Review: Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S

Introduction

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S is the first ever prime lens that Nikon released for the Z-mount. Being a 35mm, it is the port to the wide-angle world and a popular focal length for street and general-purpose photography. It is one of Nikon’s high-end “S” series lenses and is supposed to have superior qualities that should satisfy even professional photographers. It should, as it is the only 35mm lens in Z mount from Nikon and has a price tag of €800. Let’s see if it does so!

Sample Images

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/13
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/3.2
Nikon Z6 | Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8

Most of the sample images in this review and many more can be found in higher resolution here.

Specifications

Focal Length: 35 mm
Aperture Range: f/1.8 – f/16
# of Aperture Blades: 9 (rounded)
Min Focus: 0.25 m/0.82 ft
Filter Size: 62 mm (P = 0.75 mm)
Lens Mount: Nikon Z
Weight: ~370 g/13.1 oz
Size (diameter x length): ~ 73 mm  x 86 mm
Elements/Group: 11 elements in 9 groups (including 2 ED glass and 3 aspherical lens elements, and elements with Nano Crystal Coat)

Disclosure

I bought this lens with my own earned money.

Variations

As the first and only Z mount 35mm lens from Nikon, there are no variations of this lens up to date.

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S

Handling

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S both seems and feels to be built very well. It is mostly made of plastic but the mounting plate and focusing ring are made of metal. All the Z lenses in the “S” series are relatively large, but this is the smallest and lightest Nikon Z “S” lens, as it is “only” 86 mm long and 370 g heavy.

The included lens hood is made of plastic but feels robust and clicks securely onto the lens front. The manual focus ring is wide and nicely damped. It can be programmed to be either a focusing ring, aperture ring, exposure compensation, or ISO sensitivity ring. There is also an MF-AF switch on the barrel.

This lens, like all the other Z series lenses, uses a focus-by-wire stepping motor, autofocus is reliable, precise and quick. The lens is weather sealed and the front element has a fluorine coating for repelling moisture and dust.

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S

Optical Features

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 Z MTF Chart

As we saw in the review of the Nikon Nikkor Z 24mm f/1.8 S, this Z 35mm f/1.8 S also presents an impressive MTF chart, maybe not as impressive but not at all far from it. Let’s see how it is in real-life tests!

Sharpness

Let’s look at the three points marked in the following image to see how the sharpness in the center, mid-frame, and corner of the image is.

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z7II | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/5.6

Infinity (Nikon Z7II)

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z7ii | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | Infinity Sharpness
  • f/1.8: Center and mid-frame sharpness is very good but partially due to the LoCA it cannot reach the excellent sharpness we would expect from a Nikkor S lens. The corners start a bit weaker here, but they are good.
  • f/2.8: Most of the LoCA seems to be gone and sharpness and contrast have raised to excellent in the center and midframe, corners are good but still weaker
  • f/2.8: Perfect sharpness in the center, like the best you can get from the very best lenses ever can deliver, The mid-frame is excellent and now the corner is very good. Excellent contrast across the frame.
  • f/4: The Center is still perfect,  the Midframe almost as good and the corners very good but still there is a visible difference between the center’s perfect sharpness and the corner’s.
  • f/5.6: The center and midframe have perfect sharpness, and now even corners reach excellent sharpness.
  • f/8: Center more or less the same, midframe and corners are now even better than before
  • f/11: Center sharpness gets a small hit, although still excellent, mid-frame and corners have also got a small hit from the diffraction effect
  • f/16: Some more decrease in sharpness everywhere and now it seems that we have the most even sharpness across the whole frame at a very good level but weaker than f/8 and f/11

Note that these tests were done on a Nikon Z7II with a 46 Mp sensor, which is quite demanding. Tests on a Z6 camera would show much better results.

Portrait (Nikon Z6)

Let’s look at the portrait distance at the very center, the center’s inner periphery  (1/3 rule intersection), and the center’s outer periphery (mid-frame), points of interest for portraits.

The center sharpness is excellent at f/1.8 and the inner and outer center peripheries are not far behind, they are actually almost as good as the center. At f/2.8 we have excellent sharpness in all three points and at f/4 the same.

