Which lens is best for landscape photography on Nikon Z7 II?

Question

I am honestly so over searching through YouTube reviews and forum threads because everyone says something different and my brain is melting. I just upgraded to the Nikon Z7 II specifically for my big trip to Glacier National Park in about three weeks and now I'm stuck on which wide angle lens to actually buy. I have about $2,400 left in my budget for glass but I dont want to waste it on something that isnt going to make the most of that 45 megapixel sensor.

I spent all last night looking at the 14-30mm f/4 because its small and takes screw-on filters which would be great for my long exposures by the lakes but then I read a bunch of guys on another site saying the corners are soft and that I absolutely have to get the 14-24mm f/2.8 S if I want real sharpness. But the 2.8 is so much more expensive and way heavier and I'm gonna be hiking like 10 miles a day so weight actually matters to me. Is the quality difference really that noticeable on the Z7 II specifically? I mean if I am stopping down to f/8 or f/11 for mountains does the f/2.8 even matter at all for sharpness?

Then someone else suggested just getting the 20mm f/1.8 prime and calling it a day but I feel like I might miss the flexibility of a zoom when I'm standing on a cliff edge and cant exactly zoom with my feet without falling off. I'm coming from an old D750 where everything was simpler and this whole S-line thing and the different apertures for mirrorless is just confusing the hell out of me. I want those crisp, wall-sized prints and I dont want to regret my choice when I get back from Montana and see everything is slightly blurry in the edges. Which one actually holds up best on this specific body for high res landscapes...

wqfpvdlhil · Accepted Answer

I was worried about the technical stuff but I'm super satisfied with the Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S, tbh. It handles the 45mp sensor just fine at f/8 and I have no complaints. Being able to use regular 82mm filters easily for lake shots is a huge plus. It just works. If you want a reliable alternative, the Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S works well too.

MagentaHaven · Answer

Just saw this thread. Honestly, over the years Ive hauled every kind of heavy glass imaginable into the backcountry and my biggest regret was always the weight, not the corner sharpness. On a body like the Z7 II, you really arent gonna see a massive leap in quality between the Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S and the more expensive 2.8 version once you stop down to f/8 for those big mountain vistas. Ive printed 40-inch wide shots from that f/4 lens and they look incredible... seriously crisp. If youre hiking 10 miles a day in Glacier, that extra weight of the Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S is gonna feel like a lead brick by noon. Id grab the 14-30mm and spend the leftover cash on a top-tier tripod like the Peak Design Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod. Stability and good filters will do way more for your 45mp files than a faster aperture you wont even use for landscapes anyway.

MoonTiger23 · Answer

tl;dr: if you are mostly shooting stopped down at f/8 or f/11 for landscapes, the weight you save with a slower zoom is worth way more than the tiny sharpness gains of the heavy f/2.8 glass. I went through this exact same mental breakdown before my trip to Zion last year. I was obsessing over lab charts and pixel peeping until 2 am because I wanted those massive prints for my living room wall. In the end, I grabbed the lighter f/4 zoom specifically because I knew I was gonna be doing 12 mile days and my knees already hate me enough as it is. Best decision I made tbh. When I got home and printed a 40 inch wide pano, the edges looked plenty sharp to me on my Nikon Z7 II. Unless you are literally rubbing your nose against the print or shooting astro at f/2.8, you really wont notice a massive difference at the apertures we use for mountains. The ability to just screw on my standard filters without some giant, bulky adapter setup was a total lifesaver when the light was changing fast over the water. I tried the prime route for a while too but I hated switching glass in the wind and dust. Having that zoom range was way more useful for framing those big peaks. Just get the lighter zoom and use the leftover cash for a really nice tripod... your back will thank you when you are halfway up a trail in Glacier.