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- Name
- Maxime Nadeau
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The Nikon 50mm f/1,8 AF
I have recently bought this lens to use it on a APS-C format camera the D90.
Specs:
Constant focal lenght of 50mm
F/1,8, full frame lens
70mm equivalent on APS-C sensors
Focus illimited up to a feet and half
Will work with any Nikon SLR or DSLR.
Around the 150$ price range
The construction: 4,2/5
This lens is not completly made out of metal as more expensive 50mm prime lens such as the f/1,4 and the newer f/1,2. However the optics are made out of real quality threated glasses. This lens has obviously no zoom, which makes it very small, very light and easy to snug in your smallest bags. It has two rings, one for focus which goes from illimited to about a foot and half, so it is not a lens that can be sucessfully used for macro, the other ring can be used to set your apperture, so you can actually use it on holder models which doesn't have a digital apperture set, so you can totally use it on both your DSLR'S and your SLR'S. However using the apperture ring on a newer DSLR model will write an error message on your posemeter, so I usually lock it for digital uses. It feels quite sturdy, but I'm not sure it would survive too much bumps and drops like his f/1,4 and f/1,2 cousin. The rings spins very smootly, no weird noses and dirty feelings while playing with them. It's weatherbound, there is a rubber ring so it fits perfectly on your mount, sometimes it's a bit hard to get it off the camera, but I guess this is no problem on bigger models like the D700 and up.
All in all it could have been made more sturdy and been given a bit more weight for balance, but for that price you can't beat it!
Sharpness: 4,5/5
Those lens provide amazing sharpness, actually much better than some prime zoom lens I own even if at 1,8 it can be a bit soft (which is totally expected) however at appertures of 2,8 I noticed the best sharpness, I took a picture of a sheet of paper with a D90 and I could easily see the grain and the fibers of the papers while cropping! I have a 70-200 f/2,8 prime lens for portraits and weddings, and I find my 150$ 50mm to be much sharper at the same appertures. I was very surprised by the sharpness of those lens, which is very inexpensive! I also love the look of this lens, it's a very good looking 50mm.
Quality of light/ Bokeh: 4,6/5
I really like the milky feeling of the bokeh under f/4, light glimps will turn into nice circle disks and not the usual honeycombs light flares found in cheaper DX lenses, it makes out nice and saturated images indoor, however I found that the quality of the color was a bit desapointing outdoor in harsh light conditions, since it is a very fast and bright lens it's easy to overexpose skies and very bright areas, however a good photograph and Raw files can deal with that! I really like the shallow depth of feild you can acheive with this, on a ruled sheet I managed to get only one ''line'' in focus with all the others completly out of focus! So far I find it catches light very artfully, it gives out very great results in natural light, it seeks all the little subtle lights and reflections everywhere, so it's great when you don't have your studio lights and strobes with you!
Autofocus: 4/5
The focus works great in good conditions, however it can be a bit noisy for certain purposes, and sometimes it goes on quite a duty to find it's focus in dark areas or very bright areas, however I'm quite pleased with the speed of which it finds its focus in controlled environments. Very impressive.
All in all 4,5/5
THOSE LENS ARE FANTASTIC, when you buy 150$ for a lens you don't expect that kind of quality, I find it very usefull for weddings and portraits, because it is easy to carry around, it is a very fast lens that you can use indoor and at night. On a APS-C size nikon it will give you the equivalent of a 70mm which is great for portraits and it gives you a good reach as well.
I have used the f/1,4 as well, but for the price difference, which is more than twice as much than this lens it's not worth it, unless you want the little golded seal around the box saying it's a prime lens, all in all I'm amazed by the quality of this lens for the price, it's just as sharp and luminous as my 1500$+ prime zoom lens !
it's a must buy for those which are seeking for a pro quality lens with a small budget!
I have recently bought this lens to use it on a APS-C format camera the D90.
Specs:
Constant focal lenght of 50mm
F/1,8, full frame lens
70mm equivalent on APS-C sensors
Focus illimited up to a feet and half
Will work with any Nikon SLR or DSLR.
Around the 150$ price range
The construction: 4,2/5
This lens is not completly made out of metal as more expensive 50mm prime lens such as the f/1,4 and the newer f/1,2. However the optics are made out of real quality threated glasses. This lens has obviously no zoom, which makes it very small, very light and easy to snug in your smallest bags. It has two rings, one for focus which goes from illimited to about a foot and half, so it is not a lens that can be sucessfully used for macro, the other ring can be used to set your apperture, so you can actually use it on holder models which doesn't have a digital apperture set, so you can totally use it on both your DSLR'S and your SLR'S. However using the apperture ring on a newer DSLR model will write an error message on your posemeter, so I usually lock it for digital uses. It feels quite sturdy, but I'm not sure it would survive too much bumps and drops like his f/1,4 and f/1,2 cousin. The rings spins very smootly, no weird noses and dirty feelings while playing with them. It's weatherbound, there is a rubber ring so it fits perfectly on your mount, sometimes it's a bit hard to get it off the camera, but I guess this is no problem on bigger models like the D700 and up.
All in all it could have been made more sturdy and been given a bit more weight for balance, but for that price you can't beat it!
Sharpness: 4,5/5
Those lens provide amazing sharpness, actually much better than some prime zoom lens I own even if at 1,8 it can be a bit soft (which is totally expected) however at appertures of 2,8 I noticed the best sharpness, I took a picture of a sheet of paper with a D90 and I could easily see the grain and the fibers of the papers while cropping! I have a 70-200 f/2,8 prime lens for portraits and weddings, and I find my 150$ 50mm to be much sharper at the same appertures. I was very surprised by the sharpness of those lens, which is very inexpensive! I also love the look of this lens, it's a very good looking 50mm.
Quality of light/ Bokeh: 4,6/5
I really like the milky feeling of the bokeh under f/4, light glimps will turn into nice circle disks and not the usual honeycombs light flares found in cheaper DX lenses, it makes out nice and saturated images indoor, however I found that the quality of the color was a bit desapointing outdoor in harsh light conditions, since it is a very fast and bright lens it's easy to overexpose skies and very bright areas, however a good photograph and Raw files can deal with that! I really like the shallow depth of feild you can acheive with this, on a ruled sheet I managed to get only one ''line'' in focus with all the others completly out of focus! So far I find it catches light very artfully, it gives out very great results in natural light, it seeks all the little subtle lights and reflections everywhere, so it's great when you don't have your studio lights and strobes with you!
Autofocus: 4/5
The focus works great in good conditions, however it can be a bit noisy for certain purposes, and sometimes it goes on quite a duty to find it's focus in dark areas or very bright areas, however I'm quite pleased with the speed of which it finds its focus in controlled environments. Very impressive.
All in all 4,5/5
THOSE LENS ARE FANTASTIC, when you buy 150$ for a lens you don't expect that kind of quality, I find it very usefull for weddings and portraits, because it is easy to carry around, it is a very fast lens that you can use indoor and at night. On a APS-C size nikon it will give you the equivalent of a 70mm which is great for portraits and it gives you a good reach as well.
I have used the f/1,4 as well, but for the price difference, which is more than twice as much than this lens it's not worth it, unless you want the little golded seal around the box saying it's a prime lens, all in all I'm amazed by the quality of this lens for the price, it's just as sharp and luminous as my 1500$+ prime zoom lens !
it's a must buy for those which are seeking for a pro quality lens with a small budget!
A 70-200mm f/2.8 VR is not a prime, just a pro fixed f/2.8 zoom 