Close-up (Nikon Z6)

Sharpness at close distance is really good right from wide open at f/1.8, the contrast is not excellent though. By f/2.8 both sharpness and contrast rise to an excellent level. It is almost impossible to see any change from f/2.8 to f/11, excellent sharpness and contrast, First at f/16 you can see a small decrease in sharpness due to the diffraction effect.

Lens Distortion

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S Distortion shot | Nikon Z6

With in-camera corrections off, you will see a very small barrel distortion. If you use Lightroom, it will automatically fix the distortion for you. Turn on the in-camera corrections and you’ll not see much of the distortion even if you use other software and you have a lot of straight lines near the edge of the image, it is very easy to correct

Vignetting

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S Vignetting Chart | Nikon Z6

In-camera corrections have been off during the test. A moderate vignetting at f/1.8 is on level with other 35mm lenses. It brightens up at f/2.8, at f/4 it is at 2/3 of a stop and just a little improvement at f/5.6. It is a little bit better than other 35mm lenses.

f/1.8: 2.2 EV
f/2.8:  1.2 EV
f/4.0: 0,7 EV
f/5.6: 0,65 EV

Keep in-camera corrections on and you will not notice any vignetting

Flare Resistance

As expected from a Nikkor Z S lens the flare is controlled very well. If you really push it to the extreme situations, you can see some very slight veiling in a small part of the image but even in those situations they never are even close to ruining the image. The Nikon guys have got this right, a fantastic job in controlling the flare.

In the following set of shots, I tried hard to challenge the lens and get the sun in the most difficult positions in the frame, to see how bad the results can get. These are the worst results I could get from this lens during an extensive use  (several years). The results are not too bad at all, quite impressive in fact.

Lens Aberrations

From the the test shot series in the following, we can see that there is no focus shift present, which is very good.

From the same test shot series (above) we can see that longitudinal chromatic aberration is visible at f/1.8 and f/2.8. Most of it is gone at f/4  though and should not be visible in normal cases. At f/5.6 and smaller apertures, it disappears completely.

Lateral chromatic aberration is very well controlled and you normally will not see any of it.

Coma

This 35mm lens suffers from coma at f/1.8 to f/2.8 but it will disappear from f/4.

Sunstars

Normally you should not expect nice sunstars from 9-bladed apertures, especially if the blades are rounded, like in this lens, but like we have seen with a few other Nikon lenses with 9 rounded blades, this lens can produce very nice and distinct sunstars from about f/8, especially from f/11 and smaller apertures if the light sources are bright and small.

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/11
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/11

Focus Breathing

The Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 is very well optimized to cope with focus breathing. Almost no focus breathing at all.

Nikon Z6 | Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | Focus Breathing

Bokeh

Bokeh’s beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Personally I’m a little indecisive about the bokeh of this lens. It is not bad at all, never distracting and nice in most situations, especially at close distances, but it is not perfect to me. As you can see from the bokeh balls, there is some hint of onion rings in the highlights and there is a green rim around the bokeh balls at the transition from light to dark. We can also see the optical vignetting in the corner (right), which is not  bad compared to similar lenses.

So, how is the bokeh in real life, let’s have a look at some samples!

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8

In these scenarios, the Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S produces a nice and soft bokeh,  both at close and medium distance. I cannot complain about much here. What about more challenging backgrounds?

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8

In these scenarios with a lot of small highlights and high contrast in in the background, the bokeh can get a little busy to my taste, but it is highly subjective. Have a look at the bokeh here and in other sample images throughout the review and see how you like it.

Conclusion

I LIKE AVERAGE I DON’T LIKE
Sharpness
Flare resistance
Distortion control
Sunstars
Vignetting
LaCA
Bokeh+
LoCA
Coma
Size
Price

The Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S has a lot of good qualities, qualifying its “S” designation with excellent sharpness, contrast (even with back lighted scenes), flare resistance, and nice sunstars. The bokeh is never very distracting and is nice in most situations, but it could be better (just my opinion).

Although it has relatively good chromatic aberrations control, coma correction, and bokeh, I rated them average just because I would have expected even better performance from a Nikkor “S” lens at the price of €800 for a f/1.8 lens. That being said, those “average” qualities are much better than both average and other competitors in the same class.

Handling and build quality are very good. If you want to stick to the Nikon Z mount, this is your best bet, it is the best 35mm lens Nikon has made, I think €800 is a little too much for an f/1.8 lens though, especially as it, in a couple of areas, is not perfect. Otherwise, you may find better options that you can adapt to Nikon Z, then of course you need a mount adapter for that.

