Nikon Z 24-105mm vs 24-120mm for Landscape Photography
Introduction
How much image quality are you actually giving up by choosing the Nikon Z 24-105mm lens over the more premium Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S for landscape photography?
To find out, I compared a series of real-world landscape images captured side by side using both lenses on the 45 megapixel Nikon Z7 II to evaluate center sharpness, edge sharpness, and overall image quality across multiple focal lengths. While the Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S is positioned as a premium S-line lens with a constant f/4 aperture and stronger optical design, the Nikon Z 24-105mm offers a smaller, lighter, and less expensive alternative. The big question is whether the image quality difference is significant enough to matter for landscape photography.
Watch the Full Comparison
Watch the full side-by-side comparison below, including sharpness testing across multiple focal lengths, edge performance comparisons, close focus testing, and sunstar comparisons.
Key Takeaways
Overall Image Quality: The Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S consistently produced sharper and more consistent results overall, particularly toward the edges of the frame and at longer focal lengths. The difference is noticeable, though not dramatic in many situations.
Close Focusing: One meaningful advantage of the Nikon Z 24-105mm is its closer focusing ability, allowing for tighter framing of small foreground subjects and micro-style landscape compositions.
Sunstar Rendering: The Nikon Z 24-105mm uses a 7-blade aperture and produces a 14-point sunstar, while the Nikon Z 24-120mm uses a 9-blade aperture and produces an 18-point sunstar. Both looked good in testing, though the Nikon Z 24-120mm also showed somewhat stronger flare in the example scene.
Bottom Line: The Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S is the stronger optical performer overall and consistently delivered sharper, more refined image quality, particularly near the edges and at longer focal lengths. However, the Nikon Z 24-105mm still held up fairly well, especially at wider focal lengths, while also offering lower cost, lighter weight, and better close focusing performance.
RAW Files
Download the original RAW files from this comparison to inspect the images yourself, test your own editing workflow, and evaluate image quality in Lightroom, Photoshop, or your preferred RAW editor.
Check Current Pricing
Check current pricing and availability below:
Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S
View at B&H Photo | View at Amazon
Nikon Z 24-105mm
View at B&H Photo | View at Amazon
Nikon Z7 II
View at B&H Photo | View at Amazon
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