This page contains reviews of NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 .
Lens Summary
| Price | reasonably cheap |
| Size | Small for a 28mm |
| Weight | Lightweight for a 28mm |
| Ease of use | Minimal but good |
| AF performance | Good, but not at top speed |
| Resolution performance | Not sharp enough when taking close-up photos |
| Bokeh | Depending on the shooting distance |
| chromatic aberration | Good for this class |
| distortion | Correction Required |
| coma aberration | Coma aberration is noticeable. |
| Vignetting | Correction Required |
| flare resistance | So-so |
| Overall evaluation | lens that can be used in everyday life |
Evaluation：
This is a compact, lightweight, low-priced wide-angle fixed-focus lens that is well-balanced for its price. Although it does feel like some correction is necessary in some areas, there are very few areas where the image quality with correction included feels like a weakness. The price is also kept down, so it is easy to recommend. Also, as can be seen from the fact that it was released as a kit lens for the Z fc, many of its weaknesses can be avoided when it is used with an APS-C camera.
Foreword
- Release Date:2021.6.29
- Product page
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- Japanese user contribution site
- B&H photo
- Adorama
It was added to the roadmap in 2019, and was announced for development alongside the Z 40mm F2 in March 2021, and it seemed that it would finally be released, but the NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 (Special Edition), which had been redesigned for the Z fc, was officially announced first (on 29th June). After that, the release date was delayed due to the global situation, and it was finally released as a kit lens for the Z fc on 1 October.
The first thing to note is the lens size. Despite being a wide-angle 28mm lens that supports full-frame, it is a compact and lightweight lens, with a length of just 43mm and a weight of 160g. This makes it easy to balance not only with full-frame cameras, but also with cameras with APS-C sensors. In fact, this lens was released as a kit lens for the Z fc. Of course, it can also be used by attaching it to a full-frame mirrorless camera.
Despite being compact, lightweight and inexpensive, the lens has been designed to be dustproof and splashproof. It is great that you can take photos in any weather by combining it with a compatible body. What's more, unusually for a lens in this price range, it uses a multi-focus structure for focusing. This achieves optical performance with minimal aberration variation even at short distances.
The lens is made up of 9 elements in 8 groups, with 2 aspherical lenses. Judging from the MTF, for a compact, lightweight wide-angle lens, the astigmatism is well controlled, and there appears to be little drop-off in the peripheral areas. I can't say for sure without checking it out in a real-life situation, but it gives the feeling of a good lens.
specifications
| lens mount | Nikon Z |
| Supported sensor size | Full frame |
| focal length | 28mm |
| Lens construction | 9 lenses in 8 groups |
| Aperture | F2.8 - F16 |
| Aperture blades | 7 |
| Minimum focusing distance | 0.19m |
| Maximum magnification | ×0.2 |
| Filter diameter | 52mm |
| image stabilisation | - |
| Teleconversion lens | - |
| Coating | Super-Ingrated Coating |
| Size | φ71.5×43mm |
| Weight | 160g |
| weather sealing | Considerate design |
| AF | Stepping motor |
| Aperture ring | - |
| Other controls | - |
| Accessories | Lens cap 52mm LC-52B (spring type) Rear cover LF-N1 |
Lens Review
Appearance and operability
Boxes and accessories
This time, I got it as a lens kit for the Z fc. Unlike the design of the conventional Z system, it has a unique colour scheme with a grey base and silver logo. The body and lens itself are separated by cardboard and wrapped in thin cushioning material. There are no accessories related to the lens other than the front and rear caps.
Appearance
The exterior design is different from the conventional Z system, and has a unique design that matches the appearance of the Z fc. It has a silver decorative ring reminiscent of the AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G (Special Edition) of yesteryear, and a knurled hard rubber focus ring.
The lens is made up of many plastic parts, but it feels good in the hand and doesn't feel cheap. It has a lot of detailed design, but the only control is the focus ring.
