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Digital Camera World
Digital Camera World
Mike Harris

Is Nikon set to deliver its first DX macro lens of the mirrorless camera era? Two DX optics rumored

Four Nikon lenses (two are silhouettes) with big DX lettering in background on an orange gradient.

Nikon could be gearing up to release two DX lenses this year, a 35mm f/1.8 macro and 16-50mm f/2.8. Both lenses would surely be well received by DX fans, given the still relatively sparse smattering of native APS-C glass in the lineup of Nikon Z lenses.

Of course, any DX-format Nikon Z-Series camera can be used with full-frame FX Z-Series lenses (with a 1.5x crop factor). But the beauty of DX lenses is that they tend to be much smaller and lighter than their full-frame counterparts.

The Nikon Z DX 24mm f/1.7 is currently the only prime DX-format Z lens made by Nikon, meaning a 35mm f/1.8 would be a very welcome addition – especially as it would provide an equivalent 52mm ‘nifty fifty’ focal length. But it’s the “macro” designation I find most interesting, something the line-up is currently lacking. The full-frame Nikon Z MC 50mm f/2.8 is as close as you’re going to get, for now.

And while the Big N’s DX line-up already features the Nikon DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR, the same 24-75mm equivalent focal length with a fixed aperture would surely appeal to serious DX photographers who don’t want to sacrifice portability or blow their budget on a full-frame trinity lens.

The report by Nikon Rumors does make it clear that its source(s) said to expect these lenses “or similar” – so if these little lenses do come into fruition, they could differ slightly. Still, with the launch of the very well-received Nikon Z50 II at the tail end of last year, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that there’s more DX love heading our way from Nikon.

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Want more Nikon DX goodness? Here are the best lenses for the Nikon Z50 & Z50 II. Thinking of investing in your first mirrorless camera? Nikon Z50 II vs Nikon Z50: what are the differences? And finally, Sigma has made Nikon Z lenses… three, in fact!

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