which 50mm?

pazifico · Dec 17, 2014

hi there,
i want to buy my first film camera... and i chose it yet
But i need to buy a 50mm also.
I'm going to have a nikon body, and i don't want to spend more of 250 $ (used or new)....
which 50mm you all recommend me as quality/price?
i saw the 50mm 1.8 af-d, it's just cost 100$. But if i'll choose a better 50 i'll see the difference?

thanks so much
seba

p.s. sorry for my spaghetti-english

baachitraka · Dec 17, 2014

For me 50mm is rather very boring focal length. I personally went with 28/35mm for wides and 28mm is the only focal length I used when shooting in Italy and 85/100mm for portraits.

David Lyga · Dec 17, 2014

Mr/Ms Pasta (spaghetti English): Your English is just fine.

A '50' for a Nikon means getting a Nikon lens, unless you find one of those Russian 50s that will also mount (as they made SLRs with that mount). WHICH lens you want is determined by what you want to occur with your SLR. If you take the easy (piu facile) route and get a Nikkormat you will not have automation but you will be able to use any Nikon lens, old prong-type or newer AIS type, without any problems (other than meter readings with other than 'prong' type lenses).

In recession-prone Europe you should be able to buy a working Nikkormat body for less than 30 Euros. The Nikon lenses are quite expensive, however, and, where 50s for Minoltas, Pentaxes, Canon (FD), etc can be had in the USA for $10 to $20, the cheapest Nikon (Series E) would be maybe $40. Thus, with the exchange rate as it is, that 1.8/50 Series E would cost you about 30 Euros. It is a VERY sharp lens. I promise you that you will not see a difference in image quality. If you need to use the (working?) meter, however, in that Nikkormat, you will have to get an older 'prong' type lens that meshes with the protruding, moving lever at the top of the camera mount area. (Set the lens at f5.6 to allow the connection to occur.)

Of course you could consider other than a Nikon body: the other brands I just named are as reputable as is Nikon.

With regard to baachitraka's comment: Choosing a focal length is determined by both personal desire and need. A '50' might be 'boring' to many but that is the focal length used in the vast majority of photos; it imparts a normal perspective on what you are viewing. I would use a '50' as a standard and then deviate from that as the need manifested.

Nella vita a volte ci sono troppe scelte. (Io sono la metà della Sardegna. I miei nonni materni erano di lì.) - David Lyga

MDR · Dec 17, 2014

If you buy a manual focus Nikon body the old Nikon f2 50mm is a superb lens an usually the cheapest Nikon 50mm. It's also reputed to be one of the best Nikon lenses. If you buy a pre-ai Body like a Nikkormat Ft2, a Nikon F or F2 pre-ai lenses are even cheaper than the ai lenses and the build is par none. My first choice would again be the Nikon f2 50mm. The Nikon E Series does not have a meter coupling prong and can't be used with pre ai bodies.

Regarding boring focal length there is no such thing one can make good non boring photographs with any focal length from 8mm to 1000mm the problem is the capabilities of the guy behind the viewfinder.

David Lyga · Dec 17, 2014

MDR said:
The Nikon E Series does not have a meter coupling prong and can't be used with pre ai bodies.

Just an addendum to your quote, MDR: The Series E CAN be used with ANY Nikon body. It is true that there will be no meter coupling with older Nikons but, optically, all will be well. Some older Nikkormats do not have working meters. (I was trying to be the most cost-effective here.) - David Lyga

pazifico · Dec 17, 2014

Thanks all

baachitraka said:
For me 50mm is rather very boring focal length. I personally went with 28/35mm for wides and 28mm is the only focal length I used when shooting in Italy and 85/100mm for portraits.

i like to take photo of landscape... and i know that a lower lent would be better... but i want to try the famous 50 before to buy other lens (and i think that 50mm is one of the lenses less expensive... then.. why not? )
p.s. for my d7000 i have a 35mm then i "know" as the 50mm is in fullframe

David Lyga said:
Mr/Ms Pasta (spaghetti English): Your English is just fine.