The design is unexpectedly simple, with almost no decoration other than the silver ring. The lens name only displays the focal length and f-number, and there is no indication of ‘NIKKOR’. On the other side, there is a ‘Nikon’ logo, but it is not the old logo like the Z fc, but the current design logo is printed. This area seems to be a little sloppy. The lens also has other indications such as the CE mark, serial number, and country of manufacture. Incidentally, the country of manufacture is Thailand.
Hands-on
This is a compact and lightweight wide-angle lens with a length of 43mm and a weight of 160g. However, as you would expect from a large-aperture Z-mount lens, the lens diameter is a little large at φ71.5mm. For this reason, despite being a small lens, it feels a little large.
The feel when you pick it up is very good, and you would never guess that it is the second cheapest full-frame model in the Nikon Z lens lineup.
Front and back
There is a 52mm filter socket around the very small front lens element. This is the same filter diameter as the Z 40mm F2 and Z 24-50mm F4-6.3, and is a convenient filter diameter if you are planning to use a compact system of lenses. The Nikon-made ARCREST filter also starts at 52mm, so it is compatible.
As this lens does not have a description that it is compatible with fluorine coating, you should actively attach a protective filter in scenes where water droplets or dirt may adhere.
The rear element is located slightly behind the flare cutter on the mount surface. It is slightly curved and difficult to maintain, so you should handle it with care to avoid getting it dirty.
The lens mount is made of plastic and secured with four screws. I'm not worried about the robustness of the plastic mount, but I am curious to see how much it will be affected by wear over time.
Focus ring
It has a 12mm-wide hard rubber focus ring. It rotates smoothly with just the right amount of resistance. The amount of focus movement depends on the speed at which the ring is rotated. If you rotate it quickly, the stroke for the entire focus range is about 90 degrees, but if you rotate it slowly, the stroke is just under 360 degrees. Personally, I think the stroke is too short for an electronically controlled focus ring, and I would have liked a stroke of about 180 to 360 degrees even if it rotated quickly.
Lens Hood
This lens does not come with a lens hood, and there is no compatible lens hood sold separately. Therefore, if you need a hood, you will need to look for a compatible 52mm diameter lens hood made by another company. Although you may not need one, I bought a 52mm dome-shaped lens hood from the perspective of light shielding and protection.
This is a lens hood made by another company that is provided for Canon EF lenses, but I was able to use it without any problems with the Z 28mm F2.8.
Example of use
Despite being a full-size lens, it is small and lightweight, and it is compatible with DX format cameras, making it easy to balance. It is no wonder that it is the kit lens for the Z fc. Of course, it also has good balance when combined with a full-size Z camera. Considering that the lens does not have an AF/MF switch, it may be easier to use in combination with a full-size Z camera, which has a wealth of controls.
AF・MF
Focus Speed
The Z 28mm F2.8 uses a stepping motor to drive the focusing lens. It has a multi-focus (floating structure) system, which is rare for this price range, and you can expect good optical performance that suppresses aberration fluctuations when shooting close-ups.
The focusing speed is not lightning fast, but it operates at a good speed that can be called sufficient. As long as you don't try to follow a moving object at close range, there shouldn't be any major problems. The tracking performance during AF-C is also good, and there is the possibility that it will improve further depending on the performance of the camera.
Breathing
Focus breathing refers to the change in the angle of view depending on the focus position.If the change in angle of view is significant, the field of view will expand or contract during focusing, potentially causing distractions and affecting autofocus stability. Ideally, it is better to have no focusing breathing. In order to check the effects of breathing, we took the following photos with the lens stopped down to the minimum aperture, at the minimum shooting distance and at infinity.
Although it cannot be said that the angle of view changes are zero, focus breathing is very well suppressed for a compact lens in this price range. It is suitable for focusing when shooting video,
AF accuracy
As long as it is used in combination with Z 7 and Z fc, the AF operates with good accuracy. The reproducibility to the same focus position is also good, and there are no particular problems.
