Which AI-S 50mm for my FE2?

Odot · Oct 6, 2020

I‘ve heard that the AI-S provide the best image quality, contrast and sharpness for analog so i wonder which i should go for? I‘ve read a few reviews and was a bit surprised that the 1.8 was somewhat the overall best among 1.2, 1.4 and 1.8. Odd. Ive also read that there are different renditions like pancake and long nose which makes all of this even more confusing.

What 50 would you recommend and why? Thank you!

PhotoJim · Oct 6, 2020

Not so odd. f/1.8 lenses are easier to design. In fact, I'd make an argument that the AI 50/2 is the best Nikon 50.

That having been said, none are truly awful.

If you're wanting a used lens, I'd get a rubber-focus-ring AI 50/2 or the first-generation AI-S 50/1.8 (the last generation is a Series E with multicoating added and, to me, is not quite as good). And if you prefer a new lens, and can live with a slightly different focus feel, the AF 50/1.8D is the one. I just shot a roll with this lens on an FE body last weekend. I think AF lenses look good on 1970s/'80s manual cameras, personally, and it will give you an AF lens to use if you ever get an autofocus body.

Ariston · Oct 6, 2020

Any is outstanding. Get the cheapest if money matters, get the fastest if speed matters. There is no wrong choice.

Mick Fagan · Oct 6, 2020

When I bought my FE2 a short time after it was released, I too pondered which 50mm lens to use. It was a toss up between the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 or the Micro Nikkor 55mm f/2.8. With overall versatility being the criteria, I opted for the Micro Nikkor 55mm f/2.8 which at the time came with an extension ring PK-13 in the version I have. This lens has CRC (Close Range Correction) which in normal language, means the elements float about as you focus closer and closer to your subject. In short, the Micro Nikkor is brilliant with anything close while still reasonably good to great at infinity.

This was my only 50mm lens for years until 1987 when picked up a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 in Germany. I then had use of two 50mm (ish) lenses and found that I would use the faster 1.8 lens for dark situations where previously I had used the 2.8 lens and got away with it as it isn't that slow. For all other situations I preferred the Micro Nikkor because of the greater versatility of super close range and really unbelievable sharpness when photographing any kind of detail.

For absolute speed I have the 85mm f/1.4 and find that close to my most used lens when using 35mm cameras. I have two F3 bodies as well as my now seldom used FE2.

If I had to choose one standard lens to travel the world, it would be the Micro Nikkor 55mm f/2.8. In general you will not need to have a lens hood as the lens element itself is very deeply recessed, it takes 52mm filters. The only downside is that it is not a small lens compared to the 50mm f/1.8, but I never considered that to be a problem.

On our last major trip to Germany where we spent a couple of months travelling along the northern coast from the Polish border right across the top until we skimmed Denmark, eventually travelling south along the Dutch border, I had a Sigma f/2.8 24mm, Micro Nikkor 55mm f/2.8 and my Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 and a single F3 body. The 24mm is perfect for villages, cities and some nature stuff where you need a wide angle lens, the 55 was perfect for almost everything else with the 105 being used for pulling landscapes and items in and portraiture.

Mick.

BradS · Oct 6, 2020

I agree with Ariston. You really cannot go wrong with any of them - assuming that you get one in good condition.

My personal favorite is the 50mm f/1.8 AI-s pancake but I also own and enjoy the 50mm f/2 AI Nikkor, 50mm f/1.4 AI Nikkor. I have several of the pre-ai versions of these as well and they're all fantastic too. You really cannot go wrong.

I cannot stress enough how important finding one in good condition will be though. These lenses are all old now and the variation is large and getting steadily larger. I think that you can still buy the f/1.4 version brand new.

Вormental_old · Oct 6, 2020

I was in your shoes last year and I went with 50mm f/1.8 AI-S "pancake". I know, Ken Rockwell is not exactly praised here, but he makes good points in this review. Basically:

Very fast lenses are always a design compromise.
Reasonably fast lenses are easier to design to perfection.
Weight and cost should not be ignored.
There are 3 versions of this lens, get the "japanese market" version.

I ended up getting two versions of the pancake lens. Both were extremely lightweight, easy to focus and optically excellent, but the "Japanese market" one used better materials for the focusing ring, i.e. more pleasant to touch and smoother feel. And despite this, I still avoid shooting wider than f/2.8 because DOF is just too thin for manual focus (and my lack of skill. I think my focus plane moves a bit between focus&recompose)

PhotoJim · Oct 6, 2020

BradS said:
I cannot stress enough how important finding one in good condition will be though. These lenses are all old now and the variation is large and getting steadily larger. I think that you can still buy the f/1.4 version brand new.

