Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G Lens

F/1.4 performs like a dream in low light and creates a wonderful blur. I also like the minimum focus distance at about a foot so I can get a tight shot even at 50mm. Focus is fast and quiet and it's a must have for any photographers.50mm is a must have for me. Sometimes I just want to carry it because it's smaller and doesn't make me stick out like a sore thumb with larger lens.Below is a summary of how I use all of my lens today and I hope it will help you find what you are looking for if you have similar needs as mine:* AF-S 50mm f/1.4: Great for infants and walk-around lens on the street. I use this lens most of the time for infant pictures because 1) I don't want to use flash when infants have their eyes open even if I have a softbox/umbrella. 2) lightweight 3) low light performance at f/1.4. I also uses this when I'm out of the house because it's not in-you-face when you pull it out of you bag so people won't notice you. This lens also makes me move around a bit to be more creative vs. just zoom in and out. 50mm lens makes me think more about the shots.* AF-S 60mm f/2.8 micro: Great macro lens: I use this for very close up shots. I can get as close to less than an inch away even though the minimum focal length isn't listed as being 1 inch away. You will want good lighting since flash will be useless when you are this close to the subject. I take photos of baby lips, eyes, face, hands and feet, & other objects such as jewelry * watches. Basically any fairly stationary subjects that I want to highlight the details and intentional imperfections/wrinkles, etc. I sometimes wonder if I should use this all the time instead of my 50mm but I find the 50mm better at non-macro shots because it focus faster and lets in 4 times more light.* AF-S 85mm f/1.8 : I use this most of the time for adult portraits and it has very good low light performance as well. I choose this over the f/1.4 version because the other reviews I've read on the web did not justify the extra $1000 spend for marginal performance improvement and unless I am getting paid to take pictures all the time, I don't see the need to pay the extra cost for the f/1.4. This lens also makes me move around a bit to be more creative vs. just zoom in and out.* AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8: I use this when I just don't know what kind of pictures I could be taking and need to have zoom & I don't have to move around as much. While I don't take landscape pictures (24mm) often, I will use this for a large group outing, birthday parties when I may need to get a wide shot of a lot of people in a room and be able to have a little bit of zoom capability and not have to walk up so close to the people's face. This allows me to get some candid shots when needed. It's fairly heavy at 2 lbs and huge when you put on the hood so I almost never use this lens when I'm on the street because it attracts a lot of unwanted attention. I wouldn't want this hanging on my neck or shoulders for a long period of time.* AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 vr2 : This is one of my favorite lens only because I can use it for portraits as well (with some lighting support) and I can get really good candid shots since I can be much farther away 10-20ft from my subjects and able to get a nice picture. I do have to crop at times to get rid of the cluttered background but with the D600 camera, I have enough megapixel details to crop my pictures when needed. This is obviously a monster lens so I avoid taking it for street photos even though I've had some nice pictures and experiences on the street but it's so big... I've had people stopping me asking me if I'm a paparazzi and which celebrity I am stalking..... haha. It's almost over 3 lbs so I definitely wouldn't want this hanging on my neck or shoulders for a long period of time.* AF-S 70-200mm f/4: this is also a great lens and a fantastic alternative to the 2.8 version. At over $1000 less, this is a bargin and great lens if you're taking photos at good lighting conditions (outdoor, have flash or good indoor lighting). Otherwise it may be problematic for you at F/4.

