Nikon D750 & D780

snerkler said:
I tend to look at real world reviews too rather than test scores. I'm not obsessed with lens sharpness these days though TBH, nearly all modern lenses are plenty sharp enough. Rendering and 'pop' is what I look at.
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To be fair, wide open corner sharpness can vary a fair bit to be noticeably important. On my old crop (Pentax) camera, I had a very soft 50mm f/1.8. My Nikon 50mm is way, way better :)
 
pjm1 said:
To be fair, wide open corner sharpness can vary a fair bit to be noticeably important. On my old crop (Pentax) camera, I had a very soft 50mm f/1.8. My Nikon 50mm is way, way better :)
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Corner sharpness only really concerns me with landscape lenses, but then you're stopping down anyway.

It's only recently I've stopped stressing about sharpness tbh, although if I'm choosing between two or three lenses I will still check it out. It's just that as I said most lenses are plenty sharp enough and it's the overall look from a lens that is important to me. Light and the tog make far more difference to sharpness than 1 or 2 points on DXO ;)
 
snerkler said:
Corner sharpness only really concerns me with landscape lenses, but then you're stopping down anyway.

It's only recently I've stopped stressing about sharpness tbh, although if I'm choosing between two or three lenses I will still check it out. It's just that as I said most lenses are plenty sharp enough and it's the overall look from a lens that is important to me. Light and the tog make far more difference to sharpness than 1 or 2 points on DXO ;)
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Agree entirely with the bold bit - which has always been my problem :) Having said that, comparing that old Pentax prime with my better built Nikon ones is night and day in terms of sharpness wide open. However, that's probably more of a problem with that Pentax lens (and perhaps also its relatively poor AF) than being indicative of what you should expect from modern lenses, generally.
 
I'm going to go for another 50mm f1.8g rather than 1.4g purely based on AF speed and no real noticeable difference in IQ....

Well I think lol.

Can't see any reviews that recommend the 1.4 over the 1.8! But always more 1.8s for sale.... Might be due to how many are out there!!?
 
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Lack of good Corner sharpness wide open for portrait lenses is not really an issue for me, it is rather useful as most of the scene at the corners will be blurred and it also helps in pp as sharpness is added and you don't get contrast separation in corners. Center sharpness on the other hand is more important.

The 85 1.4 renders the oof areas bit better than the 1.8 and also has a warmer tone.
 
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JJ! said:
I'm going to go for another 50mm f1.8g rather than 1.4g purely based on AF speed and no real noticeable difference in IQ....

Well I think lol.

Can't see any reviews that recommend the 1.4 over the 1.8! But always more 1.8s for sale.... Might be due to how many are out there!!?
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If you can borrow the 1.4 and play with it for a day or two, you may see how it is different to the 1.8 you had.

I had the 50 1.8g. It was not as sharp as the 85 1.8g wide open and had to stop down to 2.2 or above, but overall rendering was pleasant. If I have to pick a 50mm again, I'd go for the 1.8g or Tamron 451.8 depending on what my wallet can afford at that time.
 
anibap said:
If you can borrow the 1.4 and play with it for a day or two, you may see how it is different to the 1.8 you had.

I had the 50 1.8g. It was not as sharp as the 85 1.8g wide open and had to stop down to 2.2 or above, but overall rendering was pleasant. If I have to pick a 50mm again, I'd go for the 1.8g or Tamron 451.8 depending on what my wallet can afford at that time.
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I might not bother with the borrowing and just replace my 1.8 with another 1.8! The 45mm from Tamron looks pretty good but not sure its worth like 4 x the price.

I'm not sure how 'slow' the 1.4g is in real life use and whether reviews slightly exaggerate how slow it actually is!
 
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snerkler said:
I prefer the rendition of the f1.4 too, and money no object would choose this over the f1.8. Every test I've seen shows the f1.8 as sharper though, even when both at f1.8.
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snerkler said:
F1.4 is better. It's the 85mm where the f1.8 is sharper.
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Not getting mixed up with the 50mm lenses.? .......I have read the 50mm 1.4g needs to be stopped down to at least f1.8 to get the best from the lens and the 1.8g version is good wide open.

I always thought the Nikon or even Sigma 85mm 1.4 was the best, but the expense was too much over the 1.8g version to make the purchase worth while.???

I maybe confused though with all the crap I read;)
 
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Swanseajack said:
Not getting mixed up with the 50mm lenses.? .......I have read the 50mm 1.4g needs to be stopped down to at least f1.8 to get the best from the lens and the 1.8g version is good wide open. I always thought the Nikon or even Sigma 85mm 1.4 was the best, but the expense was too much over the 1.8g version to make the purchase worth while.???

