Nikon has unveiled the NIKKOR 35mm f/1.2 S, which will join the existing 50mm f/1.2 and 85mm f/1.2 and complete its holy trinity f/1.2 prime lineup. This marks the release of the final lens on Nikon’s original Z-Mount lens roadmap, leaving us in the dark about the company’s future optical plans.
Did they save the best for last? Nikon says the lens demonstrates the power of Nikon’s optical expertise, and nothing has been left on the table judging by the specifications. The hefty 2.3lb lens features 17 lens elements arranged in 15 groups. The design contains 3 ED elements, one aspherical ED element, and three aspherical elements “to create the perfect combination of sharpness and atmosphere.” Nikon says that “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.“
35mm prime lenses are fantastic tools for journalists, wedding photographers, and environmental portraiture. The wide f/1.2 aperture of this new Nikon offering allows greater background separation than existing 35mm f/1.4 lenses in the lens catalogs of Nikon, Canon, or Sony. In addition, the 11-bladed aperture should produce beautiful bokeh, surpassing the look possible with the 9-bladed aperture in Nikon’s 35mm f1.4 lens. This new lens is certainly a bold statement in today’s mirrorless market, but this kind of light-gathering comes at a price—the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.2 S launches in late February 2025 for $2799.95.
Table of Contents
Pre-Order Links
Key Features and Specifications
- First native mount mirrorless 35mm f1/.2 lens
- Lens design – 17 elements in 15 groups
- Minimum focus distance – 0.3m (0.99ft) / 0.2x magnification
- Aperture blades – 11, rounded
- Coatings – Meso Amorphous Coat, Nano Crystal Coat and ARNEO Coat
- 3 ED elements, 1 aspherical ED element, 3 aspherical elements for correction of various lens aberrations
- Two L-Fn buttons
- Stepping motors (STMs) for fast and accurate AF drive for both still images and video
- It’s big! And weighs 2.3 lb / 1060 g
- Price – $2799
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 system*1 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 performance*2 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.