I have a side business as a freelance photographer, doing production photography, headshots weddings, & art. And I gotta say, this is a fantabulous lens, plain & simple. I honestly don't see why some people are dumping on this lens! I admit, I haven't used the Sigma 50mm f1.4 (which must be huge & heavy, which I don't want), or anything comparable from other manufacturers, but I couldn't be happier. I did have the older 50mm AF-Nikkor f1.4 D, which was great, but I sold it-for good money-and got this version, despite the opinions that one shouldn't. I've been using this new version for about a month now-including 2 paid freelance shoots-and don't regret it.Pros: 1) Image quality. Contrast, color reproduction & sharpness are superior. I was shocked at the amount of detail I've been capturing. 2) Awesome in low light-how can it not be at f1.4?. 3) Smooth, quiet autofocus. Autofocus is noticeably slower than the AF-D model, but for most situations where you'd be using a prime lens I think it's fine. Plus it's nice when you're photographing a singer up close, trying to be intimate & keep her comfortable, to not have the "buzz" of the old screwdriver-focused lens. 4) Autofocus with manual override. If AF isn't working (like in low light) just hold the shutter button down half-way & turn the focusing ring. This is the way Nikon lenses are being designed nowadays, & that's a good thing! 5) Bokeh. Despite the negative reviews, I like the bokeh I get at wider apertures. Which was one of the reasons I wanted it-the 9 blade rounded diaphragm should be better for background blur than the straight, 7-blade diaphragm of the older model. I'm thinking it helps that I shoot on a camera with a DX sensor, so if you have a D700, D3, D3x, or 35mm film you might get different results. Otherwise, you should not be disappointed. 6) Ergonomics. It just has a really good feel to me. 7) Almost true internal focusing. The lens barrel doesn't change length while focusing, so you can hold onto any part of the lens & focus. 8) Hood. Comes with a nice bayonet hood, easy to put on and off, unlike the AF-D model, for which you need to separately purchase a screw-on rubber hood. 9) Forward compatibility. The only Nikon 50mm lens that will autofocus on the Nikon D40, D40x, D60, D3000, & D5000, which require lenses with their own focusing motors.Cons: Very few of significance. 1) Manual focusing. It works well, & the ability to override autofocus without flicking a switch is great, but I find the focusing ring a little harder to handle than on the older model. This model is larger overall, leading to a larger focusing ring (& filter), and my hands are a little small-ish, so that could be why. But this isn't a major factor if you use autofocus most/all of the time. The ring on this lens also feels tighter to me-which could be both a good & bad feature. 2) Larger filter size-58mm vs. the old, common 52. Only an issue if you already have 52mm filters and would have to get new ones for this lens. If you have multiple lenses with different filter sizes, try to just get one size of most filters and use a step-up ring. 3) Slower autofocus-but see above, not a major problem in my view. 4) Price. Pretty expensive at approximately $450.00, but it's actually not as bad as it looks. If you use a hood, like I do, then you don't have to buy one separately. It also comes with a nice carrying case-not essential, but a good touch. 5) Backward compatibility. Will not work on the older film cameras, because it lacks an aperture ring. Probably won't matter to most people.The older 50mm Nikon f1.4 AF-D is terrific. This version is even terrific-er. All I can say is, if you need a terrific-er 50mm lens: Go for it!

First prime lens. Purchasing the Nikon D750 soon. Have 3100 at the moment which isn't that great of camera. Choice was between the f/1.4G and f/1.4D. G version is made in china and newer. G version has near silent focusing compared to the older G model. Hearing the D model uses screws that allow faster focus compared to the G model. However, the G model has 8 elements compared to D lens with 7 elements. I think f/1.4 G has flare issues which is a bummer if you take pictures toward the light or sun. Very fast focusing on this crappy camera I have now. I mean very fast. Now the older D model may be faster focus on certain cameras but for me, the F/1.4G is very fast with nice bokeh. I plan on purchasing the 105 macro lens next, then the 70-200 f/2.8.I included a photo of my dog, who moves every time a camera is on her face. This was taken at around 7:30 pm at dusk. Yes, I focused on her nose because she was moving her head, but just check out the bokeh! The other picture of my dog (Chuppa) was taken at dawn inside a dark family room with no flash. And Chuppa was moving. The last picture was taken at dusk from my snowy rooftop (which I do not recommend!). You look closely and can see some flare. I will say that the F/1.4G has less chromatic Aberrations then let's say the Sigma F/1.4 and it is lighter. The next picture was of my famous Art "Deep Shadows" a painting I purchased in La Jolla, California (the good old days). Keep in mind my flash on this crappy camera is limited and I was just playing around. The last picture was taken at night, no flash; the only lighting were 8 seven watt landscape lights and partial moon on a clear dark night. I had to brace my arms on wall of an adjacent patio so I could not see to focus on redwood railings. I wonder if the F/1.8 could do this at night? Doubt it.The Lens was on sale for under $340 when I purchased. Cheaper than the Sigma and about the Same as the older D model. If you are deciding between the Nikkor F/1.4 G and D model, I recommend purchasing both and trying them out in terms of focusing. I also recommend between the F/1.4G and F/1.8 be considered because the F/1.8 is less expensive and many claim it has a sharper center focus. But if you take pictures at dusk or dawn or at higher ISO, then go for the f/1.4 G or D.

