Also picked one up for $100 and it looks like it just came out of the factory. Can't wait to try it out. One thing worth pointing out, if you move the aperture control to selecting it instead of "auto", most bodies will think it's a manual lens, and unless you have it in manual mode it'll display an EE error and/or won't even attempt to auto focus. One thing I really love about the AF(D) lenses is just their compact size. They don't need to be big to perform.
I like the look of this better than any other Nikon 50mm - from f1.8-f2.8 it's sharp and beautiful, and ridiculously sharp in the mid-stops. Size and weight are much better than the G version. I also have a soft spot for the 1980s pancake 50mm f1.8 AIS too. The new f1.8G is pretty good too, but the f1.4G doesn't have that magic look IMO.
I got this lens with my d610 when i bought it used. Really nice small and fast lens. I only really use it wide open if i need it for low extremely low light. It's soft at f1.4 but i always stop it down to f2 - f2.8 for that sharpness and this lens really shines at f2 to f2.8
I love my Nikkor 50mm f1.4. It's my walk-around when doing any street photography and my "safe" lens. Got mine for $150 CAD. I don't know if the guy knew it autofocused or not... hahaha
haha thats funny. Same thing happened to me. The seller thought the AF was not working until I showed him before I bought it from him. Yes this lens is great for that purpose you stated. Rock on 49sixteen!!!
I agree that's this is a great option for beginners who want the nifty fifty...I have this lens on a fullframe camera amd love the sharpnessr! Thanks for this video!
Great Lens! My 1st Nikon (Nikkormat FTN) came with a 50mm. I learned photography on a 50 and still put one one to keep my photography eye creative, zooms make our eye lazy. Thanks for reviving a classic!
Happy to help in any way Peter. Enjoy your F4 and 50mm. Your setup will be rockin. Enjoy the process of film photography. Shooting film is truly an enjoyable time where you actually love the process of photography step by step. I will always appreciate film photography. Digital is nice but the film look. truly a lost art.
Don't care what reviews say but the I really prefer the 1.4D above the 1.4G. I had the G version but sold it because the AF accuracy was a real pain. The D version has a certain dreamy character at 1.4 which I really like. The G version is just unsharp at 1.4. Picked the 1.4 D up for 149 bucks so great deal right?
Nice. We should keep in mind that technically, you want some spherical aberrations wide open in a portrait lens. Many people are going back to the older lenses because of this. I own the 50/1.4G, 50/1.4D and 50/1.8D. Being sharp wide open usually means low/no spherical aberrations: bad to me. I use these 3 for different reasons. I even wrote a big blog post on these 3 recently.
Thank you for watching and you are very welcome Paul. Nikon can suspend all they want, it won't stop me from hunting down the lens I want used and using them in current times. :)
Hey Vahagen! Thanks for making this video. I do have a 50/1.4D from 1995 whn it was released and often used it on my Nikon F90 film camera. Ever since I had several Nikon DX and FX digital cameras, but kind of forgot about that this lens does work on my digital bodies. Recently I pulled it up and attached to my D850 and it was suprisingly good, although I had no other 50mm lens for Nikon mount to compair with. Indeed, wide open it is a bit soft - come on this is a 25 year old lens design! - but seeing your comparision video, I am definitely skipping the 58/1.4G as difference is barely visible by F2 and completely vanishes by f2.8. That is more then enough for my use case, as my portrait subjects prefer the softer rendering and for non-portrait subjects I can stop it down a bit for razor sharp image and DoF. I like how it rendered your cute daughter and the only disadvantage I saw was the bokeh quality - as it was quite busy at times. Anyways, this is a pretty damn good performance from such an inexpensive lens indeed!
