Nikon has officially announced the NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.2 S, a significant new lens in its full-frame fast prime collection. This lens is especially attractive to photographers who want a shallow depth of field while still capturing more of the surrounding environment—something that’s harder to achieve with Nikon’s 50mm and 85mm f/1.2 lenses.
Nikon NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.2 S Lens: $2,796.95 at B&H, Adorama.
As the first 35mm f/1.2 lens in Nikon’s S-line, it’s an excellent choice for event photography, documentary projects, lifestyle shoots, and environmental portraits. This lens completes Nikon’s lineup of f/1.2 prime lenses, joining the 50mm and 85mm versions. Together, they provide a flexible range from wide-angle to telephoto, making it easier to isolate subjects and create smooth, attractive background blur (bokeh). The wide f/1.2 aperture allows for outstanding performance in low-light conditions, adding to its versatility.
In terms of optical design, the NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.2 S includes 17 elements arranged in 15 groups. This setup features three Extra-low Dispersion (ED) elements, three aspherical elements, and one aspherical ED element. These components help reduce color fringing and distortion, improving image sharpness and clarity. Nikon also uses special coatings to minimize flare and ghosting, ensuring vivid colors and high contrast even in difficult lighting. However, unlike some lenses, it doesn’t have a fluorine coating on the front element, which would help repel water and oils.
The autofocus system uses dual stepping motors for quick, accurate, and quiet focusing—ideal for both photos and videos. The lens can focus as close as 0.3 meters (11.8 inches), making it suitable for close-up shots. It also features a smooth, clickless control ring and dual function buttons that are easy to reach whether you’re shooting in portrait or landscape orientation.
Although this lens offers advanced features, it’s relatively large and heavy, weighing 1,060 grams and requiring an 82mm filter. Its sturdy build includes seals to protect against dust and moisture, making it reliable for outdoor and challenging environments.
Nikon designed this lens with professionals in mind, particularly those working in weddings, events, fashion, and video production. However, its unique combination of a wide-angle view and fast aperture is also likely to appeal to photography enthusiasts. Nikon notes that achieving this level of optical performance wouldn’t have been possible with the older, narrower F-mount system.
The NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.2 S will be available later this month at a retail price of $2,799.
Press Release:
REDEFINE THE ART OF STORYTELLING: NIKON RELEASES THE NIKKOR ® Z 35MM F/1.2 S, A FAST WIDE-ANGLE PRIME LENS FOR NIKON Z MOUNT MIRRORLESS CAMERAS
Environmental Portrait Lens Provides Outstanding Optical Performance and Smooth, Beautiful Bokeh
MELVILLE, NY (February 4, 2025) – Today, Nikon Inc. announced the highly anticipated release of the NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.2 S, a medium wide-angle prime lens with an impressively fast f/1.2 maximum aperture for professional photographers and filmmakers.
The NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.2 S is Nikon’s latest S-Line lens, a series synonymous with outstanding optical performance and handling. The lens emphasizes the main subjects with soft and beautiful bokeh, a dramatic shallow depth-of-field, and the realistic expression of textures. This classic wide-angle prime lens allows for a creative use of the environment to tell a deeper story that meaningfully connects with the viewer.
“Our latest f/1.2 lens truly demonstrates the power of Nikon’s optical expertise, creating a lens that helps the user to portray more of the environment within a single, beautiful frame,” said Fumiko Kawabata, Sr. Vice President of Marketing and Planning, Nikon Inc. “The NIKKOR Z line of lenses continues to expand as we now offer more than 40 impressive optical solutions for Nikon Z Series users.”
The optical characteristics of the NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.2 S are finely tuned to create the perfect combination of sharpness and atmosphere. Soft, delicate organic textures, such as skin and hair, are rendered with a natural authenticity, while reflective objects like jewelry are sharp and free of distracting color aberrations. The NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.2 S is a must-have lens for those shooting events, weddings, fashion, as well as for cinematography.
Sharing a similar design concept to the NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S and the NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S, the new lens offers superior rendering capabilities as well as depiction of the scene with a sense of depth, even with its wide angle of view. The optical design includes three ED glass elements and one aspherical ED element, enabling effective reduction of false color aberrations. In addition, the application of Nikon’s proprietary Meso Amorphous Coat, Nano Crystal Coat, and ARNEO Coat minimize ghosting and flare and provide outstanding optical performance.
Primary Features of the NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.2 S
- Enables unique imaging styles through the combination of high resolving power achieved by superior optical performance, smooth and beautiful bokeh that takes full advantage of the shallow depth-of-field at f/1.2, and 35mm angle of view.
- Achieves a sense of depth with smooth bokeh that transitions gently as it moves away from the focal plane.
- A lens structure with symmetry in front of and behind the aperture realizes outstanding optical performance.
- Three ED glass elements and one aspherical ED glass elements enable effective correction of various lens aberrations.
- Adoption of Meso Amorphous Coat, Nano Crystal Coat and ARNEO Coat effectively reduces ghosting and flares for clear rendering even in tough lighting conditions.
- Adoption of a multi-focusing system1 that uses stepping motors (STMs) realizes fast and accurate AF drive for both still images and video.
- Features a design optimized for video, including a clickless control ring, silent focusing and stable exposure, and suppressed focus breathing to effectively reduces shifts to the angle of view when focusing.
- Two convenient L-Fn buttons, to which a wide variety of functions can be assigned, enable smooth adjustment of settings, even during vertical shooting.
- Superior dust and drip-resistant performance2 is ensured by sealing various parts of the lens, including movable parts of the lens barrel.
Price and Availability
The new Nikon NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.2 S lens will be available in late February 2025 for a suggested retail price of $2,799.95*3. For more information about the latest Nikon products, including the vast collection of NIKKOR Z lenses and the entire line of Z series cameras, please visit nikonusa.com.
*1 Multiple AF drive units work together to control the position of multiple focus lens groups with great precision for superior image formation performance regardless of shooting distance.
*2 Thorough dust and drip resistance is not guaranteed in all situations or under all conditions.
*3 SRP (Suggested Retail Price) listed only as a suggestion. Actual prices are set by dealers and are subject to change at any time.
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