NikonGear'23
Gear Talk => Lens Talk => Topic started by: Zang on February 06, 2019, 16:00:39
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Hello everyone,
Does anyone have experience with these two versions of Nikon 50mm lenses? They are priced more or less the same. Which one to pick?
Cheers,
Zang
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I have a 50mm f/2 AI and a 50mm 1.8 AIS pancake but do not use either very often. I have gotten some favorable shots with the f/2 version. The thousand and one nights story adds to the charm. My uneducated opinion is that the f/2 will give you a little more of an old school character versus the 1.8
https://imaging.nikon.com/history/story/0002/index.htm
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The longnose 50/1.8 AIS would be my first choice, but the 50/2 AI is very good as well. Neither will rank among the masters of supersmooth bokeh though, thus watch your background and the aperture setting for the optimum results.
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I have the two of them, and for a while was finding the 50mm f/2 Ai sharper then the f/1.8 Ai-s, but the latter (a "long nosed" one) grew up on me and I found it as sharp as the other, with maybe a slightly better DoF effect. It's slightly smaller then the f/2, has a definite character versus the latest G version and has the best flat field of the three (f/2 Ai, f/1.8 Ai-s and f/1.8 AFS-G)... ;)
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I have the AI 50/1.8, which is my favourite and most used 50mm Nikkor. It has a similar appearance and the same optics as the AI-S "long nose" 50/1.8. I prefer the AI version because:
1. it has a longer focus throw (210° vs 130°) which allows more precise focusing.
2. the aperture ring is wider, the AI-S aperture ring is narrow and not as easy to grip.
Comparing the AI 50/1.8 to the AI 50/2:
1. overall size, weight and build is similar (50/2 is slightly longer)
2. the 50/1.8 is 1/3 stop faster, which is not significant.
3. Both are sharp with very low geometric distortion.
4. The 50/1.8 has 7 aperture blades, which gives nicer 14-point sun-stars and out of focus highlights have a more organic look than the 6 blade aperture of the 50/2.
5. The 50/1.8 has nicer background bokeh than the 50/2 and pancake 50/1.8 versions (in my opinion). It is relatively smooth centrally but becomes harder towards the corners, so it's not perfect, but is better than the other 50mm Nikkors I have tried.
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I have the AI 50/1.8, which is my favourite and most used 50mm Nikkor. It has a similar appearance and the same optics as the AI-S "long nose" 50/1.8. I prefer the AI version because:
1. it has a longer focus throw (210° vs 130°) which allows more precise focusing.
4. The 50/1.8 has 7 aperture blades, which gives nicer 14-point sun-stars and out of focus highlights have a more organic look than the 6 blade aperture of the 50/2.
Hi, Zang, welcome to NG!
I would fully agree with Roland, especially in terms of these two aspects. The longer focus throw of Ai 50/1.8 enables critical focusing which is benefitial to the digital cameras with denser pixels.
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Thank you Akira for welcoming and everyone for your inputs. Toronto local aftermarket is not quite good and used Nikkors are quite rare. I do not feel confident enough to order lenses from overseas. My hope is, maybe someday this community may creates ability/opportunities for members to help each other buying photographic gear internationally with confidence :) I wouldn't mind helping NG members in acquiring and shipping stuffs from here, but like I said, we do not have divert preowned market.
I personally love long throw focusing that I got used to back in the time when I was using my Yashica/Contax lenses on film. I do not have many choices today, however. Having that said, I am thinking about getting 50mm f1.8 AIS for now.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Cheers,
Zang
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If the local second-hand market is dried up, reliable sources do exist. You might try KEH.com for example. Bought several lenses from them and no issues. They rate lenses conservatively meaning a lens is more likely to be better than the description would indicate.
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super busy at the moment so posting a quick reply :o :o :o
50/2 is great, bokeh is not the best and has a tendency to look harsh when given the right variables but its sharp and nice. typical plain and bland planar/double gauss rendering. check richardhaw.com for samples.
