shallow depth of field. Bokeh is also respectable at the 69th percentile, so backgrounds render smoothly for a wide-angle. But the optical score is rough. At the 18th percentile, this lens is getting beat by glass that costs a lot less. Nikon packed in one ED element and four aspherical elements, plus Nano Crystal Coat, so the spec sheet sounds great. The numbers just don't back it up. Autofocus is middle of the pack, and there's no stabilization, which hurts for handheld video. For a lens this expensive, we expected more.

The Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS is a zoom with stabilization and costs less, and it beats this Nikon in versatility and build. The Tamron 28-300mm f/4-7.1 VC gives you a massive zoom range with vibration compensation, which makes it a smarter travel pick. Even the Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 OS covers way more ground. If you're set on a bright prime, the Meike 85mm f/1.4 II is a different focal length but shows you can get fast glass without the S-line tax. The Nikon's only real edge is that f/1.8 aperture, and that's not enough to win this fight.

At $1,160 USD for the bundle, you're paying a premium for the S badge and a pile of accessories. The lens alone should justify that price, and based on our data, it doesn't. The optical and build scores are too weak to recommend at this price. You can get better-performing glass for less money and buy your own memory card.

The Nikon NIKKOR Z 24mm f/1.8 S is a prime wide-angle that should be a slam dunk for Z-mount shooters. Bright aperture, S-line optics, and a useful focal length for everything from landscapes to environmental portraits. But our database paints a weird picture. The optical score lands in the bottom fifth of all lenses we track, and build quality is dead last. That's not what you expect from a lens with an S badge and a four-figure price tag. The bundle here throws in a backpack, filters, a memory card, and a pile of accessories, which is nice, but the lens itself has some explaining to do.

If you shoot wide scenes or architecture, this isn't your lens. The wide-angle score is a 9 out of 100, and that's a dealbreaker for a wide-angle prime. Go grab a sharper wide zoom or a better-performing prime from Sony or Sigma instead. If you need stabilization for video, look at the Sony 18-135mm OSS or the Tamron 28-300mm VC.

Skip it. The NIKKOR Z 24mm f/1.8 S has a bright aperture and smooth autofocus, but the optical and build scores in our database are bad enough that we can't recommend it. For $1,160, you deserve a lens that performs like an S-line prime, not one that lands near the bottom of our charts. Buy a cheaper wide-angle and spend the savings on a good tripod.