Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 vs Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S for Astrophotography
Introduction
How does the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 compare to the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S for astrophotography?
To find out, I compared a series of side-by-side night sky images captured with both lenses on the 45 megapixel Nikon Z7 II to evaluate star sharpness, astigmatism, chromatic aberration, vignetting, and overall image quality. While the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 offers a faster maximum aperture at a lower price point, the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S is part of Nikon’s premium S-line and has been one of my favorite lenses for night sky photography, along with their 20mm f/1.8 S Lens.
For this comparison, all images were captured in RAW format and imported into Lightroom. Exposure, contrast, and white balance adjustments were applied to better evaluate star rendering and image quality, but no lens corrections, vignette corrections, or chromatic aberration corrections were used. Testing included both static tripod-based night sky images using 10- and 15-second exposures, along with one-minute star tracker exposures to evaluate performance at longer exposure times.
Watch the Full Comparison
Watch the full side-by-side comparison below, including wide-open comparisons, stopped-down performance, star tracker examples, and astrophotography image quality testing.
Key Takeaways
Wide Open Performance: At maximum aperture, the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S consistently delivered sharper stars with better edge and corner performance. The Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 showed obvious astigmatism, star deformation, and additional chromatic aberration, particularly near the edges of the frame.
f/1.8 to f/2 Performance: Stopping the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 down improved performance noticeably, reducing star deformation and aberrations. However, the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S still maintained cleaner stars and stronger edge performance at equivalent apertures.
f/2.8 Performance: By f/2.8, the gap narrowed considerably and both lenses produced strong astrophotography results, though the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S still maintained a slight edge in star quality and chromatic aberration control.
Vignetting: One interesting difference was that the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S showed more noticeable vignetting than the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 at wider apertures. However, vignetting is generally easy to correct in post-processing and proved less problematic than star deformation.
Star Tracker Testing: During one-minute tracked exposures, the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S continued to outperform the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 with cleaner stars, better edge quality, and less chromatic aberration. The 35mm f/1.4 improved when stopped down, but still lagged behind overall.
Bottom Line: For astrophotography, the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S is the stronger performer and worth the added cost in my opinion. While the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 offers a faster aperture and lower price, the additional astigmatism, softer stars, and chromatic aberration make it less compelling for serious night sky photography.
RAW Files
Download the original RAW files from this comparison to inspect the images yourself, test your own editing workflow, and evaluate star rendering and astrophotography performance in Lightroom, Photoshop, or your preferred RAW editor.
Check Current Pricing
Check current pricing and availability below:
Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4
View at B&H Photo | View at Amazon
Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S
View at B&H Photo | View at Amazon
Nikon Z7 II
View at B&H Photo | View at Amazon
Disclaimer: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
