The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.4G ($1,799.95) is a wide-aperture lens aimed at photographers who adore the classic wide-angle field of view that a 35mm prime lens captures. It's a fine lens that's quite sharp through most of the frame, showing just a bit of softness at the edges when paired with a full-frame camera, but it's also one that's quite expensive and heavy. If you don't mind sacrificing half a stop of light gathering capability, don't count out the light, budget-friendly Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G ($476.95 at Amazon) as an alternative. If you absolutely need the shallow depth of field provided by an f/1.4 optic, and want a lens that's sharp from edge to edge, our Editors' Choice Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM ($642.78 at Amazon) is better than the Nikkor version in many regards, and it's a lot less expensive.

The Nikkor 35mm ($1,546.95 at Amazon)  isn't that big of a lens, but it's heavy. It measures 3.5 by 3.3 inches (HD) and supports 67mm front filters, but it weighs in at 1.3 pounds. The Sigma alternative is a bit bigger (3.7 by 3.3 inches), also uses 67mm filters, and weighs a bit more—1.5 pounds. The Nikkor lens is fairly light on switches and toggles—there's no vibration reduction system to control, so the only switch changes between manual and autofocus. The manual focus ring sits behind the front element; there is a focus scale that indicates the distance to which the lens is focused, but its depth of field markers are fairly useless. Only f/16 is marked, and the two indicators are close enough together to make scale focus impractical, even at that narrow aperture.

The lens focuses to 11.8 inches. It's by no means a macro lens, but it can project images onto an image sensor at one-fifth life size. When working that close you'll be able to blur the background behind your subject with ease. The 9-blade aperture ensures that out-of-focus highlights will take on a circular appearance when the aperture is stopped down. The Sigma 35mm F1.4 also focuses to 11.8 inches, and also incorporates a 9-blade aperture in its design.

I used Imatest to check the sharpness of the Nikkor 35mm f/1.4G when paired with the 36-megapixel Nikon D810 ($1,996.95 at Amazon) . At f/1.4 it scores 2,389 lines per picture height on a center-weighted sharpness test, which is better than the 1,800 lines we look for in an image. Edge performance is a little weak—about 1,627 lines—but with the depth of field you get at f/1.4, that's only going to be an issue if you're framing your subject at the very periphery of the frame.

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Stopping down to f/2 improves the overall sharpness score to 2,825 lines with edges that hit 1,848 lines. The lens really starts to capture fine details at f/2.8, where it shows 3,129 lines, with edges that hit 2,351 lines. At f/4 it's nearly flawless, scoring 3,416 lines on average with edges that exceed 3,000 lines. There's a little improvement at f/5.6 (3,502 lines) and f/8 (3,616 lines). Diffraction sets in at f/11 (3,525 lines), but it's not a serious detriment until you hit f/16 (3,028 lines).

There is a bit of barrel distortion, about 1.4 percent, which adds a noticeable outward curve to straight lines. The Sigma 35mm F1.4 shows barely any, just 0.3 percent; that's not a huge issue, as barrel distortion is pretty easily removed using the Adobe Lightroom development suite. It's difficult to draw a direct comparison in sharpness, as we tested the Sigma with the 20-megapixel Canon EOS 6D ($1,999.99 at Amazon) . At f/1.4 the Sigma is sharper than the Nikkor, even when paired with a lower-resolution sensor. It scores 2,438 lines, and that quality is consistent from edge to edge. When stopped down to f/5.6 the lens scores 2,625 lines on the 6D, but the sensor resolution is likely the limiting factor there.

If you're a Nikon photographer who wants a fast 35mm lens, you're likely to have the AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.4G on the top of your list. And, aside from its asking price, it's a solid choice. Yes, there's a little softness at the edges at its widest apertures, and there's a little bit of barrel distortion, but neither is a deal breaker. The real issue is that Nikon has another lens that, aside from being a half-stop slower and showing a little more distortion, is actually sharper when stopped down. And then there's our Editors' Choice, the Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM, which delivers nearly flawless optical performance, and does so for about half the price of the AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.4G. Even if you're a dyed-in-the-wool Nikonian, it's hard to justify spending twice as much money on a lens that is just as good as the Sigma alternative.

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