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Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 vs. Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2

Pick the 28mm f/2.8 if you want a wider field of view, pick the 40mm f/2 if you want about 100% 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 28mm f/2.8 Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 What It Means in Practice
Upper-Body Working Distance 1.15 m 1.62 m The Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 requires 0.5 m more room behind you for the same subject size.
Background Field of View (Compression) 66° 50° Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 shows a 24% narrower slice of the room behind the subject (50° vs. 66°), isolating them against a cleaner background.
Entrance Pupil Diameter 10.0 mm (f/2.8) 20.0 mm (f/2) Distant background blur discs are 100% larger on the Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2.
Corner Bokeh Roundness (90% Field) 51% (-2.2 EV) 86% (-0.6 EV) Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 keeps significantly rounder bokeh balls into the corners wide open (86% vs. 51% roundness).
Effective Focal Length (Breathing) 27.5 mm (-1.6%) 39.0 mm (-2.4%) Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 frames like 27.5 mm (-1.6%) at 1.1 m; Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 frames like 39.0 mm (-2.4%) at 1.6 m.
Depth of Field (Sharp Zone) 42 cm (97 cm – 1.40 m) 29 cm (1.49 m – 1.78 m) The Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 has a 32% thinner focus zone (42 cm vs. 29 cm)—requiring more precise eye focus.
Minimum Focus Distance 0.19 m 0.29 m Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 focuses 10 cm closer (0.19 m vs. 0.29 m) for tighter close-ups.

Questions

Which blurs the background more, Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 or Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2?

At the same subject framing, distant background blur scales with the entrance pupil diameter (focal length ÷ f-number). Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 at f/2.8 has a 10.0 mm entrance pupil, while Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 at f/2 has a 20.0 mm entrance pupil.

How does working distance differ between Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 and Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2?

For an upper-body portrait, Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 stands 1.15 m from the subject (sharp zone 42 cm, from 97 cm to 1.40 m), whereas Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 stands 1.62 m away (sharp zone 29 cm, from 1.49 m to 1.78 m).

How do the optical designs of Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 and Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 compare?

Nikon NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 uses 10 elements in 8 groups (WO2022071249A1, effective focal length 27.5 mm at portrait distance). Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 uses 8 elements in 4 groups (JP2021-189351A, effective focal length 39.0 mm).

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