Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.4

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The Nikkor Z 35mm F1.4 snaps pictures with ample background blur and characterful bokeh while offering dust and splash protection, an uncommon feature among affordable full-frame lenses.

First time Nikkor lens-coming from Fuji system-and shopping at Clifton Cameras. Brilliant service and the lens is exactly what you’d want from a modern 1.4 lens. Silent, rapid to focus. The feel is solid while not heavy. The additional ring on the lens I’m using for aperture control, and the manual focus is just unbeatable in the Nikon ZF… Happy with the results.

The Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.4 is set to become one of Nikon's most popular Z-mount lenses for its mirrorless cameras. Sadly, that doesn't mean that it is its best. Optically this is a very sharp lens, but the bokeh quality is a little disappointing, not being as smooth as I would have liked. Also, design is almost too simple, with minimal exterior controls and no official weather-sealing. All that being said, I respect what Nikon is doing here – creating affordable fast aperture prime lenses with compromises that most enthusiast photographers would be willing to make. The lens focuses quickly, quietly and accurately, and it's super-versatile in just about any scenario, especially low light. Despite its flaws, the Z 35mm f/1.4 lens is on my wishlist.

Nikon’s Z 35mm f1.4 is an interesting entry into a third line of Z-mount prime Nikkors: much smaller and lighter (physically and price-wise) than an f1.2 version would be it offers a 2/3 stop better light gathering power, better Bokeh, plus a separate focus and control ring over the Z 35mm f1.8 S at a lower price. And the Z 35mm f1.4 shows good resolution across the full frame at longer distances. But: Contrast and color aberrations are not well controlled, close-up performance is weak, there's heavy vignetting, and the lens shows strong field-curvature at closer distances. If you value the benefits of the large f1.4 aperture and can live with these deficiencies I can still recommend the Z 35mm f1.4 based on its good price-performance ratio.