Lens Extraordinaire
Words: Rohinton Mehta
The newly designed wide-angle prime lens from the house of Nikon is a S-Line (Performance) full frame lens with a superfast f/1.2 aperture. The lens is touted to offer dreamy bokeh and precise autofocus for photos and videos. The lens is basically designed for environmental portraits and pro video production but can be used for landscapes, documentary and studio photography. Just for the record, Nikon offers three 35mm lenses for its Z-mount — Z 35mm f/1.2 S, Z 35mm f/1.4, and 35mm f/1.8 S. Design & Build Quality Overall, the lens construction appears very good; the outer body uses engineering plastic which is very strong. The lens mount is made of metal. The view through the lens is super bright (it’s a f/1.2 lens!). Filter diameter is 82mm and the lens is made in Thailand.
Key Features
The first thing you are likely to notice is the lens size and weight. Generally, 35mm lenses are compact and lightweight. But not this one. It’s huge and weighs 1060g. Why so heavy? Being an f/1.2 lens, the front elements are quite large – which adds to the weight of the lens. The lens is weather-sealed; focussing is internal – hence the lens does not extend during focussing. Aperture blades are controlled using an electromagnetic diaphragm mechanism – this offers very accurate control of the iris blades. The lens construction uses 17 elements in 15 groups that include 3 x ED, 1 x aspherical ED, 3 x aspherical elements, and elements with meso-amorphous, Nano Crystal and ARNEO coats. This full frame (FX) lens offers an angle of view of 63°; 44° when used as a DX lens. On the side of the lens is a A/M switch to toggle between autofocus and manual focus. The focus ring is customisable and so is the click less Control Ring that can control the aperture or the exposure or the ISO. Two customisable Lens Function Buttons are available. These offer programmable shortcuts to quickly change metering, subject tracking or exposure compensation.
Ergonomics
As with all larger and heavier lenses, the size and construction of the camera body play an important role – balance. On Nikon Z9 body, the lens weight would be well balanced: a bit less on the smaller Z8 body. On the Z 6III body, the weight distribution and physical comfort would be proportionately less. This is so for all heavier lenses.
Performance
The lens was reviewed using a Nikon Z8 body, and all auto corrections were enabled – a practice that I follow with all camera/lens reviews. In one word, the performance of this S-line lens was superlative. Autofocus was very quick and very accurate. AF was near silent as well. The lens offered very good contrast, and flare was very well controlled by the special lens coatings. In my limited tests, I did not notice any chromatic aberration worth mentioning – which is a good thing. Vignetting was noticed with the lens wide open at f/1.2, and f/1.4. What about lens sharpness? I found the lens sharpness to be exceptional at all f-stops, except at f/16 where some softness could be noticed due to diffraction of light at such a narrow aperture. The lens was sharp at the center at f/1.2, but the sharpness improved at f/2. I felt the lens was the sharpest at f/2.8, but it was difficult to see if the lens was sharper at f/2 or f/4. For all practical use, you can consider f/2, f/2.8 and f/4 to be the sharpest. The sides and corners at the wider apertures, when pixel-peeped, did show a minute reduction in sharpness, but overall, there was nothing to really complain about. It was difficult to make out if there was any barrel or pin-cushion distortion. The Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.2 S lens can focus as close as 30cm (12-inches) which can provide good closeups of medium-size subjects like flowers or larger jewelry but do keep in mind that at such close focussing distances, depth of field will be practically non-existing if you shoot wide open at f/1.2, or f/1.4. Those who love dreamy out of focus backgrounds – especially wedding and function photographers — will love this lens.
Value for Money
The Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.2 S is available at an MRP of Rs.2,57,995. So, is it expensive? My take on this is ‘expensive’ or ‘not expensive’ depends on how deep your pockets are. To me for example, it is expensive but may not be so for others. One point to remember is that superfast f/1.2 lenses need to have larger front elements. Manufacturing glass elements of this size, plus the advanced lens coatings, are some factors that raise the costs.
Verdict
Without a question of doubt, this is Nikon’s best 35mm lens. Supersharp, perfect contrast, flare and ghosting controlled superbly. Excellent bokeh. Distortions practically nil. Though expensive, you’ll love it. We have no hesitation in awarding it ‘Best Buy’.
Plus
- Exceptional image quality
- Very good build quality
- Fast, near silent, and accurate aF
- Super-fast f/1.2 aperture
- absolutely minimal focus
breathing - Good weather sealing at 11 places
- Smooth bokeh
Minus
- Expensive
- Heavy for a 35mm lens
(but remember, it’s f/1.2) - Feels too large on smaller,
lighter bodies - olED displays found on other
S-line lenses not on this lens - No IBIS (but most Nikon Z
bodies have it)