50/1.8 longnose is the best in my opinion. way smoother bokeh than 50/2. sharper than the small pancake. i like the shorter focus throw, better for quick focusing on the street. currently have a work in progress article for this.
i may stop updating the blog in a couple of months and this is one of the last articles. i am not sure if i can still make it for the Nikon F complete overhauling article. too busy and the blog doesnt earn much, about $30 a month. i may add stuff there occasionally as the blog has acquired quite a following among collectors and amateur repairers ::)
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I have just got 50mm f1.8 home. Quick test shows it is not as good as 55mm f2.8 nor 17-55mm f2.8 at 50mm. It is not a bad one either. Seems to be a keeper :)
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Another one at f2.8
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The lens itself set me back by $60 :)
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Seems like the lens has grown in me, and it is just the second day ;-)
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You might want to use it without the filter ? Of course each has his own feelings about filters, but I tend to prefer the cap to the "protecting" filter, as the latest might get in some weird reflections or adding another layer of glass when not really needed. :o
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I did try without filters and I saw no difference LOL I had bad experience with Zeiss 30 years ago. T* coating is extremely soft and I learned how to clean Zeiss lenses the hard way. Although, Nikon lenses seem to be much more scratch resistant, the habit of putting filters remains.
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I did try without filters and I saw no difference LOL I had bad experience with Zeiss 30 years ago. T* coating is extremely soft and I learned how to clean Zeiss lenses the hard way. Although, Nikon lenses seem to be much more scratch resistant, the habit of putting filters remains.
You should try to shoot (very) distant scenes to make sure if a protection filter has no effect on the image quality. I did detect some image degradation and stopped using a protection filter except in dusty or splashy situations. As Jacques noted, a hood and/or a lens cap are protective enough in most situations.
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I am sure the filters will affect the PQ in general and will create weird effect in some extreme situation. I will consider removing filters for critical works. Thanks guys for the hint.
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I know this is an old thread, but hey, how is your experience with Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AIS. having 50mm f1.8, is there any reason I should try 50mm f1.4? :)
Cheers,
Zang
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Not really. The 50/1.4 AIS is fine, but performance at full aperture is modest. Besides, the 1.4 lens has more visible distortion.
I'r rather use the 50/2 (my copy of the 50/1.8 needs infinity adjustment).
When I need 1.4, I'd rather use the Noct (high contrast) or the Voigtländer 58/1.4 (lower contrast at that aperture).
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Thanks Airy. I just saw and mint copy of 1.4 for less than 100USD and I was tempted. But I would probably never use it as I already have a couple of different 50mm.
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That's a nice price. But if redundant...
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Given the excellent high-ISO performance of the current digital cameras, I don't see any benefit of getting Ais 50/1.4 at any bargain price.
Nokton 58/1.4 is an excellent and fun lens. I loved various characters shown by the lens when the aperture is changed between f1.4 and f2.8.
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I had Contax Zeiss 50mm f1.4 unused for 20 years before I bought used Sony Nex-6 and crafted an adapter using a part that Matt (from here) sent me. I was surprised how good the results were. I think Zeiss is way better than any Nikkors I have including 50mm F1.8. I ended up using that lens and Zeiss 28mm f2.8 most of the time.
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I did try without filters and I saw no difference...
One situation where you might want to always remove a filter is night photography. I find a filter often causes a ghost of a light source like a street light, store sign or a car's headlights.
In my experience the latest super multi-coated filters don't cause additional flare as they reflect so little light. Where a filter may cause some extra flare a proper lens hood or for wide angle lenses and zooms shading the front element with the hand will make more difference than removing the filter. I always use a lens hood except on a 55mm or 60mm Micro-Nikkor.
I'm using a protection filter on my 50/1.8 AI but not on my AF-S 50/1.8G Nikkor. Does this make sense?
Dave
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The Contax has a top reputation (except maybe the bokeh). On my Df, the Zeiss Milvus 50/2 earns top marks (incl. for bokeh). Nevertheless, I found the 50/2 AI to have a special (vintage ?) "character", very different from the Zeiss, that makes me use it quite often. Hard to tell why.
I also think that blind tests could lead to surprizing results. As an active (albeit amateur) photographer, my lens appreciation has lots to do with the size, shape, touch, focussing action, etc., so I'm sure to pay attention to other things than the final result, which is not even final (post-processing...).
The only optical defects that I think are difficult to "appreciate" are fringes (esp. LoCA) and mush in the center, and more seldom coma or heavy distortion. Everything else can pass as a virtue in expert hands, depending on the subject... so "optical perfection" remains subjective and may depend on circumstances. The Noct Nikkor is such an imperfect, but beautiful lens. Of course, some lenses (Zeiss 50/2, Nikkor 105/2.5...) will more *consistently* deliver fine pics; maybe that defines 'optical perfection'.
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Right, most of my picture are not sharp nor colorful anyway. I do not like vivid colors and over sharpened images. So yes, handling and feeling is also a quality for me.
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It is a bit like audio amplifiers?
A singled ended triode tube amplifier can sound very good (if speakers are easy to drive) but if you make objective measurements on amplifier it is far from "perfect".......