Precisely why I recommended the AF 50/1.8D. The AF 50/1.4D is a very good lens, too (I own both, plus a Series E 50/1.8 and a Micro-Nikkor 55/3.5, plus I have owned the 50/2 AI and a non-AI 50/1.4) and while the 1.4D is my normal carry-around 50, it does have some light falloff in the corners at f/2.8 and wider that is a lot milder in the 1.8D.

Personally, while I know some purists won't use autofocus lenses on a manual body, I think the manual focus feel is quite adequate. And the AF 50/1.8D is very inexpensive - a terrific bargain.

Ariston · Oct 6, 2020

PhotoJim said:
Precisely why I recommended the AF 50/1.8D. The AF 50/1.4D is a very good lens, too (I own both, plus a Series E 50/1.8 and a Micro-Nikkor 55/3.5, plus I have owned the 50/2 AI and a non-AI 50/1.4) and while the 1.4D is my normal carry-around 50, it does have some light falloff in the corners at f/2.8 and wider that is a lot milder in the 1.8D.

Personally, while I know some purists won't use autofocus lenses on a manual body, I think the manual focus feel is quite adequate. And the AF 50/1.8D is very inexpensive - a terrific bargain.

I actually have an extra AF 50 1.8D that I need to sell (I don't need two), if the OP wants it. It is in outstanding condition, and I'll sell it for $80 shipped, if interested.

I have no qualms about using an AF lens on a MF camera. It actually makes for a very, very light kit.

OP, if you are interested, just PM me.

dourbalistar · Oct 6, 2020

Вormental said:
I was in your shoes last year and I went with 50mm f/1.8 AI-S "pancake". I know, Ken Rockwell is not exactly praised here, but he makes good points in this review. Basically:

Very fast lenses are always a design compromise.

Reasonably fast lenses are easier to design to perfection.

Weight and cost should not be ignored.

There are 3 versions of this lens, get the "japanese market" version.

I ended up getting two versions of the pancake lens. Both were extremely lightweight, easy to focus and optically excellent, but the "Japanese market" one used better materials for the focusing ring, i.e. more pleasant to touch and smoother feel. And despite this, I still avoid shooting wider than f/2.8 because DOF is just too thin for manual focus (and my lack of skill. I think my focus plane moves a bit between focus&recompose)

I second this recommendation. The Japanese market version also has the closest minimum focus distance of the three 50/1.8 pancake versions, focusing down to 0.45m compared to 0.6m for the others. It's a very sharp lens, and was designed specifically to have almost zero distortion:
https://imaging.nikon.com/history/story/0060/index.htm

dourbalistar · Oct 6, 2020

Odot said:
I‘ve heard that the AI-S provide the best image quality, contrast and sharpness for analog so i wonder which i should go for? I‘ve read a few reviews and was a bit surprised that the 1.8 was somewhat the overall best among 1.2, 1.4 and 1.8. Odd. Ive also read that there are different renditions like pancake and long nose which makes all of this even more confusing.

What 50 would you recommend and why? Thank you!

MIR has a good summary of Nikon's 50mm AI-S lenses. Optically, I think most of the 50/1.8 lenses are identical, with minor differences in the coatings (Series E 50/1.8 is single coated) and construction:
https://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/50mmnikkor/index6.htm

halfaman · Oct 7, 2020

50 mm f/1.8 AI-S is as sharp as anyone would need a lens to be. I never thought about subsituting it by other and normally more expensive lens.

Nitroplait · Oct 7, 2020

I currently own three 50/55mm Nikkor lenses, but have been around a few more over the years.
Any 50mm Nikkor will have great potential and have strengths and weaknesses to explore and adapt to.
An approach to selecting could be first to consider purpose and the importance of handling.
Series E and AF lenses are lighter but also a bit plasticky.
F1.2 is heavy but may be considered a 2 in 1 lens. Dreamy and unique at wider apertures than f2 and sharp when stopped down.
A 55mm Micro Nikkor is razor sharp but slow both in F stop and in handling because it has a long focus throw.
And so on...
I personally preferred the 50/2 and I own both the Pre-Ai and an AI version. The deciding factor was the rendering of OOF which was a bit more pleasant in the 50/2 than the others I have tried. I also held on to the 55/2.8 which is used when I want to move up close.
The 55 is the sharper lens overall, but I have never felt the need to use it for normal use as the 50/2 is plenty sharp for my purposes.

film_man · Oct 7, 2020

I absolutely adore my 50/1.2. At f/2 it is amazingly sharp with excellent background blur and subject separation. Much better than the 50/1.8D or G and the 50/1.4D. No tried the AIS versions of the 1.8 and 1.4 but given how cheap the 1.2 is (for a 1.2 lens I mean, I paid £300 for mine) I don't see the reason to buy anything else if you can afford it.

