Thanks for the detailed review. I think distortion isn’t a huge problem if corrected version doesn’t have big optical problems. Maybe you’d like to go back and rewrite some lens reviews :) I’d love to see “but this isn’t a big problem” in other brands’ reviews as well.
Which review are you thinking of? I’ve tried to mention the correctable nature of distortion in all my reviews. Although if the level is especially high, corrections can come at the cost of a loss in corner sharpness when stretching those pixels back into place.
Fabrice
October 20, 2024 1:46 am
Thank you for the review. Considering the sharpness and bokeh quality of tamron 35mm f lenses, sure I won’t switch to z lenses on my hybrid! The 1.4 is stunning and the 1.8 vc, in addition to stabilisation and bokeh has near macro capabilities. I even don’t understand why Nikon and tamron do not produce equivalent models on z mount.
I have a Tamron 35 1.4 and I plan to buy a Z 35 1.4. Tamron 35 1.4 is a fantastic lens. But together with the adapter, it weighs a kilogram. That’s why I don’t take him on trips. These lenses do not compete. On a trip, I wear a fix when I shoot in the dark and have to raise the ISO. And when the ISO is raised, the detail decreases, respectively, the effect of the lens on the final result in terms of sharpness is leveled. Buying the Z 35 1.8S is less attractive due to the presence of the Z 40 f/2.
Richard
October 17, 2024 10:51 am
I was looking for a good everyday lens for my Z5–for walking around with the family or on vacation. I like a faster lens that I can use indoors and in the evening and don’t like to carry too much gear around. I have typically used a fast 50mm for this, but one of the main reasons I upgraded to full frame was to go a little wider than what the DX lenses had to offer. I took this lens on a recent trip to Maine and I really enjoyed using it. Images with the ocean horizon needed some distortion correction (which was no big deal), but otherwise I was very happy with the results. Nighttime street pictures were especially good, and portraits with an expansive background were solid (and much more natural looking than with my 20mm lens). If you are looking for a super-sharp lens with a more technically perfect look, this is not your lens. Pictures have a similar feel to what you get from vintage and many AF-S primes, but with better sharpness and more image quality than older lenses. Unless I am planning on something specialized like portraits or long telephoto or super-wide pics, I feel perfectly fine walking out of the house with only this lens and nothing else—except maybe to add a circular polarizer for very bright sunny days.
You can divide the numbers in our full-frame MTF tests by 1.5 to see what the numbers would be on an APS-C camera with the same pixel density. (Look at the center for the APS-C center, and the midframes for the APS-C corner.)
I did actually test the Nikon Z 24mm f/1.7 in the lab already and published it on our Member Page. It’s not bad, but not really any better than the DX zooms.
Tony
October 16, 2024 2:04 pm
Great article on the Z 35/1.4. What also caught my interest was your use of the Z7 for your sample photos. With the various Z bodies that have succeeded the Z7, I’ve been tempted to “upgrade” but have resisted because, for the type of pictures I usually take (landscape, family, and street), I’m not convinced the new Zs would be a significant improvement. Obviously, I really like my Z7, but I’m curious about why you continue to use it for your articles like this, as opposed to other options.
Thank you, Tony! I still like my Nikon Z7 a lot as a landscape photographer. Great image quality and extremely nice files at ISO 64.
I’d be willing to upgrade to the Z7 II or the Z8, but for the money, I haven’t seen the need yet. If I did sports or wildlife, it would be a different story, and I’d get a Z8 yesterday.
As for the Z7 II, I considered it, but decided against. The main improvements for me would have been the clutter-free live view option, and the dual memory card slots. There are other advantages here and there, but a good lens will go further than a camera upgrade at this point in my photography.
Eddie Clark
October 16, 2024 10:07 am
Objectively, this is a very interesting lens, and I’d say a very good street photography lens. I’ve easily shot 100,000+ photos with the Nikon AFS 35mm 1.4G lens, and it was one of my very favorite F-mounts because of its wonderfully fast bright quality and the gentle feel of its bokeh. Yes, ‘feel’, lenses do have character and feel just like every tool has a special purpose. But, it sometimes takes thousands and thousands of photos to truly understand a lens- it’s something that an mtf chart will never definitively tell you. I was genuinely sad when I sold my 1.4G with the rest of my F-mount gear after converting to the Z system because I knew there wasn’t a Z lens that could replace it at that time. Change is a constant though, and I was cognizant and open to the new techincal possibilities of the Z system and had faith in Nikon’s new path.
