Author Topic: Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-S on the Z6  (Read 15666 times)

Bill De Jager

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Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-S on the Z6
« on: December 17, 2019, 03:29:09 »
At f/1.2:

_DSC0945 by Bill de Jager, on Flickr

_DSC0959 by Bill de Jager, on Flickr

_DSC0973 by Bill de Jager, on Flickr

Tristin

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Re: Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-S on the Z6
« Reply #1 on: December 17, 2019, 05:18:42 »
IBIS and focus zoom really opens up possibilities with the 50/1.2! 
-Tristin

Bill De Jager

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Re: Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-S on the Z6
« Reply #2 on: December 17, 2019, 06:43:28 »
I found the focus peaking to be really useful in taking these photos. It felt like I could do what I wanted to with the lens just by using the EVF, like long ago when I was shooting manual focus with film.

Erik Lund

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Re: Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-S on the Z6
« Reply #3 on: December 17, 2019, 07:42:41 »
Really nice images! Here also the post processing is perfect nice smooth transitions and bokeh ;) It's so easy to over-cook the images from sharp lenses, making the bokeh look harsh
Erik Lund

golunvolo

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Re: Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-S on the Z6
« Reply #4 on: December 17, 2019, 09:56:41 »
Beautiful use. I echo the comments by Tristin and Erik.

Bill De Jager

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Re: Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-S on the Z6
« Reply #5 on: December 17, 2019, 19:32:00 »
Thanks, Tristin, Eric, and Paco.  More at f/1.2:

_DSC0942 by Bill de Jager, on Flickr

_DSC0984 by Bill de Jager, on Flickr

John Geerts

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Re: Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-S on the Z6
« Reply #6 on: December 17, 2019, 19:37:21 »
Beautiful use. I echo the comments by Tristin and Erik.
Agree,

rosko

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Re: Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-S on the Z6
« Reply #7 on: December 17, 2019, 20:28:49 »
Nice results !
Like your images... ;)
Francis Devrainne

Cyril

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Re: Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-S on the Z6
« Reply #8 on: December 17, 2019, 20:50:22 »
Bokehlicious! Lovely rendition of colours too. What is the minimal focusing distance?

Airy

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Re: Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-S on the Z6
« Reply #9 on: December 17, 2019, 21:23:06 »
Excellent use.
Airy Magnien

richardHaw

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Re: Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-S on the Z6
« Reply #10 on: December 18, 2019, 02:02:34 »

Erik Lund

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Re: Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-S on the Z6
« Reply #11 on: December 18, 2019, 09:28:56 »
I would have thought that 'most people' if such a phase is acceptable here ;) would choose Z7 and boost the IQ high resolution etc. But obvious to me now is that Z6 is a extremely popular and capable camera  ;) The rendering is just amazing the ability to render areas that are smooth and shiny seems to be so life-like without disturbing glare, leaf image for instance.Thanks for sharing!
Erik Lund

Bill De Jager

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Re: Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-S on the Z6
« Reply #12 on: December 19, 2019, 04:44:53 »
Thank you John, Francis, Cyril, Airy, Richard, and Eric.

Close focus of the AI-S version is 0.5 m as per Roland's site.

I'd heard about this lens over the years.  At first my reaction was, why would I need or want such speed?  Why pay much more for just a fraction of a stop?  Then I ran into enthusiasts for this lens on NikonGear but heard that the lens was 'tempermental'.  Hmmm...didn't interest me.

At some point I saw close-range f/1.2 photos here from this lens that intrigued me to the point where I wanted one, so I went ahead and took the plunge.  Tests at distance showed the lens not very sharp away from the center when wide open, but playing around with closeups and minimal depth of field showed a lot of promise from the start.

With the Z cameras I had planned to wait for the next generation in the hope that some early shortcomings would be addressed.  In the end I went ahead and got a Z6 on sale, on the basis that I could experiment sooner with a lot of lenses from different mounts which I already have, and why wait to enjoy them?  The advantage of getting the Z6 rather than the Z7 at this time is saving money, in the expectation that I'll eventually get an improved high-resolution Z7 (Z8?) in a couple of years or so.  I already have a D810 for high-resolution shots in the meantime.

Here in lowland California things were rather dreary the last few months (until a few weeks ago) due to normal seasonal haze, human-caused air pollution, smoke from fires, the effects of the normal seasonal drought on vegetation, and at least early on in the period a higher sun angle.  Now things have freshened up with recent seasonable rains, fresh new grass, clean air, and a very low sun.  The new few months should offer far better light and subjects for a nature photographer like me.  Plus, a debilitating health condition has improved greatly so I'm motivated to get outside more and do things for fun.

Tristin

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Re: Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-S on the Z6
« Reply #13 on: December 19, 2019, 05:16:40 »
It has a lovely magical look for portraits wide open that I prefer over the modern corrected lenses, and it makes fantastic light stars when stopped down for scenic shots as a bonus.  I will likely never switch to another 50 in my life.
-Tristin

simsurace

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Re: Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-S on the Z6
« Reply #14 on: December 20, 2019, 14:37:49 »
I already loved this lens on DSLRs but now I can be much more confident about placing focus where I want it. Looking forward to some nightly outings.
Simone Carlo Surace
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