Nikon 35mm f/1.2 S Review – The Ultimate 35mm Fast Prime?

Nikon 35mm f/1.2 S Review

 

First thing you’ll notice is its size. This thing is not your average 35mm.

 

Introduction

This is the NIKKOR 35MM F 1.2S lens. I know a lot of people, myself included have been waiting for this lens. It's fast, it's premium, and we're going to see whether it's worth the investment of $2,800 USD, bearing in mind that Nikon already has F1.4, F1.8 variants of this focal length.

 

On the lens you have customisable function button, control ring, focus ring and AF auto/manual switch.

 

Specifications

  • Dimensions: 90 mm in length, 150 mm diameter

  • Weight: 1060 grams

  • Filter thread: 82 mm filters

  • Features 11 rounded diaphragm blades which help deliver that ensure smooth and creamy bokeh.

 

The NIKKOR 35MM F1.2 S delivers smooth buttery bokeh and absolute sharpness even wide open at f1.2.

 

This is a well balanced lens. It feels solid on a body like the Z8 and even on smaller cameras like the z7ii it's surprisingly manageable, plus the focus ring is buttery smooth and the function buttons make quick settings easy.

Bokeh

Let's talk about bokeh at f1.2 the background just melts away. I do notice that there's some vignetting around the edges at f1.2 and this is even with lightroom's profile corrections. At f2.8 it remains smooth but less dramatic. At this point the vignetting seems to be gone and at f4 you're beginning to see more context. This versatility makes the f1.2 ideal for isolating subjects while maintaining the natural 35mm perspective

 
 

Portraiture

I love using the 35mm focal length for environmental portraits and the f1.2 aperture delivers on an incredible mix of sharpness and subject separation. Skin tones look natural and details remain crisp while the background falls away beautifully. It's a different aesthetic from a 50mm lens but offers more immersion feeling.

 
 

Autofocus

Nikon Z8 has an excellent autofocus system and this lens keeps up impressively. At F1.2 focus is fast and precise. Eye AF works reliably even when the subjects are in motion or when the lighting isn't ideal. There's no noticeable hunting, ensuring that your shots stay sharp.

 
 

Chromatic Aberration & Flare Control

I did not notice is any chromatic aberration with this lens confirming that Nikon's design for This 1.2 lens is excellent.

 

No visible chromatic aberrations for the Nikon Z 35mm F1.2 S, even amongst the tree branches.

 

The Nikon Z 35mm F1.2 S features an anti-reflective coating system which reduces flare when shooting directly into a light source. You can see there's still some flaring here and notice that the lens produces the same sharp multi-point sunstar that we see in most Z lenses.

 

Flare control is good, though there are still some visible spots. Sunstar is similar to most Z lenses.

 

Low Light

When it comes to low light this lens shines at f1.2. I can keep my ISO lower and still capture bright clean images even in near dark conditions. That extra light gathering capability is a game changer for handheld night photography.

Video

The Nikon Z 35mm F1.2 S has very minimal focus breathing and rotating the focus ring results in silky smooth change in focus. Check out the video on YouTube.

Conclusion

The Nikkor Z 35mm F1.2 S is the lens to get if you have the money for it! Image quality is excellent as you would expect, and it's just a little bit pricey and heavy, and takes up quite some space as well. Otherwise it's a wonderful lens and I think professionals who can afford it will appreciate this lens for weddings, portraits and event photography work.

Update: Check out my real world experience with the Nikon Z 35mm F1.2 shooting a night festival.

Zachary LaiComment