The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Nikon Z 28mm F2.8 and the Nikon Z 16-50mm F3.5-6.3 for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Nikon Z 28mm F2.8 is the longer of the two lenses at 43mm. The Nikon Z 16-50mm F3.5-6.3 with a length of 32mm, is 11mm shorter. On the other hand, there is no difference between the max diameters of these lenses, both coming at 70mm.
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Below you can find a scaled side-by-side image of Nikon Z 28mm F2.8 and Nikon Z 16-50mm F3.5-6.3 to get a better idea of how their sizes compare in real life.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Nikon Z 16-50mm F3.5-6.3 weighs 135g, 12% (20g) lighter than the Nikon Z 28mm F2.8's weight of 155g.
Filter Threads
The Nikon Z 28mm F2.8 has a filter size of 52mm whereas the Nikon Z 16-50mm F3.5-6.3 has a 46mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 52mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Nikon Z 28mm F2.8:
And these are the 46mm filters that we recommend for the Nikon Z 16-50mm F3.5-6.3:
Lens Mounts
Both the Nikon Z 28mm F2.8 and the Nikon Z 16-50mm F3.5-6.3 has the same Nikon Z lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Nikon Z lenses are Nikon Zf, Nikon Z8 and Nikon Z30.
Focal Range
Nikon Z 28mm F2.8 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 28mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
42mm.
On the other hand, the Nikon Z 16-50mm F3.5-6.3 has a focal range of 16-50mm and 3.1X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 24-75mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.