Rumor: Nikon AF-S 35mm f1.4 Lens

In The Next Few Years

NR has published an email from a Canon shooter detailing his conversations with Nikon about Switching brands (see source link below for full details).

If what has been reported is correct, there will be a new 85mm f1.4 this year, but no 35mm f1.4 (a new 35mm will be released sometime "over the next few years").

Source: NR on 6/7/2010.

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Patent Approved

NR points to the approval of a patent for a Nikon 35mm f1.4 lens.

It should be noted that a patent means Nikon has been investigating this lens, but does not necessarily point to an imminent product release.

Source: NR on 4/19/2010.

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Forum Poster Talks To Salesman

According to a DPReview poster:

Rumors, rumors.... we hear them a lot and I have another one for you all. Today I got word from a salesman I know well at my local camera store and it is rumored that Nikon will remake the manual focus 35mm F/1.4 into an AF-S version. This was the classic photojournalist lens back in the day and it is still concidered one of the best Nikon lenses made. The manual USA lens has been discontinued so this rumor may be true ...

The chances of Nikon making this lens are pretty good, so given no timing and the salesman gives no source, this one is pretty weak.

Source: DPReview on 11/17/2009.

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Thom Hogan Roadmap Prediction

After the recent and likely fictional Nikon Roadmap Leak (see Nikon Roadmap in our forums for the full translation), Thom Hogan has put together his speculated "Possible Nikon Roadmap".

Note Thom does have good sources, and a pretty good track record when it comes to predicting Nikon products, so his version of the roadmap is probably best described as "educated speculation". He has hinted recently that he is aware of a few lenses currently in development, although he stresses in his roadmap that lenses are much harder to predict.

That said, Thom speculates that we "want" to see a fast AF-S 35mm with the D700x release in September/October 2009.

His full roadmap with a lot more background info and explanation can be found by clicking the source link below.

Source: Thom Hogan on 7/14/2009.

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Optical Design

NR has posted images of the lens optical design (lens cross section) of what is claimed to be a new 24mm f1.4, 35mm f1.4, and 70-200mm f2.8.

He claims these are from a new source.

These could indeed be real. They are also not exactly difficult to fake. There is also the possibility these have been pulled from an old patent application or similar(a recent patent application for the current 70-300mm lens appeared a few months back, and it contained several different diagrams such as these for different possible designs of the lens, only one of which went on to be the 70-300mm VR lens we can buy today).

Source: NR on 7/13/2009.

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Alleged Nikon Roadmap says Oct 15th

Date: 7/9/2009
Source: Translation on DI Forum

Rating: 1/5, Votes: 1

A user on a Czech forum (here via NikonRumors.com) has posted what he claims may be from a 37 page Nikon document outlining Nikons product release roadmap for 2009-2010.

Here is what it says about the Nikon 35mm f1.4 Update:

Our Take:

Would be nice... we've heard nothing credible to say this lens is this close though.

The full translation (translated using Google Translate) of the original post can be found in our forums - see the source link below.

Update:The same poster posted this further down the thread when someone asked him to produce the document, basically saying he found out it was a 'little joke' after spending 3 hours translating it (via Google Translate):

The answer came to me by mail:

• I idiot when I disclose
• It's little joke allegedly staff with responsibilities for their beloved colleagues and supervisors with shipper from the center
• So it's supposedly fancy, but had to give mad work was concerned about his colleagues were extremely happy and very creative. And from me therefore I did laugh and I to 3 hours to translate.

Source: Translation on DI Forum on 7/9/2009.

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