I maybe confused though with all the crap I read;)
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I think I have established from various sources:

50mm f1.8 is better
50mm f1.4 is worth extra money if you own it and are convinced its better
It seem people would still chosse the f1.8 if prices were the same
Last review on Amazon for the f1.4 was 3 years ago lol

As for 85mm.... the f1.4g is better... but also over £1000, so don't think its £600+ better.
 
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JJ! said:
I think I have established from various sources:

50mm f1.8 is better
50mm f1.4 is worth extra money if you own it and are convinced its better
It seem people would still chosse the f1.8 if prices were the same
Last review on Amazon for the f1.4 was 3 years ago lol

As for 85mm.... the f1.4g is better... but also over £1000, so don't think its £600+ better.
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Same as my thoughts from reading around. Hence my post, unless Snerkler has read something different.
 
Nikon's 1.8G lenses are fantastic for the money and great for hobbyists and enthusiasts like us who can't afford the pro lenses. At a fraction of a cost and good technique, it is difficult to differentiate the output from a creative point of view. From a technical point, you may have some benefits with the pro lenses and in some cases, the 1.8G versions are better.
 
JJ! said:
I think I have established from various sources:

50mm f1.8 is better
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errr, no it isn't imo/e on fx ... it depends on how you use it, if you shoot a lot under f5.6 then the f1.4 is marginally better (I owned the f1.8 btw) BUT it is marginal.

50mm f1.4 is worth extra money if you own it and are convinced its better
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see the above ;)

It seem people would still chosse the f1.8 if prices were the same
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nope I wouldn't ... but then I wouldn't choose a 50mm anymore it is a bit of a meh focal length imo.

Last review on Amazon for the f1.4 was 3 years ago lol
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do you seriously pay any attention to reviews on amazon? they are good for a laugh but other than that ...

As for 85mm.... the f1.4g is better... but also over £1000, so don't think its £600+ better.
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I do keep telling myself it isn't worth the extra money ... but sadly I suspect I'm not listening ;)

On the Nikon 50mm if I needed one I'd probably get the 1.8 again, simply because it's cheap and is ok, but I really don't like that focal length much so it doesn't warrant spending any money as such.
 
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Not used the D750 in ages.

to add to the above, I've had 4 different 50 mm lenses. Best VFM was th 50 f1.8g, great performer. The 50 af-d 1.8 was ok but the 1.8g was better. Worst was the 50 f1.4d

The absolute best was the sigma art f1.4 But you trade off size/weight

Testing out the #d750 #wifi #app Terrible model, lovely #sigma #50mm #f1point4 #art #lens Must use the d750 more. Forget how good it is. by Shaheed Rahman, on Flickr

quick pic today with wi-fi app, sigma 50 f1.4 wide open, taken with my phone as the controller.
 
I have a 50 1.4g for sale in the classifieds if anyone wants a look. Never even had it on my D750!
 
PaulButler said:
errr, no it isn't imo/e on fx ... it depends on how you use it, if you shoot a lot under f5.6 then the f1.4 is marginally better (I owned the f1.8 btw) BUT it is marginal
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Interesting! his will be used for f1.4/8-2.8ish I reckon.

Think focal lengths are a very individual thing and I really like the 50, much like people prefer 35 etc. So just want te best choice between the f1.4g and f1.8g as Sigma Art is out of range!

Although the Tamron 45mm f1.8g is (slowly) coming down in price.

@phil_b as a real time user of the f1.4g how do you find the focus speed and softness at f1.4/8ish
 
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JJ! said:
Although the Tamron 45mm f1.8g is (slowly) coming down in price.
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Was £399 in the last few trade shows and open days I attended - a £100 discount, but still 3 times higher than the 50 1.8G
 
JJ! said:
Interesting! his will be used for f1.4/8-2.8ish I reckon.

Think focal lengths are a very individual thing and I really like the 50, much like people prefer 35 etc. So just want te best choice between the f1.4g and f1.8g as Sigma Art is out of range!

Although the Tamron 45mm f1.8g is (slowly) coming down in price.

@phil_b as a real time user of the f1.4g how do you find the focus speed and softness at f1.4/8ish
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I agree focal lengths people prefer is very much an individual thing.

For value for money the 50mm f1.8g is hard to beat. All lenses are softer at f1.4 (those that go to 1.4 that is). If better corners at f2 to f2.8 are important to you then the f1.4 is a better choice, if they are not then the 1.8 is the one. I'm not really bothered by sharpness as such (within reason), imo it is over rated, I'm more interested in how it renders. As such I'm not really a fan of the newer sigma's as they are too clinical for me, though I don't doubt their quality. Most seem very heavy though. Not tried the new Tamrons yet, but if I were to get a normal lens now (and money no object) I'd get the 58mm f1.4, the way that thing renders is lovely.
 