That said, I’ve already taken thousands of photos with the new Nikon Z 35mm f1.4 lens. In fact, as soon as it was announced I placed my pre-order and got my NPS priority request in for it. I’ve since used it for work many times (action and event) and even took it as my only lens on a family trip to Scotland to really get acquainted it. The thing about this lens that most reviews seem to miss is that it’s a typical, and I think very good, street lens: light, inobtrusive and fast. For sure the bokeh isn’t as good as the older 1.4G, but at f1.4 it’s certainly better than the 1.8S. It also doesn’t have the clinical sharp feel of the 1.8S, which I think is a big plus. AF performance is also quite good to the point of splitting hairs in the difference between the 1.8S, but certainly not expectedly close to something like the 70-200 2.8S either. I wouldn’t grab it first if taking astro, studio work or landscape photos, but it’s also not what I think this lens is for either.
If you can wrap your head around what I’ve said so far about this lens, then you just might enjoy it, or you might not like the bokeh at all as that’s often a subjective assesment (yes, I know there are ideal bokeh qualities, but ‘feel and character’ are personal). Either way, the price is beyond competitive for a f1.4 lens. When I’m taking low light and environmental portrait style photo’s, I get just as excited to put this lens on my camera as I do my Z 24mm 1.8S and almost as excited as using my Z 50mm 1.2S.
Thanks for sharing this perspective, Eddie, it’s very useful! Especially coming from someone who’s shot with the AF-S 35mm f/1.4G so much. The Z 35mm f/1.4 is an excellent street photography lens for all the reasons you mention. And to your point about background blur, this lens probably proves the adage “bokeh is subjective” more than any other lens I’ve tested!
Valters
October 15, 2024 12:41 pm
I have this lens and I like it. 1.8S I didn’t even consider, because, I found it boring. With f1.4 U can make subject to “pop” much more, also bokeh, imho, is smoother. In comparison section would be interesting to see it against Sigma art 35 1.4. I had 40mmZ, sold it quite fast, didn’t enjoy it at all.
Glad you’re enjoying it! We did test the Sigma Art 35mm f/1.4 back in the day (not the newer Sony mirrorless version, though). The Z 35mm f/1.4 is sharper overall, but the Sigma wins at f/1.4 specifically:
Thanks for response, super cool. I my memories Sigma was much sharper, but it turns out it wasn’t. :) Ether way, this 35mm 1.4 holds its positions very well in my portrait lens line up against 50 1.2S, 85 1.2S, Sigma Art 24 1.4. ;) I recommend it very strongly if U don’t need clinical clean shots. And lets be honest, portraiture isn’t about sharpness.
It’s amazing how far lenses have come in the last 10 years. The Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art was just about best-in-class for a 35mm at the time it was released. And objectively, it’s still a very sharp lens today. It goes to show that our standards have just gotten ridiculous recently.
Nightjar
October 15, 2024 10:46 am
I had high hopes for this lens, but the bokeh is a bit of a disappointment. I might still buy it someday, but the review and sample images don’t tempt me to order it right away – not your fault, though, Spencer! Great work as always. Maybe I have to try it out myself sometime…
Thanks Nightjar! It’s worth trying if you get the chance. I’d say the same whenever a purchase decision comes down to something more subjective like bokeh or handling.
Yeah, I’ll try to get a hand on it if possible. I like the idea of the lens and the general optical quality a lot. Also the function ring is a great feature for me, I value it much more than an AF/MF switch.
Felix
October 15, 2024 9:22 am
This lens really surprises me by better center sharpness than 35mm 1.8s at F 2.0. So this is a sharp lens, but when it comes to bokeh, coma or chromatic aberration it falls behind the sline. Difficult choice for customers, but personally I will still go with 35mm 1.8s for better overall IQ.
Yes, the 35mm f/1.8 S definitely has the better image quality of the two. I would also add flare to your list. The 35mm f/1.4 did surprise me with its sharpness, though – not too far behind the 35mm f/1.8 S in that regard.
Isn’t the 35/1.8 one of the weaker f/1.8s in Nikon’s Z-mount series? It appears that the 20, 50, and 85 are pretty spectacular, while the 35 is pretty good but does not blow your socks off (I would not count the 135 as part of that series, but it is no slouch either, allegedly ;) ).
I disagree regarding bokeh. I’ve owned both and much prefer the F1.4
Russ
October 15, 2024 7:45 am
It really annoys me that they release inferior 1.4 range when they don’t have many great options in that focal area. I sold the 35mm 1.8S as it was poor quality. Even though this lens has 1.4, the background looks awful to me.
The 35mm f/1.8 S is arguably the weakest of Nikon’s f/1.8 S-line primes, but that’s still a very high bar. Any chance you had a bad copy, or are you talking about some other image quality dimension than sharpness?
I didn’t like the rendition of the lens at all. It seemed very edgy which is the issue with the 1.8’s. As a wedding photographer is was hard to create a pleasing look
Thanks for the detailed review.
