How does the lens preforms? The good news is this is a killer lens when it come to image quality and it's somewhat compact size. I would say the image quality is as good as the legacy 14-24 f/2.8 in the center and better corner to corner, over all the image quality the 14-30mm f/4 S provides is excellent.
One question people ask is the 14-30mm f/4 S lens a replacement for the 14-24mm f/2.8? The answer is no, if you do not need the faster f stop then i would say Yes this lens can be a replacement for the 14-24 f/2.8. Nikon is now shipping their 14-24mm S lens for a nice hefty price tag, so if you need a wide zoom that is compact and wish to save over a $1000.00 then I highly recommend the 14-30. If you shoot in low light conditions the extra $1000.00 may be a better investment in the 14-28 f/2.8 S lens due to its faster aperture. In my opinion I think the 14-24 is too short of a zoom range for my needs I would prefer a range of 14-35.
I plan on keeping the 14-30 f/4 S rather than purchasing the more expensive 14-24 f/2.8 when it becomes available. The 14-30 f/4 is more than enough for my wide needs.
Another question is the expense: How can a 14-30 f/4 S lens be a whopping 1,300.000? (I rounded up). I believe it is a combination of increasing labor, production, material cost, and limited customer base, now that the Z is out the legacy F crowd is waiting on the fence before making the plunge into the Z.
How am I dealing with the transition to Nikon Mirrorless: Painfully to put it mildly. I been with Nikon for many decades, this is the worst transition yet as far as cost is concerned. For the last 59 years a transition simply meant upgrading your camera body - now you are upgrading both the body and lenses. In order to migrate to the Z you may find yourself with both an f mount lens an a new Z mount of the same focal and aperture, in my opinion that does not make much sense to continue with the legacy f lenses. I am selling off my legacy f lenses and cameras as new S lenses become available - at least I can recoup some of my out lay of cash.
Lenses are always a better investment over a camera body but in this case we need to do both at the same time - ooch!
Anyway, I am excited to use the new 14-30mm f/4 S lens because I have always been a big fan of wide angles and the 14-30 makes for a great wide angle zoom.