Nikon Patent Reveals Plans for Compact 35mm f/1.2 and 50mm Lenses

Japanese patent publication 2026035920, filed March 4, 2026, shows optical designs for two compact, fast primes: a 35mm f/1.2 and a 50mm f/1.4. The designs were first surfaced by Asobinet before being picked up more widely, and the framing is consistent: Nikon appears to be studying how to package serious light-gathering ability into a physically smaller body.

The "small and bright" combination is notoriously difficult to pull off without a price penalty, and Nikon's existing lineup illustrates why that tension matters. The 50mm f/1.2 S sits at roughly $2,000, a flagship prime with S-series optical performance to match. The 50mm f/1.4 Z comes in at $500 and still delivers excellent results. Those two lenses already stake out very different positions in the market, which makes the patent designs worth watching: a compact 35mm f/1.2 in particular would occupy territory Nikon doesn't currently cover in the Z-mount lineup.

Worth noting is a minor inconsistency in the patent documentation as reported. While the headline designs are a 35mm f/1.2 and a 50mm f/1.4, example labels within the patent material list configurations labeled as 35mm f/1.4 and 50mm f/1.4, raising questions about exactly which aperture specifications appear in which optical diagrams. Pulling the full patent record directly would clarify whether the f/1.2 figures in the main specification or only in specific design examples.

The standard caveat applies here, and it's worth stating plainly: "A patent also does not translate into an actual product. And so, it is possible that the company never launches these variants, or if it does, they will be a second iteration of existing models with improvements. It remains to be seen what Nikon has in store, and how they can surpass themselves in the near future."

That qualifier aside, Nikon has been methodical about filling out the Z-mount prime lineup, and a compact 35mm f/1.2 would make sense as either a street-shooting alternative to the heavier S-series glass or a mid-tier option between the f/1.4 and f/1.2 price brackets. No launch timeline, product code, or official Nikon statement accompanied the patent, so this stays firmly in the speculation column for now. But given how competitive the f/1.2 segment has become across mirrorless systems, the fact that Nikon is at least designing around that aperture at 35mm is a signal worth tracking.