Whats the best Nikon 50mm lens (AF only) ?

[Odot]

Before i go all out and get a Sigma Art for a film camera, what other AF lens would you recommend and why? THanks a lot!

 

[NortheastPhotographic]

The 58mm 1.4G is amazing if you like a lens that favors rendering over absolute sharpness. It's got about the same DoF wide open as a Noctilux. It's also lighter and smaller than a Siggy.

Otherwise the Nikkor 50/1.4s are generally solid performers. The newest one has smoother bokeh, but about the same sharpness as the AF-D.

 

[trythis]

These questions need a budget.
I like cheap, that's what makes it best to me and the AF 50mm 1.8 is cheap and looks great.

 

[etn]

Odot, if you use one of the "older" AF film bodies (F90x, F4 etc), G lenses will not work on those.
As far as I know they only work on the F100, F6, and possibly F80 and F5 (not sure about those two).

My tip would go towards 50 1.8 or 1.4 AF-D which are fantastic and available at very reasonable prices used.

Grüße aus München

 

[jspillane]

Nikon 'G' lenses are a total no go for me personally, due to their lack of aperture ring. They may be slightly superior in some ways to the AF-D lenses.

If you want the ability to have AF and use older bodies, the only serious options are the AF-D 1.4 and AF-D 1.8. The AF-D 1.4 I've used was fine, but I think the AI manual lens is better- but I dislike autofocus.
I believe Nikon 50mm 1.8's have slightly superior chart performance to 1.4's. Build quality on the faster AF-D lenses is usually better than their slower counterparts. Neither are going to hold a candle to the technical performance level of the Sigma Art lenses. But unless you are using at tripod and slow, modern film, I doubt you'll see a meaningful difference.

My favorite 50ish lens for Nikon is the Voigtlander 58mm 1.4, but it is manual only. Great lens.

 

[Odot]

Guys, i will be using the 50 for my F100 and possibly a FX Nikon. To my knowledge the G and D lenses are compatible with those cameras, the question is now which lens to get, haha.

 

[etn]

Guys, i will be using the 50 for my F100 and possibly a FX Nikon. To my knowledge the G and D lenses are compatible with those cameras, the question is now which lens to get, haha.

If you mean by "FX" a digital one, yes the both D and G lenses are compatible. If you want to use the aperture ring of the lens, you will need a body equipped with the "special thingy", whatever it is called. It's a kind of tab above the lens mount which moves when you rotate the ring. Lower-end Nikons (such as D5000 series) do not have this but all FX should have it. It might be worth double checking, though.

 

[John Bragg]

Best bang for the buck Nikkor 50mm f1.8 af D. Better build and an extra stop 50mm f1.4 af D. I have been using the 1.4 lately for low light and it excells for this.

 

[mshchem]

Buy a Nikkor 85mm f 1.4 , AF-D works all the way back to the F. But if you insist on a 50mm AF-D 1.4. I to have absolutely no interest in the plastic non Japanese stuff, half of which I think is sourced product. I have been burned more than once by the famous silent wave motor. I like to be able to use with my F2A, or plain prism F. Get the faster lenses they are so bright.
Mike

 

[cooltouch]

Best bang for the buck Nikkor 50mm f1.8 af D. Better build and an extra stop 50mm f1.4 af D. I have been using the 1.4 lately for low light and it excells for this.

What John said. I picked up a 50/1.8 D for cheap, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Sure, I wouldn't mind an f/1.4, but not at the prices they sell for! One nice thing about the AF D lenses is they still work well in manual focus mode. Well damped with ample focus throw, so they can be used easily on MF Nikons.

 

[shutterlight]

"The best"? That's the Sigma Art. It's not really close. It shouldn't be, given how well-corrected the Sigma is, thanks to all the glass in it. It's a big lens for a reason. Anyone traveling from 2008 would be astonished at the state of Sigma today, and particularly the 50/1.4. It's the only Nikon-compatible 50 that can go toe to toe with the Zeiss Otus, probably losing by a thin margin, but of course it's also three thousand dollars less.

 

[markbarendt]

I've had 3 or 4 AF 50 1.8's all with the aperture control ring of various ages and can say I've never been disappointed.

 

[etn]

"The best"? That's the Sigma Art. It's not really close. It shouldn't be, given how well-corrected the Sigma is, thanks to all the glass in it. It's a big lens for a reason.

