Nikon Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm F4.5-6.3 VR Review - PCMag

The Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm F4.5-6.3 VR ($379.95) is simply a highly utile lens for creators starting retired with the Nikon Z mirrorless camera system. Its telephoto optics are good suited for portraits and different photos that payment from longer focal lengths, and it offers capable zoom powerfulness for backyard birders and different wildlife watchers. Macro absorption is an added benefit, and we can't disregard the price—the 50-250mm is affordable connected its ain and somewhat discounted erstwhile bought on with a camera. The lens shows immoderate signs of its budget-line pricing, chiefly successful Nikon's determination to skip upwind extortion and usage integrative alternatively of metallic for the mounting bayonet, but those are tenable compromises for a zoom that's truthful utile and obtainable. As such, the 50-250mm is an Editors' Choice victor for Nikon DX photogs buying for a telezoom connected a budget.

A Small Zoom With Big Power

The Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm is made for APS-C sensors, a format that's smaller than full-frame, and communal successful starter cameras. Nikon calls its APS-C cameras and lenses DX, portion its full-frame options are FX. The smaller sensor format gives telephoto lenses a spot much effectual scope portion allowing for smaller, lighter lenses.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

At astir 4.3 by 2.9 inches (HD) and 14.3 ounces, the 50-250mm is an casual lens to carry, particularly if you comparison it with the full-frame Nikkor Z 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 VR (8.7 by 3.9 inches, 3.2 pounds), a $2,700 pro lens that captures a akin space of presumption with full-frame cameras. The 50-250mm uses a retractable design, truthful you'll request to twist the tube to enactment the optical artifact successful the close presumption earlier taking photos. Thankfully, there's nary request to usage a push-button fastener oregon different convoluted mechanism, but you bash request to use a small spot of torque to fastener the lens into the close position.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The lens tube is achromatic polycarbonate, which is emblematic astatine this price. We won't laud the 50-250mm for physique quality, though. It's not a shoddy lens by immoderate means, but a integrative equine inspires little assurance than the metallic bayonet you find connected astir lenses. Tolerances are choky and the multi-level telescoping tube shows nary signs of wobble. The lens measures 7.6 inches erstwhile zoomed successful astatine 250mm.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Dust and splash extortion are absent, truthful see this 1 a fair-weather lens. If you're looking for a telezoom you tin usage successful bedewed weather, you whitethorn see the Tamron 70-300mm F4.5-6.3 Di III RXD ($549), a lens primitively marketed for Sony's E-mount strategy but present disposable for Nikon Z arsenic well. The Tamron 70-300mm offers moisture protection, but beryllium alert that is not optically stabilized, truthful we don't urge it for cameras without in-body representation stabilization. To date, Nikon has not released a DX sensor camera with IBIS.

The Z DX 50-250mm is stabilized, however. The VR designation indicates the lens has Vibration Reduction, Nikon's selling word for its optical representation stabilization system. The VR is rather effectual successful practice. I was capable to negociate handheld 250mm photos without grounds of shake-induced blur astatine exposures arsenic agelong arsenic 1/4-second consistently, and 1/2-second with mixed results.

Handling and Autofocus

At nether a pound, the Z DX 50-250mm is airy for a telezoom. It balances good connected the Nikon Z fc, the camera with which I tested it, and should enactment adjacent amended connected the Z 50 since it includes a handgrip, a diagnostic you don't get with the Z fc.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The zoom enactment is smooth, but with immoderate resistance, truthful the tube doesn't creep outward erstwhile you locomotion with the camera hanging astatine your side. The zoom ringing has a rubberized wrap, with raised ridges for a spot of other grip. The tube is marked astatine the 50, 70, 100, 135, 200, and 250mm focal settings.

A 2nd power ringing is included for manual focus. It's reasonably slim and portion it's not rubberized, it has immoderate knurling to assistance you find it by touch. Manual absorption effect is nonlinear, which means you tin marque good adjustments by turning it slowly, and much melodramatic changes with quicker twists.

Z fc, 100mm, f/5, 1/160-second, ISO 800 (Credit: Jim Fisher)

If you've got the camera acceptable to autofocus you tin usage the manual absorption ringing to set antithetic camera settings instead—EV, ISO, and aperture options are available. It's a utile diagnostic successful theory, but successful signifier the ringing is precise touchy to use. It takes large attraction to dial successful tiny adjustments, and it's excessively casual to marque a large alteration to vulnerability with an accidental touch. Nikon has added sensitivity power for this relation to 1 camera to date, the $5,500 Z 9, but we anticipation to spot that quality added crossed the board, arsenic it makes the power ringing much functional.

Autofocus is driven by an STM absorption motor, a benignant that delivers creaseless and quiescent results for photos and video. Focus velocity is rather good, the lens snaps from successful to retired of absorption with immediacy for the astir part. There's immoderate hesitation successful dim light, particularly erstwhile zoomed in, but that's not retired of the mean for a telezoom with a comparatively dim aperture.

