Get excited! The new Nikon 40mm f2 is coming, and it’s only $299.99! The 40mm lens is my personal favorite focal length, and I’m super jazzed that Nikon is making this. 40mm lenses fall right between 35mm and 50mm. Plus, they’re very close to 43mm, which is true normal. They’re incredibly useful, and Nikon is making this one just that.
Nikon 40mm f2 Tech Specs
These are taken straight from the Nikon press release.
- A compact, versatile prime lens that is ideal for everyday applications such as close-ups, casual portraits and food photography.
- Delivers fantastic bokeh and a dramatic separation of the subject from the background.
- The standard focal range hits the sweet spot of a natural angle of view, while still being wide enough for street photography. When mounted on a DX-format camera, the lens is equivalent to 60mm, which is a great focal length for flattering portraits.
- Ultra-compact, weighing in at merely 170g and only 1.8” long, making it easy to carry around for day-long outings.
- Built with 6 elements in 4 groups with a 9-blade diaphragm that creates a gorgeous, circular bokeh that draws attention to the subject.
- Utilizes an electromagnetic diaphragm for precise aperture control and stable exposure during continuous shooting.
- The NIKKOR Z 40mm f2 offers a short 0.96ft (0.29m) minimum focusing distance, which is excellent for capturing food and top-down photos of décor and tablescapes.
- Designed with consideration for dust and drip-resistant performance with a sealing that prevents dust and water droplets from entering the lens.
- Video shooters will benefit from the quiet operation, natural focus shift that allows for fluid changes when going from close focusing to infinity, reduced focus breathing and smooth aperture control.
- The lens features an integrated control ring, which can be customized and assigned to adjust focus, ISO, aperture and exposure compensation.
- $299.95 price point.
Why Should You Be Excited for the Nikon 40mm f2?
I admire the fact that Nikon is really trying something different. This, along with the ZFc show that they’re seriously being a bit more unconventional. That’s admirable. Nikon also did that weird thing where they say that they’re adding dust and drip-resistance with a sealing. They’ve done this before, and it sounds like weather sealing without saying it’s weather sealing. That’s pretty cool. Panasonic does this. Sony does this to a point. Canon refuses to weather seal anything that’s not an L-lens.
Seriously, if you’ve ever wanted a general purpose lens, this is it. Nikon has surely improved the autofocus on their newer cameras with firmware updates. But most importantly, Nikon ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING UNIQUE!
Every other lens that they’ve released is the same kind of stuff that every other manufacturer has. And now, they’re besting Sony with a 40mm f2 with weather resistance and at only $299.95. Plus, it’s almost a full stop faster.
I’m really looking forward to testing this lens. First off all, I’m not expecting to actually do well for street photography. But it could work for candids. And it could also work really well for portraits, cityscapes, etc. Most importantly, it’ll be good for photowalking and just life in general. Who doesn’t want a lens like that?
What would you use the Nikon 40mm f2 for if you owned one? We’d like to know. Seriously, this is the most exciting lens I’ve seen them from in a very long time.
Nikon 40mm f2 Sample Images
These sample images with the Nikon 40mm f2 were provided to us by Nikon.