A '50' for a Nikon means getting a Nikon lens, unless you find one of those Russian 50s that will also mount (as they made SLRs with that mount). WHICH lens you want is determined by what you want to occur with your SLR. If you take the easy (piu facile) route and get a Nikkormat you will not have automation but you will be able to use any Nikon lens, old prong-type or newer AIS type, without any problems (other than meter readings with other than 'prong' type lenses).

In recession-prone Europe you should be able to buy a working Nikkormat body for less than 30 Euros. The Nikon lenses are quite expensive, however, and, where 50s for Minoltas, Pentaxes, Canon (FD), etc can be had in the USA for $10 to $20, the cheapest Nikon (Series E) would be maybe $40. Thus, with the exchange rate as it is, that 1.8/50 Series E would cost you about 30 Euros. It is a VERY sharp lens. I promise you that you will not see a difference in image quality. If you need to use the (working?) meter, however, in that Nikkormat, you will have to get an older 'prong' type lens that meshes with the protruding, moving lever at the top of the camera mount area. (Set the lens at f5.6 to allow the connection to occur.)

Of course you could consider other than a Nikon body: the other brands I just named are as reputable as is Nikon.

With regard to baachitraka's comment: Choosing a focal length is determined by both personal desire and need. A '50' might be 'boring' to many but that is the focal length used in the vast majority of photos; it imparts a normal perspective on what you are viewing. I would use a '50' as a standard and then deviate from that as the need manifested.

Nella vita a volte ci sono troppe scelte. (Io sono la metà della Sardegna. I miei nonni materni erano di lì.) - David Lyga

thanks for your answer... i want to buy a fm2... i fell in love with it.
And then i have a nikon d7000 and the great thing is nikkon that i can use the lens in every body (obviously with the limitations... mf vs af, and the new lens g).
i'm looking for the best quality with human cost (for me... is 200/250$ for 50mm).
As I said, i especially like to take photo of landscape, but sometimes i like to take photo of portraits, but just sometimes. if you want to see "my photographic genre" in my signs i have my flickr's link".

MDR said:
If you buy a manual focus Nikon body the old Nikon f2 50mm is a superb lens an usually the cheapest Nikon 50mm. It's also reputed to be one of the best Nikon lenses. If you buy a pre-ai Body like a Nikkormat Ft2, a Nikon F or F2 pre-ai lenses are even cheaper than the ai lenses and the build is par none. My first choice would again be the Nikon f2 50mm. The Nikon E Series does not have a meter coupling prong and can't be used with pre ai bodies.

Regarding boring focal length there is no such thing one can make good non boring photographs with any focal length from 8mm to 1000mm the problem is the capabilities of the guy behind the viewfinder.

thanks... i'll buy a nikon fm2, then you think that nikkor 50 f2 is the best buy for my budget? versione E?
thank you

seba
p.s. sorry for my spaghetti-english

MDR · Dec 17, 2014

Sorry David you are of course right I just thought he wanted to use a meter which often works despite the cameras old Age. The Nikkormat FS is the exception It's also my Observation that it's easier to find a non series E lens than an E lens in Europe the E lens is usually attached to the lens cap called EM.

Pazifico the E-Series if you can find one does fit the FM2 the pre-ai 2/50mm lenses can be used with stop down metering. The 2/50 was made in ai and that's the Version you want for the FM2. The Nikon FM2 is often sold with the succesor of the f2/50 the 1.8/50mm the lenses are about equal with maybe a very very slight edge to the f2 Version but you will never see the difference outside of an optical lab.

Good luck and have fun with your future Investment/toy

flavio81 · Dec 17, 2014

pazifico said:
hi there,
i want to buy my first film camera... and i chose it yet
But i need to buy a 50mm also.
I'm going to have a nikon body, and i don't want to spend more of 250 $ (used or new)....
which 50mm you all recommend me as quality/price?
i saw the 50mm 1.8 af-d, it's just cost 100$. But if i'll choose a better 50 i'll see the difference?

thanks so much
seba

p.s. sorry for my spaghetti-english

Hi Pazifico,

If you are going to buy a MANUAL FOCUS Nikon Camera then don't buy the 50/1.8 AF-D (autofocus) lens. Because it is not very confortable to use an autofocus lens on a manual focus camera.