If you are interested in buying this lens or any of the lenses in the Alternatives section, you can support our efforts by using the links below or given under each lens. It won’t cost you a penny and it won’t affect the price, but it will help us a little.

Affiliate Links:
Buy new: amazon.com, amazon.de, amazon.co.uk, amazon.fr, amazon.com.au $800 (Affiliate links)
Buy used: ebay.com, ebay.de, ebay.co.uk, ebay.fr, ebay.com.au  ≈$600 (Affiliate links)

Alternatives

This is not an exhaustive alternatives list but only a list of a few alternatives.

Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.8G ED
The predecessor of the Nikon Z 35/1.8 in Nikon F mount, you need FTZ adapter to use on Nikon Z cameras. It performs very well, but not in the same league as Nikon Z 35/1.8. Wide open sharpness in the center is comparable but in the corners or stopped down in the center, the Z version is far sharper. It is less expensive though at about $530 new.
Buy new: amazoncom, amazon.de, amazon.co.uk, amazon.fr, amazon.com.au $520 (Affiliate links)
Buy used: ebay.com, ebay.de, ebay.co.uk, ebay.fr, ebay.com.au ≈$250-$350 (Affiliate links)

Viltrox 35mm f/1.8 Z-mount
The Viltrox is also autofocus and available in native Z mount. Not as sharp as Nikkor Z 35/1.8 and no weather sealing, nor the fancy coatings of the Nikkor lens but it is half the price. If you’d like to have a native mount lens with similar features and handling like the the Nikon Z lenses but are on budget, this is the lens for you.
Buy new: Viltrox online store and get discount with coupon code MARTINMH or
Buy new: amazon.com, amazon.de, amazon.co.uk, amazon.fr, amazon.com.au for $380 (Affiliate links)
Buy used: ebay.com, ebay.de, ebay.co.uk, ebay.fr, ebay.com.au  ≈$320 (Affiliate links)

Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR 35mm f/2 Aspherical
This lens is available in Nikon Z mount, manual focus, it has better LoCA control but is beaten by Nikkor Z 35/1.8 in all the other categories. This Voigtländer is 1/3 stop slower but even more expensive than the Nikkor Z 35/1.8. Some people actually prefer manual focus lenses and there are people who adore Voigtländer lenses, are you one of them, then this is the lens for you.
Buy new: amazon.com, amazon.de, amazon.co.uk, amazon.fr, amazon.com.au $999 (Affiliate links)
Buy used: ebay.com, ebay.de, ebay.co.uk, ebay.fr, ebay.com.au  ≈$850 (Affiliate links)

Tamron 35mm f1.8 VC
Availabe in Nikon F mount and more or less on par with Nikon AF-S 1.8G. For a price of $600 new, I see no reason why you’d want to buy this lens instead of Nikon AF-S 35/1.8G.
Buy new: Amazon.com, Amazon.de, amazon.co.uk, Amazon.fr amazon.com.au for $ (Affiliate links)
Buy used: ebay.com, ebay.de, ebay.co.uk, ebay.fr, ebay.com.au  (Affiliate links)

But if you have the FTZ mount and are willing to use that to adapt other Nikon F mount lenses you could also get 35mm f/1.4 lenses.

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art
2/3 of a stop faster, it has good build quality and is good optically. Designed for DSLRs (including Nikon F), but adaptable to mirrorless cameras. This is price-wise the closest f/1.4 35mm to the Nikon Z 35/1.8 at $900 new, it is only $100 more expensive, (actually, I found that this lens is on sales at Amazon for only $700 in the US and €780 in the EU). It is available in Nikon F mount and almost all the other mounts but not in Nikon Z.
Buy new:  amazon.com, amazon.de, amazon.co.uk, amazon.fr, amazon.com.au $700-$900 (Affiliate links)
Buy used: ebay.com, ebay.de, ebay.co.uk, ebay.fr, ebay.com.au  from ≈$300 (Affiliate links)

Tamron SP 35mm f/1.4 Di USD Lens for Nikon F
This is 35/1.4 lens is $100 cheaper at $700. It is newer, bigger and heavier than Sigma 35/1.4, mentioned above. Compared to the Sigma. this Tamron seems to be marginally sharper when looking at test chart shots or MTF measurements but in real-world use cases it is difficult to see if the Tamron is sharper at that level. Tamron has the weather-sealing advantage. Coma difference is subtle to negligible. Chromatic aberration I would say is a draw.
It also seems that this Tamron has somewhat better AF accuracy.
Flare resistance, the Sigma has got the upper hand.
In size and weight, the Sigma wins hands down.
I personally value the size very highly,  therefor I personally see no reason to buy this, when you can get the Sigma Art f/1.4 for the same price or cheaper. But if the slightly better sharpness, marginally better Coma and weather sealing, weigh heavier to you go for this Tamron.

Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.4G
Nikon’s 35mm flagship in F mount at $1700, I would not spend my money on this one as I could get the Sigma for almost half the price.

More Sample Images

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/13
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/10

 

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/2
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8

 

Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Z6 | Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8
Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9
Nikon Z6 | Nikon Nikkor Z 35/1.8 S | f/1.8

Most of the sample images in this review and many more can be found in higher resolution here.

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Martin

Martin M.H. lives outside Stockholm, Sweden. He is a M.Sc. in Computer Technology but he has been a passionate photographer for over 45 years. He started his photographic adventures when he was thirteen with an Agfamatic pocket camera, which he soon replaced with a Canon rangefinder camera that his mom gave him in his teenages. After that he has been using Canon SLR, Nikon SLR manual focus and Autofocus, Sony mirrorless crop sensor, Nikon DSLR and Nikon Mirrorless. He has photographed any genre he could throughout the years and you can see all kind of images in his portfolio. During the later years though it has been mostly landscape, nature, travel and some street/documentary photography.

24 thoughts on “Review: Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S”

  1. I am wondering about this opinion:
    “Tamron SP 35mm f/1.4 Di USD Lens for Nikon F.
    Actually no reason to buy this, when you can get the Sigma Art f/1.4 fro the same price.”
    I recall LensRentals was speaking very high about the Tamron lens, after their bench testing. I had an impression it is at least as good the Sigma counterpart. Why do you rank it lower?

    1. I did not rank it lower but I wrote there is no reason to grab than one before the Sigma because the Tamron is both bigger and heavier, it also sells for a little more money without offering a clear or huge advantage, so I personally think that there is no reason to go for that if you can get the Sigma Art.

  2. Thank you, as always, for the review. However, I take issue with the same line as the (at the time of writing) only other commenter – “Actually no reason to buy this, when you can get the Sigma Art f/1.4 fro the same price or cheaper.” The Tamron has very decisive advantages to the Sigma, better sharpness aside (as the Sigma is sufficient in that department imo). Weather sealing, focus accuracy, LoCA, flare performance, sunstars, and the bokeh is generally seen as smoother, though of course that one’s very subjective.

    I am unsure about ever picking up the Tammy, but if I do – I’d pick up the F Mount version, and I take it you have an FTZ, so I’d gladly send it over for testing.

    1. Thanks. It seems that there are a few Tamron users here. As I have not tested the lenses myself I had to rely on other tests and now as there are two comments on this I had to do a vaster research, thanks for that.
      Yes, Tamron seems to be marginally sharper, when looking at test chart shots or MTF measurements but in real-world use cases it is difficult to see if the Tamron is sharper at that level.
      Yes, Tamron has the weather-sealing advantage, I’ve mentioned. Coma difference is really subtle, negligible.
      The AF accuracy also seems to be a little better with Tamron, but again just a little.
      Chromatic aberration I would say is a draw.
      In flare resistance, the Sigma has got the upper hand.
      In size and weight, the Sigma wins hands down.
      I personally value the size very highly, but to be fair I add these findings to the alternative list and will underline that it is my personal opinion.

    2. By the way, yes, I have the FTZ adapter, and I welcome the idea of receiving one of these lenses on loan for test. If you do so in the near future, I can do a side by side comparison with the Nikkor Z 35/1.8 too, as I still have that lens. Are you a Nikon user? Are you within the EU zone?

      1. I’m from Germany and I use a D750. The thing that’s making me unsure about a Tammy purchase is that I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the focal length, I generally go 50mm and feel safer there. Won’t be in the near future either way, unfortunately, as I have no income right now, but I’ll hit you up whenever that changes, okay?