Thank you Zollie. Glad you enjoyed my review video. For portrait work and more DOF I much rather shoot with an 85 or 70-200. This focal length I reserve for candid shots at events, roaming around , maybe street photography. mid length portraits where I want to be closer to the subject. and ofcourse for video work, maybe a mid to toght shot when doing interviews and a good be roll lens. Your 50 1.4 D is more than enough and like you said it doesn't cost much money. I bought mine dirt cheap. :) thank you for sharing your exp with this lens. Rock on. 🤘🏼
I'm currently looking to buy it for my D7500 as a 75mm f2.1 lens. Looking forward to it cause current pancake 50mm 1.8 lacks auto focus and only go down to f2.8 equivalent on a dx camera. My normal daily lens of Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 is useful for most things but that 1.4 aperture for a dedicated portrait lens would be a god send to my arsenal since the pancake have too unique bof a characteristic to be used in every shoot.
The D7500 is a killer camera. Heard allot of good things about that. For me , like you its lenses all the way. I think about lenses first then camera bodies.
@@Vahagraphy Most people say the D7500 is one of the worst camera and I know it has it's niche's but personally, it's the perfect camera for my art. Only thing I would like to add is a secondary camera that's full frame with similar control and button placement as my D7500. D600 and D610 fits that description so a perfect secondary stills camera alongside of my versatile Jack of all trade d7500 for me.
Interesting comparison, wide open the 50mm is noticeably sharper,if you look at the writing on your T Shirt. The colour difference is marked too, was the white balance at the same setting on both cameras?
If you go pixelpeeping you ALWAYS see differences, which are mainly caused by interference and aliassing (sampling rate differences: the camera has a different sampling rate than the screen, resulting in aliassing). Put both images on a 30 by 45 cm print and you see NO differences. The 1.4 opening has but 2 purposes: for emergency use, and for maximum blurryness when separating the subject from the background. Very good comparison. Thanks a lot.
Hi there. I bought this lens last night after watching your video for my Nikon Zfc. I’m new to photography. Is there a third party adaptor i can buy rather than the FtZ 2 ? Love from Ireland 🇮🇪 Andrew. Keep up the great videos.
Hi Andrew. Not sure you know. the FtZ or any adapter will not AF with AF D lenses, aperture will work on this lens but not AF, not that im aware.of. What I would do to save some money, buy the FTZ 1 used. pleanty of them out there at a great price.
@@Vahagraphy thanks for getting back to me. I was pissed off coz your such an honest guy in your videos and I really like them and your reviews. Easy for me to sit hear and give out but I’m sure you get loads of questions 😍 I bought a third party one for €35 and it’s coming this week. I’ll try it out and see how it goes. The company said it will work with the lens. As you said if it not up to standard I’ll save for the FTZ 1 or maybe 2. Father’s Day isn’t to far away 😜😜
SO theres the AI-S and the AI. The AI version is not sharp at all at 1.2 allot of CA chromatic aberration. I've owned that lens and sold it. Focus ring is smooth for video its good. the AIs has a shorter focus throw I believe. good for faster focusing and has 9 aperture blades vs 7. Pretty sure both lenses are soft at 1.2 and hard to focus wide open but thats to be expected They go for around the same price. If you like longer focus throw for more precise focusing, get the AI, both lenses sell used for around the same price.
Thank you, Vahagn! Great video, indeed. I got an AF f1.4D for my F80. I learn to shoot videos in 2020. I plan to shoot with 50 f1.4D recently. After I watch this video, I am confident to give it a try. Much appreciated for the video!
You are very welcome. The 50mm is a fun small light compact lens and it comes in handy for something fast in low light and for travel. Till this day I use it. I have the D lens and not the G. I prefer the colors of the D lenses.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. Played with the 1.4G. Had the D. sold the one in this video. I have the AIs 50 and the 58 G. I also had an older 50 1.2 ai lens. Wasn't that sharp but built well.
I like the 58mm 1.4G lens over the 1.4G in your video shoot. I think the 50mm 1.4 lenses are great for low light areas and night photography, they seem to excel in dark areas than the do in the light.
Thank you for your comment and thoughts. I would of loved the compare it with the 50mm G but didn't have one in hand. The 58mm , yes a bit pricey but well worth it.