I shoot all Nikon on a D300s body (DX), multiple speedlights (SB-700's and an SB-900), and the full array of Nikon pro glass. This lens is the "holy grail" due to it's mid-range focal length (about 75mm on DX), large aperture, compact size, and light weight. However, some people moving from a kit lens and used to a consumer level DSLR body (slower focusing, different expeed engines, no AF Fine Tuning), may run into some issues.Before I go further, please accept this review as a pragmatic, rather than technical review. I focus on end-user usability in the consumer to intermediate range. Other's like to focus on numbers and other technical aspects and they do a great job for nerds like me.This lens will surely appeal to consumer level shooters considering "moving up" in glass. These are shooters that typically spend less than $1,000 on a DSLR body and start with a "kit lens." Larger apertures such as the 1.4 are not panacea's for every shooting situation, whether you shoot with a DX or FX sensor, or a D700 or D300s or D3100. Yes, you will be able to shoot in lower light. However, significant depth of field considerations now come into play. So, shooting your daughter's ballet recital is more likely possible w/out flash (most don't allow use of flash) but you may have significant focusing issues, especially on a body like the D3100, which focuses much slower than a D300s. So, you could expect more blurry shots when dealing with a moving subject and shooting at 1.4,even when using continuous focus. Outdoors in daylight, these considerations are mitigated, but some remain. For example, moving subjects shot at 1.4 may have the wrong area in focus and the rest out of focus due to depth of field, leaving you with an image that cannot be salvaged through post processing. And, the 1.4 aperture will typically yield soft focus, while arguably preferable for portraits, but not so for landscape.Many people also believe a 1.4 aperture eliminates the need for outdoor fill flash or, any flash. I find this to not be the case unless I am going for a specific type of shot where natural soft light source is illuminating my subject from the front (think window illumination). With this particular lens, you will want to shoot in the f2.8 to 8 range for most situations. Since I prefer shooting at ISO 100 or 200, this means I will probably have to rely on at least one speedlight. This lens provides good color rendition at a contrast level to be admired. However, it is a lens best shot in manual mode and under complete user control. You will want to integrate post processing distortion and sharpening control to play it safe. So, shoot in RAW format whenever possible to provide maximum flexibility with this lens (a good idea anyway- I always shoot RAW). This lens provides nice compression for portraits at an equivalent of 75mm, while wide enough, even on a DX for landscape. It's size and weight serves as a great all around lens for travel. For me, it's a choice between my Nikon 17-35 or this lens. I usually take this lens.Side note: Many people seem to have complained about the AF accuracy of this lens. I would suggest you test for AF accuracy and then use AF Fine Tune if your camera has it (D300 and above do). Every lens can have particular quirk's when paired with a body. Nikon offers the best quality control in the industry, but they cannot pair for every DSLR body differential. It is possible to get a bad copy of the lens, especially if Amazon shipped it in a large box with no packing.So, in summation, if you are moving from a kit lens on a consumer grade body, this is a great pro level FX/DX lens to consider. But I have to wonder of the cheaper Nikon 50mm 1.8 DX Lens(Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras) would serve you just as well. I would definitely compare the two for your needs.

Very well-made lens and takes excellent pictures with my D700.Price: Its priced right in my opinion, you can get them from anywhere from 400 to close to 500 dollars. It's absolutely worth $500, but I wouldn't pay more than that.Image quality: This is where I find it excels the most. Slightly soft and glowy at 1.4, but that's to be expected. Gets quite sharp at f2. The Sigma and the other Nikon 50mm is even softer wide open compared to this lens, so if wide-open sharpness is important to you, then this is your lens.Bokeh: Its very nice. Some "experts"; say its a little to harsh or jittery looking but bokeh is subjective. I love should single subjects wide up outdoors with this lens and having that wonderful dreaminess surrounding the subject. Its not like the Nikkor 85mm 1.4D but it has its own thing going for it.Focusing: A little sluggish but precise. At 1.4, the depth of field is extremely thin, so focusing just isn't possibly going to be spot-on every time unless you stabilize your subject and your camera. Most amateurs won't notice if things are slightly out of focus, so not generally a problem unless you're a perfectionist.Low-light performance: Stellar performance. This is really why I bought this lens. I love this lens for events where I have room to move around because I hate using flash if it's not necessary. This lens and a slight ISO boost is all you need to take flash-free pictures in many settings. Amazing for weddings and indoor concerts.Build quality: Good. Not like Nikon's professional-grade lenses, but very sturdy - I can't foresee any possible problems. The plastic hood is a twist-on bayonet type, and it works well.Very pleased with this lens. If your a sharpness nympho then check out [...] and look for the review and graph of this lens. Its a stellar lens and even beats out some of Canon's $$$$ lenses in sharpness.

