Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.2 Lens Review: Unwieldy and expensive – but superb results

A 35mm lens is ideal for a variety of different subjects, so it’s a versatile piece of kit to have in your bag. This is the third 35mm lens for Nikon’s Z range, and also the third in the “trinity” of f/1.2 lenses that have been released in recent years.

At a glance

• Price when reviewed: $2,796/£2899
• 11 rounded diaphragm blades
• 0.3m minimum focus
• 150mm long x 90mm diameter, 1060g
• 82mm filter thread
• Nikon Z Mount

Nikon actually launched the entire Z system with an the Z 35mm f/1.8 lens, back in 2018. Last year, the Z 35mm f/1.4 lens appeared on the market – an optically inferior but more budget friendly optic. Now, we have an f/1.2, which sits at the top of the tree in terms of image quality, but is also the biggest, bulkiest and most expensive of the three.

The other f/1.2 lenses in the trinity are the Z 50mm f/1.2 and the Z 85mm f/1.2, which are all highly priced optics designed to be used primarily by advanced amateurs with a big budget, or working professionals who want the best of the best.

But, is it worth splashing the extra cash – and making more space in your kit bag – when you can pick up something incredibly similar for a fraction of the cost? Let’s find out…

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.2 Lens Features

As with others at this high price point, and in the f/1.2 trinity, the 35mm f/1.2 benefits from a complex optical constructions.  That includes 17 elements in 15 groups, which includes 3 ED (extra low dispersion, 1 aspherical ED element, 3 aspherical elements, and elements with meso-amorphous, Nano Crystal and ARNEO coats). All of that together is designed to “virtually eliminate” flare and ghosting, as well as colour fringing, distortion and aberrations. In essence, this lens should be as near to optically perfect as it’s possible to be.

It has 11 rounded diaphragm blades, and with a maximum f/1.2 aperture, it should be capable of producing some very attractive background blur, as well as circular bokeh.

The maximum reproduction ratio of this lens is 0.2x, with the focal length not particularly suited to close-up work. However, it does have a close focusing distance of 0.3m, so some still life subjects should be possible with it.

A multi-focusing system promises to deliver quick focusing, even when shooting wide open at f/1.2. The lens has dual stepping motors for quick continuous adjustments, which can be useful for reacting to unfolding action, as well as for video work. It also promises to be near-silent.

Dust, dirt and moisture resistance is provided via weather sealing across the body and the mount of the lens. Using it outdoors should be no trouble at all – of course we’d expect this from a lens at this price point and specification.

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.2 Lens Build and Handling

Like the others in the f/1.2 trinity, the 35mm f/1.2 lens is a hefty bit of kit. At 1.06kg, It’s much, much larger and heavier than the 35mm f/1.4 (415g) or the 35mm f/1.8 (370g). That’s not a surprise given the optical construction, but this isn’t a lens you’re going to want to pack in your kit bag for those “just in case” moments. Although the focal length is ideal for street work, it’s certainly not subtle, so that’s something to think about – sometimes the best optical quality isn’t necessarily worth sacrificing other aspects for.

You can technically use this lens with any Z Mount camera, but realistically, with it being so big and heavy, you’re not going to want to use it with any of Nikon’s APS-C models, such as the Z50. It balances particularly well with larger cameras such as the Z8 and the Z9, but I’ve been using it with the Z6 III and that’s not too bad either – you will need to use your spare hand to steady it though.

The outward design follows the same route as the 85mm f/1.2 in that it doesn’t have the same OLED display panel as found on the 50mm f/1.2. It seems that Nikon didn’t really think this was worth having – perhaps it would even more cost and bulk for very little reward. I have to say I agree – it’s not something I have missed in the slightest.

Otherwise, the lens is fairly minimalist in outward design. There’s a switch at its base, enabling quick switching between auto and manual focus. Just in front of this sits a customisable ring, which can be set to control aperture, exposure compensation, ISO – or nothing at all if you prefer. I like to set it to control aperture for making quick adjustments. Further to this ring, there are two Fn buttons that can be set to control a wide variety of different settings. Note, that both buttons will do the same job – one is designed to be used when shooting horizontally, the other landscape. I’d probably like to be able to set both to function independently, but this is being a bit picky.

