Nikon Z infrared lenses.
26 lensesGood 12Maybe 7Bad 7
These are full-frame (FX) Nikon Z-mount lenses. For APS-C (DX) Nikon Z-mount lenses, see the Nikon Z DX Mount page. Both DX and FX lenses use the same physical Z-mount. FX lenses can be used on DX bodies without vignetting.
Data credit: these ratings come from the remarkable research at irlensdb.com, a community-built resource that has tested and documented more infrared lenses than any other reference online. I have stripped the retailer links and reformatted the data, but the hard work of collecting it belongs to them.
Ratings describe how a lens behaves on an infrared-converted camera. A maybe lens is usually fine wide open and shows a hot spot as you stop down, so check the notes before you write one off.
Zooms (13)
Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S
Maybe- Focal
- 14-24mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2.8
- Filter
- n/a
- Weight
- 650 g
Mixed results: No hot spots at any aperture or focal length. Terry Kontopoulos Significant hotspots at pretty much all apertures, especially at 14mm. Jason Odell
Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S
Maybe- Focal
- 14-30mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/4
- Filter
- ⌀82mm
- Weight
- 479 g
Mostly good. Experienced some hot spots at apertures ƒ/11 through ƒ/22. Lou Aiello
Nikon NIKKOR Z 17-28mm f/2.8
Maybe- Focal
- 17-28mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2.8
- Filter
- ⌀67mm
- Weight
- 450 g
Rebranded Tamron. Not a favorite wide angle; usable for IR only if you stay under ƒ/11. Lou Aiello
Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S
Bad- Focal
- 24-70mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2.8
- Filter
- ⌀82mm
- Weight
- 805 g
Hotspots starting at ƒ/4 at 24mm and at ƒ/11 at 70mm.
Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S
Good- Focal
- 24-70mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/4
- Filter
- ⌀72mm
- Weight
- 500 g
Hotspots not noticed at any aperture. Ken Wilcox
Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S
Bad- Focal
- 24-120mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/4
- Filter
- ⌀77mm
- Weight
- 630 g
Great all-around normal lens, but hot spots at nearly every aperture. Lou Aiello
Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR
Bad- Focal
- 24-200mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/4-6.3
- Filter
- ⌀67mm
- Weight
- 570 g
Hot spots wide open, at all focal lengths.
Nikon NIKKOR Z 28-75mm f/2.8
Good- Focal
- 28-75mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2.8
- Filter
- ⌀67mm
- Weight
- 565 g
Excellent IR performer — a top contender for infrared. No hot spots found. Lou Aiello (rebranded Tamron)
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 (Nikon Z)
Good- Focal
- 28-75mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2.8
- Filter
- ⌀67mm
- Weight
- 550 g
Excellent IR performer — a top contender for infrared. No hot spots found; the original lens the NIKKOR Z 28-75mm f/2.8 is based on.
Nikon NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR
Maybe- Focal
- 28-400mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/4-8
- Filter
- ⌀77mm
- Weight
- 725 g
No hotspots to f/11 at 28mm. Very large and diffuse hotspot at all apertures at 400mm, that could easily be considered mild light falloff.