      2. I live in EU (Germany) and can lend you my Tamron 35/1.4 (F-mount version) copy for testing for a few weeks, or even longer, if needed, free of charge. How can I contact you for discussing details?

        1. That would be nice. Either DM me on our Instagram account (@phillipreeve).
          Or send email to “sthlm360.mh@gmail.com”

  3. I have the 40mm f/2 for a fraction of the price. I’m wondering how it compares… I shot a Pentax 40mm f/2.8 as a normal “pancake” and loved it. That’s why I went for the 40mm. I use it for street photography when hiding my camara under my coat. I also shoot the new 24mm f/2.8 on my APC Z50 for street photography. Just wondering whether the 35 f/1.8 is enough better to consider buying it? 40mm f/2 seems really sharp, light and cheap.

    1. I like 40mm focal length a lot and have had a couple of them and I still have one old vintage lens that I have used on my Z camera.
      The Z 35 is clearly a better lens than the Z 40 but if it is good enough to consider replacing the 40mm for you? I don’t think anybody can answer that except yourself.
      I have not compared them side-by-side, but it is on my to-do list, time? TBD…

  4. This is an objectively fantastic lens that doesn’t work for me as I sense it didn’t work for you. something about the rendering just feels off somehow. Not just the bokeh, there is a uniform flatness or dullness despite the high contrast and vibrant color.

    1. I am not sure if it has not worked for me, after all I have kept this lens a while, because as I wrote in the article and what I believe, this is your best bet if you want a Z mount 35mm lens at the moment. Is it perfect? Am I in love with this lens? Hardly, is then answer to both.

  5. Thanks for the review Martin. You did a wonderful job and it seems to be a really excellent lens. However, sorry to be negative, but I really don’t think the Nikkor Z dominates the Voigtlander Apo in really anything. I think it is on the same level in terms of distortion control, bokeh, vignetting, etc. However, the Voigtlander is certainly sharper everywhere wide open, especially in the corners. The voigtlander is nearly as sharp and contrasty in the corners wide open as it is in the center stopped down. Additionally, I think the voigtlander exceeds in contrast just slightly.

    1. Thanks a lot Scott.
      No worries, the critics make it more interesting and show that readers are engaged, it is a good sign. Again, I had to deep dive to come up with a fair comparison.
      Regarding the sharpness; here we are talking about MTF charts measurements and differences of 5-6 lines per mm (lpmm) at the level of 60-80, 5 lpmm difference at that level is not distinguishable by naked eyes. But let’s have a closer look: The Voigtländer is sharper at f/2 by about 11-12 lpmm in the center, the Nikkor gets sharper in the center att all the other shared apertures from 2.8 to f16.
      Voigtänder is sharper in midframe between f2 and f4 (3 stops), the Nikkor is sharper between f5.6 and f16 (4 stops).
      Voigtländer is sharper in corner at f2-f2.8 (2 stops), The Nikkor sharper at f4 to f16 (5 stops).
      So, to me it looks like the Nikkor beats the Voigtländer both in the center, midframe and corner (Especially as the center sharpness weighs more than other places).
      Yes, the Voigländer wins the sharpness at f/2 everywhere. But f/1.8 the Nikkor wins by nockout.
      In vignetting department the Nikkor is the winner.
      In flare resistance, the Voigländer is good but again the Nikkor beats it as it maintains the contrast a little better and almost no lens flare/ghosting, while the Voigländer has a small tendency for that.
      in terms of bokeh, I didn’t really like Voigländer’s bokeh and found it rather harsh, I prefer the Nikon, but bokeh is a subjective matter.
      The Nikkor has weather sealing, Voigtländer does not,
      Nikkor is AF, Voigtländer is not.
      The Nikkor is cheaper.
      It is fair to say that the Nikkor beats the Voigtänder in every category.
      Only in sharpness categery, and only at f/2, the Voigtländer beats the Nikkor.

  6. I guess the main problem of 35s is the high bar to beat set by 50s 🙂 Objectively, that’s the way to go on Z if you can afford it, viltrox has no advantages except of the price

    1. Problem? Competition is a good thing.
      Yes, the Z 50/1.8 S is a better lens but it is a 50mm.
      Yes, Viltrox has only the price advantage without being bad, the Nikkor is simply the better of the two.