As for the lenses, **all** nikon 50-58mm lenses are sharp and good. If you want a suggestion, choose the 50 f2 nikkor or the 50mm f1.8 AI nikkor.

My personal favorite is a very rare lens, the pre-AI 5.8cm f1.4 Nikkor-S

Note that you NEED to know the differences between a "pre-AI" and an "AI" lens, to be able to know which lens suits your camera best.

If you don't go for Nikon you may want to go for the Canon FD system since lenses are cheap and as good (or better) than the Nikkor lenses. In particular the Canon FD 50mm 1.4 SSC lens is extremely good, probably designed specifically to beat the contemporary Nikkor (Nikkor-S 50/1.4, another of my favorite lenses).

PentaxBronica · Dec 17, 2014

Generally the f1.7/f1.8 "standard" 50mm lenses were all excellent performers. They were aimed at the mass market but the manufacturers didn't cut corners.

That's also why they're the most common and cheapest. Pretty much every SLR sold until the zoom era came with a 50mm lens, and there are millions of broken SLRs with perfectly good lenses out there. Demand is therefore outstripped by supply!

You'll probably find that 28mm and 135mm primes are also easy enough to come by, but other focal lengths aren't so common. 28-50-135 was the standard three lens kit people were advised to buy. I too like the field of view of a 35mm lens but they're certainly not as plentiful as 28mm lenses.

Xmas · Dec 17, 2014

pazifico said:
Thanks all

i like to take photo of landscape... and i know that a lower lent would be better... but i want to try the famous 50 before to buy other lens (and i think that 50mm is one of the lenses less expensive... then.. why not? )
p.s. for my d7000 i have a 35mm then i "know" as the 50mm is in fullframe

thanks for your answer... i want to buy a fm2... i fell in love with it.
And then i have a nikon d7000 and the great thing is nikkon that i can use the lens in every body (obviously with the limitations... mf vs af, and the new lens g).
i'm looking for the best quality with human cost (for me... is 200/250$ for 50mm).
As I said, i especially like to take photo of landscape, but sometimes i like to take photo of portraits, but just sometimes. if you want to see "my photographic genre" in my signs i have my flickr's link".

thanks... i'll buy a nikon fm2, then you think that nikkor 50 f2 is the best buy for my budget? versione E?
thank you

seba
p.s. sorry for my spaghetti-english

There are two series E

ugly sister
Cinderella

same optics

don't worry you will know which one you are looking at.

andrew.roos · Dec 17, 2014

It depends on what camera you get. Once you have chosen your camera, let us know what it is, and we can recommend the best 50mm lens for it.

My own choice would be a manual focus FM. They are small, well built, reliable and quite inexpensive. An FM with a 50mm f/1.8 AI in excellent condition should easily cost less than $250. (My FM, in the picture below, has the larger 55mm f/2.8 micro lens attached.)

Ricardo Miranda · Dec 17, 2014

Xmas said:
There are two series E

ugly sister
Cinderella

same optics

don't worry you will know which one you are looking at.

The ugly sister when it is in her prime can be a Dark Princess!
I actually like her very much as the larger rubber squares are easier to grip and to feel the difference from the aperture ring.

JimCee · Dec 17, 2014

If you'd prefer to buy a Nikon manual focus 50mm lens, the f/1.8 lens is one of the best. One you might wish to purchase is a version of the 50mm f/1.8 lens that was made originally for the Japanese market. This lens, which is referred to as the 50mm f/1.8S lens, has better coatings than the other variations of the f/1.8 lenses and it also focuses closer than any other variant (0.45 meters versus 0.60 meters). Here's some information about that lens:

http://www.destoutz.ch/lens_50mm_f1.8_2257006.html

It's also referred to in this official Nikon history about the 50mm f/2.0 lens.

http://www.nikkor.com/story/0002/

These lens show up with some regularity on eBay at reasonable prices in excellent condition. Here's an example that's currently running on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mint-Nikon-...96312270?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item2345e245ce

Note: This is NOT a Series E type lens.

