Here's a pretty wicked joke: the "fc" in Nikon Z fc stands for "Fuji copy."
Which says in effect that the Z fc is not actually an FE2/FM2 replicant; it's a strategic move meant to plug a leak in the dike...namely, Nikon fans tempted by the Fuji X-T4. It probably means Nikon knows it's losing formerly faithful customers to Fuji.
And, of course, the elephant in the room and the Achilles heel of the Z fujicopy: it's not just that Nikon hasn't made many APS-C lenses—it's that the company has demonstrated positively time and time again that it doesn't want to make APS-C lenses and isn't going to.
It hasn't now; this is a FF lens!
Here we have this special-edition 28mm styled like an AI-S Nikkor, but it's merely a one-time one-off of a Z lens that's coming up that will have more modern styling that goes better with other Z products. For now you can only get it if you buy it with the Z fc. And then there's one more compact prime on the roadmap...a 40mm. A 28mm and a 40mm do not a system make. Marie Antoinette supposedly said "Let them eat cake," and Nikon is apparently saying "let them get by on a kit zoom." Otherwise, you can put FF lenses on your wee Z fc.
Systems sell cameras. Historically, no one knew that better than Nikon. But the unavoidable upshot is that right now Fuji is the Nikon of APS-C.
Finally, and this is purely personal, but the retro styling actually makes me sad. The reason is, I knew AIS Nikkors, and I loved AIS Nikkors, and, Senator, you are no AIS Nikkor.
But with all that negativity out of the way...
That's amore like it
Some of you know me and my peculiar tastes in lenses. To recap, the perfect kit is three or four lenses and the most important one is a wide-normal prime in the 35mm to 45mm angle-of-view equivalent range.
So then...perfect! Classically, the definition of a normal lens is one with a focal length equivalent to the diagonal of the format, and 28mm is just about exactly the diagonal of the APS-C rectangle. ƒ/2.8 is the new ƒ/2, and fast zooms are ƒ/2.8, so we're used to that and don't have any trouble with it. And the new lens weighs only 5.6 ounces or so. (Aside: some sites are "reporting" that Nikon said this is the lightest "full-frame" lens it has ever made. Nonsense. The Series E 50mm was lighter, for one, and one exception disproves the statement.)
Assuming the bokeh is okeh (this remains to be seen, since it's got two aspherical elements), I'd be happy. In fact, with okeh bokeh I'd be happy to have this lens as a wide-angle on most of the other Z cameras as well. And we'll be able to, because supposedly the lens goes on sale by itself in the Fall (for $299). Whether that means the SE or the supposedly upcoming non-SE we'll just have to wait and see.
The cross-section and MTF wide open can be seen on this Nikon page, under the "Specifications" tab. Note that the MTF will be better at other apertures. [Deleted: rant about manufacturers showing only one MTF graph for lenses these days. You can't describe lens performance with just one graph! At the very least, we need wide open and one stopped-down aperture.]
Verdict: A Good Thing. Mike seal of provisional approval bestowed. Pending IQ of course.
Mike
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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:
Albert Smith: "I feel so fortunate to have pre-ordered the new version of the Fujifilm XF 27mm ƒ/2.8 with aperture ring and weather sealing, because it is so in-demand now that it can't be found anywhere. Amazon has even put the disclaimer on the page, 'don't know when or if this will be available again.' My experience with the 27mm over the last few months has led me to believe that if you are going to have only one lens, this might be the most versatile for general photography.
"So, I could see the beauty of that Nikon sporting the 28mm with the cosmetically matching shell. The new Nikon hits some nostalgia in my brain...the look, the form and yes that chrome-ring 28mm made me momentarily swoon for it.
"There is an article that I read yesterday on line that says that its closest Fujifilm competitor would be the X-T30, based on size, price and external controls. The article matched feature set for feature set comparing both and Fuji won (no aperture ring on Nikon, range of DX lenses, etc...).
"After getting over the gee whiz factor of the new camera announcement, I put my 27mm on my X-T2 and went out a did some photography today. Nothing the Nikon offers will surpass the capability of my current gear."
Dillan: "As a Canon shooter, I have to say that I'm jealous. The camera is cool, but I'm really jealous of that lens. Nikon made an affordable wide prime. Canon has forgotten what 'affordable' means. I was hoping the new 14–35mm ƒ/4L would be the new 16–35mm ƒ/4L, but it's priced way above where the old lens came in. If they were to release a few inexpensive wide primes, I might feel better about the situation. I'm jealous."
Keith: "Nikon's refusal to fill out the DX (APS-C) lens selection is exactly why I left and went to Olympus eight years ago. Will not return to Nikon unless it's FX (full frame). I suspect a lot of the Nikon faithful are disappointed that the Z fc is not FX."
Mani Sitaraman: "I recall that, at the time Nikon introduced AI-S Nikkors in 1980 to replace the AI lenses introduced just three years earlier, a photography magazine review complained that that the AI-S were less well built, because they used only three screws to hold the lens flange in place, rather than five! Both types of lenses, of course, are massively overbuilt by today's standards, and, absent any issues with lubrication or separation of the cemented lens elements, will last a century. I just checked. Mine look as good as the day I got them, more than forty years ago."
Craig Yuill: "I am, unapologetically, a Nikon-camera owner. I do get quite annoyed by the anti-Nikon sentiment expressed by a number of online sources. If others like another system more than Nikon, that’s fine by me. Extol the virtues of that system. Nonetheless, I do have to agree with you to some extent on this faux AI-S lens. Its build quality will not be anything like that of a real AI-S lens.
"I bought a 300mm Nikkor lens over 20 years ago that I rarely use anymore. But I keep it to remind me of how solidly lenses used to be built. In the case of this 300—tanklike. That said, I am sure that this new 28mm ƒ/2.8 faux AI-S lens has optics that blow the old lenses of its type out of the water."
Christopher May: "If Nikon wanted to embrace the retro theme in a way that Fujifilm can't, they'd build another F-mount adapter. The Nikon FTZ mount adapter is a good match for AF-S and later lenses but the lack of functionality with older AF, AF-D, AI, AIS and non-AI glass is a little disheartening to dyed-in-the-wool Nikonians. If Nikon came out with an adapter that included full functionality with some or all of those older lenses, that would make a far bigger retro splash than a low-end lens in skin deep haberdashery meant to evoke those same optics."