Z fc, 250mm, f/6.3, 1/400-second, ISO 3600 (Credit: Jim Fisher)

The lens focuses arsenic adjacent arsenic 1.6 feet (0.5m) astatine the 50mm focal magnitude and manages 3.2-feet (1.0-meter) absorption erstwhile zoomed to 250mm. It does the champion macro enactment astatine 250mm, offering up 1:4.3 reproduction. You can't marque images astatine 1:1 arsenic you tin with a dedicated macro premier similar the Nikkor Z MC 50mm F2.8, of course, but we invited the versatility successful a agelong lens.

Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm: In the Lab

I utilized the 20.9MP Z fc and Imatest(Opens successful a caller window) bundle to cheque the Nikkor Z 50-250mm's optical show successful the lab. The lens scores rather good erstwhile photographing an SFRplus solution target, notching outstanding results for the Z fc's sensor passim its scope (2,600-2,900 lines), adjacent erstwhile utilized astatine its wide-open f-stop setting.

Z fc, 250mm, f/6.3, 1/400-second, ISO 8000 (Credit: Jim Fisher)

Our investigating is camera-dependent, truthful we can't talk to however the lens volition execute if Nikon introduces a higher pixel number DX sensor camera, but for the existent enactment the lens is top-flight erstwhile it comes to getting crisp photos with plentifulness of contrast.

The optics amusement a spot of pincushion distortion, an effect that causes consecutive lines to beryllium drawn with an inward curve, and amusement dim corners astatine the wide aperture mounting erstwhile you usage your camera successful Raw mode. Lightroom Classic includes a correction illustration for the lens, however, truthful you'll person an casual hole erstwhile processing images. If you usage your camera successful JPG mode, the distortion and vignette are removed automatically.

Z fc, 250mm, f/6.3, 1/500-second, ISO 110 (Credit: Jim Fisher)

We couldn't spot immoderate signs of mendacious colour successful images; some lateral and longitudinal chromatic aberration are efficaciously suppressed. That means you won't person to contend with purple halos astir powerfulness lines and histrion branches, nor are you apt to spot purple and greenish colour successful the transitions betwixt the level of absorption and defocused background.

Background blur is mostly pleasing, particularly astatine person distances betwixt lens and subject, situations wherever extent of tract melts backdrops distant into nothing. I couldn't spot immoderate treble edges oregon hard borderline soap bubbles astir highlights, defocused points of airy mostly rounded with brushed edges.

Z fc, 50mm, f/22, 1/640-second, ISO 100 (Credit: Jim Fisher)

Flare is besides good controlled. You tin photograph close into the prima oregon different beardown backlight with comfort. We couldn't spot immoderate ghost-like airy blobs astatine wide apertures, though you whitethorn person to set your framing a spot to debar them erstwhile stopping down to the minimum aperture. At the smallest f-stop (f/22-32 depending connected the zoom setting) you tin induce the prima prima effect, turning agleam points of airy into multi-point starbursts. The tines aren't arsenic intelligibly defined arsenic we spot successful wide lenses that amusement the effect, but if you've got a telephoto scenery country and would similar to make a prima star, the lens does a decent job.

Worthwhile Addition to Your Kit

If you're starting retired with a Nikon DX mirorrless camera, the Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm F4.5-6.3 VR is simply a lens that should beryllium connected your buying list, particularly if you person an involvement successful taking photos of tract sports, wildlife, and different scenes wherever longer lenses excel. The basal Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm doesn't chopped the mustard for those types of photos.

Z fc, 250mm, f/6.3, 1/1,000-second, ISO 320 (Credit: Jim Fisher)

No 1 is going to impeach the Z DX 50-250mm of being a pro-grade lens, but household photographers and budding enthusiasts are definite to admit its affable transportation size and lightweight, adjacent if it means the f-stop isn't other agleam and that upwind extortion is omitted. The affordable terms helps too, and you tin prevention a fewer dollars much if you get it successful a bundled kit on with a caller camera body.

There aren't immoderate wide alternatives to recommend. Tamron's 70-300mm mirrorless zoom costs much and is built a spot better, but doesn't see optical stabilization, truthful it's not a bully lucifer for DX Nikons, nary of which person stabilized sensors.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Nikon is abbreviated connected midrange options for telezoom customers, but if you person an FTZ adapter and tin inactive find an older SLR lens successful stock, the Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 Contemporary oregon Tamron 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di VC USD for Nikon F SLRs are sensible step-up options, priced astir $800 apiece.

Most telephoto lenses made for Z equine are overmuch much expensive. The Nikkor Z 100-400mm comes successful astir $2,700. Nikon has a 200-600mm connected its improvement roadmap, and portion we expect it to beryllium a mid-priced lens due to the fact that it is not portion of the premium S-Line, details and a merchandise day are chartless astatine this time. Put it each unneurotic and it makes the Z DX 50-250mm large worth for Nikon and our Editors' Choice telezoom for Z DX camera owners.