If you have the money you may want to consider the Zeiss 50/1.4 ZF and the Voigtlander 40/2. Both excellent lenses which I enjoyed using. But the 50/1.2 is the one for me.

voceumana · Oct 7, 2020

When I decided to get a 50mm, I opted for the 1.8; great reviews, and considerably lighter, and really, do I need an extra 1/3 stop? Not often in my experience.

Odot · Oct 7, 2020

Вormental said:
I was in your shoes last year and I went with 50mm f/1.8 AI-S "pancake". I know, Ken Rockwell is not exactly praised here, but he makes good points in this review. Basically:

Very fast lenses are always a design compromise.

Reasonably fast lenses are easier to design to perfection.

Weight and cost should not be ignored.

There are 3 versions of this lens, get the "japanese market" version.

I ended up getting two versions of the pancake lens. Both were extremely lightweight, easy to focus and optically excellent, but the "Japanese market" one used better materials for the focusing ring, i.e. more pleasant to touch and smoother feel. And despite this, I still avoid shooting wider than f/2.8 because DOF is just too thin for manual focus (and my lack of skill. I think my focus plane moves a bit between focus&recompose)

Hi, how can I tell what a Japanese edition of this lens is? Besides build quality, are the others less good in terms of image quality?

Nitroplait · Oct 7, 2020

Odot said:
Besides build quality, are the others less good in terms of image quality?

Not that you will likely notice.
Get one (any) that you can preferably touch and examine before buying and get out there using your wonderful FE2

BradS · Oct 7, 2020

Odot said:
Hi, how can I tell what a Japanese edition of this lens is? Besides build quality, are the others less good in terms of image quality?

Again, at this point these lenses are all OLD. The condition of the specific individual will potentially have a much greater effect on the performance than any differences between the different versions when they were new. Nikon did not make a bad manual focus 50mm lens. When new, any of these would be far better than any amateur photographer needed. If you didn't get a good photo it wasn't the fault of the lens. ...but again, they are not new any more...they have all been subjected to different usage and storage conditions. Some may have even been "fixed" or "cleaned" by untrained hacks. Shop carefully. Buy from reputable dealers with a return policy. Don't buy garbage just to save a few dollars.

PhotoJim · Oct 7, 2020

voceumana said:
When I decided to get a 50mm, I opted for the 1.8; great reviews, and considerably lighter, and really, do I need an extra 1/3 stop? Not often in my experience.

2/3 stop (f/1.8 is 1/3-stop faster than f/2, 2/3-stop slower than f/1.4). But that doesn't change your point.

PhotoJim · Oct 7, 2020

BradS said:
Again, at this point these lenses are all OLD. The condition of the specific individual will potentially have a much greater effect on the performance than any differences between the different versions when they were new. Nikon did not make a bad manual focus 50mm lens. When new, any of these would be far better than any amateur photographer needed. If you didn't get a good photo it wasn't the fault of the lens. ...but again, they are not new any more...they have all been subjected to different usage and storage conditions. Some may have even been "fixed" or "cleaned" by untrained hacks. Shop carefully. Buy from reputable dealers with a return policy. Don't buy garbage just to save a few dollars.

I agree with this 100%. Any given 50mm lens might be in perfect condition. Or it might have been a lemon from the factory. Or it might have taken a drop and the elements are out of alignment. Or it might have the very-hard-to-see beginning stages of coating fungus.

You just have to buy one, test it, and be prepared to move on to another one if it doesn't work out. Or decide not to take the chance and buy new, and at least have a warranty if there is a problem.

I have an AF Nikkor 75-300/4.5-5.6 that I've owned for some time. I bought it used in apparently perfect condition. Turns out that it had taken a whack at some point in its life. Once Nikon repaired it, it was perfect. But it ended up not being the bargain I was hoping it would be.