The thing is, if you want cheap with blown out background or shoot in dark areas this is the best deal around. But if you want to get seriously good portrait 50 or 58mm just won't cut it, you'll want the flat look you get out of a 85-135 (or even longer if you like) lens. I do like the 50 1.8G for it's neutral bokeh. On a full frame 50mm is fine for full body shots, but when it comes to closer portraits you want a longer focal length. That said I could make do with this lens if I had to.
Thanks for this review. I have both the Nikon 50mm 1.8 D and G lenses. I like them both but wanted an F1.4. I wanted the rendering of that lens I suppose. It really is not that much more of a stop but it seems to really have some nice bokeh. I really hate saying that since it is a buzz word these days with hipsters. I have been shooting since 1980 and only recently have the ability to buy the lenses I always wanted. Kids, bills etc... Right? I ordered it and am looking forward to this lens. I also have the Nikkor 300mm F4-D you reviewed a while ago. Such a great lens. Micro-contrast and color rendition is amazing. Thanks for all the reviews and all the best.
The AI is maybe sharper and smoother to MF. Makes for a killer video lens. I actually owned a 50 1.2 AI lens from Nikon. Im pist I sold it years ago. Should of kept that thing. 1.2 wow
@@Vahagraphy ebay ebay ebay. Usually can find them around 200/220. I always look at the sellers rating and never buy from them unless it's like 99% at least
@@Wh33lsofFortune question. are you familiar with old canon FD L lenses. The red strip old L 85mm 1.2 FD or 50mm FD 1.2? if so what is your take on them? good for mirrorless with adapter? love the smooth focus for video on those gems, I dont see them selling to much and if I do they are up there in price.
In regards to the video comparison, there was definitely a difference between those two lenses, but I can't honestly say I saw better IQ from the 58. Maybe if the camera with the 58 had been moved back farther so both lenses gave the same image size on screen, the difference in IQ would have been more apparent to me. As presented, all I could say for sure was that the 58 produced a larger on screen image. As for the 50 f/1.4D lens itself, I agree on all points that it's still a viable tool, and one that a photographer of any skill level should never be ashamed to have in their kit. I love mine...
Great video friend ! I am realy impressed by this lens and it fits to my budget it seems.. I recently got Nikon D800 and im upgrading from d5100, only have a 35mm 1.8 dx and i seen that 35mm will work on a full frame with a slight vignetteing so im thinking of getting this lens. I hope it will give solid results for my portraits
Hello vahagn. I had 50mm1.8D and 50mm 1.4d And did lots of comparisons. They're not good at wide open . I really scared to shoot at 1.4 and i lost lots of opportunities with them . I sold them and bought 50mm 1.8g . The best nikon 50 mm is 1.8g . the same price as 50mm 1.4d , better wide open , better bokeh and with SWM . I always use it for walk around on dx body . It's really good for low light . A little tight in term of field of view but i use my feet And I move back a little.
Yes the 50mm 1.8G is known for being a great performer and good price. the 50 1.4's a little soft wide open, I think they need to be stopped down a little for ultimate sharpness. I have the 58mm 1.4G and the power of that lens is the character at 1.4. as far as this lens the 50 1.4D, I like the compactness of the lens. If i want something small. not to big. thanks for your take Mohammad.
Thank you Manish. The contrast improves greatly along with the sharpness when you stop it down some. It becomes a totally different lens at f2. However its still a rock solid performer wide open. What I do is I shoot. little under exposed wide open and make sure im very careful with my focus point at 1.4. Ohh yah and I take a few shots just to nail focus.
I have this lens, and the sharpness when the aperture is at f1.4 is soft. When you buy a a fast lens you hope to shoot down at that level, but most of my pictures were unusable. I ended up shelling out the money for a 50mm 1.4g and have been happy with it.
@@spcshiznit Very true. Its a bit soft wide open. Wow so the G version is that much better you say? interesting. I had that lens and sold it because i bought the 58mm 1.4G. thanks for the feedback. Good to know David.
