Nikon just made the headlines with the launch of the Nikon 35mm f1.2 Z S lens, a bokeh beast by all standards. Lenses like that don’t come at a bargain though. With this lens being almost $2800 at the time of launch, it’s priced out of reach for almost everyone except the seasoned pro photographer. But if you’re a Nikon user craving that super creamy depth-of-field at 35mm for your Zf or Z6III, you might not have to wait too long for an affordable option. According to a new report, Viltrox is set to launch its own 35mm f1.2 lens in the coming months. Knowing their pricing models, it’s sure to make a much smaller dent in your bank account.
Would You Buy A 35mm f1.2 Today?
The three main things that might put off street photographers from purchasing the Nikon 35mm f1.2 Z S lens are size (3.5 in / 90 mm x 5.9 in/ 150 mm), weight (37.39 oz / 1060 g) and price (USD 2,799.95). We wrote about the potential weight and size implications of this lens over a year ago when reports were buzzing around about this much-anticipated lens from Nikon. In this article, we said:
“You’d be tempted to say this lens would be most used for street photography, but let’s be honest. Even if the focal length screams it, it isn’t exactly a street photography lens. You’d stick out like a sore thumb if you used this lens with a Nikon Zf or Nikon Z7 series camera on the streets. Use it with a Nikon Z9, and you’ll be attracting even more attention. Good street photography requires you to blend unobtrusively to capture the best moments. This hunk of a lens will get stared at wherever you go. There’s no denying that it could take incredible street photos, but how often would you want to walk outdoors, lugging this across your shoulders?”
What Does The Report Say
It’s certainly not a lens for everyone because of the aforementioned reasons. But third-party manufacturers like Viltrox, being the party savers they are, may just make this combination of focal length and ultra-fast aperture more easily available to you. According to a report by PhotoRumors, Viltrox is set to announce the launch of its own 35mm f1.2 lens, available for Nikon Z and Sony E mounts, at the CP+ show in Japan later this month.
Billed as one of the leading international photography and videography-related exhibition events globally, CP+ is taking place at the Pacifico Yokohama Exhibition Centre in Japan from February 27 until March 2 this year. Viltrox is expected to announce its 35mm f1.2 lenses here at the event, to the delight of both Nikon Z and Sony Alpha mirrorless users and fans. It will be the first f1.2 lens in the Viltrox lineup and, no doubt, will be far more affordable than what you need to shell out today for Nikon’s 35mm f1.2.
It Might Be a Lab Series Lens
Viltrox has consistently exceeded our expectations in recent years – their 16mm f1.8 lens is possibly the best ultrawide prime lens I’ve used. Their 28mm f1.8 and 35mm f1.8 lenses offer excellent results for their price points. The lenses themselves look beautiful and handle quite decently. Should the 35mm f1.2 be announced in the next few weeks, we can expect to see a large number of these being sold.
It needs to be added here that according to the report by PhotoRumors, and an article reported by French website Phototrend, the Viltrox. 35mm f1.2 is expected to be a LAB series lens. Currently, the only lens in this series is the Viltrox 135mm f1.8 LAB FE, an incredible lens that exceeded our expectations with its fast autofocus and stunning image quality. The results it gave were a cut above what we’d seen with other Viltrox lenses, and should the 35mm f1.2 also be from the LAB series, we can expect it to compete head-to-head with its Nikon counterpart.
The lead image in this article is a screenshot from the PhotoRumors report