Вormental_old · Oct 7, 2020

Odot said:
Hi, how can I tell what a Japanese edition of this lens is? Besides build quality, are the others less good in terms of image quality?

The two copies I had were identical optically. But if you want "Japanese version", look at:

First digit of the serial number is a 2, not a 4, engraved on the front of the lens.
0.45 meter minimal focus distance on the focus ring, as opposed to 0.6m
Focusing ring is rubber vs plastic. Not easy to see, but the plasic one is shiny with rounded ribbing, while rubber rings are matte and feature sharper ribs. See: regular version vs japanese version.

Huss · Oct 7, 2020

I have a few Nikon AF D lenses and they are great optically. But compared to the traditional manual Nikon lenses, they are not as nice to use mechanically. Especially their aperture rings. There is an unpleasant almost cheap feeling stiction to them that none of my all metal manual Nikon lenses have. It kinda spoils the experience.
With my FE2 (and others) I found the 50 1.8 long nose great, as it basically does not need a lens hood. It's also a little easier to grab the focus ring as it is twice as wide as the pancake versions.
The AI-s 1.2 is pretty darn sweet, and stopped down (to where the 1.8 is wide open) it is pretty much as sharp as the 1.8, stopping them down further and there is no difference. But it does have that 1.2 opening available for when you need it.
I recently started shooting wide open at night in the city, so have found fast lenses very useful. Downside is the 1.2 is much larger than the 1.8, so the 1.8 is just really pleasant/well balanced to use.

I also use the Voigtlander 40 f2 which is spectacular - but that is not in the question posed. That would be my first pick if asked. Also use the Zeiss 50 1.4. Again, not asked about! I have the 45 2.8 AI-P, the 55 and 60 2.8 etc but I think these are too slow to be the only lens unless all you do is take pics in good light or walk around w a tripod. There's a reason fast lenses were made for film cameras.

Andrew Patteson · Oct 7, 2020

dourbalistar said:
I second this recommendation. The Japanese market version also has the closest minimum focus distance of the three 50/1.8 pancake versions, focusing down to 0.45m compared to 0.6m for the others. It's a very sharp lens, and was designed specifically to have almost zero distortion:
https://imaging.nikon.com/history/story/0060/index.htm

And I third this recommendation. I am very happy with mine. BUT I also agree with the other comments that you can't really go wrong.

Small size and light weight are important to me with this particular camera, so the 1.8 was an easy choice. And I end up doing a lot of close focusing, so I appreciate the shorter MFD.

Odot · Oct 7, 2020

Huss said:
I have a few Nikon AF D lenses and they are great optically. But compared to the traditional manual Nikon lenses, they are not as nice to use mechanically. Especially their aperture rings. There is an unpleasant almost cheap feeling stiction to them that none of my all metal manual Nikon lenses have. It kinda spoils the experience.
With my FE2 (and others) I found the 50 1.8 long nose great, as it basically does not need a lens hood. It's also a little easier to grab the focus ring as it is twice as wide as the pancake versions.
The AI-s 1.2 is pretty darn sweet, and stopped down (to where the 1.8 is wide open) it is pretty much as sharp as the 1.8, stopping them down further and there is no difference. But it does have that 1.2 opening available for when you need it.
I recently started shooting wide open at night in the city, so have found fast lenses very useful. Downside is the 1.2 is much larger than the 1.8, so the 1.8 is just really pleasant/well balanced to use.

I also use the Voigtlander 40 f2 which is spectacular - but that is not in the question posed. That would be my first pick if asked. Also use the Zeiss 50 1.4. Again, not asked about! I have the 45 2.8 AI-P, the 55 and 60 2.8 etc but I think these are too slow to be the only lens unless all you do is take pics in good light or walk around w a tripod. There's a reason fast lenses were made for film cameras.

while we at it, how are the Zeiss and Voigtländer compared to the AI-S in terms of shaprness, contrast userbility etc?

madNbad · Oct 7, 2020

Voigtlander Ultron 40 mm SLII ASPH brand new is $419 usd from B&H Photo. The Ai-S lenses are at least thirty years old, some older. They may need service, which adds to the price.

Вormental_old · Oct 7, 2020

When did they stop manufacturing 50mm f/1.8 AI-S? Both lenses I had were purchased on eBay, shared the brand-new appearance. One of them came in an original box which also didn't look faded/super-old. I'd wager a guess that my lens was made somewhere in the 90s, which should be considered a "baby age" by the MF lens standards!

Which AI-S 50mm for my FE2?

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