Fast lenses have always been a desirable piece of kit in any photographers backpack. The capability to be able to take pictures at extremely low light without a flash, handholding the camera is a coveted one by many a photographer. If you were one of those who jumped on the Nikon 1 System when it was released a while back, you’re in luck! Nikon has released a fixed focal length 32mm (86mm full frame equivalent) f/1.2 lens for you to salivate over. This is most definitely the fastest in the Nikon 1 Series family of lenses. This is also the first Nikon 1 Lens to use the Nano Crystal Coating that is found on many big brother lenses and has a Silent Wave Motor for quick and silent autofocus. With a lens this fast, it’s also got the M/A autofocus with manual override.
While people wanting to show off whose lens is faster can sit on their perch for a while, the question is would you actually shoot at f/1.2 or is an f/2.8 lens enough? With a crop so tight, I can’t help but feel that the f/1.2 is going to produce way too shallow depth of field to be usable, making the sharp parts so slim, it may actually look soft overall. I suppose for “bokeh whores” this lens would be the holy grail on the Nikon 1 Series but for the rest of us, I think something less tight and maybe a little slower would be perfect.
The Nikon 1 Series 32mm f/1.2 is available now. The retail price has yet to be announced
