There has always been something magical about that f/0.95 aperture, ever since Canon introduced their “Canon Dream” 50mm f/0.95 lens in 1959. Ferociously expensive and without the benefits of modern coatings such a lens would never have been mainstream, but the quest has continued and there have been many recent f/0.95 offerings. Now Nikon have decisively entered the field with a 58mm f/0.95 manual focus, full frame of course, lens for their new Z series. The wide 55mm throat of the new Nikon Z mount makes such specifications a realistic proposition, but the price tag remains ferociously expensive, especially for a standard lens of which there are many almost as fast at much lower price points. However, with four Editor's Choice awards under their belt already, have Nikon weaved the magic again and produced something amazing? Or is this the point at which the superlatives really do run out? Armed with the new lens and the Nikon Z7 45.4MP body, let's find out.

One image can change us.

A picture, a moment can change the way we feel. Change how we see ourselves. Change our understanding and change the rules. Provoke and change history.

MPB puts photo and video kit into more hands, more sustainably. Every month, visual storytellers sell more than 20,000 cameras and lenses to MPB. Choose used and get affordable access to kit that doesn’t cost the earth. Sell the kit you’re not using to MPB. Trade in for the kit you need to create. Buy used, spend less and get more. Buy. Sell. Trade. Create.

Nikon Nikkor Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct Handling and Features

The kit arrived in two boxes, the smaller one bringing the camera body and a huge box bringing the lens. The reason soon becomes apparent as the lens is supplied in a very robust peli-style case that probably accounts for a couple of hundred pounds of the price on its own. As an aside, the instruction book for the lens provides step by step instructions on how to remove the lens from the case and how to put it back again, apparently by reversing the order of the process. Having mastered this, we have an absolutely gorgeous looking and very heavy (2000g) lens that looks as though it will take some handling. In fact, after a few moments use on the Nikon Z7 it fits like a glove and is as slick as we could wish for.

Starting at the front of the lens, we are provided with a round lenshood that screws into the 82mm filter thread. It is a pity that this is not a bayonet fit, as we have become spoilt with hoods that simply clip into bayonet fits and don't need to be lined up to screw them in. A small point perhaps, but at the price detail is everything, although I can see how aesthetically the hood marries up very nicely with the lines of the lens.

The manual focusing ring is huge, well gripped and operates on a helical thread, extending the inner barrel within the hood, but the overall length of the lens remaining the same. It is very smooth. Focusing is down to 0.5m or 1.64 feet, a maximum magnification of 0.19x. This works well with the slightly long standard lens length of 58mm, allowing close shots for portraits whilst retaining good modelling perspective. There are clear engraved markings in both feet and metres. Immediately behind this is the OLED display. When switching on, this displays NIKKOR and then changes to the selected value. The choice is controlled by a button close by on the lens marked DISP and we can select aperture value, distance scale or depth of field indicator. Display can also be in feet or metres as desired. Slightly further round the barrel is the L-Fn button, and this can be programmed via the camera for any one of 17 different functions.

The final control ring, closest to the camera, can be set to adjust aperture or exposure compensation. The former could be very useful for videographers as the electromagnetic diaphragm, coupled with this control, makes for totally silent aperture control. The diaphragm has 11 blades, a positive feature for beautiful bokeh.

Optical construction is 17 elements in 10 groups, with 4 ED (Extra Low Dispersion) and 3 Aspherical. Nikon's new ARNEO coating plus Nano crystal coatings complete the picture. The front element is also treated with a Fluorine coat to repel moisture, dirt and grease.

Of course, accuracy of focusing is absolutely critical, especially when using that f/0.95 maximum aperture, where depth of field is almost non-existent. When using the viewfinder the throw of the focusing ring is long enough so that minute adjustments can be made and the acuity of the screen is such that focusing is actually quite easy. When using the various focusing magnification options, precision of a very high order can be achieved.

This is a very satisfying lens to use, there is no doubt about that, and once we are used to the weight and the handling it poses few problems. At night, it comes into its own even further and it soon becomes apparent that the Noct designation leads us towards areas of shooting at which, in terms of handling, it excels.