Nikon Nikkor Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct lens

Nikon Nikkor Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct lens

The Nikon Noct-Nikkor 58mm is a lens, but it is also a reference-like masterpiece of the manufacturer: we can make a lens this good if weight or money are not an obstacle. The goal has been extreme image quality, so everything unnecessary in this regard, such as image stabilization and autofocus, has been eliminated.

Wait a minute.. so 2kg weight, no autofocus and the same price as a few years old Skoda Fabia? Nikon is of course a camera manufacturer, but its expertise is especially in manufacturing optics. There is a huge amount of product development and research behind this Noct-Nikkor lens. Some of this work will be utilized in future lenses, for example, the Nikkor Z 50mm F1.2 contains very similar solutions according to the structural drawings.

But there is one reason why this is not just a specialty designed for collectors' Nikon museums and that is the raw image quality. Even at full aperture 0.95, the Nikon Nikkor 58mm Noct offers much better image quality than most lenses in the world when stopped down. For example, for most people doing lens tests on Youtube, this is by far the best image quality experience.

If Leica's Noctilux has offered a somewhat dreamy image and other manufacturers' settings are more of a toy for effects, this Nikon is a full-fledged tool for critical work. In addition, the aperture values ??of different manufacturers do not yet tell the whole truth about light transmission and collection.

In tests, the Nikon Noct 58mm may give the same exposure at a shutter speed even faster than the small manufacturer's F0.95 lenses. So this really sucks up light!

The subjects can be, for example, landscape photography, astrophotography, studio photography or even reproducing works of art. And of course, this offers great opportunities for creative work thanks to the very short depth of field.

• Weight approximately 2kg and length 15.3cm
• All the latest coatings and a completely new optical structure
  
• Closest focusing distance 0.5m
• Programmable control ring for example, exposure adjustment directly from the lens
• L-FN programmable and OLED info display
• No image stabilization but the camera stabilization on the frames works
• No autofocus
• Weatherproof construction

Technical perfection & beautiful drawing

The lenses are a modern, all-new design for Nikon Z mirrorless cameras. Computer-aided design usually means a complex structure, and there are as many lens elements and groups here as in many zooms.

Autofocus has probably been left out for a good reason, because of the large lens elements it could be slow and focusing at full aperture would be very difficult for even new bodies to handle. At the same time, the mechanical durability is good and the size has been brought down to this level.

MFT curves show excellent sharpness even at full aperture across the entire image area, and other distortions and errors are also minimized. Image error correction is not left to the camera, but is all done with special lenses.

Nikon's latest Arneo coating technology is used, this has been added to certain lenses in addition to the more traditional Nano coating. The coatings eliminate reflections from different angles and therefore work well together. The coatings are important due to the complex structure due to the number of lens surfaces.

But raw resolution is only part of the story. The design takes into account how the photos look, how the transition from sharp to blurry behaves, whether blurry backgrounds look good. The previously mentioned minimization of reflections also means worry-free shooting against backlight.

The aperture selection can be made entirely based on the image and depth of field, you don't need to stop down to keep the sharpness of the images, it comes naturally and effortlessly. There are 11 diaphragm blades and they are rounded, meaning that even with a smaller aperture the bokeh is fine and at around F8 the sunstar effect of bright light sources comes out nicely.

The Nikon 58mm Noct will continue to offer all the same features in the future, the optical design and quality are timeless even if the number of megapixels is many times higher.

Nikon Noct Nikkor 58mm in use

However, when the starting point is manual focus and a fair weight, usability is very good. The lens has a fixed but rotatable tripod collar, meaning the camera and lens balance well on the tripod.

The focus ring is large and very light to the touch, making it suitable for precise work. In addition, the lens has an OLED display that shows focus distance, aperture and depth of field information. The control ring allows you to adjust exposure, for example, and there is also a programmable Fn button on the side of the lens.

The lens is weather and dust-resistant in several places, and the outer lens element is coated with a fluoride coating that repels dirt and makes cleaning easier. In addition, the filter thread is a reasonable size of 82mm, so the use of protective filters and polarizing filters is easy.

A hard storage case is included.

Specifications:

• Compatibility: Nikon Z mount
• Focal length: 58mm
• Light source: F0.95 (minimum F16)
• Closest focusing distance: 50cm (maximum magnification 0.19X)
• Optical construction: 17 elements in 10 groups, 11 rounded diaphragm blades
  
• No autofocus
• Fixed but rotatable tripod collar
• Filter thread: 82mm
• Size: 102 x 153mm
  
• Weight: 2000g

• Nikon NIKKOR Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct lenses
• LC-82B 82mm lens cap
• Nikon LF-N1 rear cap
• Nikon HN-38 Lens Hood metal lens hood
• Nikon CT-101 Trunk Case