The middle of the lens houses the large focusing ring. There aren’t any hard stops at either end of the lens, but the give of the ring is just enough to make precise focusing fairly easy to do. It can be helpful to use focus peaking via the screen or viewfinder when shooting at very wide apertures to make sure exactly what you want is in focus.

Included in the box is the HB-110 lens hood. This adds a little extra length to the lens, but isn’t as large as something like the HB-106 bundled with the 85mm f/1.2 lens. It can be reversed when not in use to save space.

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.2 Lens Autofocus

As promised, focusing is very quick, and quiet. It’s well-suited to shooting fast-moving subjects, or at events, where things might unfold in front of you quickly. It’s also good for video work.

When shooting at very wide apertures, it can be easy to miss focus, but switching on eye AF helps to make sure that any people shots have the right focus.

I used the Nikon Z6 III with this lens, which has Nikon’s latest AF technology on board. It coped extremely well in a range of conditions, including low light and when trying to keep up with an active toddler. You might have a bit less luck with older models, such as the Z7, which aren’t quite so rapid.

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.2 Lens Image Quality

As I had hoped, the images produced by the 35mm f/1.2 are superb. You’d expect exactly this from a lens at this high price point, but it’s still good to have it confirmed.

It’s very capable of resolving fine details, with excellent sharpness across the frame. It produces better results than the 35mm f/1.8 – but – if you already own that lens, I’m not sure the jump in quality is going to be worth it for most.

With the f/1.2 lens you get beautiful background blur and attractive rounded bokeh in the right circumstances. I can see this being a very popular choice for wedding photographers for example, keen to create a dreamy, romantic effect.

Having that extra wide aperture can also be useful when shooting in very low light too, so if that’s something you’re doing a lot of – again, weddings and events spring to mind – then it could be worth the extra investment for this lens over the f/1.8.

The special constructions and coating of the lens do an excellent job suppressing flare and aberrations – I haven’t come across any chromatic aberrations, even when shooting in high contrast situations.

Shooting in raw and switching off lens profile corrections shows that there is a small amount of vignetting when shooting wide open. This is only really noticeable when shooting certain subjects, and the lens correction profiles easily sort this out anyway. Take a look at the image comparison above – on the left is the uncorrected image, and on the right, with the lens profile switched on.

We can also see in some images that there is a little bit of distortion when the lens profile is switched off too, but again, with the correction applied, it’s easily fixed.

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.2 Lens Verdict

As already mentioned, a 35mm lens is incredibly versatile. It’s often one of the “core” lenses that most will have in their kit bag – it’s easy to see why Nikon launched the Z system and included a 35mm lens.

Now however, you have a choice of three different 35mm options for your Z system camera, each bringing their own pros and cons.

If you’re somebody who wants the absolute best possible image quality, and perhaps thinks they’ll get a huge amount of use out of a lens like this, it might be absolutely worth investing in this – particularly if you’re happy with the heft that comes with it.

However, for almost every other photographer, the 35mm f/1.8, launched all those years ago, is probably still a better bet. It’s smaller, lighter, cheaper and still capable of producing excellent images – it might not be quite as good as the f/1.2, but the other aspects more than make up for it. The 35mm f/1.4 is also a decent choice if your budget is even more limited.

If you can afford the trinity of f/1.2 lenses you will have a very, very nice kit set up which should see you covered for most eventualities. Admittedly, you might also have a big bill from your chiropractor too, if you wanted to carry them all around at once.

On the whole, the 35mm f/1.2 lens offers you superlative image quality – but at a weight and cost price. It is better than the 35mm f/1.8, but probably not $2000/£2000 better. Is it a lens most people need? Almost certainly not – but it’s certainly one to add to the dream wishlist.

Follow AP on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.