Nikon updates Z 35mm and 50mm primes for faster startup reliability
Nikon’s 35mm and 50mm f/1.4 updates fixed a startup quirk, a small but practical tweak for lenses that live in everyday bags and get powered up constantly.
Nikon pushed Firmware Ver. 1.01 to both of its recent Z-mount fast primes, and the fix was narrowly targeted: it changed the position of the focusing lenses when the camera was turned off to improve startup reliability. For most hobby shooters, that was the kind of issue that could slip past casual notice, but it mattered in the situations where a lens gets cycled on and off all day, from street shooting to family coverage to travel.
The NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.4 appeared in Nikon’s Download Center with Firmware Ver. 1.01 dated 2026/07/01. Nikon’s 2026 firmware news log listed the same version and date for the NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.4. Nikon Rumors identified the shared change as a shift in the focusing-lens position at shutdown, aimed at making the lens wake up more reliably the next time the camera was switched on.
That is not a glamorous update, and it did not pretend to be. It did not change the optical formula, squeeze out a new stop of speed, or turn either lens into something else. It simply tightened behavior where fast primes can annoy you most, in the seconds between pulling a body out of a bag and getting the frame. For a 35mm or 50mm lens, that is exactly the sort of friction that can color how trustworthy the lens feels in daily use.
Nikon’s own support language backs that up. The company says firmware updates are meant to improve functionality and fix software bugs, and Nikon USA says Z Series cameras keep improving with each Nikon firmware update. Nikon has also used lens firmware on other Z glass, including the NIKKOR Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3, which shows this is becoming part of how the mount is maintained after launch rather than a one-off patch.
Nikon also advises users to check that they have the latest firmware before assuming a different fault or sending gear in for repair. That makes this pair of 1.01 updates feel less like housekeeping and more like a sign that the company wants its newer fast primes to feel solid in the hand, not just sharp on paper.
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