Nikon NIKKOR Z 70-180mm f/2.8
Good- Focal
- 70-180mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2.8
- Filter
- ⌀67mm
- Weight
- 795 g
Best price in this focal range and an excellent performer for IR. Lou Aiello
Nikon NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S
Good- Focal
- 100-400mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/4.5-5.6
- Filter
- ⌀77mm
- Weight
- 1435 g
Good Terry Kontopoulos Appears to be good for IR Keith Williamson
Nikon NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR
Good- Focal
- 180-600mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/5.6-6.3
- Filter
- ⌀95mm
- Weight
- 1.95 kg
Terry Kontopoulos Surprisingly good for IR. Lou Aiello
Primes (13)
Venus Optics Laowa 10mm F2.8 Zero-D
Good- Focal
- 10mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2.8
- Filter
- ⌀77mm
- Weight
- 420 g
No hot spots at any aperture Terry Kontopoulos
Nikon NIKKOR Z 20mm f/1.8 S
Maybe- Focal
- 20mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/1.8
- Filter
- ⌀77mm
- Weight
- 505 g
Excellent wide angle prime but only fair results for IR. Keep aperture under ƒ/8 to avoid hot spots. Lou Aiello
Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 Air
Bad- Focal
- 20mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2.8
- Filter
- ⌀52mm
- Weight
- 173 g
Bad at all apertures. Rick Patterson
Viltrox AF 14mm F4.0 Air
Bad- Focal
- 14mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/4
- Filter
- ⌀58mm
- Weight
- 170 g
Bad at all apertures. Rick Patterson
Nikon NIKKOR Z 24mm f/1.8 S
Good- Focal
- 24mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/1.8
- Filter
- ⌀72 mm
- Weight
- 450 g
Excellent for IR (no hot spots) Keith Williamson Great wide angle, no hot spots found. Lou Aiello
Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8
Bad- Focal
- 28mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2.8
- Filter
- ⌀52mm
- Weight
- 155 g
Nice street lens but a poor IR performer. Works OK wide open, not good at other apertures. Lou Aiello
Voigtländer 35 mm / 1:2.0 APO-Lanthar aspherical Z
Good- Focal
- 35mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2
- Filter
- ⌀49mm
- Weight
- 352 g
A truly impressive performer. No meaningful hotspots at any aperture and the visible red / IR color phasing is tighter than my other lenses, making 550nm/590nm-filtered false color much more usable when there are high contrast elements at the frame edges. Michael Piantedosi
Nikon NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.8 S
Good- Focal
- 35mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/1.8
- Filter
- ⌀62mm
- Weight
- 370 g
Great all-around normal lens that works very well for IR. Lou Aiello
Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2
Maybe- Focal
- 40mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2
- Filter
- ⌀52mm
- Weight
- 170 g
Mild hotspot starts at f/8. Lou Aiello reports only hot spots at ƒ/22 and up.
Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S
Good- Focal
- 50mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/1.8
- Filter
- ⌀62mm
- Weight
- 415 g
No hot spots at any aperture Terry Kontopoulos Excellent for IR (no hot spots) Keith Williamson Works great for IR at all apertures. Lou Aiello
Lensbaby Velvet 85mm F1.8
Good- Focal
- 85mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/1.8
- Filter
- ⌀67mm
- Weight
- 644 g
from Ken Wilcox
Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S
Bad- Focal
- 85mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/1.8
- Filter
- ⌀67mm
- Weight
- 470 g
Outstanding lens optically, but a poor IR performer with hot spots at several apertures. Lou Aiello
Nikon NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S
Maybe- Focal
- 105mm
- Aperture
- ƒ/2.8
- Filter
- ⌀62mm
- Weight
- 630 g
Hot spots at ƒ/8 and higher Terry Kontopoulos Only fair results if you keep images under ƒ/8. Lou Aiello
Next step
Ready to shoot infrared on Nikon Z?
Links to Kolari Vision are affiliate links: if you buy through them the site earns a commission at no extra cost to you. They are the shop my own conversions and filters came from, and the recommendation would be the same without the program — full disclosure.
Links to Kolari Vision are affiliate links: if you buy through them the site earns a commission at no extra cost to you. They are the shop my own conversions and filters came from, and the recommendation would be the same without the program — full disclosure.
Other full frame mounts
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Where this data comes from
These ratings are compiled from the community-maintained Infrared Lens Database, with contributor credits kept in the notes. Ratings are submitted by photographers using different conversions, so results vary by wavelength, aperture and individual lens copy — treat them as a strong starting point, not a guarantee. Retailer links from the source have been removed. If you have tested a lens, contribute your result back to the original database so everyone benefits.