Nikon Surprised at How Many People Want Its $8,000 58mm f/0.95 Lens

It seems Nikon has been surprised by how many photographers actually want to buy its upcoming $8,000 58mm f/0.95 S Noct mirrorless lens. The company just announced the temporary suspension of pre-orders due to an unexpected level of demand.

In a notice posted to its Japanese website titled “Apology for temporary suspension of orders for large-diameter standard single focus manual focus lens ‘NIKKOR Z 58mm f / 0.95 S Noct’,” Nikon writes that although it started taking orders back on October 12th, “it is expected that it will take a considerable amount of time to deliver the product because we received many orders exceeding expectations.

“Therefore, we decided to suspend the order. We apologize for any inconvenience caused to customers who are considering purchasing.”

A sample photo shot with the 58mm f/0.95 S Noct showing its ultra-shallow depth-of-field and creamy bokeh.

Compared to other lenses in the Nikon stable, the new 58mm f/0.95 — the fastest Nikkor lens ever — is apparently much more difficult to produce.

“Currently, we are working to resume orders, but the production numbers of these products is limited due to the need for advanced manufacturing technology, and it may take time to resume orders,” Nikon says. “We will inform you again when it is time to resume orders. We will do our best to deliver it as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding.”

Of course, we have no idea how many orders Nikon is seeing, exactly, but what we do know is that Nikon underestimated the number of people who would be willing to fork over $8,000 for an f/0.95 manual-focus prime lens. Perhaps the company could have asked Leica for some guidance.

(via Nikon via digicame-info)


P.S. Although Nikon has suspended orders from the top, you can still place pre-orders through retailers such as Adorama. You’ll probably have a long wait ahead of you before the lens arrives on your doorstep, though.


Image credits: Header illustration fire from photo by Ben Watts and licensed under CC BY 2.0

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