I think distortion isn’t a huge problem if corrected version doesn’t have big optical problems.
Maybe you’d like to go back and rewrite some lens reviews :) I’d love to see “but this isn’t a big problem” in other brands’ reviews as well.
Which review are you thinking of? I’ve tried to mention the correctable nature of distortion in all my reviews. Although if the level is especially high, corrections can come at the cost of a loss in corner sharpness when stretching those pixels back into place.
Thank you for the review. Considering the sharpness and bokeh quality of tamron 35mm f lenses, sure I won’t switch to z lenses on my hybrid! The 1.4 is stunning and the 1.8 vc, in addition to stabilisation and bokeh has near macro capabilities. I even don’t understand why Nikon and tamron do not produce equivalent models on z mount.
I have a Tamron 35 1.4 and I plan to buy a Z 35 1.4. Tamron 35 1.4 is a fantastic lens. But together with the adapter, it weighs a kilogram. That’s why I don’t take him on trips.
These lenses do not compete. On a trip, I wear a fix when I shoot in the dark and have to raise the ISO. And when the ISO is raised, the detail decreases, respectively, the effect of the lens on the final result in terms of sharpness is leveled.
Buying the Z 35 1.8S is less attractive due to the presence of the Z 40 f/2.
I was looking for a good everyday lens for my Z5–for walking around with the family or on vacation. I like a faster lens that I can use indoors and in the evening and don’t like to carry too much gear around. I have typically used a fast 50mm for this, but one of the main reasons I upgraded to full frame was to go a little wider than what the DX lenses had to offer. I took this lens on a recent trip to Maine and I really enjoyed using it. Images with the ocean horizon needed some distortion correction (which was no big deal), but otherwise I was very happy with the results. Nighttime street pictures were especially good, and portraits with an expansive background were solid (and much more natural looking than with my 20mm lens). If you are looking for a super-sharp lens with a more technically perfect look, this is not your lens. Pictures have a similar feel to what you get from vintage and many AF-S primes, but with better sharpness and more image quality than older lenses. Unless I am planning on something specialized like portraits or long telephoto or super-wide pics, I feel perfectly fine walking out of the house with only this lens and nothing else—except maybe to add a circular polarizer for very bright sunny days.
That sounds like precisely the intended use case of this lens. Glad you’re enjoying it so far!
Can’t wait to see how the 24mm 1.7 stacks up for us apsc shooters.
You can divide the numbers in our full-frame MTF tests by 1.5 to see what the numbers would be on an APS-C camera with the same pixel density. (Look at the center for the APS-C center, and the midframes for the APS-C corner.)
I did actually test the Nikon Z 24mm f/1.7 in the lab already and published it on our Member Page. It’s not bad, but not really any better than the DX zooms.
Great article on the Z 35/1.4. What also caught my interest was your use of the Z7 for your sample photos. With the various Z bodies that have succeeded the Z7, I’ve been tempted to “upgrade” but have resisted because, for the type of pictures I usually take (landscape, family, and street), I’m not convinced the new Zs would be a significant improvement. Obviously, I really like my Z7, but I’m curious about why you continue to use it for your articles like this, as opposed to other options.
Thank you, Tony! I still like my Nikon Z7 a lot as a landscape photographer. Great image quality and extremely nice files at ISO 64.
I’d be willing to upgrade to the Z7 II or the Z8, but for the money, I haven’t seen the need yet. If I did sports or wildlife, it would be a different story, and I’d get a Z8 yesterday.
As for the Z7 II, I considered it, but decided against. The main improvements for me would have been the clutter-free live view option, and the dual memory card slots. There are other advantages here and there, but a good lens will go further than a camera upgrade at this point in my photography.
Objectively, this is a very interesting lens, and I’d say a very good street photography lens. I’ve easily shot 100,000+ photos with the Nikon AFS 35mm 1.4G lens, and it was one of my very favorite F-mounts because of its wonderfully fast bright quality and the gentle feel of its bokeh. Yes, ‘feel’, lenses do have character and feel just like every tool has a special purpose. But, it sometimes takes thousands and thousands of photos to truly understand a lens- it’s something that an mtf chart will never definitively tell you. I was genuinely sad when I sold my 1.4G with the rest of my F-mount gear after converting to the Z system because I knew there wasn’t a Z lens that could replace it at that time. Change is a constant though, and I was cognizant and open to the new techincal possibilities of the Z system and had faith in Nikon’s new path.
