Nikon

Nikon Z 35mm F1.2 S Review: Near-Perfect Optics in a 1,060-Gram Lens

The Nikon Z 35mm f/1.2 S completes Nikon’s trio of f/1.2 S-line primes, alongside the 50mm and 85mm. Nikon announced it in February 2025 at about $2,797. Optically it’s one of the best 35mm lenses ever made. It’s also enormous: 1,060 grams and 150 millimeters long.

f/1.2 at 35mm is a low-light street lens. Night plazas lit by mixed street lamps, people and dogs moving through puddles of color, scenes where every extra fraction of a stop keeps the shutter fast enough.

Two runners and a border collie crossing a wet plaza at night under green, blue and orange street lights

Photo: Pixel Effects

There’s no Sigma or third-party 35mm f/1.2 for Z mount, so this is the fastest autofocus 35mm Nikon shooters can buy.

Video review: Christopher Frost

The optics

DCW, Cameralabs, Dustin Abbott and Christopher Frost all found it sharp at f/1.2, which is the reason to buy it. Focus breathing is close to zero, which suits video. Abbott praised the bokeh as beautiful, though Frost found flare control only average.

It’s fully weather sealed and built like the pro lens it is, with two programmable function buttons, an AF/MF switch and an 82mm filter thread. It focuses down to about 30 centimeters.

The burden

Size and weight are what every reviewer mentions. At 1,060 grams, it’s heavier than many standard zooms, and it overwhelms a small body like the Zf.

It’s expensive, at more than three times the price of the Z 35mm f/1.8 S. Autofocus is accurate but not especially fast, according to Cameralabs, Abbott and Frost. Vignetting is heavy wide open. There’s no aperture ring, and the control ring is easy to bump and very sensitive.

Who should buy it

Portrait, wedding and documentary photographers who work in dim light and want the best 35mm Nikon makes, and don’t mind carrying it. On a Z8 or Z9 it balances well.

Most people will be happier with the Z 35mm f/1.8 S, which weighs about a third as much, or the Z 35mm f/1.4, which costs about $600. If you want f/1.2 rendering for less, the Z 50mm f/1.2 S is the classic choice. For a cheaper fast normal lens, see our Nikon Z 50mm f/1.4 review.