Swanseajack said:
Not getting mixed up with the 50mm lenses.? .......I have read the 50mm 1.4g needs to be stopped down to at least f1.8 to get the best from the lens and the 1.8g version is good wide open.

I always thought the Nikon or even Sigma 85mm 1.4 was the best, but the expense was too much over the 1.8g version to make the purchase worth while.???

I maybe confused though with all the crap I read;)
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Nope, 85mm too

https://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-85mm-f1-8g/5

Notice I'm only talking about sharpness, I prefer the rendering of the f1.4
 
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PaulButler said:
I agree focal lengths people prefer is very much an individual thing.

For value for money the 50mm f1.8g is hard to beat. All lenses are softer at f1.4 (those that go to 1.4 that is). If better corners at f2 to f2.8 are important to you then the f1.4 is a better choice, if they are not then the 1.8 is the one. I'm not really bothered by sharpness as such (within reason), imo it is over rated, I'm more interested in how it renders. As such I'm not really a fan of the newer sigma's as they are too clinical for me, though I don't doubt their quality. Most seem very heavy though. Not tried the new Tamrons yet, but if I were to get a normal lens now (and money no object) I'd get the 58mm f1.4, the way that thing renders is lovely.
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Yes the 58mm looks very good, but I can only dream!! Basically I am not bothered too much about corners, more nice bokeh for both indoor and outdoor people shots so guess which ever lens renders the best would be my favourite! Got to let him know by weekend if I want the f1.4!
 
JJ! said:
Yes the 58mm looks very good, but I can only dream!! Basically I am not bothered too much about corners, more nice bokeh for both indoor and outdoor people shots so guess which ever lens renders the best would be my favourite! Got to let him know by weekend if I want the f1.4!
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From what I recall neither were cream machines in terms of bokeh, the 1.4 was a little better imo, probably down to having 9 blades vs 7.
 
@JJ! Just to be clear, the 50mm f1.8 isn't terrible ... I don't do a lot of people photography and usually use longer focal lengths when I do, but here is a grab shot of my grand daughter and daughter taken on a D600 (so same sensor just about as the D750) ... @f1.8 and iso 4000 :eek: focussed on the little ones eye btw.
christmas_2013_D600-5275 by Paul, on Flickr
 
minnnt said:
Why? Get it bought.
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Well I really want to see what sigma bring out. If they bring out a 135 f2 that would've ace. If they brought out a 85 art f1.4? Then that would also be good.

Do I just get the f1.8g 85 and wait??

Decisions decisions!
 
Placed an order for the Samyang 135 F2 and found it is out of stock and there will be a delay. Gives me some time to think and practice some manual focusing with what I have and see if manual focus lenses are for me.
 
Sir SR said:
Well I really want to see what sigma bring out. If they bring out a 135 f2 that would've ace. If they brought out a 85 art f1.4? Then that would also be good.

Do I just get the f1.8g 85 and wait??

Decisions decisions!
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With the cashback on the f1.4 would you lose much if you sold it on?
 
snerkler said:
With the cashback on the f1.4 would you lose much if you sold it on?
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Brings it to 999.

Expensive but deciding if I'm better off getting the f1.8 and seeing what sigma offer up!

Although the Nikon f1.4 is an itch that I seem to want to scratch, despite common sense telling me otherwise!!
 
anibap said:
Placed an order for the Samyang 135 F2 and found it is out of stock and there will be a delay. Gives me some time to think and practice some manual focusing with what I have and see if manual focus lenses are for me.
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It took me a while to get used to focussing wide open on my Samyang 85 f1.4. Worth it though when focus was nailed!!
 
Sir SR said:
It took me a while to get used to focussing wide open on my Samyang 85 f1.4. Worth it though when focus was nailed!!
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Is it still a pain to get perfectly focussed shots if you take out the reward of getting the shot as an experience?
 
anibap said:
Is it still a pain to get perfectly focussed shots if you take out the reward of getting the shot as an experience?
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Depends on what you're shooting. If it's something that's moving....massive pain.

Something relatively still - all good!!
 
Sir SR said:
Brings it to 999.

Expensive but deciding if I'm better off getting the f1.8 and seeing what sigma offer up!

Although the Nikon f1.4 is an itch that I seem to want to scratch, despite common sense telling me otherwise!!
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Hmm, would still lose a few hundred then. Maybe find a used one to scratch the itch whilst waiting for a sigma art?
 
snerkler said:
Hmm, would still lose a few hundred then. Maybe find a used one to scratch the itch whilst waiting for a sigma art?
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From what I can see, the art would have to have better CA than the f1.4g to make it worthwhile to upgrade.

Sigma may of course also release a 135mm.
 
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