Hands-on with Nikon’s 58mm F0.95 ‘Noct’ lens
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Announced as a development way back in August last year, the Z 58mm 0.95 ‘Noct’ is Nikon’s fastest ever lens, described by the company as a no-compromise flagship prime designed for optimum image quality, to take full advantage of the new Z mount. Like ‘a well-tempered Japanese sword’. as one promotional pamphlet put it, and priced to match, at an MSRP of $ 7999.99.
Nikon has shown mockups of the Noct at several tradeshows over the past 12 months, but it was only recently that we got our hands on a working sample of the lens – albeit a pre-production copy. We’re still waiting for a reviewable lens, so you won’t find any shots of Seattle in this article, but click through to learn a little more about Nikon’s most expensive and undoubtedly most impressive Z-series prime.
Hands-on with Nikon’s 58mm F0.95 ‘Noct’ lens
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First things first, this is a big lens. At fifteen centimeters (six inches) in length and ten centimeters (4 inches) in diameter, the Noct dwarfs the body of the Z6/7. Weighing in at 2 kilos (4lb, 7oz) it’s heavy, too. So heavy in fact that Nikon has included an integral tripod foot, on a locking ring around the barrel.
While the weight of the lens didn’t threaten to pull the mount off our Z7 during normal handling, it’s not a combination suited to single-handed shooting. This image also shows the screw-in hood, which is lined with felt.
Hands-on with Nikon’s 58mm F0.95 ‘Noct’ lens
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Here’s a closeup view of the barrel of the Noct, showing the L-Fn and ‘DISP’ buttons, which operate in the same ways as those buttons on the Z 24-70mm F2.8 S (L-Fn can be configured in exactly the same way as the equivalent controls on Z-series camera bodies).
The control ring to the right works in the same way as other Nikon Z lenses too, and can be configured to do various things (i.e. to provide direct control over aperture or exposure compensation). On the left of this image you’ll see the enormous manual focus ring, which makes up almost half the total length of the lens.
Hands-on with Nikon’s 58mm F0.95 ‘Noct’ lens
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Since the Noct is a manual focus lens, it was important that Nikon got the feel of the focus ring exactly right.
The pre-production copy we were using had small ‘detents’ at various positions across its focus range, but we understand that these will not be present in final lenses, leaving the ring travel free and smooth. The throw of the mechanical (note: not focus by wire) focus ring is enormous (around 350 degrees), allowing for minute adjustments to focal position. The focus ring is easy to grip, being knurled with finely-machined grooves running down almost its entire length.
Despite the super-sized focus ring and large barrel diameter, the filter thread is a relatively modest 82mm.
Hands-on with Nikon’s 58mm F0.95 ‘Noct’ lens
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Like the Z 24-70mm F2.8 S, the Noct features a small display on the top of its barrel, which can be configured to show either the precise hyperfocal distance at the shooting aperture (shown above) or the shooting aperture itself. Minimum focus is 0.5m (1.6 ft) which equates to a maximum magnification ratio of 0.194X.
Being a digital display means the depth-of-field markings are able to adjust in response to the aperture being changed.
Hands-on with Nikon’s 58mm F0.95 ‘Noct’ lens
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Optically, the Noct is something quite special. Consisting of seventeen elements in ten groups, Nikon’s optical engineers have included three aspherical elements in this formulation, and four ED (extra low-dispersion) elements.
In addition to Nikon’s now-familiar Nano Crystal coating, the Noct also features the new ARNEO coating (also seen in the Z 24-70mm F2.8 S) for addition control of flare and ghosting.
Hands-on with Nikon’s 58mm F0.95 ‘Noct’ lens
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The original Noct-Nikkor 58mm F1.2 was released in the late 1970s (not coincidentally, the development of this version was announced on its 40 year anniversary) as a high-priced, very specialized lens, designed to accurately render point light sources across the frame when shot wide open (‘Noct’ denoting to its expected nighttime applications).
The original Noct contained seven glass elements, and weighed a little under 500g. Compare that to the 17 elements of the new Z version, which tips the scales at a fraction over 2000g.
Hands-on with Nikon’s 58mm F0.95 ‘Noct’ lens
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As you can see in the image above, this is not your average standard prime.
Faster and more expensive than its 1970s forebear (faster and more expensive than almost any lens, in fact) and designed from the outset for high resolution digital imaging, the Z Noct is a lens that that will be made and sold in very small numbers but which Nikon hopes will be a benchmark for a long time.
In the meantime, we’re hoping to get hold of a final copy soon, and we’ll share sample images as soon as we can. For now, start saving up your pennies and let us know what you think about it in the comments.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