MF
As mentioned above, the short stroke makes it a little difficult to handle, which is a personal preference. It's a shame that the focus ring, which is unusual for this price range, is so easy to use. There is a possibility that it will become a star if it becomes possible to adjust the sensitivity of the focus ring in the future.
Resolution Chart
Test conditions
- Camera body:Nikon Z 7
- Interchangeable lens:NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 SE
- Pearl Optical Industry Co.
‘[HR23348] ISO12233-compliant 8K resolution test chart (for still cameras)’ - Olympus HYRes 3.1 analysis software
- The lighting environment is constant indoors.
- Tripod, self-timer 10 seconds, electronic shutter
- RAW output
- ISO 100
- RAW development in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC
・Sharpness: Off
・Noise reduction: Off
・Chromatic aberration correction: Off - Focus on each point to be analysed and take a picture
(image plane curvature is difficult to measure at close range, so check at infinity) - Note that this is a test at close range (infinity may be even better).
- If you adjust the sharpness when developing JPEG or RAW images, the values may improve. Please note that the values given here are the ‘minimum values’.
Test results
Centre of frame
The reason the F2.8 example is blurred with low contrast is because it appears that there is a difference between the peak resolution performance and the peak contrast (adjusted using MF). If you prioritise contrast, there is a possibility that the figures will decrease slightly. When the aperture is narrowed down to F4, it demonstrates good resolution performance close to ‘4000’. However, even if you narrow it down further, there is no significant improvement, and it maintains the same level of performance up to the minimum aperture. Although it is not outstanding, its stable resolution performance is commendable.
Middle of frame
Although there is still a slight softness, it demonstrates good resolution performance from F2.8. It is at least far better than the Z 40mm F2, and can be said to be an excellent result for a compact, lightweight wide-angle lens when shooting close-ups. When the aperture is stopped down to F4, the contrast improves and you can get a good sense of resolution right down to the finest details. However, it appears that there is still some residual astigmatism and chromatic aberration, and the image appears slightly soft. There is no significant improvement after F5.6, and the results are stable. The reason for the drop in the figures is thought to be that false colours are generated by the α7R IV sensor (without a low-pass filter), and this is affecting the measurement software.
Four corners of frame
Compared to the centre and surrounding areas, the aperture is slightly soft, and it cannot be detected by the measurement software. However, the image quality appears to be far more stable than that of the Z 40mm F2. As you close the aperture, the contrast gradually improves, reaching its peak at around F8. There is a slight amount of lateral chromatic aberration, so if there are no problems, you should turn on chromatic aberration correction.
Sample
Although the aperture is a little soft, it is a stable performer for a compact, lightweight, low-priced wide-angle 28mm lens. It is thought that the multi-focusing is effective, and compared to the peripheral resolution of the Z 40mm F2, it is very good.
far-field resolution
Test environment
Date: 2021-10-1: Cloudy: Strong wind
Camera: Nikon Z 7
Tripod: Leofoto LS-365C
Head: Leofoto G4
Exposure: Aperture priority AE, ISO 400
RAW: 14bit
Development: Adobe Lightroom Classic CC
Sharpness off
Test results
Centre of frame
Although there is a slight colour fringe that looks like axial chromatic aberration, the resolution performance is very good from wide open. Even when the aperture is closed, there is no visible improvement in image quality, so it is clear that the peak performance is from F2.8. However, the contrast of the details improves when the aperture is closed to F4~F5.6, so if you want the best results, you should close the aperture a little. At the minimum aperture of F16, there is a decrease in sharpness due to diffraction, but it is still a practical image quality.
Middle of frame
Compared to the centre, there is a slight increase in sweetness, but the image quality is basically the same. As you would expect, there is a slight decrease in contrast when the aperture is fully open, so if you want the best results, you should use an aperture of F4 or higher. Although there is no significant change in resolution performance from F2.8 to F8, the contrast looks slightly better when the aperture is set to F8. However, if the ISO sensitivity increases as a result of prioritising the aperture value, the difference in image quality is not significant enough to warrant prioritising the ISO.
