Nikon has officially announced the NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ lens, the company’s first full-frame power zoom lens designed for professional video production. This launch highlights Nikon’s growing commitment to the video market, following its acquisition of Red Digital Cinema in March 2024. This strategic move underscores Nikon’s ambition to cater to professional videographers and content creators, particularly those using full-frame mirrorless cameras like the flagship Z9, as well as the Z8 and Z6 III.
Nikon NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ Lens: $2,596.95 at B&H, Adorama.
The NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ is designed as an all-in-one solution for professional videographers, offering a versatile focal range that covers wide-angle to mid-telephoto perspectives. Its broad zoom range, internal focusing mechanism, and short minimum focusing distance make it an ideal choice for documentaries, news, sports, and commercial video production, especially for solo videographers or small crews. The power zoom feature allows for smooth, remote, and uniform control over zoom functions, which is crucial for professional video shoots.
The lens uses a stepping motor (STM) for quiet and precise zooming, which minimizes focus breathing. It offers 11 customizable zoom speeds that can be adjusted using the lens’s zoom lever or one of its two programmable L-Fn buttons. For added flexibility, users can control the zoom remotely through Nikon’s NX Tether software or the SnapBridge and NX Field apps, allowing seamless integration into professional video workflows. Additionally, the zoom ring’s angle and rotation direction are fully customizable to suit user preferences.
Built with 18 elements in 13 groups, the lens features three ED elements, four aspherical elements, and one aspherical ED element, ensuring exceptional optical performance. Nikon has applied a “Meso Amorphous” coating to reduce ghosting and flaring, while a fluorine coating on the front element repels oil and water, enhancing durability and ease of maintenance. The lens also boasts a nine-blade aperture for smooth bokeh. Although it’s not optically parfocal, the autofocus system helps maintain focus while zooming, and the focus ring is compatible with follow-focus systems for manual focus control.
The 28-135mm f/4 PZ accepts 95mm screw-on filters but is also compatible with matte box-mounted filters, catering to professional setups. Weighing 1210g (2.67 lbs) with the removable tripod foot, it maintains a consistent center of gravity while zooming, making it ideal for gimbal use. Nikon is targeting this lens at videographers working on documentaries, sports, news, and commercial video projects.
This lens is set to be available in April at a retail price of $2599. Its announcement alongside the introduction of Z-mount Red cameras reinforces Nikon’s commitment to video production, positioning the brand as a serious contender in the cinema and professional video market.
Press Release:
One lens, infinite possibilities: Nikon releases the NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ power zoom lens for professional videographers
Cinematic NIKKOR Quality Plus All of Your Most Commonly Used Focal Lengths in a Single Versatile Lens
MELVILLE, NY (February 12, 2025)- Today Nikon Inc. announced the release of the NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ, a full-frame power zoom lens for the Nikon Z mount made especially for video professionals. Featuring a truly versatile focal range, a customizable power zoom function1, precise manual controls and agile handling, this is the first dedicated NIKKOR Z lens that is designed to empower small-footprint productions and solo videographers with a lightweight cinematic tool that fulfills numerous roles.
The first thing that grabs your attention is the appearance of this lens– the pronounced yellow ring around the bayonet and the bold typography on the barrel stand out, indicating its rightful place in a production environment. The NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ looks different than other NIKKOR Z lenses, incorporating an updated design and precise controls made to augment the workflow of cinematographers and videographers, with maximum flexibility.
“There is a long history of professional cinematographers in Hollywood and beyond using NIKKOR lenses to bring their vision to life, and the new NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ builds upon this legacy, going a step further to provide exceptional versatility meeting the needs for today’s solo filmmakers,” said Fumiko Kawabata, Sr. Vice President of Marketing and Planning, Nikon Inc.
The NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ is a power zoom lens that spans many of the most commonly used focal lengths, from a wide 28mm for establishing shots, to 135mm for close-up/telephoto coverage. It also covers everything in between, from interviews to events, live or spot news, sports and more. The NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ gives videographers superior operability and functionality in situations that require agility, such as when shooting corporate content, documentaries, or on-location coverage, when reshoots just aren’t an option.
The NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ offers precise control, letting the user smoothly zoom throughout the focal range, but also offers a choice of 11 different zoom speeds2 to match a specific creative style and vision. The lens is superbly balanced, minimizing shifts in the center of gravity that occur with zooming. This lets the user shoot with confidence, even when constantly using the power zoom feature on a gimbal. The NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ also supports a variety of video accessories such as follow-focus controllers, matte boxes and more to help videographers capture the footage they want on location, as well as offering remote control capabilities using a computer or smartphone.
Thanks to the superior NIKKOR Z optical performance, this lens enables users to capture beautiful full-frame, high-resolution 8K video. The lens uses Nikon’s best anti-reflection coating, a Meso Amorphous Coat, to significantly reduce ghosting and flares, while the optical formula is optimized for video with a design that minimizes focus breathing. Additionally, the inclusion of a stepping motor (STM) ensures fast and accurate autofocusing.
Primary Features of the NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ
- The NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ supports a convenient 28-135mm range of focal lengths, allowing for a variety of compositions without changing lenses.
- When used with the Nikon Z8/Z9, Hi-Res Zoom can be used for an angle of view equivalent to that of the 270mm focal length with 4K video recording. Additionally, from 135mm-270mm, the zoom is effectively parfocal.
- The lens supports dynamic close-ups with a minimum focus distance of just 13.3 in (0.34 m) in the 28mm to 50mm range and 22.4 in (0.57 m) in the telephoto range.
- Zooming speed can be selected from 11 speeds and assigned to the zoom lever or one of the camera’s Fn buttons.
- Zoom ring angle and direction of rotation can be customized to suit individual preferences.2
- Synchro mode enables simultaneous optical zoom and Hi-Res Zoom using a single control with video recording.3
- Professional video accessories, including matte boxes and follow focus systems are supported.
- Adoption of an internal zoom mechanism allows for comfortable zooming without concern for shifts in the center of gravity that may upset the balance of the camera-lens setup, especially useful when using a gimbal.
- Adoption of Meso Amorphous Coat, Nikon’s best anti-reflection coating, significantly reduces ghosts and flares.
- Adoption of a stepping motor (STM) ensures fast and accurate autofocusing.
- Optimized for video recording with a design that suppresses focus breathing.
- Support for linear MF drive enables smooth focusing.
- Comes with a rectangular HB-116 lens hood that helps users control the amount of light entering the lens for less ghosting and flares. A filter adjustment window allows users to adjust circular polarizing and variable ND filters while the hood is attached.
- Zooming can be controlled remotely from a computer, smartphone, or tablet using NX Tether, SnapBridge, or NX Field.
- Customizable L-Fn buttons are positioned on the side and top of the lens for convenient operation of assigned functions, even when shooting in vertical (portrait) orientation.
- Nikon’s fluorine coat applied to the front lens element effectively repels dust, water droplets, grease, and dirt.
- Designed with consideration for dust and drip-resistance.4
Price and Availability
The new NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ lens will be available in April 2025 for a suggested retail price of $2599.95* .The lens will also be available as part of a bundle with the new RED KOMODO-X Z Mount camera. For more information on these products, please visit RED.com. For more information about the latest Nikon products, including the vast collection of NIKKOR Z lenses and the entire line of Z series cameras, please visit nikonusa.com.
For more information about the latest Nikon products, including the vast collection of NIKKOR Z lenses and the entire line of Z series cameras, please visit nikonusa.com.
Specifications, equipment, and release dates are subject to change without any notice or obligation on the part of the manufacturer.
1. The camera must be running the latest firmware to use some functions.
2. Firmware may require updating before using this feature. See the product page for compatible cameras. We plan to add support for some models with a future firmware update.
3. Control ring operation is not supported.
4. Thorough dust and drip-resistance is not guaranteed in all situations or under all conditions.
*SRP (Suggested Retail Price) listed only as a suggestion. Actual prices are set by dealers and are subject to change at any time.
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