Update of one of Nikon's most respected NIKKOR lenses; suitable for landscapes, night scenes, interiors, weddings, photojournalism and astrophotography.

Some lenses epitomise the lens-maker's craft because they are able to combine truly special sets of features. Many of these lenses have very long or short focal lengths but in the mid-range it is the ultra-fast lenses that tend to capture the imagination.

Design build and performance

The high price

This lens is perfect for interior low light situations. Below is a photo taken by candle light with a Nikon D4 camera body. The shutter speed is 1/125 of a second, the aperture is f/1.4, the ISO is 2200, with Auto White Balance and Matrix Metering.

this lens changed the quality of the images we were putting out there. the depth of field you can accomplish with such a wide focal length is amazing. shoot this in 2.8 or lower, get close to your subject, and you're going to love it.

sharp; depth of field; awesome quality

can be slow focusing..

For this lens, it comes down to essentially one qualification. If you're a Nikon shooter who needs the absolute fastest 35mm lens, either for light-gathering ability or for the ability to put the background way out of focus, then for $1,800 it's either the Carl Zeiss or the Nikon 35mm ƒ/1.4G.

Nikon's AF-S 35mm f/1.4 is ultra-expensive, but that money buys you incredible performance....

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.4G ($1,799.95) is a wide-aperture lens aimed at photographers who adore the classic wide-angle field of view that a 35mm prime lens captures. It's a fine lens that's quite sharp through most of the frame, showing just a bit of softness at the edges when paired with a full-frame camera, but it's also one that's quite expensive and heavy. If you don't mind sacrificing half a stop of light gathering capability, don't count out the light, budget-friendly Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G ($529.95 at Amazon) as an alternative. If you absolutely need the shallow depth of field provided by an f/1.4 optic, and want a lens that's sharp from edge to edge, our Editors' Choice Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM ($683.00 at Amazon) is better than the Nikkor version in many regards, and it's a lot less expensive. The Nikkor 35mm ($1,546.95 at Amazon)  isn't that big of a lens, but it's heavy. It measures 3.5 by 3.3 inches (HD) and supports 67mm front filters, but it weighs in a...

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.4G is a wide-angle lens that's sharp and captures a lot of light, but it's quite expensive.

Excellent center sharpness; Wide aperture gathers a lot of light; Solid build quality; Good close focus capability

Some edge softness at wider apertures; Mild barrel distortion; Expensive

This is a 50mm Nikkor prime lens with a maximum aperture of f1.4. Auto focusing is by Nikon's Silent Wave Motor and it works with the Nikon D40/60 range of cameras that are not fitted with in-body focus drives.

Nikon was responsible for the first 50mm f/1.4 back in 1950, and has continued to produce amazing updates ever since.

The AF-S Nikkor 50mm F1.4G was, at its introduction, hailed by Nikon as 'redefining the standard lens concept'. It turns out that in many ways that was no idle boast - in almost all respects the lens is clearly improved over its predecessor, the AF-Nikkor 50mm F1.4D .

Extremely even image quality across the frame, even on FX, Improved image quality over 50mm F1.4D at large apertures, Exceptional image quality when stopped down, Essentially no lateral chromatic aberration, Near-silent AF-S focus with full-time manual override

Slightly soft at large apertures, Somewhat susceptible to flare, Longitudinal (bokeh) chromatic aberration, most visible at large apertures, Vignetting at large apertures on full frame (essentially disappears by F2.8), Slower autofocus than the screw-drive AF-Nikkor 50mm F1.4D