  7. It’s good to see the new Nikkor S primes being reviewed, thank you for doing it. I’ve used a few of them and found them to be great, including this 35mm. Nikon also seems to value a cohesive rendering across the lens range which I very much appreciate.

  8. I’m glad you are doing some Nikon reviews too. Nikon mirrorless shooters exist 😀 In my country Sony has smashed the local market however.

    I shoot a Nikon Z7II but I have all but migrated all my non tele lenses to Sony E mount options using Megadap ETZ-21 adapter. AF is just as fast. Manual focus aids are better on an adapter compared to native ( available on adapted, not on native 3rd part mf lenses). I lose weather sealing and gain one more electronic component that can fail. Nikon Z mount doesn’t have as many third party lenses and it’s not because the mount is newer but Nikon is controlling competition.

    A free market means more competition and better quality lenses.

    What does this all have to do with Nikon’s 35mm f1.8 Z lens is I use Sony 35mm GM on adapter. The cost of acquiring the lens was not much different (a bit more expensive) in my country. Compared to f1.8 Z, the GM is the superior do it all lens with similar size but more hefty.

    As a Nikon lover with loads of legacy glass, some tele lenses that are still being used and even an Otus 55mm I haven’t been able to sell (PS: Voigtlander 50mm APO! David vs Goliath),

    I don’t like how Nikon is going so soft on LOCA & coma control in some lenses. I shoot astro after all.

    My current non-tele modernized FE set on Z mount:
    Sigma 21mm DG DN (lovely lens, big and fat but weight is ok bought it for astro, no regrets)
    35mm GM: Such size, performance and parameters is not available on Z mount. If they release an 35mm f1.2 it will be big and much more expensive
    50mm f2 Voigtlander APO: I chose FE mount and using with adapter. Easier to sell. Better manual focusing aids adapted compared to native Z mount version of these lenses which is crazy.
    50mm f1.2 GM: Smaller and less expensive than its Nikon counterpart. I’m sure the Nikon version is brilliant as well but my choice was one of economics and going full FE lenses now.
    65mm f2 Voigtlander APO: Same story, 50mm gets more use nowadays.
    110mm f2.5 Voigtlander APO: Beautiful lens.

    PS: Have used 50mm f1.8 Z lens, it doesn’t suffer LOCA (very little) and overall a very nice convenient lens without any big faults. Easier to design 50mm lenses compared to 35mm which is still wide I guess.

    1. Cool, this was the second Nikon Z lens review, there have been a few Nikon Ai-S REVIEWS AS WELL.
      I’m going to do a comparison test between different 35mm lenses from different brands soon.
      If you are in an EU country and can part from your 35mm lenses, you can send your lens(es) to participate in the test.
      Regards
      Martin

  9. Nice review, thanks a lot I really like all your reviews. But I would recommend used Nikkor 35mm 1.4G, its Haruo Sato design, wide open it can looks softer, but this lens renders beautifuly. It was my main lens for almost 10 years and main wedding combo. I have all 24 1.4G, 35 1.4G, 28 1.4E and 50 1.2S and 85 1.4. From all these lenses if I have to chose just one, it will be Nikkor 35mm 1.4gm, its not sharp as 28 1.4e or modern Z lenses, but it renders beautifuly and bokeh best from all 35mm. You can purchase used copy in very good condition for few hundred bucks.

    1. I am not such a big fan of the 24mm 1.4G and 35mm 1.4G (as well as the 58mm 1.4G).
      Their rear focus design was extremely prone to focus inaccuracies when we still had to use DSLRs and the amount of longitudinal CA was really from another world.
      I am glad they changed their design criteria after that generation of lenses.

  10. After I published this review, there have been several voices that have championed other 35mm lenses, they’ve been from Nikon, Tamron, Sigma, Voigtländer, etc.
    Well, I decided to do a side-by-side test of all the 35mm lenses I can get hold of on loans.
    If anybody of you readers have a 35mm lens that you would like to see in this comparison test and you can part from your lens a couple of weeks and you live within EU, you are more than welcome to lend it to med to do the test.
    Up do now I have got a Tamron 35/1.4. A Nikon 35/1.4 Ai-S manual lens is on its way, and another Sigma 35/1.4 HSM Art is also on its way from another reader.
    Voigtländer, Sony, or other brands can be of interest. DM me if you are in.

    /Martin

    Let’s see how many I gather

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