Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 Review

1 week ago 5

A light, bright, well-priced prime - did Nikon sacrifice anything to achieve it?

By Spencer Cox 44 Comments
Published On October 14, 2024

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Introduction

This hands-on review covers everything you need to know about the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4, a budget prime lens for Nikon’s Z mirrorless system. It’s a combination of a well-loved focal length and a very bright maximum aperture, and I’m sure it’s caught the eye of travel, event, and documentary photographers already. But how does it perform?

Before I answer that question, let me offer a little context. After all, this isn’t Nikon’s first 35mm f/1.4 lens; there’s also the Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.4G, an F-mount optic announced in 2010. However, that lens was never cheap, selling in the range of $1550-1800 over the years. By comparison, the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 launched in June of 2024 for just $600 – a price low enough to give it more of a broad appeal.

Actually, when I first saw this price, I wondered if Nikon must have cut corners somewhere. $600 for a first-party 35mm f/1.4 is unusually cheap. On top of that, Nikon already has a Z 35mm f/1.8 S which they sell for $850! I can’t recall the last time that Nikon sold a brighter lens for less money.

Is there a reason for the cheaper price of the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 – and the lack of Nikon’s high-end “S” designation? I’ll spare you the cliffhanger and let you know that there are some reasons for the lower price, but I’m still impressed by the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4. This is a really good lens all around, without any major drawbacks – you can safely get it if you need a fast 35mm on a budget.

But that’s just my broad takeaway. The rest of this review dives into my complete thoughts from testing the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 extensively, both in the field and in the lab. Here’s what you need to know if you’re considering buying this lens.

Build Quality

One of my first impressions holding the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 is that it’s a surprisingly light lens. It isn’t totally featherweight, but compared to most 35mm f/1.4 primes on the market, it’s clearly lighter. Nikon lists the weight of the Z 35mm f/1.4 as 415 grams, or 0.91 pounds. That’s only a little heavier than the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S (370 grams / 0.82 pounds) despite capturing two-thirds of a stop more light.

Someone can correct me in the comments if they know of an alternative, but I believe that this is the lightest full-frame, autofocus-capable 35mm f/1.4 on the market. By comparison, the F-mount Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.4G weighs 600 grams (1.32 pounds). Even Sony’s FE 35mm f/1.4 GM is 524 grams (1.16 pounds). Well done on Nikon’s part to shave so much weight off this lens!

Nikon Z 35mm f1.4 Lens Mount and Rear View Product Photo

Unsurprisingly, the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 has a plastic construction rather than metal (apart from the lens mount). Even so, like other Z lenses, it gives the impression of high-quality plastic and feels sturdy to hold. I personally don’t mind a plastic construction in today’s lenses, but anyone who’s picky about using metal will have to go with something like the Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.2 instead – of course, it’s manual-focus only.

As for the rest of the build quality features, the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 is weather sealed and includes a rubber gasket around the lens mount to guard against dust and moisture. It does not have Nikon’s fluorine coating on the front element, so it will be a little harder to clean the front of the lens if it gets dirty or you touch it by accident. However, there are no external moving parts to the lens, so I’d have no issue using it in harsh environments.

Handling

The Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 doesn’t have much in the way of handling features. There’s a focus ring and a customizable function ring, but no other buttons, switches, or controls. It isn’t quite Nikon’s most minimalist lens, but it’s close. I would have preferred at least a manual-autofocus switch, but I’m not surprised to see that a non-S lens is lacking one.

Everything else about this lens is quite normal in the handling department. The lens hood is on the large size. The filter thread is nice and small at 62mm. If anything, my main impression from handling this lens was, again, the size and weight – just much more portable than I’m used to from 35mm f/1.4 lenses. It makes it an enjoyable lens to carry around for the day.

Nikon Z 35mm f1.4 with lens hood Product Photo

Because of the bright maximum aperture, the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 is a great lens to use in low light. This is especially true if you pair it with one of Nikon’s cameras that features in-body image stabilization (since the lens does not have vibration reduction of its own). At the time of this review’s publication, that includes all of Nikon’s full-frame mirrorless cameras and none of their DX mirrorless cameras.

Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 Specifications

Full Name: Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4
Mount Type: Nikon Z Mount
Focal Length: 35mm prime
Angle of View (Full Frame): 63°
Angle of View (APS-C): 44°
Maximum Aperture: f/1.4
Minimum Aperture: f/16
Aperture Blades: 9
Filter Size: 62mm
Lens Elements: 11
Lens Groups: 9
Special Elements: 2 aspherical
Image Stabilization: No
Internal Focusing: Yes
Control Rings: Focus, custom
Function Button: No
Switches: None
Focus Motor: STM
Minimum Focus Distance: 27 cm (11 inches)
Maximum Magnification: 0.18× (1:5.6)
Mount Material: Metal
Weather/Dust Sealing: Yes
Dimensions (Length × Diameter): 87 x 75 mm (3.5 x 2.9 inches)
Weight: 415 g (0.91 lbs)
MSRP: $599 (See current price and check used prices)

Here is the construction of the lens, courtesy of Nikon:

Nikon Z 35mm f1.4 Lens Construction Diagram

The next page of this review covers the optical characteristics of the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4, including focusing performance and sharpness tests in the lab. So, click the menu below to go to “Optical Performance”:

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