This is my go-to lens. It's small and for the most part would be my lens of choice 90% of the time. I also owned the D version of this lens (which I returned) and I'm much happier with this version. Comparing the two, the major difference was that the D version was very hazy when wide open. I understand some people may like that, it looks kind of dreamy, but I don't care for it. Also the CA (though completely normal and apparent on both lenses) was very distracting on the D version. All in all, the G version renders much sharper and more contrasty images when wide open, than the D. If it's your habit to stop it down most of the time, then this won't bother you, but I often use it at 1.4 and the G version performs much better here. Also, autofocus on this lens is a little bit slower than the D, but it's also more accurate. I rarely have an out of focus image. I really like this lens and it was well worth the relatively small difference in price over the D version. At the same time I'm a bit of a cheapskate and if I could save $100, I would, so I had to try out the D. I wasn't sure if it was just cheaper because it didn't have a motor, or if it actually was different optically. It is indeed different altogether and in this case, the G was the better buy for me. If you're really looking to save money, get the 1.8 D, that's the real bargain.

This was the very first prime lens I'd ever purchased...and I still love it several years later. It practically begs you to shoot with it wide open, indoors, in low light situations. It was made for that kind of environment. I typically bump ISO up to 800, and shoot with the lens wide open at 1.4 all the time.It's a very small and light lens, which is typical for the 50mm primes. It's not the most rugged of Nikon lenses, but it still feels solidly built, with a both composite metal and hardened plastic exterior.Auto focus works well, works fast, and works quietly. It's plenty fast enough to follow kids or the family pet around the house, even in low light situations.The lens does have some limitations. In high contrast environments, shooting wide open can produce some minor color fringing and vignetting is possible while shooting wide open, especially with the use of filters. It's also a bit soft wide open. These issues are gone if you stop down to f/2.8 or f/4. This lens is tack sharp at f/5.6 or f/8, from center to corner.With respect to portraiture, this is a good lens, but not on par with the Nikon 85 1.4, 1.8 or Nikon 105 DC primes. It doesn't produce the same jaw-dropping out of focus background the other lenses mentioned do. You won't be able to get the subject to jump out of that creamy background with the 50mm. But, then again, you're not paying the premium that quality gets you. If this lens had those abilities, it would be north of $1000, not south of $500.Simply put, this lens is a strong bargain. It is well built, will last a very long time, and will perform up to expectations every time you use it.

This lens has not come off my camera from the moment it arrived from Amazon.The two best things about this lens are the bokeh and the low-lighting performance.Bokeh: I am truly amazed with the bokeh that this lens offers. It doesn't give that great of circular bokeh, but the background blur is so intense. It looks very smooth and silky. Anything behind your focusing point is almost vanished into thin air. For example, if I take a picture of a cat or a person, their body is usually slightly out of focus when their face is in focus. It has that much impact on bokeh!Low-light performance: I bought this lens particulary for its performance in low-lighting. It works great... do not believe any of the reviews that say that this lens is not sharp at every f/stop. It is still tact sharp at f/1.4. I would have to say that I prefer to use this lens indoors rather than outdoors. I feel like it creates such natural, radiating light indoors at f/1.4. I love being able to shoot subjects in low lighting without flash, which can make your photographs look so unnatural.You cannot go wrong with this lens. It is fast, sharp, and performs well in so many situations. The only thing I don't like about it is that you have to be a foot and a half away from your subject to take the photograph. And that's not a big deal! Most of the time, you can just work that out. It's a little steep for a 50mm lens, but for a Nikon lens I think that it's on the lower end. And it is definitely one of their best lenses. Hope this helped your decision!