Corners of frame
When shooting at maximum aperture, the effects of vignetting and lateral chromatic aberration remain, and the image quality is one grade lower than in the centre and the periphery. However, there is no noticeable image flow, so depending on the development process after shooting, it is possible to achieve practical image quality from maximum aperture. If you want to improve the image quality optically, stopping down to around F5.6 will improve the fall-off in light and also increase the resolution performance. If you want to get beautiful image quality even in the corners, you might want to stop down to F8.
curvature of a surface
What is surface curvature?
This refers to the fact that the shooting distance at which the image is in focus differs from the centre to the four corners. For example, even if the image is in focus at a shooting distance of 1m, if the subject is moving back and forth around 1m at the edge of the frame, there is a possibility of field curvature.
Although there are few lenses that have noticeable field curvature, in recent lenses, aberration may increase and become noticeable at close distances. However, there are few opportunities to take photos of flat subjects at close range, so even if there is some image curvature, there is no need to worry.
However, if there is an effect even at infinity, you should be careful. If you are trying to achieve a pan-focus effect, for example in a landscape, there is a possibility that you will end up with an unintentional out-of-focus image. As there is no way to correct this aberration, the only way to avoid the problem is to increase the F-number to widen the depth of field.
Test results
No particular problems were seen when taking close-up shots. Considering the results of the infinity resolution test, it can be used without any problems from F2.8. However, the peripheral light falloff is strong, so it is better to take pictures with the aperture closed when considering the overall image quality.
Lateral chromatic aberration
What is lateral chromatic aberration?
A colour shift that appears mainly around the edges and corners of the frame. Unlike longitudinal chromatic aberration, the effect of correcting this aberration using the aperture is small, so it is necessary to correct it at the stage of optical design. However, it is possible to digitally correct chromatic aberration using the image processing engine built into the camera body. This makes it possible to correct chromatic aberration, which is difficult to correct optically alone, and recently, there have been lenses that prioritise the correction of other aberrations over chromatic aberration correction. In particular, mirrorless systems tend to rely on post-processing.
Test results
It is a compact, lightweight wide-angle single-focus lens, but the magnification chromatic aberration is well controlled even in the peripheral areas. Even with development software that does not apply correction data, the chromatic aberration is mild and there are no problems.
Longitudinal Chromatic Aberration
What is longitudinal chromatic aberration?
Longitudinal chromatic aberration is a colour shift that occurs in front of and behind the plane of focus. If the area in front of the plane of focus is mainly purple fringing, and the area behind the plane of focus has unnatural green colouring in the out-of-focus area, then the main cause is likely to be longitudinal chromatic aberration. This is more likely to occur with large-aperture lenses such as F1.4 and F1.8, and in such cases it is necessary to close down the aperture to improve the situation. It is possible to correct this using development software, but it is more difficult to process than lateral chromatic aberration, so it is best to suppress the aberration optically if possible. However, when suppressing longitudinal chromatic aberration with a large-aperture lens, the product price tends to be higher. Lenses that perfectly correct for longitudinal chromatic aberration have high contrast on the focal plane from wide open aperture, so you can expect a punchy resolution.
Test results
If you look carefully, you can see that there is still a slight amount of axial chromatic aberration. However, the effect is mild, and there are probably not many scenes where this would be a problem. When taking close-up photos, the effect of spherical aberration is strong, and the out-of-focus areas are blurred, so it is not very noticeable. On the other hand, the in-focus areas are hard to blur, and there is a possibility of a magenta colour shift occurring in the framing.
Distortion
What is Image Distortion?
Distortion refers to the phenomenon where straight lines do not appear straight on a flat surface. It is particularly noticeable when there are many straight lines, such as when there are man-made objects or a horizon in the image, and it can be divided into two types: barrel distortion, which is similar to that of a fisheye lens, and pincushion distortion, where the centre of the image appears compressed.
