Ricci's first look is more or less spot on (as always - he's really thorough). As for bokeh, I'll definitely have to investigate that a bit more myself - I'm not quite sure I agree with what he's saying, even though he's probably right as far as the sample shot he discusses goes - i.e. at mid-range subject distances, the Z 26mm won't exhibit the smoothest bokeh possible, but it would be kind of ridiculous to expect that anyway - it's a f/2.8 wide-angle. He also mentions the sound the AF makes. As for AF performance, we still need to wait, it seems - my own experiences will get more reliable over the next couple of days. I'll be taking the lens out on the Z 7 II today - torture test coming up
Just a little thing to add: If you leave off the hood and switch on the camera when the cap is still on the lens, the extending *barrel* will hit the cap from the inside and literally push against it (or try to push it off) - so, potentially, you could end up damaging the lens by not taking the cap off before powering on the camera. I'd advise keeping the hood on at all times, even though it makes the lens a tiny bit bigger. The hood protects the lens even if the inner barrel is fully extended.
M.
Okay, back from the outing. The sobering truth is: AF issues are a thing with this lens. Not only is it noisier than other Z lenses, it also tends to hunt and occasionally misfocus. It's not a lot less fast to lock on or any less sharp if it's accurate - on the contrary. But this is certainly no action lens. Here's a near miss in AF-S (tight crop, magnification almost 100%; single point, focus point on face - but it wasn't the central point, I was using the joystick):
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Focus is clearly on the buildings in the background - but it can be called a near miss (what with having stopped down to f/5.6 and all). But well ...
I seriously doubt that it'll work well in AF-C (I simply haven't had a good opportunity to test that yet). Given that this is a pancake lens that also shows some focus breathing, noone would considere it as a video or vlogging lens anyway (it's a bit long for that too, being a 26mm), but I guess its biggest "issue" is indeed AF speed and accuracy.
However, to put this into perspective: I've used a couple of very similar lenses extensively: the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 and the Fujifilm 27mm f/2.8. The Z 26mm is cleary better than both in terms of AF, by a noticeable margin. But it's no match for its Z 28mm and Z 40mm stablemates in that respect since both are quieter, quicker and offer a higher hit rate. And the S Line lenses are faster and more reliable still. So, the Z 26mm is a good *pancake*, but not a do-all, end-all walkaround prime. I guess that badge still goes to either its 24mm f/1.8 S or 35mm f/1.8 S siblings, depending on what kind of focal length you prefer.
I'm a 35mm afficionado, so my pick should be clear - but for me, the Z 40mm f/2 is usually more convenient that the superior, but also twice as big Z 35mm f/1.8 S. And even though the IQ of the Z 26mm is clearly better than that of the Z 40mm upon close inspection, both cheaper lenses are more than good enough in most cases. One thing should be mentioned, though: Close-up quality is really impressive on the Z 26mm - and that can be worth a lot, especially for someone like me who tends to lean in *a lot*
Anyhow, the fantastic portability of the Z 26mm and its optical characteristics are really quite charming - and it's way better built than the Z 40mm or Z 28mm and fully sealed. So, it's very like to replace the Z 40mm in my minimalist FX travel kit (Z 6, Z 24-200mm, one prime - up to now, usually the Z 40mm f/2).
Day-to-day, I'll probably stick to the Z 40mm f/2.
M.