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Nikon Z DX 24mm f/1.7 vs Z 28mm f/2.8: Choose for Your Camera

Choose the DX 24mm f/1.7 for its wider maximum-aperture option when DX coverage suits your camera plans. Choose the regular 28mm f/2.8 when you need full-frame coverage on an FX Z body and can accept its f/2.8 limit. The 24mm can mount on FX, but Nikon documents a DX crop with fewer recorded pixels and focus points.

Published by Pickoryx · Published 2026-10-09

Source checked 2026-10-09 01:18 UTC

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The buying question

Is the f/1.7 aperture option more useful to you than retaining full-frame coverage on an FX camera?

The DX 24mm opens to f/1.7 but invokes a DX crop on FX bodies. The regular 28mm covers FX and opens to f/2.8.

Quick verdict

When to skip: You require both full-frame coverage and an f/1.7 maximum aperture in this purchase.
When the recommendation changes
  • If full-frame use is only a vague possibility, choose for the DX framing and aperture settings you need now.
  • If both full-frame coverage and f/1.7 are mandatory, neither lens satisfies the combination.

The differences that matter

Fx Image Area Coverage

Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 24mm f/1.7

DX-format lens. On an FX camera, Nikon specifies the DX image area, with fewer recorded pixels and focus points.[3, 1]

Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 (regular, non-SE)

FX-format lens with full-frame coverage.[2, 4]

What this changes: Choose the 28mm when retaining the full-frame image area on an FX Z body is a requirement. Mounting the 24mm is possible, but does not provide the same coverage. On a DX-only setup, the 28mm’s full-frame coverage may have no practical value.[3, 1, 2, 4]

The better fit depends on your priorities

Maximum Aperture Options

Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 24mm f/1.7

Maximum aperture f/1.7; specified range f/1.7–f/11.[3]

Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 (regular, non-SE)

Maximum aperture f/2.8; specified range f/2.8–f/16.[4]

What this changes: The 24mm provides the f/1.7 option; the 28mm is suitable if f/2.8 is wide enough for the settings you intend to use. These aperture limits do not establish a measured exposure, transmission or image-quality advantage.[3, 4]

The better fit depends on your priorities

Best for your routine

A DX setup where f/1.7 is a specific requirement

Best fit: Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 24mm f/1.7

Based on listed features, not comparative testing.

The DX 24mm offers that setting. Accept its documented crop if you later mount it on FX.

View Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 24mm f/1.7 on AmazonPaid link

One prime for DX and full-frame image-area use on FX

Best fit: Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 (regular, non-SE)

Based on listed features, not comparative testing.

The regular 28mm covers FX. You give up the 24mm’s f/1.7 option and get different framing on DX.

View Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 (regular, non-SE) on AmazonPaid link

Value and trade-offs

One or both observed offers have eligibility conditions, so no unrestricted price difference is shown.

If either lens costs more in the offer you choose, pay the difference only for a requirement you will use.

Verified price history is unavailable, so purchase timing is unresolved.

Limitations

  • This comparison uses Nikon specifications, not hands-on testing. It does not rank sharpness, autofocus, low-light photographs, background blur or stabilization.
  • Aperture and framing differ; the specifications do not represent matched-composition image tests.

Questions shoppers ask

Does full-frame coverage help if I only use a DX camera?

It may have no practical value for that setup. Decide from the framing and aperture you will actually use: Nikon lists 61° on DX for the 24mm and 53° for the 28mm, so they are not interchangeable views.

What should I verify before ordering?

Match the 24mm to Nikon model 20119, or the regular non-SE 28mm to model 20101. Check the documentation for your exact Z camera and its firmware requirements; shared mount compatibility does not guarantee every camera function.

Methodology and sources

We separated full-frame image coverage from maximum-aperture options, with DX framing as a qualification.

AI-assisted research organized the specifications and helped draft the buying guidance.

View 4 sources
  1. 1.NIKKOR Z DX 24mm f/1.7 (20119), Nikon USANikon · Official specifications · Source checked 2026-10-09 01:18 UTC
    Evidence used on this page
    • Tech Specs: Format; Maximum Aperture; DX Angle of View; Compatible Formats: DX lens; f/1.7 maximum aperture; 61° DX angle of view; Nikon Z mount.
  2. 2.NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 (20101), Nikon USANikon · Official specifications · Source checked 2026-10-09 01:18 UTC
    Evidence used on this page
    • Tech Specs: Format; Maximum Aperture; DX/FX Angle of View: Regular non-SE FX lens; f/2.8 maximum aperture; 53° DX and 75° FX angles of view.
  3. 3.NIKKOR Z DX 24mm f/1.7 Reference GuideNikon · Official specifications · Source checked 2026-10-09 01:18 UTC
    Evidence used on this page
    • Printed p3 Before You Begin; p15 Cautions: Taking Photographs; pp21–22 Specifications: FX cameras use DX image area, reducing recorded pixels and focus points. Aperture range f/1.7–11. Consult camera documentation and firmware requirements.
  4. 4.NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 Reference GuideNikon · Official specifications · Source checked 2026-10-09 01:18 UTC
    Evidence used on this page
    • Printed p3 Before You Begin; p15 Specifications: Nikon Z mount; aperture range f/2.8–16; FX angle 75° and DX angle 53°. Consult camera documentation and firmware requirements.

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