This is an aberration that can be corrected relatively easily, but it is difficult to manually correct distortions with complex shapes. In this case, a correction profile that matches the lens is required.
Test results
When this lens is attached to a camera, it will automatically apply distortion correction.
The reason for this is as follows, and the example below is without distortion correction in RAW.
The distortion is a little noticeable, but for a cheap wide-angle lens for mirrorless cameras, the distortion is small.
Depending on the lens, the resolution performance is improved by deliberately leaving in the distortion. Even if software-based distortion correction is applied, there is no problem because the raw resolution performance is high. Presumably, this lens also leaves in the distortion that can be easily corrected by software in order to achieve both compactness and lightweight and high resolution performance.
Coma aberration
What are coma and astigmatism?
Coma and astigmatism are mainly the failure of a point of light to appear as a point of light in the four corners of the frame. For example, this can be seen in artificial lights, stars and illuminations in night scenes. Even during the day, bright point light sources such as sunlight filtering through trees can also have an effect. As this problem cannot be corrected in post-processing, it is necessary to correct it optically.
Although it can be improved by narrowing the aperture, in situations where shutter speed is important, such as night scenes and astrophotography, it is not possible to narrow the aperture, and optical correction may be necessary.
Test results
The corner point-illumination reproduction of this lens is not flattering, and it is clear that it is affected by aberration. This may look beautiful, but if you want to capture the point-illumination, you have no choice but to stop down. Stopping down to F4 greatly improves the image, but it is still not perfect. If you want to get a really good result, stop down to F5.6. However, you won't get close to the point-illumination until F8 or later.
I personally don't recommend using this lens for nightscape or astrophotography. (Of course, if you don't mind the point spread and vignetting, then you can use it.)
Spherical aberration
Although the influence of spherical aberration is strong when taking close-up photos at a minimum shooting distance, the influence of spherical aberration decreases when the distance is increased slightly. As you can see from the sample photos below, there is no noticeable difference in the quality of the bokeh in front and behind the subject. In addition, although several aspherical lenses are used, the polishing is good and there does not appear to be any noticeable ring bokeh. However, depending on the size of the bokeh, ring bokeh may occur.
Foreground and background blur
What is a beautiful blur and a busy blur?
The evaluation of bokeh tends to be subjective, but I personally think that ‘soft, diffused bokeh’ is beautiful, while ‘sudden bokeh or hard-edged bokeh’ is not so good (or is a unique depiction). However, everyone has their own preferences, so there may be people who prefer the opposite. For reference, here are some examples of ‘blurred bokeh’ and ‘hard-edged bokeh’. The difference in the tendency of the depiction is mainly due to the state of correction of spherical aberration, and when the bokeh on either side is soft, there is a tendency for the bokeh on the other side to become hard.
Back Blur
As with the ‘NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2’, there is a big difference in the quality of the bokeh in front and behind, with the background bokeh being soft and the foreground bokeh being hard. Considering that it is difficult to include the foreground bokeh in the frame with a wide-angle 28mm lens, the tuning that emphasises the background bokeh can be said to be a good move. However, the remaining axial chromatic aberration is likely to be reflected in the hard foreground bokeh, so you may want to be careful in scenes with high contrast.
Front Blur
Bokehball
Effects of Vignetting and Spherical Aberration
If vignetting is strong, the bokeh at the four corners of the frame will be elliptically deformed or partially missing. The only way to solve this problem is to close down the aperture. However, closing down the aperture will make the bokeh smaller and in some cases the shape of the aperture blades may become visible, so it is necessary to compromise on the amount of vignetting depending on the situation.
If the amount of vignetting is small, it is possible to get a circular bokeh from wide open to the four corners. Ideally, a lens with little vignetting is preferable, but to eliminate it, it is necessary to fundamentally increase the size of the lens. There is a need to strike a balance between portability and cost, so some kind of compromise is necessary.