That said, I’ve already taken thousands of photos with the new Nikon Z 35mm f1.4 lens. In fact, as soon as it was announced I placed my pre-order and got my NPS priority request in for it. I’ve since used it for work many times (action and event) and even took it as my only lens on a family trip to Scotland to really get acquainted it. The thing about this lens that most reviews seem to miss is that it’s a typical, and I think very good, street lens: light, inobtrusive and fast. For sure the bokeh isn’t as good as the older 1.4G, but at f1.4 it’s certainly better than the 1.8S. It also doesn’t have the clinical sharp feel of the 1.8S, which I think is a big plus. AF performance is also quite good to the point of splitting hairs in the difference between the 1.8S, but certainly not expectedly close to something like the 70-200 2.8S either. I wouldn’t grab it first if taking astro, studio work or landscape photos, but it’s also not what I think this lens is for either.
If you can wrap your head around what I’ve said so far about this lens, then you just might enjoy it, or you might not like the bokeh at all as that’s often a subjective assesment (yes, I know there are ideal bokeh qualities, but ‘feel and character’ are personal). Either way, the price is beyond competitive for a f1.4 lens. When I’m taking low light and environmental portrait style photo’s, I get just as excited to put this lens on my camera as I do my Z 24mm 1.8S and almost as excited as using my Z 50mm 1.2S.
Thanks for sharing this perspective, Eddie, it’s very useful! Especially coming from someone who’s shot with the AF-S 35mm f/1.4G so much. The Z 35mm f/1.4 is an excellent street photography lens for all the reasons you mention. And to your point about background blur, this lens probably proves the adage “bokeh is subjective” more than any other lens I’ve tested!
I have this lens and I like it. 1.8S I didn’t even consider, because, I found it boring. With f1.4 U can make subject to “pop” much more, also bokeh, imho, is smoother.
In comparison section would be interesting to see it against Sigma art 35 1.4.
I had 40mmZ, sold it quite fast, didn’t enjoy it at all.
Glad you’re enjoying it! We did test the Sigma Art 35mm f/1.4 back in the day (not the newer Sony mirrorless version, though). The Z 35mm f/1.4 is sharper overall, but the Sigma wins at f/1.4 specifically:
Thanks for response, super cool. I my memories Sigma was much sharper, but it turns out it wasn’t. :)
Ether way, this 35mm 1.4 holds its positions very well in my portrait lens line up against 50 1.2S, 85 1.2S, Sigma Art 24 1.4. ;) I recommend it very strongly if U don’t need clinical clean shots. And lets be honest, portraiture isn’t about sharpness.
It’s amazing how far lenses have come in the last 10 years. The Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art was just about best-in-class for a 35mm at the time it was released. And objectively, it’s still a very sharp lens today. It goes to show that our standards have just gotten ridiculous recently.
I had high hopes for this lens, but the bokeh is a bit of a disappointment. I might still buy it someday, but the review and sample images don’t tempt me to order it right away – not your fault, though, Spencer! Great work as always.
Maybe I have to try it out myself sometime…
Thanks Nightjar! It’s worth trying if you get the chance. I’d say the same whenever a purchase decision comes down to something more subjective like bokeh or handling.
Yeah, I’ll try to get a hand on it if possible. I like the idea of the lens and the general optical quality a lot. Also the function ring is a great feature for me, I value it much more than an AF/MF switch.
This lens really surprises me by better center sharpness than 35mm 1.8s at F 2.0. So this is a sharp lens, but when it comes to bokeh, coma or chromatic aberration it falls behind the sline. Difficult choice for customers, but personally I will still go with 35mm 1.8s for better overall IQ.
Yes, the 35mm f/1.8 S definitely has the better image quality of the two. I would also add flare to your list. The 35mm f/1.4 did surprise me with its sharpness, though – not too far behind the 35mm f/1.8 S in that regard.
Isn’t the 35/1.8 one of the weaker f/1.8s in Nikon’s Z-mount series? It appears that the 20, 50, and 85 are pretty spectacular, while the 35 is pretty good but does not blow your socks off (I would not count the 135 as part of that series, but it is no slouch either, allegedly ;) ).
Yes – it’s a great lens, but I’d probably rate the 20mm, 50mm, and 85mm f/1.8 lenses as better. And the 135mm Plena is the best!
I disagree regarding bokeh. I’ve owned both and much prefer the F1.4
It really annoys me that they release inferior 1.4 range when they don’t have many great options in that focal area. I sold the 35mm 1.8S as it was poor quality. Even though this lens has 1.4, the background looks awful to me.
The 35mm f/1.8 S is arguably the weakest of Nikon’s f/1.8 S-line primes, but that’s still a very high bar. Any chance you had a bad copy, or are you talking about some other image quality dimension than sharpness?
I didn’t like the rendition of the lens at all. It seemed very edgy which is the issue with the 1.8’s. As a wedding photographer is was hard to create a pleasing look
Fair enough, I wonder if the F-mount 35mm f/1.4G would suit you better.