It’s perhaps hard to believe, but the Nikon hasn’t made an f/1.4 prime lens for the until now, some six year after its debut. Often regarded as the sweet spot the ability to create a beautiful shallow depth of field effect and optics which are required to be large, heavy and expensive, it’s perhaps a surprise that it has taken so long.
This 35mm f/1.4 you might naturally assume supersedes the already existing 35mm f/1.8 S lens, which was launched as one of just three lenses for the Z series debut.
However, both will still exist, with the older f/1.8 S actually being more expensive than its new f/1.4 sibling.
That goes against all the usual received wisdom that f/1.4 is generally better. The reason for this is the S designation, or rather lack thereof for the 35mm f/1.
4 lens. Without it, we know that this is not a lens which has been designed for sharpness and maximum optical quality. If you’ve not invested in a 35mm lens until now, you might be wondering which to get, while those who already have the f/1.
8 might be pondering whether they might like to trade it in. In this review we’ll be taking a close look at what makes most sense for both 35mm newbies and those who are already in posession of one. A classic length for street and documentary photography, a 35mm gives a fairly wide angle of view that allows for lots of the scene to be shown.
It’s also therefore good for other subjects including environmental portraiture, and even some types of landscape photograph.