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LOL... I soldered myself a single ended one for headphones and I love it :)
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I have often wondered if "lens nerds" also has DIY audio or just audio as hobby as there are some similarities..... :-)
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Yeah... funs go in pair LOL.
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I know this is an old thread, but hey, how is your experience with Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AIS. having 50mm f1.8, is there any reason I should try 50mm f1.4? :)
Years ago I bought a 50/1.4 AI and found it was not as sharp at f/2.0 as my 50/1.8 AI was wide open. Those who know more about optics and these lenses may comment. Today my guess is the 50/1.4 AI exhibits more spherical aberration at large apertures than the 50/1.8 AI. There is an soft veil over the image with the 50/1.4 AI and AIS at f/1.4~2.0. With today's high ISO performance DSLR(s) I see no need for a 50/1.4's extra speed over a 50/1.8.
My favorite 50mm lenses today are my 50/1.8 AI and 50/1.2 AIS. Some claim the 50/1.2 AIS is the sharpest 50mm Nikkor at f/2.0. If true I’m not sure this really matters. The 50/1.2 AIS has a buttery smooth focus feel. The 50/1.2 AIS exhibits slightly more barrel distortion than the 50/1.4 AIS and has hard vignetting in the corners at f/1.2 to f/1.4~. I would not spend the money I did on the 50/1.2 AIS again.
I also own a 50/1.4 AIS but it's aperture blades are oil fouled. It's been cleaned twice and the problem returns so it needs a full strip and re-lube. I've never gotten around to it. I intended to sell the 50/1.4 AIS after buying the 50/1.2 AIS.
Dave
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I also found that the 50/2 is a very nice lens. It made very sharp images when I used the "Gigabitfilm" for a short time. I was advised to get some 50/2 as they are quite cheap (the non-AI's) and then use the best of them for "Gigabitfilm". I was told that if I got a good one it could resolve about 400 lp/mm ......but not so sure about that......maybe +100 lp/mm is more realistic....
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I use the 50mm Nikkor-S as my webcam lens. I have 6 other lenses in that range, but it gives a nice rendering at f/1.8 that none of the others do. I don’t use it at all in other uses.
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Given the excellent high-ISO performance of the current digital cameras, I don't see any benefit of getting Ais 50/1.4 at any bargain price.
Does anyone see any advantage to the AIS (or AI) 50/1.4? I have one in nearly mint condition but I always grab my AI 50/1.8 instead - it's fast enough for my needs, has less distortion, and I think the bokeh is nicer. It's actually so long since I used the 50/1.4 that I have forgotten what its rendering is like, just wondering if I am missing something or if I should sell it.
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A slight off topic:
I bought a single coat Nippon Kogaku Nikkor-H Auto 50/2.0 two years ago originally for its vintage rendering wide open but eventually found it performed very nicely for IR. The image is quite sharp, and no hot spot is observed.
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...I do not like vivid colors and over sharpened images...
In Nikon Capture NX-D under Picture Control, Latest Picture Control there is a slider for Sharpening and Mid-Range Sharpening. Both offer values of -5 to +5. It's quite sophisticated. You can sharpen eyes and soften skin. I'm sure other RAW image developers offer similar controls. There is also LCH (Master Lightness, Chroma, Hue) where you can adjust Master Lightness and Chroma separately. You could increase the mid-tone contrast slightly with a soft S curve and then you might take the Chroma (saturation) down a little. Once again these controls are available in many image processors.
Just some ideas. :)
Dave
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That is cool. Thanks David for sharing. I have been using only some basic features up to now.
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This pertains to Nikon's Picture Controls found in camera, Capture NX-D and NX Studio and is also found in Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 where one can create their own custom Picture Controls.
Sharpening and Softening Images - NPS Global (https://nps.nikonimaging.com/technical_solutions/z7_z6_tips/sharpening_and_softening/)
If the functionality of Sharpen, Mid-Range Sharpening and Clarity are not all available in non-Nikon RAW editing software I would be worth reading this link to see what you might be missing.
Dave
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In Capture NX-D, “Latest Picture Control” can be made the default in the Picture Control pallet using Preference or Option> NEF (RAW) Processing> Color Reproduction Control (x) Latest Picture Control. If you always want to use Latest Picture Control then setting this in the Preferences or Option makes sense as it saves an extra step when fine tuning Picture Control settings. This allows camera older than the Z6 and Z7 to use the latest picture controls.
The same options is available in NX Studio.
Dave
All typographical anomalies are expressly intended. :D