Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 Review: A $600 f/1.4 Prime With Some Old-School Character
Nikon surprised people in June 2024. Instead of another expensive S-line prime, it launched the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 at $599.95, less than the Z 35mm f/1.8 S it sits beside. It weighs 415 grams, uses a 62mm filter and reached stores in mid-July 2024.
This isn’t an S-line lens, and it doesn’t try to be clinical. The design is simple, with 11 elements in 9 groups and two aspherical elements, no ED glass and no Nano Crystal Coat. Nikon aimed for smooth rendering and a fast aperture at a fair price.
35mm is the classic street and documentary focal length. It’s wide enough to show where you are and close enough to show who’s there, which is why people put one on a camera on a grey, wet day and just walk.
Photo: Media Gallery
Christopher Frost tested it with plenty of sample images.
Video review: Christopher Frost
Design
The aperture has nine rounded blades. Close focus is 27cm, for 0.18x magnification. Autofocus uses a stepping motor and focus is by wire. There’s no stabilization in the lens, so it relies on the camera’s IBIS.
Controls are minimal: a focus ring and a smooth control ring you can set to aperture, ISO or exposure compensation. There’s no AF/MF switch, no function button and no aperture ring. Nikon and most reviewers describe it as dust and drip resistant with a rubber mount gasket, though TechRadar said it isn’t officially sealed.
How it performs
The center is sharp wide open, and Lenstip and Phillip Reeve found it sharp across the frame from about f/2.8. Reviewers liked the bokeh, and Camera Labs, Lenstip and SLR Lounge all found it smoother than the f/1.8 S. Autofocus is fast and quiet.
The old-school part shows wide open. Edges and corners are soft at f/1.4, coma is strong (Lenstip called it huge), and vignetting and distortion are heavy without the camera’s correction. Expect some longitudinal color fringing too. It’s more prone to flare than the S lens, and the build is plastic. Camera Labs measured 2.6% focus breathing, against 0.7% on the f/1.8 S, though Lenstip rated breathing as low. For astrophotography, the coma rules it out.
Who should buy it
Nikon shooters who want f/1.4 for people, street and low light without paying S-line prices. It suits the Nikon Zf particularly well, and it’s a fine first fast prime on the Z5II or Z6III.
If you want corner-to-corner sharpness wide open, the Z 35mm f/1.8 S is the better optic and is often discounted. For the most light, the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.2 S is in another league and another price bracket. Sony and Canon shooters pay far more for their f/1.4 35s: the Sony FE 35mm F1.4 GM launched at $1,398 and the Canon RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM at $1,499.
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