nikon 50mm 1.4g vs 1.8g

damianmkv

damianmkv

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Am getting into my portraits a bit more and so am looking at a 50mm - I was thinking of 85mm to start with but it may be too long ?

So, is the 1.4 any good ? I see some reviews which say its great then some that say the AF is "slow". Is it worth the extra money over the 1.8g which is c£150 new compared to £200 used for the 1.4g.
 
Hmmm - cheers David. I have a 35mm 1.8 as you know..

Might take a punt at the 1.4
 
When I was in the market for a 50mm, I looked extensively at written and video reviews from all kinds of different sources, and to heonest, I didnt think it was worth the extra money. I went for the f1.8 and have not regretted it in the slightest. I used to use it on my D7000, and now use it on my 35mm film SLR. A lovely lens.
 
I've owned both and prefer the 1.8G unless I need the f1.4. It's just quicker to focus.
 
I had a 50 af-d on my d90. Great lens

On the d800 didn't like it as much and the 85 is much preferred!
 
grrr with your 85mm Shaheed... :)

I've seen your portrait stuff and its lovely - is that with mainly 85mm 1.8 ?
 
If you look on my Flickr, there's a samyang set which is all 85mm - combo of the d90/d800

The majority of my recent stuff is with the 28-75 on full frame (a 17-50 equivalent on crop - the 17 end will appear wider).

I love my 85mm because it's sharp and can shoot at f1.4. Dislikes - it's manual focus! But if you have the patience and accept you'll have a lower keeper rate than with an AF lens , it's cheap and great!

In a crop the 50mm is great - like 75mm on ff.
 
thanks. The price of a used 50mm 1.4g isnt far off a new 1.8g but then a new 1.8 will have 2 year warranty...

I have a 35mm 1.8g and hadn't used it much until recently when @minnnt reminded me its a great lens so thats what got me thinking
 
dont worry mate, i'm not - i'm just saying it was your shots of Lily that got me using mine again
 
:D

I'd also forgot about it but after forcing myself to use it I reminded myself just how nice it is. Small, lightweight and sharp. Wish they made a wider 1.8. I've considered the Sigma 30mm f1.4 art also.
 
No, I decided against it. I had it on my Sony and thought the length was a bit meh and figured that I had it covered on the 17-50 all be it not f1.8 if I wanted it. I think it's a little too close to 35mm and I was only considering it because it was a lens I could afford without having to save which seems to be my arch enemy. I think an 85mm would be your better option but you may feel like you have to be 3 mile away to get the shot you want. Try some focal lengths out with your 17-50 and 70-300 and see which you like the best.
 
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Many years ago (well, about 12) I spotted an oldish screw driven f/1.8 50mm Nikkor in a local shop which was closing down so I bought it for £40. When I could afford to, I considered upgrading it to the current f/1.4 AF-S version and enquired about prices etc in a couple of shops, both of which told me that any gain would be marginal at best and that unless I really needed the extra 1/2 stop or so it wasn't worth it so I still have the old one (and am very happy with it!)
 
I have the 50mm 1.4G and it has to be my best lens. Don't use it as much now as I used to as now but it is a great lens and never had an AF issue even when shooting kids. Had the 85mm 1.8G too which was also very nice but hardly got used.
 
Rightly or wrongly I have always preferred to go for as large an aperture as possible - lenses are never at their sharpest wide open, so IMO opinion a 1.4 would be better than a 1.8 at 1.8 as not wide open etc... Probably totally wrong of course!
 
Hope I'm not taking the thread off topic, but can you use these 50mm lenses at 1.4 and 1.8 for portraits? Isn't the DOF just too tiny? I have the 35mm and find it tough for a viable use at 1.8 shooting people.
 
I had the nikkor 1.4g but swapped it for the 1.8g after I read about it more.
However
I have JUST bought the f1.4 50mm sigma art. I want one of my primes to be 1.4 and have heard such good things about this lens.
Now I'm wondering if it's worth keeping the nikkor - it's so much smaller than the sigma so could be useful in different circumstances.
 
I have the 1.8d and love it. The consumerism within had me buying the g about a month ago but returned it after a week as the d is actually faster to focus and there really isn't any noticeable difference in image quality for wedding and event work, even at 1.8.
 
Regularly used 35mm, 50mm & 85mm 1.8g lenses when I had Nikon kit. The 50mm 1.8g is a cracker and pushes the 1.4g very hard. If you're into portraits, the 85mm 1.8g is fantastic....yes, it' can be slightly long indoors but get some decent space and it comes into it's own.
 
Zarch said:
Hope I'm not taking the thread off topic, but can you use these 50mm lenses at 1.4 and 1.8 for portraits? Isn't the DOF just too tiny? I have the 35mm and find it tough for a viable use at 1.8 shooting people.
Click to expand...

Then use it at a different aperture!
 
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