Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.4G Lens

Product Information

Tamron was known in the past for focusing more on lightweight materials and construction, sometimes at the expense of durability or practical handling. However, that has changed completely with many of their latest lenses, especially their G2 zooms. Not only are they well-engineered to operate intuitively and smoothly, they’re built to be rugged and stand the test of time just as well as any name-brand optic. Pro: Autofocus RELIABILITY (WHEN CALIBRATED) Lateral chromatic aberrations, typically seen as blue or purple fringes along contrasty edges, are very well controlled with this lens - the examples below show the worst-case scenario. Just like other Nikon professional prime lenses, the new Nikon 35mm f/1.4 lens has a very high quality build. The outer barrel is made of plastic, but feels just like the expensive Nikon metal lenses, most likely due to the lens weight. It is designed to withstand tough weather and is well-protected on the outside against dust and moisture. I shot the lens in very dusty conditions in Utah with high winds and in one case ended up with plenty of dust and sand all over the lens during a hike through a sandy area of Arches National Park. It continued to function well without any problems. I wiped off the dust/sand with a regular brush and then thoroughly cleaned it with a wet piece of cloth after the hike, after which I used it for two more days without any mechanical or other failures. Lenses with a fixed focal length of 35mm are among the most popular ever. It stands between wide angle and normal lenses, taking the best of both. They can provide a nice field of view, minimal distortion, and a pleasant depth of field. In this review, I’ll take a look at one of the cheapest 35mm lenses available, the Pergear 35mm f/1.4. HOWEVER, upon close inspection (pixel-peeping) of cityscape image samples at 100%, I noticed something pretty impressive: While very large points of light weren’t offering up prominent sunstars until f/8-16, to my amazement I found that teeny-tiny, ultra-bright pin-point lights actually started forming sunstars upon stopping down just 1/3 stop to f/1.6.

When mirrorless cameras first started to take over, many photographers expected both the cameras and the lenses to be smaller than those of traditional DSLRs. However, this expectation has only been partially fulfilled. Some lenses downsize, while others have stayed the same or grown. That’s why I was so surprised when I took the Pergear 35mm f/1.4 out of the box. This type of behavior is expected from large aperture lenses, especially when they are mounted on full frame cameras. Other Nikon 35mm lenses and the Zeiss Distagon 35mm f/2.0 also show heavy amounts of vignetting at maximum aperture. These incredibly subjective aspects of image quality are always difficult to describe in written form. Again, I’d rather let the sample images do the talking.OK, first there’s the obvious comparison, that is, everybody wants to know how this flagship-grade Tamron 35mm f/1.4 compares against the other third-party 35mm f/1.4 flagship, the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art. Lens love is different than lens lust. You can lust after a new lens every day of the week. To build a loving relationship with a lens you must be committed to taking it out frequently and enjoying spending time with it.

Yes, Canon L lenses are known for having “that look”, a combination of beautiful colors, popping contrast, and buttery bokeh. But, the Tamron has a beautiful overall rendering of images, too! Maximum Aperture – the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G has a maximum aperture of f/1.8, while the Nikon 50mm f/1.4G has a maximum aperture of f/1.4. Both lenses are very fast, but the 50mm can pass through slightly more light than the 35mm lens.What I like on weddings is the Nikkor 200 f/2 VRI. Yes, it’s way to heavy to carry around all day, but it offers You unlimited opportunities in getting stunning pictures everyone will admire. It makes the difference. When it comes to autofocus performance, the Nikon 35mm f/1.4G behaves very similarly to the 24mm f/1.4G and other recently announced Nikon primes. The lens snaps into focus fairly well even in low-light situations, but the speed clearly lags behind the AF-D counterparts (see the AF performance comparison in the video). If you compare AF performance to the Nikon 14-24mm or Nikon 24-70mm lenses, you will see the difference right away – the latter autofocus faster. When the lens focuses, it virtually produces no noise, due to the Silent Wave Motor (SWM) technology in the lens. You will only hear a short lens snap when it gets to infinity and minimum distance marks. See an example of just how dark your image CAN be, if under-exposed to begin with. (The brighter image is with the lens correction profile activated) I’ve used a multitude of different lenses over the years, but never one that I have loved using so much as my 35mm f1.4.