If the correction of spherical aberration is not perfect, there will be a difference in the depiction of the bokeh in front and behind (as shown in the review of bokeh in front and behind). In this case, one side will have a smooth depiction with blurring, while the other side will have a hard depiction like double-line bokeh.
Test results
Compared to the ‘NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2’, which was less affected by vignetting, the deformation of the bokeh from the periphery to the corners is more pronounced. Even so, it is more moderate than with large-aperture lenses. The inner part of the image is smooth, and there is no sign of the influence of the aspherical lens. Whether the glass-molded aspherical lens has a high polishing precision or whether it is a plastic-molded aspherical lens is not stated in the lens specifications.
Vignetting is almost eliminated when the aperture is stopped down to F4. The aperture blades have little effect, so it may be better to stop down a little if the corners are rough. Vignetting is eliminated when the aperture is stopped down to F5.6.
There is a colour fringe around the edges of the out-of-focus areas in high contrast regions, possibly due to axial chromatic aberration. This is not a major problem, but it can be distracting in some cases.
Sample of a boke
Close range
The smooth bokeh quality of this 28mm wide-angle F2.8 lens is commendable. When you get close to the subject, you get a stable depiction of the surroundings and corners, and there is no noticeable noise. Immediately after focusing, the characteristic feature is that the image is blurred and soft, perhaps due to the influence of spherical aberration. If you want to prioritise the contrast of the in-focus area, it is better to stop down to F4~F5.6. However, the change in depiction due to the aperture value is not as pronounced as the Z 40mm F2, and the depiction tends to be relatively stable.
Short range
Even though the distance is a little longer, the depiction of the surrounding area is still stable. The Z 40mm F2 is still the calmer of the two, although the 28mm, which had more noi
Medium range
If you increase the shooting distance even more, the image will become busy in the peripheral areas and corners. However, the bokeh will become smaller, so it may not be so noticeable. For a low-priced 28mm F2.8 lens, it seems to be within acceptable limits.
Portrait
The following are the results of taking pictures of a tripod that is 170cm tall while changing the distance and aperture.
The subject is a tripod 170cm tall. It is difficult to get sufficient blur at a distance that would include the whole body in the frame. If you move in close to the knees or upper body, you can get some blur. However, it is still a little lacking. If you move in close to the bust, you can somehow separate the subject from the background. Furthermore, a moderate amount of blur can be obtained with a close-up of the face.
Vignetting
What is vignetting?
Unnatural drop in light intensity around the frame.
The light intensity is lower than in the central area, and there is insufficient exposure in the four corners of the frame. This mainly occurs with large-aperture lenses and wide-angle lenses.
Although this is a phenomenon that can be easily corrected using software, it is necessary to be careful about the fact that it can cause noise, as the insufficient exposure is covered by post-processing correction (sensitization). In particular, when using high sensitivity for nightscape or starry sky photography, there is a possibility that noise will appear strongly.
Minimum focusing distance
Generally, vignetting is noticeable even at the minimum shooting distance where vignetting is not so obvious. Although it improves slightly by stopping down the aperture, vignetting remains throughout the aperture range. Some people may think this is fine, but vignetting correction is essential if you feel it is unnecessary.
Infinity
Furthermore, vignetting is more noticeable at infinity, and the improvement effect of the aperture is also weak. If you are imagining a flat exposure in every corner of the image, such as in landscape photography, then vignetting correction is definitely essential.
Points that should be compromised for a compact, lightweight ‘28mm F2.8’. It could be said that it is reasonable in a sense that it appeared as a kit lens for the ‘Z fc’ with an APS-C sensor (since it is cropped in the centre, vignetting is less noticeable).