I'm considering buying one from 1986-1992 era. Those have plastic focus ring which is inferior to then improved 1.4D rubber rings, but the deal seems sweet enough (around 80$) and I can use AF from my D7000 at least. Plus it's guaranteed built in Japan 😄
Might get this for my Nikon FA ( I know it's manual only ) but I don't mind using this lens on manual and it can be used on my F100 and such on AF. Too bad my 50mm f/ 1.8 G cant be used on it properly ( because no aperture ring ).
Hello Charles. Thank you for your comment. To be honest, I haven't had any time with the 1.8D so I don' t want to give you wrong advise, but from what I heard, photographers are very happy with it, some say its even sharper and at a fraction of the price.
@@Vahagraphy - You haven't used the 50mm 1.8D? .. that surprises me. I thought everybody had that lens - haha. I do want to pick up a new 1.4 (mine is MF AI-S version) .. not sure if I should go with the D or the g yet. I haven't researched prices or other reviews yet, I'm not in any hurry - still need to get some time in with that 24-120. :-)
This is my prime lens over 25years. Doing nice soft pictures. For wider pictures I use 24mm f2 D from the same raw of objectives. And for me this two objectives are inaf.
Yes I heard great things about the 1.8G. Never actually used or owned one only because I use the 1.4 G. 1.4D and the 58 1.4G but yes, allot of photographers swear by the 50mm 1.8G and rightfully so. Thanks for the comment Albert.
Subbed, just put one on my new D850. Very impressive results in few shots so far. Great contrast and sharp. Minor con it does feel cheap while focusing the ring manually. I can live with that for the results are pleasing for little monies. Thanks
Thank you Stephen. For the money its so worth it. hehe yah when you MF this lens, no action when you turn focus dial. however your AF ing this lens most times so thats really not a deal breaker. You are right, for the money its so worth it. Fast and reliable. A good Nifty Fifty for a couple of hundred bucks. Enjoy it and take some cool shots.
@@stephenbates5237 135 f2 DC, that one is a gem, THe MF 200mm f2 is one I am really after. If I can find one I will buy one. The old Canon FD L lenses are amazing. I love the focus feel on those old L FD Glass like the 85mm and the 50mm 1.2 lenses. With adapters these are gems specially with an FD to Nikon Z or F adapters
I enjoyed your video on the Nikon 50mm f1.4D. I own a Sigma 50mm f1.4 ex DG HSM and am generally pleased with it either on FX of DX. It seems to have a tad more CA than the Nikon. DXOmark rates both lenses as a 32 score on a D600. The greatest difference is the weight of the Sigma given its massive glass elements and a 77mm diameter. Have you shot with one as a comparison? I have an opportunity to pick one up on the cheap. Yet another lens in the collection just makes my photography habit a little obsessive.
Hi Ted. Never shot with the sigma but heard good things. I say buy and enjoy whatever works for you. at the end of the day. all these lenses are good and there really isn't a crappy lens out there. Sure some suffer CA and distortion, maybe some are not as sharp wide open but most are good enough for what we do anyway.
I was not satisfied with the sharpness of the lens and walked in to my friendly photo gear supplier telling him that I'm somewhat disappointed by this lens. He agreed and recommended me to have a closer look at the Sigma 1.4 Art Series lens. This me to investigate deeper into the matter and so I dropped on this video. Well, I have to dig deeper but your shots and video comparison make me think. May be I should work on myself first before buying a new lens. By the way: I was highly irritated throughout the whole presentation by your CANON EOS shirt!
