Which is smaller, the Fujifilm XF 35mm F1.4 R or the Voigtländer Nokton 35mm F1.2 X?

The XF 35mm F1.4 R is the smaller, lighter lens at 187g and 50.4 mm long, versus 196g for the Nokton 35mm F1.2 X.

Which is faster, the Fujifilm XF 35mm F1.4 R or the Voigtländer Nokton 35mm F1.2 X?

The Nokton 35mm F1.2 X is the faster lens at f/1.2, against f/1.4 for the XF 35mm F1.4 R — brighter in low light and able to throw the background further out of focus.

Fujifilm XF 35mm F1.4 R vs Voigtländer Nokton 35mm F1.2 X: full comparison

Q: What's the difference between the Fujifilm XF 35mm F1.4 R and the Voigtländer Nokton 35mm F1.2 X?

The XF 35mm F1.4 R leads on a lighter 187g body, closer 0.28 m focusing, autofocus at all, where the Nokton 35mm F1.2 X is manual focus only. The Nokton 35mm F1.2 X leads on a brighter f/1.2 maximum aperture, a more compact 39.8 mm barrel, a 12-blade diaphragm.

The XF 35mm F1.4 R and Nokton 35mm F1.2 X trade blows evenly — the right pick comes down to focal length and what you shoot.

Read the full XF 35mm F1.4 R review →Read the full Nokton 35mm F1.2 X review →

The short version

The Fujifilm XF 35mm F1.4 R and Voigtländer Nokton 35mm F1.2 X are both 35mm X-mount primes covering the same field of view, which Fujifilm rounds to 53mm-equivalent and Voigtländer to 52.5mm. The Nokton 35mm F1.2 X is the newer design, from 2021.

On the spec sheet the XF 35mm F1.4 R pulls ahead with a lighter 187g body, closer 0.28 m focusing, and autofocus at all, where the Nokton 35mm F1.2 X is manual focus only.

The Nokton 35mm F1.2 X answers with a brighter f/1.2 maximum aperture, a more compact 39.8 mm barrel, and a 12-blade diaphragm.

So which one? If a lighter 187g body matters most, the XF 35mm F1.4 R is the pick. If a brighter f/1.2 maximum aperture is closer to what you need, the Nokton 35mm F1.2 X is the smarter buy. Same view either way — this comes down to the trade-offs above.

Where the XF 35mm F1.4 R wins

+a lighter 187g body
+closer 0.28 m focusing
+autofocus at all, where the Nokton 35mm F1.2 X is manual focus only

Where the Nokton 35mm F1.2 X wins

+a brighter f/1.2 maximum aperture
+a more compact 39.8 mm barrel
+a 12-blade diaphragm

Who should buy the XF 35mm F1.4 R or Nokton 35mm F1.2 X?

Buy the XF 35mm F1.4 R if…

Pick the XF 35mm F1.4 R if a lighter 187g body and closer 0.28 m focusing matter to you. Photographers who want character over measurements at a 53 mm-equivalent view, and who shoot subjects that hold still long enough for 2012 autofocus. Read the full XF 35mm F1.4 R review for the details.

Buy the Nokton 35mm F1.2 X if…

Pick the Nokton 35mm F1.2 X if a brighter f/1.2 maximum aperture and a more compact 39.8 mm barrel matter to you. Photographers who already enjoy manual focus and want the fastest, most tactile normal prime in the mount, particularly on an X-Pro body. Read the full Nokton 35mm F1.2 X review for the details.