私は、小学生の時分に祖父のドイツ製中判カメラも持ち歩いて友人達を撮影し、小学校5年生でキヤノンNew F-1 + 50mmF1.2をマイ・カメラとし、以後は各社の最高機種（ニコン、キヤノンで言えば、所謂「一桁機種｝）を中心に使用して50年以上一眼カメラを使ってきました。キヤノン、ニコン、PENTAX、Sony、Leica その他。50mmF1.4だけでも12種持っています。50mmF1.2は3種。もちろん、50mmF1.8Gも持っています（超軽量が美点ですが、・・・）解像力テストチャートでのレンズ描写性能を行ったり、既定の同一条件撮影などを行ってレンズ性能をチェックしてきましたが、ここの低評価のレビューの中では、ある意味正しいと思ったのは、この製品よりシグマの方に優れた描写のレンズがある、というコメントでした。　確かに、倍以上の価格で4倍の大きさで5倍の重量が有って望遠レンズのような外観のシグマの50mmF1.4（Artシリーズなど）はピント面の解像、背景ぼけのまろやかさにおいて確かにこの製品を上回っています。違いが分かる人は少ないと思いますが。　しかし、カメラボディだけで1.5Kgの重さのカメラを常時持ち歩く私でも、50mmF1.4のためにシグマのArtなどを持ち歩くことはくじけるというデメリットを無視してはいけませんし、また、ニコン純正でないことに由来する、逆光時のハロ、ハレーションの出方、そのうえ、ニコン自慢の純正ストロボの精密な連動ができずに絶妙な発光がなされない等々の、サードパーティーゆえのデメリットもあります。カメラ、レンズに半世紀もこだわって生きてきた一人として結論的評価を述べますと、「この製品は一眼レフ用の50mmF1.4レンズの描写性能としては世界最高クラスです（実質、プロ用カメラ等は日本製が世界の98%を占めていて他国はほとんど・・・）。しかし、この製品のAF作動はかなり遅い、まったり、です。それは、言わば、ギア比を小さくして微細で正確なA精度を実現しF、また、動画撮影にレンズ駆動音が入らないようにしたものですが。」　ただ、最新の「ミラーレス一眼」用のレンズには、これ以上に高性能（シャープさ、ボケ味）なものがいろいろ有ります。しかし、「一眼レフ」の愛好者ならば、「AFは遅めだが描写性能と携帯性は最高クラス」このレンズは買って損はないと思います。レンズの解像力が最も劣化する「最短撮影距離」の写真を掲げておきます。紙より薄いピント面ですが、描写性能はなかなか芸術的です。妻がもらってきた造花を今晩酌中に撮影したものです。

I've had this lens now for over a year and a half so this review is based on significant everyday use.The lens is excellent in every way. It's not a light lens but that is what a lens like this should feel like. The overall construction is really good quality with both metal and plastic. It is weather sealed so can be used in light rain.It comes with a lens hood and bag to store when not in use.The quality of the pictures when used with a D800 has been unbelievable. I am an old school photographer and still have my FM2 and the original Nikkors made of steel and proper glass. Though not comparable to these, this lens is worth every penny and it does cost a lot of pennies!The colours and contrast are spot on and any minor aberrations can be corrected quite easily in Lightroom.I use this all the time and it focuses quickly and quietly without any problems. Really tough construction and has taken a few knocks but still looks new. Use a good quality 77mm UV filter though to protect from dust and scrapes.Pictures viewed on a large 40" HDTV are flawless. You cannot appreciate the quality and depth until you see pictures at this size. The combination is the lens and the D800 is fantastic.Really pleased after a year and a half of use.

Perfect for my portrait shots! Superb sharpness…

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El 1.4 es un bokeh delicioso. Tomando en cuenta que es un 1.4 está a un precio bastante accesible. No es de la línea “N” de Nikon, sin embargo es un magnífico objetivo para diferentes tipos de situaciones. Yo soy fotógrafo de quinceañeras y bodas, le he sacado bastante provecho.Con este ya tengo las medidas de 24, 35 y 85 en 1.8. Este 50mm es el único que tengo en 1.4 y de verdad que es una delicia el retrato con él. No dudes en adquirirlo.