But then, isn't it overkill? I think moving up a format will bring much more quality improvements than replacing a, say, cheapo 50 1.8 (which is already excellent) by a Sigma Art.

I understand the market need for a lens like the Sigma in the digital world. Going MF is financially out of the reach of many. But with film? You can get an MF kit for that price. Even a cheap MF (say, a $200 Rolleicord or Yashica-Mat) will bring visible differences compared to the best 35mm.

 

[etn]

I would like to add to my previous post that I also understand one's decision to stick to a format (here, 35mm). Moving to medium format means a new infrastructure, if one does not already have it: MF enlarger, etc. Medium format is also generally slower than 35mm, both in terms of f/stop as well as camera operation. Weight can be an issue (although a Sigma Art + F100 comes close to a Hasselblad).

 

[Odot]

Is there a significant difference between the 1.8 and 1.4 D in terms of sharpness and image quality? While we at it, i just read:

"for auto-focus to work on your camera with this lens you need to set aperture ring to f/22 and locked there."

Is this true?? it makes no sense to have to keep the lens at F22 in order to have autofocus.

 

[locutus]

the actual aperture will be controlled from the body in that case, you wont be shooting at f/22.

 

[markbarendt]

Is there a significant difference between the 1.8 and 1.4 D in terms of sharpness and image quality? While we at it, i just read:

"for auto-focus to work on your camera with this lens you need to set aperture ring to f/22 and locked there."

Is this true?? it makes no sense to have to keep the lens at F22 in order to have autofocus.

No Auto focus works regardless of aperture setting.

Auto exposure on your camera may require the aperture ring at f22 so that the camera can control the aperture. There are exceptions.

The 1.8 lenses are better than 99.9 % of us will ever be.

 

[etn]

No Auto focus works regardless of aperture setting.

Auto exposure on your camera may require the aperture ring at f22 so that the camera can control the aperture. There are exceptions.

In addition to that, you can also select how you want to control the aperture in aperture-priority or manual mode:
- using the aperture ring itself,
- or using a dedicated control on the body. This requires the aperture ring to be set at f/22. AF and AF-D lenses feature a lock to prevent the ring to be knocked out of the f/22 position. This is the default for all Nikon cameras since, I believe, F100/F6 and includes all the digital ones.

Only option #2 is available with lenses which do not feature an aperture ring (=G lenses and possibly the Sigma Art too).

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Before i go all out and get a Sigma Art for a film camera, what other AF lens would you recommend and why? THanks a lot!

I would get the Nikkor50mmf/1.4 AFD because I have it and think it's great.also has the for Nikon typical 52mm filter thread.

 

[flavio81]

Nikon 'G' lenses are a total no go for me personally, due to their lack of aperture ring. .

And they are the ugliest lenses ever designed, uglier than Minolta AF lenses.

But the performance of the G-series 50/1.4 is improved over the predecesor.

I think the best buy is the 50/1.8, by a mile.

 

[jspillane]

And they are the ugliest lenses ever designed, uglier than Minolta AF lenses.

It's especially sad, since the Nikkor pre-Ai/Ai/AiS lenses are some of the most beautiful 35mm SLR lenses ever made (expect for, perhaps, the original Pentax Takumars).

I think the best buy is the 50/1.8, by a mile.

The *best* buy is an old Nikkor-H f/2, but one has to be willing to forego AF.

 

[mynewcolour]

The Nikkor 60 2.8 af-d Micro.

The 58 1.4 G is stunning too.

All the others are fine. I don't think the 1.4 af-ds are 'sharper' than the 1.8s.

 

[flavio81]

The *best* buy is an old Nikkor-H f/2, but one has to be willing to forego AF.

Oh yes, i agree 100& (especially the Nikkor-H-C) but the OP asked for AF lenses, not manual focus lenses.

 

[gary in nj]

I have the Nikkor 50 f1.8 and the Sigma Art. No contest, the Sigma is a better lens. I also have the 18-35 f1.8 Art lens - just a great lens.

 

[Huss]

I use the 50 1.8G on my F6. Shockingly good lens, and so is the 50 1.8D. I prefer the G as the manual focus override is instant - just grab the focus ring. With the D you need to move a switch.
Oh, and buy it used or refurb for much less than new..
For reference I also have Zeiss and Leica glass, and I am very very pleased with the performance of this cheap plastic piece of junk..

Nikon F6, 50 1.8 G, Cinestill 800