XF 35mm F1.4 R vs Nokton 35mm F1.2 X: pros and cons

Fujifilm XF 35mm F1.4 R	Voigtländer Nokton 35mm F1.2 X
Rendering the later f/2 primes do not match — warm, soft-edged, short falloff. 187g and 50.4 mm; small enough to live on an X-E body permanently. 0.28 m macro mode at 0.17× covers food and detail work. Clicked aperture ring, metal barrel, 52 mm filters shared with the XF 18mm F2 R. Cheap used, because Fujifilm has sold them for over a decade.	f/1.2 at a 52.5 mm-equivalent view — no native X-mount prime is this fast here. Twelve rounded blades keep specular highlights circular through the middle apertures. Machined metal, third-stop aperture clicks, mechanically coupled focus with a hard infinity stop. Electronic contacts: real EXIF, focus peaking, IBIS, X-Pro3 parallax correction. 196g and 39.8 mm long, so the speed does not cost you a large barrel.
DC-motor autofocus hunts audibly in low light and low contrast. Aperture blades are audible; both noises reach in-camera video audio. No weather sealing and no stabilization. Soft corners and longitudinal colour fringing wide open until about f/2.8.	Manual focus only, at f/1.2 and 0.30 m, where depth of field is millimetres. Low contrast and spherical-aberration glow wide open; sharp from about f/2. Voigtländer's body compatibility list stops around the X-E4 and X-T30 II generation. No weather sealing, and around 649 EUR — more than a used XF 35mm F1.4 R.

Fujifilm XF 35mm F1.4 R

Voigtländer Nokton 35mm F1.2 X

Rendering the later f/2 primes do not match — warm, soft-edged, short falloff.
187g and 50.4 mm; small enough to live on an X-E body permanently.
0.28 m macro mode at 0.17× covers food and detail work.
Clicked aperture ring, metal barrel, 52 mm filters shared with the XF 18mm F2 R.
Cheap used, because Fujifilm has sold them for over a decade.

f/1.2 at a 52.5 mm-equivalent view — no native X-mount prime is this fast here.
Twelve rounded blades keep specular highlights circular through the middle apertures.
Machined metal, third-stop aperture clicks, mechanically coupled focus with a hard infinity stop.
Electronic contacts: real EXIF, focus peaking, IBIS, X-Pro3 parallax correction.
196g and 39.8 mm long, so the speed does not cost you a large barrel.

DC-motor autofocus hunts audibly in low light and low contrast.
Aperture blades are audible; both noises reach in-camera video audio.
No weather sealing and no stabilization.
Soft corners and longitudinal colour fringing wide open until about f/2.8.

Manual focus only, at f/1.2 and 0.30 m, where depth of field is millimetres.
Low contrast and spherical-aberration glow wide open; sharp from about f/2.
Voigtländer's body compatibility list stops around the X-E4 and X-T30 II generation.
No weather sealing, and around 649 EUR — more than a used XF 35mm F1.4 R.

Pros and cons mirror the in-house XF 35mm F1.4 R review and Nokton 35mm F1.2 X review.

XF 35mm F1.4 R vs Nokton 35mm F1.2 X: full specs

Spec	XF 35mm F1.4 R 35 mm · f/1.4 · 187g	Nokton 35mm F1.2 X 35 mm · f/1.2 · 196g
Optical
Focal length	35 mm	35 mm
35mm equivalent	53 mm	52.5 mm
Maximum aperture	f/1.4	f/1.2
Minimum aperture	f/16	f/16
Optical construction	8 elements in 6 groups	8 elements in 6 groups
Special elements	1 aspherical element	1 abnormal partial dispersion element
Aperture blades	7	12
Focus & Stabilization
Min. focus distance	0.28 m	0.30 m
Max. magnification	0.17×	—
Autofocus motor	DC motor	Manual focus only
Optical stabilization	No	No
Physical
Filter thread	52 mm	46 mm
Diameter × length	65 × 50.4 mm	59.6 × 39.8 mm
Weight	187g	196g
Weather sealing	No	No
Min. operating temp	—	—
General
Announced	2012-01-09	2021-07-15

Highlighted cells are best in class between these two. Specs sourced from the manufacturers' public product pages.

In-depth reviews

For the full long-form review of each lens, see the Fujifilm XF 35mm F1.4 R review and the Voigtländer Nokton 35mm F1.2 X review. Each carries the full spec breakdown, pros and cons, and where the lens sits in the X-mount lineup.