Jim

mweintraub · Dec 17, 2014

Depending on the camera body you want to get, but if the AF-S G lenses are compatible with the body, I'd highly recommend getting the new 50mm 1.8G if you can afford it. I upgraded from both the 1.4D and 1.8D and I'm very happy.

pazifico · Dec 17, 2014

thank you all so much.
i took note... and when i can, i'm going to buy a 50mm 1.8

David Lyga · Dec 17, 2014

MDR said:
Sorry David you are of course right I just thought he wanted to use a meter which often works despite the cameras old Age.

Actually, MDR, you are more correct than I had wanted to admit. I am SO used to working with cameras which have the mechanics in order, but NOT the meter, that I perhaps falsely assumed that SEBA would not mind either! I was trying to save this person money but trying, maybe, too hard. - David Lyga

frank · Dec 17, 2014

Michael R 1974 said:
The 50mm f/1.8 AF-D lens is excellent. Go for it.

Optically excellent, but poor haptics on a manual focus body!

frank · Dec 17, 2014

mweintraub said:
Depending on the camera body you want to get, but if the AF-S G lenses are compatible with the body, I'd highly recommend getting the new 50mm 1.8G if you can afford it. I upgraded from both the 1.4D and 1.8D and I'm very happy.

OP said FM2 body. The G lenses and AF lenses are not a good match.

mweintraub · Dec 17, 2014

frank said:
OP said FM2 body. The G lenses and AF lenses are not a good match.

Ah, sorry, I missed that post.

cliveh · Dec 17, 2014

Nikon 1.4.

Xmas · Dec 17, 2014

An AIed, AI, AIs or series E 5cm /1.8 (or /2) will do.

RalphLambrecht · Dec 17, 2014

pazifico said:
hi there,
i want to buy my first film camera... and i chose it yet
But i need to buy a 50mm also.
I'm going to have a nikon body, and i don't want to spend more of 250 $ (used or new)....
which 50mm you all recommend me as quality/price?
i saw the 50mm 1.8 af-d, it's just cost 100$. But if i'll choose a better 50 i'll see the difference?

thanks so much
seba

p.s. sorry for my spaghetti-english

seba,
your English is just fine,
i'd go for a manual 50mmNikkorf/2 or f/1.8.I paid $25 for mine and according to Norman Rockwell,it's one of the sharpest lensesw Nikon ever made

gone · Dec 17, 2014

I'd go w/ a Nikkormat w/ an H 50 2.0 lens (Japanese Summicron, and they aren't kidding, it's that good). Molto bene! Bella la qualita delle immagini! You can use a 52mm to 49mm step ring and use economico and conveniente 49mm filters and a hood too. Maybe $70-$90 US for the camera, lens and a few filters if you are patient. You'll want a yellow and red filter for landscapes to darken the skies and make the clouds stand out. A green/yellow one can be handy to lighten il fogliame.

I think that may be Ken Rockwell Ralph, not Norman Rockwell. A lot of people get the two of them confused :} Ken is still writing incendiary reviews. Norman is still dead.

film_man · Dec 17, 2014

One of the best camera+50mm I have ever used and the only camera-lens combo I really regret selling was the FM2n and the Zeiss ZF 50/1.4. It is an amazing pair and the Zeiss an amazing 50. Bit out of your price right now but I'm just saying.

JimCee · Dec 17, 2014

film_man said:
One of the best camera+50mm I have ever used and the only camera-lens combo I really regret selling was the FM2n and the Zeiss ZF 50/1.4. It is an amazing pair and the Zeiss an amazing 50. Bit out of your price right now but I'm just saying.

Yes, $620.00 (B&H Photo) is a bit more than the OP's stated lens budget of $200-250.00/ Just saying..

Jim

which 50mm?

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