First Impressions: AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G

I was surprised to learn that the AF-S 50mm f/1.4 is not that much larger that the AF-S DX 35mm. It is however heavier, weighing in at 9.8 oz., minus caps and hood. The 35mm is a mere 7.0 oz. by comparison. The large, recessed objective lens gives the AF-S 50mm a serious, intimidating appearance.

If I didn’t have an N80 35mm SLR, I probably wouldn’t own this lens.

As it is I do, and this lens is to that camera what the AF-S DX 35mm is to the D90. True, it’s just a tad faster, but that’s to my advantage with film. It’s a lens I can feel comfortable keeping on the camera at all times.

But what makes this lens really worth owning is it’s simply a killer portrait lens on a DX body. Incredibly fast and super sharp, it works for portraits, close-ups, low, existing-light event photography; anywhere a 75mm lens would suffice. This was part of the plan all along.

In DX land, it’s essentially the equivalent of the AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G, a $1,700.00 lens. The $1,200.00 + savings represents the value of the DX system over the FX system. I will save the purchase of that lens until my FX body comes along.

Add an extension tube or two, and this becomes an excellent macro lens on DX. Naked, the DX crop factor gives you the advantage of adding 1.5x worth of extension tubes, but retains infinity focus.

In FX land, it’s the the world-class low-light performer. The traditional “normal” lens but with enhanced performance, brought fully up-to-date with state of the art autofocus.

In 35mm land, it’s an instant upgrade. It brings you closer to the digital world in terms of quality and usability, while keeping you grounded on the film plane.

Speaking of quality, it is, in a word, stunning. Sharp all the way down to f/1.4, but exceptionally so at f/5.6. Low vignetting and chromatic aberration. Practically the perfect lens from f/2.0 upwards.

Like the AF-S DX 35mm, the focus ring is well-positioned and easy to operate; a bit smoother but still not fluid like a traditional manual focus lens. Unlike an AF-D lens, you can grip it while holding down the shutter button, and rock it back and forth to tweak the focus. An upside to G lenses is that they give you something extra to grip.

Unlike the 35mm, it includes a focus scale and much simplified hyperfocal scale. The focus scale is handy for setting the lens to infinity, as there are no hard stops in a G lens. The hyperfocal scale helps to “give you an idea” of where you stand. Or in other words, where you should stand.

Also unlike the 35mm, you can see the objective lens move in and out when you focus, making this a front internal focusing lens. Nothing else moves or rotates however. As we’ve come to expect, the included bayonet hood goes on smoothly and reverses over the lens for storage and transport. And if you want to achieve that “tourist look”, as long as you don’t need the focus ring or scale, you can shoot with it in the reversed position.