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Nikon NIKKOR Z 26mm f/2.8 vs. Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8

Pick the 26mm f/2.8 if you want a wider field of view, pick the 28mm f/2.8 if you want about 8% more background blur. Compare both side by side.

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Portrait At-a-Glance Comparison (Upper Body Framing)

Optical & Portrait Metric Nikon NIKKOR Z 26mm f/2.8 Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 What It Means in Practice
Upper-Body Working Distance 1.07 m 1.15 m Identical working distance—both frame an upper-body portrait from the exact same spot.
Background Field of View (Compression) 71° 66° Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 shows a 7% narrower slice of the room behind the subject (66° vs. 71°), isolating them against a cleaner background.
Entrance Pupil Diameter 9.3 mm (f/2.8) 10.0 mm (f/2.8) Nearly identical distant background blur size at equal framing.
Corner Bokeh Roundness (90% Field) 51% (-1.7 EV) 51% (-2.2 EV) Similar corner bokeh shape wide open (51% vs. 51% roundness at 90% field).
Effective Focal Length (Breathing) 25.3 mm (-2.5%) 27.5 mm (-1.6%) At 1.1 m, Nikon NIKKOR Z 26mm f/2.8 frames like a 25.3 mm lens while Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 frames like a 27.5 mm lens.
Depth of Field (Sharp Zone) 43 cm (90 cm – 1.32 m) 42 cm (97 cm – 1.40 m) The Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 has a 1% thinner focus zone (43 cm vs. 42 cm)—requiring more precise eye focus.
Minimum Focus Distance 0.2 m 0.19 m Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 focuses 1 cm closer (0.2 m vs. 0.19 m) for tighter close-ups.

Questions

Which blurs the background more, Nikon NIKKOR Z 26mm f/2.8 or Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8?

At the same subject framing, distant background blur scales with the entrance pupil diameter (focal length ÷ f-number). Nikon NIKKOR Z 26mm f/2.8 at f/2.8 has a 9.3 mm entrance pupil, while Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 at f/2.8 has a 10.0 mm entrance pupil.

How does working distance differ between Nikon NIKKOR Z 26mm f/2.8 and Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8?

For an upper-body portrait, Nikon NIKKOR Z 26mm f/2.8 stands 1.07 m from the subject (sharp zone 43 cm, from 90 cm to 1.32 m), whereas Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 stands 1.15 m away (sharp zone 42 cm, from 97 cm to 1.40 m).

How do the optical designs of Nikon NIKKOR Z 26mm f/2.8 and Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 compare?

Nikon NIKKOR Z 26mm f/2.8 uses 9 elements in 6 groups (WO2023190222A1, effective focal length 25.3 mm at portrait distance). Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 uses 10 elements in 8 groups (WO2022071249A1, effective focal length 27.5 mm).

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Also see: depth of field, bokeh, crop factor, lens compression.