Last Updated on 01/07/2026 by Chris Gampat
Today, Nikon copied Canon and announced their new Nikkor Z 24-105mm f4-7.1. We reviewed the Canon variant of this lens around 6 years ago, and optically speaking it was just fine. But let’s be honest, it’s harder for some people in Western countries to drink the recommended amount of water on a regular basis than it is for Nikon to make a lens that another company did similarly. The camera manufacturers have been playing copycat with one another over and over again instead of innovating and doing different things. And while a few other publications will temper their statements and YouTubers will fall in line just to not lose possible paid advertising placements, I’m so sick of seeing this and it’s one of the reasons why I complain so much about the modern camera industry. When brands do stuff like this, it sucks for everyone.
Before I published this article, I considered renaming the title: “Nikon announces another really boring lens.”
If it’s your first time coming to the Phoblographer, I welcome you. This site isn’t run like many other lifestyle websites where writers hold back. Instead, I train our staff to really bring out their emotions. I too have been doing this for a long time.
Please understand that over the past few years, I have spent a significant amount of money on new Nikon gear. I bought a Nikon Zf, 40mm f2, the Profoto transmitter for Nikon, the 26mm f2.8, the 24-120mm f4, and then I even decided to dive back into the DSLR side of things. So I bought a Nikon D850, a 28mm f1.8, and I own a lot of other third-party lenses. It’s safe to say that of any of the journalists at any of big photo publications, I probably actually own the most Nikon gear.
I must say: buying the Nikon D850 in 2025 felt like all the love I had previously refused to give myself coming back with enough interest to want to retire on.
You can get the specs from this lens anywhere else. And before I go on, let’s start with some praise. Nikon made the new Nikkor Z 24-105mm f4-7.1 lens have a bit of weather resistance and made it cost only $549.95.
Let’s be honest here, that’s not hard to do for a billion-dollar company either. And if you give it a few years, a Chinese manufacturer might even make the same lens even better and cheaper. So why would you buy this new Nikkor lens?
With this in mind, Nikon seems to be more in the business of making finely shaped stencils than anything truly unique.
Here’s the part that kills me: Nikon already has a very good 24-120mm f4 lens. Why didn’t they drop the price on that instead? If you buy it used from Adorama, you can get it at a great price. Last September, I bought mine used for only $800.
Alternatively, Nikon could’ve innovated and made a 24-105mm f/5.6 with a constant aperture, giving us all something new and different to work with. That’s not too slow an aperture these days, considering that the high ISO output is so good that it won’t matter anymore, really. Plus, there are always flash systems that sometimes work.
But this is the problem with the entire photo industry from the Japanese side — they all keep copying one another. Additionally, they share the same components and information. And the truth is that none of us has another reason to buy a new camera or a new lens. At this point, they share the same excitement as going to the store to buy a new fridge. Happiness for us passionate photographers seems to be an illusive sunset that even the camera sensors can’t promise to capture because they’re all made using the same tech.
Yesterday, the staff here was talking about what we’d all want. And considered things like new sports lenses. But also, we’re very overdue for a Nikon Z7 III or even another retro body.
We’re experiencing peak camera boredom across the industry. I mean, when the Canon R6 III was announced, the most exciting this is that the R6 II price dropped. And with the Sony a7V, Sony really screwed up. None of this makes any sense; and it’s one of the reasons why we dove so hard into all the new point and shoot cameras that came out. They’re the most exciting things on the market at the moment, and they’re fun.
But the modern camera market is so boring that I even went back to buying DSLRs. So too has Gen Z and Gen Alpha. This year, look out for more boredom.