A month after their development announcement, the new Nikkor 85mm f/1.2 S and the Nikkor 26mm f/2.8 are now officially launched and many dealers are now taking orders for them.
The big question you might have had is now answered: the 85mm is US$2800, and the 26mm is US$500. While Nikon makes noise about how close each focus, the actual maximum magnifications aren’t particularly all that great at 1:9 (85mm) and 1:5+ (26mm).
The 82mm f/1.2 S is about what you’d expect, large and heavy but highly capable.
It’s the 26mm f/2.8 that has lots of small surprises. For instance, when it focuses, it moves all of its lens elements simultaneously; there are no separate focus groups as you find in most lenses. Meanwhile, the 52mm filter rings are on the stubby little lens hood Nikon supplies, not the lens itself. The mount is metal, and Nikon says the 26mm is dust- and drip-resistant.
Update: Demand doesn’t seem out of hand for these two lenses. The 26mm f/2.8 is likely going to be readily available. The 85mm f/1.2 S is going to have a brief burst of demand and some NPS Priority Purchase cutting in line that makes it a little more difficult to find day one, but I’ll bet that quickly resolves into being readily available. Both lenses are available for NPS Priority Purchase, by the way.