Optically, this 35mm f/1.8 is superb, but not that much better than any of Nikon's other 35mm lenses or zooms in actual shooting. The reason get this 35mm is speed for shooting action in low-light (or for shooting slow 35mm film in iffy light), or if you need instant manual-focus override simply by grabbing the big focus ring. Otherwise, this new lens isn't much different in performance compared to Nikon's existing 35mm f/2 AF-D which is even smaller, lighter and less expensive.I’ll be totally honest: the strongest feeling I’m left with after shooting with the Tamron 35mm f/1.4 is, “where was this lens 5 years ago, when DSLRs were still king of the hill?” If these lenses are a bit too much for your budget, Nikon also made the lighter and cheaper version of this lens, the Nikon 85mm f/1.8G, which is another superb lens that works well on Z-mount and F-mount cameras. See my detailed Nikon 85mm f/1.4G Review and Nikon 85mm f/1.8G Review for more information on these lenses. NIKON D750 + 85mm f/1.4 @ 85mm, ISO 280, 1/200, f/2.0 Nikon 105mm f/1.4E Whether you choose the new 70-200mm f/2.8S FL VR or older versions, you will be happy to see that sharpness and color are outstanding at all focal lengths, while the bokeh is also superb. The only complaint that I have about the 70-200mm is its weight – it can be quite painful to carry around on a full day wedding. NIKON D810 + 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm, ISO 100, 1/320, f/4.0 Medium range compositions, where you photograph some of the environment and one main subject, are perfect for a 35mm lens. You can get in close and still easily show enough of the surroundings to keep your subject in contextwith your photo story. Then again, I can’t help but also ask myself, “if Tamron can do this for the small, now-outdated Nikon F-mount, …what could they accomplish when they are able to develop (autofocus) lenses for the new Nikon Z and Canon RF mounts?

I won’t bother showing samples from smaller apertures, because both lenses perform very similarly. Plus, there are very few situations where you would use very small apertures on portrait lenses… As with most modern portrait lenses that have been optimized for sharpness and/or bokeh rendition, sunstars on the Tamron SP 35mm f/1.4 are not the gorgeous, classic pin-sharp starbursts we used to get from older fast-aperture lenses that didn’t have fancy rounded aperture blades. Speaking of weather sealing, I have used the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S in hot, sandy, freezing and rainy weather conditions during the past 8 months and I have not encountered any problems with its weather sealing. On one occasion, I let moderate rain fall directly on the lens that was attached to the Nikon Z6 and both the camera and the lens continued to function without any issues. Please keep in mind that while the lens is weather-resistant, it is not waterproof, so you should still avoid splashing water on the lens and subjecting it to extreme humidity. NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.8 S @ 35mm, ISO 64, 5/1, f/11.0 Both photos of the Prague Castle were taken with identical exposure values of ISO 64 and f/16. It was only necessary to correct the shutter speed due to the fading light. For Pergear it was 90 seconds, and for the Nikon it was 120 seconds. This had at most a small effect on the flare/sunstar differences. Sharpness and ContrastThe lens is much bigger and heavier compared to other Nikon 35mm lenses such as Nikon 35mm f/2D and Nikon 35mm f/1.4 AIS, making it the biggest and heaviest 35mm prime produced by Nikon to date. The Nikon 35mm f/1.4 feels very solid in hands and the focus ring is conveniently located in the front of the barrel, making it easy to manually focus with a thumb and index fingers while shooting images or video. The lens comes with the “HB-59” lens hood, which is a little bulkier than the “HB-51” that comes with the 24mm f/1.4G. It snaps on the front of the lens and sits tight without wobbling like some other Nikon lens hoods.