Backlight resistance, sunstar
centre
Although it cannot be said to have perfect backlight resistance, it looks good for a low-priced wide-angle lens. However, if you tweak the exposure after taking the photo, you can see that there is an overall flare effect. Furthermore, if you stop down the aperture, the hidden flare will become visible as a ghost, so be careful.
corner
The image is in a far better condition than the centre of the frame. It achieves good contrast with the same exposure, and there appear to be no noticeable ghosts. Although a slight ghosting occurs at a small aperture, it does not ruin the overall image.
sunstar
There are seven diaphragm blades, so when you stop down, you get 14 sunstars. At F4 to F5.6, the sunstars already look sharp, but for some reason, after F8, the sunstar streaks double and become busy. This is not because the light source is blurry, so it is probably due to the diaphragm blades. Even when stopped down, you can't expect intense sunstars, so I don't recommend using a small aperture for this purpose.
Summary
Good points
Reasonably priced for a full-frame Z lens
Compact and lightweight for a full-frame 28mm lens
Compact and lightweight, but well-built
Designed to be dust- and splash-proof
Smooth focus ring
Smooth focusing with minimal breathing
Good resolution performance over a wide range, even when shooting close-ups
Good control of field curvature
Good control of longitudinal chromatic aberration and lateral chromatic aberration
Smooth, beautiful background bokeh when shooting close-ups
The advantage of this lens is that you can carry around a 28mm f/2.8 lens at a reasonable price and size. Despite being compact and lightweight, it has stable resolution performance, and the bokeh in close-up shots is beautiful, with chromatic aberration well controlled. The autofocus operates smoothly and quietly, and breathing is well controlled, so the AF shooting experience is comfortable, and it is also easy to use for video recording. Despite its low price, the focus ring is easy to operate, and the exterior is more solid than you might expect. By combining it with an APS-C sensor, you can avoid most of its weaknesses, which is why it was released alongside the Z fc. It gives the impression that ‘lenses for APS-C sensors can be used normally even with a full-frame sensor’.
Bad points
Plastic mount
Simple controls
No lens hood
Short focus ring stroke
Low resolution performance in the corners when shooting close-ups
Strong spherical aberration when shooting close-ups
Busy background blur when shooting at long distances
Vignetting is very noticeable
Barrel distortion is noticeable
Coma distortion is noticeable
Sunstars are noticeable even when the aperture is closed
As long as the build quality is within acceptable limits, the most important thing to watch out for optically is vignetting, which is noticeable across the entire range of focus and aperture values. The fall-off in light levels around the edges is very strong, and in many cases this cannot be resolved even with lens correction. For those who consider vignetting to be a feature, this may not be a problem, but for those who are expecting a flat result with pan-focus, vignetting correction is essential. Barrel distortion is another point to watch out for, but basically you will be working with soft-corrected RAW files, so there is no need to worry.
The reduction in resolution performance when shooting close-ups is another point to be aware of, but for most people, it is the bokeh quality that is important when getting close to the subject, rather than resolution performance. If you think about it like that, the fluctuation in spherical aberration is not a weakness, but a strength. Coma aberration is usually noticeable, so if you are thinking of taking advantage of the 28mm F2.8 to shoot nightscapes and stars, be careful.
Conclusion
Compared to the S-Line lenses, the optical performance is not as good (especially when shooting close-ups), but this is a compact, lightweight, highly portable 28mm wide-angle lens. If you really like 28mm, then I think you should wait for the ‘28mm F1.8 S’, but if you are looking for a lens that is portable and easy to carry around, then this is an interesting option.
Most of the flaws can be corrected with software, but you still need to be careful because vignetting is noticeable. Also, most of it can be easily avoided by using it with an APS-C crop. In other words, it makes sense that it was released as a kit lens for the Z fc (which is an APS-C mirrorless camera).
When you look at it as a 28mm F2.8 lens for APS-C, this lens is neither small nor light. Nevertheless, I think it is still reasonably priced, and the optical performance is good. It can demonstrate stable resolution performance from the open aperture, and there is little distortion or vignetting. I think it will be an easy-to-use lens.
As mentioned above, if you really like the 28mm, I think waiting until the ‘F1.8 S’ comes out is one option. However, if you want to use the 28mm casually with the compact and lightweight Z system, this is a lens that I can easily recommend.
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