The 50mm AF1.4 is just a plain crap lens: possibly among the worst 50mm I have and certainly worse then my 1965 Nikkor 50mm F2.0H which is a pre AI lens with Jurassic coatings. Wide open it's straight unusable, with massive colour fringing, very low contrast and overall bad, washed out colours. Stopped down at F2 it improves massively to the level of an "average" cheaper kit lens and at F4 it get decent, but what's the point of a relatively heavy 1.4 if it is unusable wide open? I'd rather increase ISO on a sharper 1.8. I keep it on a Nikon F90 as a low light prime as it is the only Nikkor AF prime I have and the camera has no split focussing screen to work with. I can compare it with a Canon50mm FD lens which is cheaper, and MUCH better at every aperture despite being 20 years older. Even my Nikkor 55mm micro is so much sharper and contrasty at F2.8. To give this lens the final blow, I will compare it with the Zuiko 50mm 1.8, a cheap kit lens from 1972 and, wide open at 1.8, it's much sharper and contrasty then the Nikkor 1.4, stopped down at f2.0 with almost no hint of chromatic aberrations. The colour pop of the Zuiko is otherworldly compared to the muted and muddy 50mm, which transpire from this video, side by side with the more expensive lens. It is not just about the 58 G being a wonderful lens, but about the 50mm being very badly designed one. It is the only Nikkor Ive tested lens I'd call "BAD". My copy is a 50mm AF1.4 Not "D" in mint conditions bundled with a Nikon F4, but as far as I know the only difference is the focussing speed which has improved cogs on the D, with identical optics and coating. You can probably use this lens for video were it's faults are less prominent bit for photography you are better with a cheaper Nikkor AF1.8 if you really need a screwdriver autofocus lens. I tested my lens on my Canon 5Dmkll with a split prism screen and on a canon RP.
Interesting points here. I have to check out that Zuiko. Was never a big fan of the 50mm G 1.4. Had that and sold it. Soft wide open. What are your thoughts on the 58mm 1.4 G and also the older 50mm 1.4 Ai lens? I have that lens and I prefer that one over the D and G. The new Z 50's are amazing. Even wide open, sharp.
@@Vahagraphy My 50 AF1.4 could possibly be a bad copy, but I briefly tested a 1.4d some times ago and there were no appreciable differences. Unfortunately I can only compare the lens to lenses I own or I've tested extensively: it often takes more then a couple of shop to find out what's wrong. I have then Nikkor-H Auto 1:2 50mm, kit lens on the venerable Nikon F2 and, provided you are wary of direct light, because of poor coating, it is IMO sharper at F2 then the AF 1.4. The Canon FD 50 1.4 is also amazing. I know from experience that very bright lenses were often poor back in the day of film (Canon FD 28mm f2.0), unless stupidly expensive because when you were stuck on fixed ISO, a soft image is better then no images: this is what puzzles me, because the 50mm AF 1.4 is technically still a modern lens, available for purchase new despite being a bridge lens between film and digital. I wonder why they never improved it instead of just undercutting the price.
I didn't say the 50mm 1.4D is a beginner lens I said the lens is a good option for a beginner that wants a fast low light 1.4 lens without costing to much money. Some beginners might be on a budget so this lens is a perfect option. As far as this lens goes, Yes this is a professional 50mm lens. Not an amateur consumer lens however its a bit dated and there are far better options for more money. As far as my subscribers go. LOL It's all good. I havent been doing this for years. What do you think. maybe I should make silly videos , maybe prank videos catering to kids or teenagers if all I cared was to compete for who has more subscribers. LOL .
@@Vahagraphy You have it in the videos description that it’s a great lens for a beginner, If it’s a professional lens in your words why recommend it to a beginner? Wouldn’t it sound funny if I recommended a race car to someone that’s beginning to drive? This lens will be rocket scientist to a beginner that has an entry level body camera like a D3500 or a D5600 which beginners normally have, This is a professional lens by heart I would recommend a beginner a 35mm 1.8G before a 50mm 1.4D simply because it autofocuses with any DX body. Stop recommending pro gear to beginners.
@@techhead976 Obviously this is meant for a beginner photographer that has the correct camera - meaning a full frame Nikon. It will not work on a Canon. It will not work on a Fuji. It will not work on a Sony. It will partially work on a DX Nikon. Beginners can have the right full frame camera. This is easily possible, a used D800 is just as cheap as a new D3500. To the other part of your point, 18-55 is a crap lens. What is the aperture, something like 3.5-5.6? Wow. For a beginner, a fast, prime nifty fifty is a great choice to learn to work with your feet - the best zoom ever. Fast, sharp prime over a crappy zoom any day of the week for me. 35mm 1.8G is a great lens if you have a DX body, pretty much equivalent tot the 50mm 1.4D for FX, so it turns out you agree with the video. Great!
