The Nikon Nikkor Z 50mm F1.2 S ($2,199.95) is a big prime lens with an exotic f/1.2 aperture. When shot wide open, it nets photos with blurrier backgrounds than you'll get with Nikon's other standard prime, the Nikkor Z 50mm F1.8 S. It takes some massive optics to get there, and while it backs up its heft with impeccable images, it's a niche lens for photographers who want photos with the shallowest depth of field and who want to work in the lowest light.An Imposing Lens As a general rule of thumb, lenses that gather more light use bigger, heavier glass elements. The Nikkor Z 50mm F1.2 S is no exception. It's large for a prime, at 5.9 by 3.5 inches (HD), and heavier than your camera, at 2.4 pounds. It's a little bigger than rival Canon's RF 50mm F1.2 L USM (4.3 by 3.5 inches, 2.1 pounds), but not dramatically so. The Z 50mm supports 82mm front filters and ships with front and rear lens caps. A hood is included, too; it locks on with a bayonet mount, and is reversible for storage ...

The Nikon Nikkor Z 50mm F1.2 S gathers more light than most lenses, netting shots with exceptionally shallow depth of field.

Extra-wide f/1.2 aperture; Outstanding resolution; Minimal distortion and breathing; Dust and splash protection

Big, bulky build; Sensitive control ring; A little slow to focus; Omits fluorine coating

Another very expensive standard lens for the Nikon Z system, offering a lens not quite as fast as the f/0.95 Noct but at a fraction of the price. In terms of performance, the two lenses act in a very similar way and at the widest apertures the more expensive lens just has the edge.

Outstanding sharpness, Virtually zero CA, Excellent flare resistance, Excellent handling, Quality manufacture, Custom functions for L-Fn button, Beautiful rendition of light sources, Virtually no distortion, Beautiful bokeh effects

High price, Bulky lens

At the end I would like to return to my deliberations from the introduction chapter of this test. Thinking about a perfect system and uncompromising f/1.2 lenses I always allowed big and heavy constructions. Still, I suppose, Nikon went a bit over the top with this one.

solid casing, weather-sealed and mostly made of metal,, excellent resolution in the frame centre,, good image quality on the edge of the APS-C/DX sensor,, sensible image quality on the edge of the full frame sensor,, negligible longitudinal chromatic aberration,, moderate lateral chromatic...

distinct vignetting on full frame,, performance against bright light could have been better,, significant dimensions and weight.

Nikon’s Z 50mm f1.2 S is a big step-up over their existing 50/58mm DSLR lenses – literally: It is excessively big and quite heavy but for that it offers a bright f1.2 focal ratio, very good optics with a good Bokeh, and has all of the features of Nikon’s best Z-Nikkors – except for fluorine coating.

If you don't need f/1.2, Nikon's f/1.8 Z-mount 50mm is the best around. If you do need f/1.2, this Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8 S is the best 50mm prime I've ever reviewed.

Nearly perfect image quality, Flagship-grade build quality, Impressive autofocus speed, for the amount of moving glass, competitive value among other 50mm f/1.2 (autofocus) primes

Incredible size compared to 50mm f/1.2 competitors, Difficult value proposition for all who don't require f/1.2

Nikon Z 50mm F1.2 S is a Fixed aperture Auto Focus (AF) Standard Prime lens with 35mm FF max sensor coverage, and it is designed to be used with Z Mount cameras. What type of photography is the Nikon Z 50mm F1.2 S lens good for?

Weather-sealed, Autofocus, Distance Scale, DoF(Depth of Field) Scale, Hood supplied, Full-time Manual Focusing, Very Fast Aperture, Covers Full-Frame Sensor, 9 Diaphragm Blades for Smooth Bokeh, Heavy, Pricey

Weather-sealed, Autofocus, Distance Scale, DoF(Depth of Field) Scale, Hood supplied, Full-time Manual Focusing, Very Fast Aperture, Covers Full-Frame Sensor, 9 Diaphragm Blades for Smooth Bokeh, Heavy, Pricey

It’s big, heavy and expensive for a 50mm lens but the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S is also rather lovely. It produces great results wide open, but close down to f/1.8 and things get stellar.

Extraordinarily fast f/1.2 aperture, Weatherproof, Incredible sharpness

This type of lens doesn't come cheap, It's large

Nikon's new Nikkor Z 50mm f1.2 is a cheaper alternative to the expensive Nikkor Z 58mm.

Magnificent sharpness with high contrast, resolution and marginally with chrome error or distortion. Host sealed.

Rather bulky with the sun visor on, and the focus motor is surprisingly noisy. Expensive despite the brightness.

The Apple iPhone 14 isn’t a huge upgrade on the iPhone 13, yet it still is a great phone with a top camera, good battery life and all the iOS benefits.

Clever safety features, Very good battery life, Reliable camera, Fun colours, You’ve got an ageing iPhone: If you’re on an iPhone 11 or older, then the changes here will make a notable difference.

Stuck on a 60Hz display, Minimal differences to the iPhone 13, You’ve got an iPhone 13: The changes from Apple’s previous phone aren’t enough to warrant an upgrade this year.

While it's a shame that picture and sound quality haven't been upgraded, the iPhone 13 was great in these regards and the iPhone 14 is, too Excellent display Admirable headphone performance Solid build quality No upgrades to picture or sound Familiar design Notch is still present