Everybody loves a bargain. I particularly love the opportunity of being able to buy and use prime lenses that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford. ‘First-party’ lenses are often too pricey for me, and sometimes they’re not even available. Case in point – I bought a Nikon Z fc back in 2021, which came with a kit zoom lens, but were all the Nikon Z DX prime lenses? Short answer: There weren’t any. Sure, you can use full-frame compatible lenses like the Nikon Z 28mm f/2.8 SE, which I duly did. It certainly looks the part with its matching retro styling, and it performs very well, but it’s not exactly fast.
The Nikon Z DX 24mm f/1.7 wasn’t launched until two years later and, like the 28mm, it has an all-plastic construction, right down to and including the mounting plate. Surely there must be a better way, and there was.