@@techhead976 The 50 mm 1.4D is great for beginners and pros a like. Its not difficult to use as long as the camera supports AF. A fast 50 mm should be a part of your kit, pro or not in my opinion.
Also picked one up for $100 and it looks like it just came out of the factory. Can't wait to try it out. One thing worth pointing out, if you move the aperture control to selecting it instead of "auto", most bodies will think it's a manual lens, and unless you have it in manual mode it'll display an EE error and/or won't even attempt to auto focus. One thing I really love about the AF(D) lenses is just their compact size. They don't need to be big to perform.
I like the look of this better than any other Nikon 50mm - from f1.8-f2.8 it's sharp and beautiful, and ridiculously sharp in the mid-stops. Size and weight are much better than the G version. I also have a soft spot for the 1980s pancake 50mm f1.8 AIS too. The new f1.8G is pretty good too, but the f1.4G doesn't have that magic look IMO.
I got this lens with my d610 when i bought it used. Really nice small and fast lens. I only really use it wide open if i need it for low extremely low light. It's soft at f1.4 but i always stop it down to f2 - f2.8 for that sharpness and this lens really shines at f2 to f2.8
Same here. Thought I had the shakes , then found out at 1.4 it’s soft
I love my Nikkor 50mm f1.4. It's my walk-around when doing any street photography and my "safe" lens. Got mine for $150 CAD. I don't know if the guy knew it autofocused or not... hahaha
haha thats funny. Same thing happened to me. The seller thought the AF was not working until I showed him before I bought it from him. Yes this lens is great for that purpose you stated. Rock on 49sixteen!!!
He probably knew and was happy to get rid of it.
Thank you for the clear info regarding the need for an auto-focus motor.
You are very welcome. Some people buy these lenses and don't realise this fact and are sad. They read AF and think it will work on any camera.
Awesome! Thank you! I’ve had this lens for 6 years and did not realize its full potential until now.
Hi Catherine. hehe that's crazy. well, glad I could help. Enjoy your new/older lens. :)
I agree that's this is a great option for beginners who want the nifty fifty...I have this lens on a fullframe camera amd love the sharpnessr! Thanks for this video!
Great Lens! My 1st Nikon (Nikkormat FTN) came with a 50mm. I learned photography on a 50 and still put one one to keep my photography eye creative, zooms make our eye lazy. Thanks for reviving a classic!
Just got an Nikon F4 body and put in an order for highly recommended lens. Thanks for the info and reinforcing my purchase decision.
Happy to help in any way Peter. Enjoy your F4 and 50mm. Your setup will be rockin. Enjoy the process of film photography. Shooting film is truly an enjoyable time where you actually love the process of photography step by step. I will always appreciate film photography. Digital is nice but the film look. truly a lost art.
Don't care what reviews say but the I really prefer the 1.4D above the 1.4G. I had the G version but sold it because the AF accuracy was a real pain. The D version has a certain dreamy character at 1.4 which I really like. The G version is just unsharp at 1.4. Picked the 1.4 D up for 149 bucks so great deal right?
Nice. We should keep in mind that technically, you want some spherical aberrations wide open in a portrait lens. Many people are going back to the older lenses because of this. I own the 50/1.4G, 50/1.4D and 50/1.8D. Being sharp wide open usually means low/no spherical aberrations: bad to me. I use these 3 for different reasons. I even wrote a big blog post on these 3 recently.
Another great review! Thank you for posting, even as this lens has now been superseded.
