Nikon ships firmware 1.10 for two Z f/2.8 zooms amid deep rebates

Nikon has released firmware version 1.10 for both the Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II and the Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S, the company's third firmware drop in a single week, according to a report published October 21, 2026 on Nikon Rumors.

The update arrives while both lenses sit at their deepest discounts to date. The 24-70mm f/2.8 S II is now $200 off for the first time, while the 14-24mm f/2.8 S is carrying an $800 reduction under Nikon's Fall Savings rebate program, which launched October 19 in the US and Canada.

What changes in each lens?

The two changelogs are short but distinct. For working professionals, the details matter because they touch exactly the mechanical behaviors that show up on paid shoots.

NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II, version 1.10:

• Improved aperture operation reliability.
• Reduced aperture operation noise.

NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S, version 1.10:

• The lens now changes focus distance according to the amount of focus ring rotation during manual focus, regardless of how fast the ring is spun, when any option other than [Non-linear] is selected for [Focus ring rotation range] in the camera's CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU.
• Added support for the [Switch focus/control ring roles] feature in the camera CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU.

Both downloads are live now on Nikon's download center.

Why the aperture fix matters

For the 24-70mm f/2.8 S II — the standard zoom that anchors most Z-mount event and corporate work — the release is purely about the aperture mechanism. Reliability and noise.

Quiet aperture operation is a revenue issue, not a comfort issue. Photographers shooting during vows, theater performances, or boardroom sessions live or die by mechanical silence, and a lens that clicks audibly when stopping down can cost a client. Nikon is not claiming new features here. This is a fix, aimed at a workhorse lens, and it ships while that lens is at a record $200 discount.

What does the 14-24mm change mean in practice?

The 14-24mm f/2.8 S update is the more substantive of the two for manual-focus shooters. Previously, focus response could vary with how quickly the ring was turned. Now, in any non-linear focus-ring mode, the distance scale tracks rotation amount directly — turn the ring twice as far, focus moves twice as far, speed irrelevant. That predictability is what precision wide-angle work, from architecture to astrophotography, depends on.

The second item adds compatibility with the camera's [Switch focus/control ring roles] setting, letting photographers reassign which ring handles focusing and which handles aperture or exposure control. That is a workflow customization, and it requires a body with the relevant CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU option to use.

A pattern worth watching

Three firmware releases in one week signals an active maintenance cycle across Nikon's Z ecosystem. Recent history backs that up: a major Z9 firmware update, version 5.30, landed in December 2025 alongside a minor Z5II version 1.10, and the Zf received version 3.00 with the new Film Grain feature in October 2025.

The timing is not accidental. Firmware polish coinciding with $200 and $800 rebates is a classic pre-holiday push to move glass into working kits. Whether the aperture noise reduction on the 24-70mm II fully resolves the issue in the field will only be clear once shooters have installed version 1.10 and reported back; the changelog makes no claim beyond "improved" and "reduced." Owners of either lens can download the updates free from Nikon's download center today.