For Nikon Z, the 24-120 f/4 S is the most-picked lens, and two superzooms back it up.
The 5 Best Travel Lenses for Nikon Z in 2026
A travel lens has to earn its place in a carry-on. We tallied the published travel-lens guides for four mounts and ranked the lenses by how often they're picked, not by our own taste.
Top 5 as of October 24, 2026
Ranking table
| # | Lens | Pros | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S | 24-120mm zoom (5x); f/4 maximum aperture; Nikon S-line. Picked in Finding the Universe (#1), Imaging Resource (#3), Camera Lookout (#3) | Check price |
| #2 | Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR | 24-200mm zoom (8.3x); f/4-6.3 aperture; optical stabilisation. Picked in Finding the Universe (#2), Camera Lookout (#1) | Check price |
| #3 | Tamron 16-30mm F2.8 Di III VXD G2 | 16-30mm zoom (1.9x); f/2.8 maximum aperture. Picked in Imaging Resource (#1) | Check price |
| #4 | Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | 24-70mm zoom (2.9x); f/2.8 maximum aperture; Nikon S-line. Picked in Imaging Resource (#2) | Check price |
| #5 | Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR | 28-400mm zoom (14.3x); f/4-8 aperture; optical stabilisation. Picked in Camera Lookout (#2) | Check price |
#1. Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S
Photo: Julian Herzog (Website) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)
Photo: Julian Herzog (Website) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)
Why it's #1: 3 guides we counted name it (Finding the Universe (#1), Imaging Resource (#3), Camera Lookout (#3)), for an average position of 2.33.
What would knock it off #1: a lens picked by more guides, or by as many guides at a better average position than 2.33.
✅ Buy it if you want one S-line zoom with a 5x range.
❌ Skip it if another lens on this list matches your kit better.
Bottom line: 24-120mm zoom (5x), f/4 maximum aperture, named by Finding the Universe (#1), Imaging Resource (#3) and Camera Lookout (#3); that makes it the most-picked Nikon Z lens we counted.
We have not reviewed it yet.
#2. Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR
Photo: Bengt Nyman from Vaxholm, Sweden via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized)
Photo: m-louis .® via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized)
Why it's #2: 2 guides we counted name it (Finding the Universe (#2), Camera Lookout (#1)), for an average position of 1.5.
Why it isn't higher: #1 (Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S) has more picks (3 vs 2).
✅ Buy it if you want reach to 200mm in one compact lens.
❌ Skip it if another lens on this list matches your kit better.
Bottom line: 24-200mm zoom (8.3x), f/4-6.3 aperture, named by Finding the Universe (#2) and Camera Lookout (#1).
We have not reviewed it yet.
#3. Tamron 16-30mm F2.8 Di III VXD G2
No sample photos yet: we found no openly licensed photo taken with this exact model.
Tamron: Launched at $929 in 2025 (US)
Check priceWhy it's #3: One guide we counted names it (Imaging Resource (#1)), for an average position of 1.0.
Why it isn't higher: #2 (Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR) has more picks (2 vs 1).
✅ Buy it if you want a bright ultra-wide companion lens.
❌ Skip it if you need a single lens with normal-to-tele reach.
Bottom line: 16-30mm zoom (1.9x), f/2.8 maximum aperture, named by Imaging Resource (#1).
We have not reviewed it yet.
#4. Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S
Photo: Sandor_Somkuti via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized)
Why it's #4: One guide we counted names it (Imaging Resource (#2)), for an average position of 2.0.
Why it isn't higher: #3 has a better average position (1.0 vs 2.0).
✅ Buy it if low light matters more than reach.
❌ Skip it if another lens on this list matches your kit better.
Bottom line: 24-70mm zoom (2.9x), f/2.8 maximum aperture, named by Imaging Resource (#2).
We have not reviewed it yet.
#5. Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR
Photo: Henry Söderlund via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized)
Photo: Henry Söderlund via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized)
Nikon: Launched at $1,299.95 in 2024 (US)
Check priceWhy it's #5: One guide we counted names it (Camera Lookout (#2)), for an average position of 2.0.
Why it isn't higher: it ties #4 on picks and average position, and #4's best source ranks higher on standing.
✅ Buy it if wildlife and far-off details are part of the trip.
❌ Skip it if you shoot indoors or at night.
Bottom line: 28-400mm zoom (14.3x), f/4-8 aperture, named by Camera Lookout (#2).
We have not reviewed it yet.
Also considered
- Nikon Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR: 1 pick (Finding the Universe (#3)). Check price
- Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III VXD G2: 1 pick (Imaging Resource (#4)). Check price
- Nikon Z 40mm f/2: 1 pick (Finding the Universe (#4)). Check price
- Nikon Z 24-105mm f/4-7.1: 1 pick (Camera Lookout (#4)). Check price
- Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S: 1 pick (Imaging Resource (#5)). Check price
- Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 S: 1 pick (Camera Lookout (#5)). Check price
- Nikon Z 24mm f/1.8 S: 1 pick (Imaging Resource (#6)). Check price
- Viltrox AF 24mm F1.8 Z: 1 pick (Imaging Resource (#7)). Check price
- Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S: 1 pick (Imaging Resource (#8)). Check price
- Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S: 1 pick (Imaging Resource (#9)). Check price
- Tamron 70-300mm: 1 pick (Imaging Resource (#10)). Check price
How we ranked them
We counted every ranked pick in published best-travel-lens guides for each mount. A pick counts only for the exact model, and only when it's the camera maker's own lens or a third-party lens the guide tags with that mount. Lenses are ordered by number of guides, then average position, then the standing of the best source (Digital Camera World first; then Amateur Photographer, Imaging Resource, Live Science and Space.com; then Sony Rumors, Wex and Capture the Atlas; then Finding the Universe; then everyone else). Maker blogs, kit pages, star-rating roundups, compatibility lists and unranked pages don't count. Stock, missing photos and missing shop links never change a rank.
Sources counted:
- Finding the Universe (published date not shown, updated 2026-10-15)
- Imaging Resource (published date not shown, updated 2026-03-17)
- Camera Lookout (published 2026-10-20)
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Rankings as of October 24, 2026