Thank you for watching and you are very welcome Paul. Nikon can suspend all they want, it won't stop me from hunting down the lens I want used and using them in current times. :)
Hey Vahagen! Thanks for making this video. I do have a 50/1.4D from 1995 whn it was released and often used it on my Nikon F90 film camera. Ever since I had several Nikon DX and FX digital cameras, but kind of forgot about that this lens does work on my digital bodies. Recently I pulled it up and attached to my D850 and it was suprisingly good, although I had no other 50mm lens for Nikon mount to compair with. Indeed, wide open it is a bit soft - come on this is a 25 year old lens design! - but seeing your comparision video, I am definitely skipping the 58/1.4G as difference is barely visible by F2 and completely vanishes by f2.8. That is more then enough for my use case, as my portrait subjects prefer the softer rendering and for non-portrait subjects I can stop it down a bit for razor sharp image and DoF.
I like how it rendered your cute daughter and the only disadvantage I saw was the bokeh quality - as it was quite busy at times. Anyways, this is a pretty damn good performance from such an inexpensive lens indeed!
Thank you Zollie. Glad you enjoyed my review video. For portrait work and more DOF I much rather shoot with an 85 or 70-200. This focal length I reserve for candid shots at events, roaming around , maybe street photography. mid length portraits where I want to be closer to the subject. and ofcourse for video work, maybe a mid to toght shot when doing interviews and a good be roll lens. Your 50 1.4 D is more than enough and like you said it doesn't cost much money. I bought mine dirt cheap. :) thank you for sharing your exp with this lens. Rock on. 🤘🏼
I just bought the 50 D lens for my Nikon F-90x. Will also use it on my D800. fulltime pro.
I'm currently looking to buy it for my D7500 as a 75mm f2.1 lens. Looking forward to it cause current pancake 50mm 1.8 lacks auto focus and only go down to f2.8 equivalent on a dx camera. My normal daily lens of Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 is useful for most things but that 1.4 aperture for a dedicated portrait lens would be a god send to my arsenal since the pancake have too unique bof a characteristic to be used in every shoot.
The D7500 is a killer camera. Heard allot of good things about that. For me , like you its lenses all the way. I think about lenses first then camera bodies.
@@Vahagraphy Most people say the D7500 is one of the worst camera and I know it has it's niche's but personally, it's the perfect camera for my art. Only thing I would like to add is a secondary camera that's full frame with similar control and button placement as my D7500. D600 and D610 fits that description so a perfect secondary stills camera alongside of my versatile Jack of all trade d7500 for me.
Interesting comparison, wide open the 50mm is noticeably sharper,if you look at the writing on your T Shirt. The colour difference is marked too, was the white balance at the same setting on both cameras?
yes the WB was on the same exact setting K
Please show your gear collection because the video quality is really impressive. 😊
Thank you Suman. Appreciate it. Will maybe be putting something together in a future video. Rock on.
If you go pixelpeeping you ALWAYS see differences, which are mainly caused by interference and aliassing (sampling rate differences: the camera has a different sampling rate than the screen, resulting in aliassing).
Put both images on a 30 by 45 cm print and you see NO differences.
The 1.4 opening has but 2 purposes: for emergency use, and for maximum blurryness when separating the subject from the background.
Very good comparison. Thanks a lot.
Thank for the info Frutt. Good input there. Glad you enjoyed the video.
@@Vahagraphy You're on par with the 2 Kens: Rockwell and Wheeler. Each one of you adding information.
Hi there. I bought this lens last night after watching your video for my Nikon Zfc. I’m new to photography. Is there a third party adaptor i can buy rather than the FtZ 2 ? Love from Ireland 🇮🇪 Andrew. Keep up the great videos.
Hi Andrew. Not sure you know. the FtZ or any adapter will not AF with AF D lenses, aperture will work on this lens but not AF, not that im aware.of. What I would do to save some money, buy the FTZ 1 used. pleanty of them out there at a great price.
@@Vahagraphy thanks for getting back to me. I was pissed off coz your such an honest guy in your videos and I really like them and your reviews. Easy for me to sit hear and give out but I’m sure you get loads of questions 😍
I bought a third party one for €35 and it’s coming this week. I’ll try it out and see how it goes. The company said it will work with the lens. As you said if it not up to standard I’ll save for the FTZ 1 or maybe 2. Father’s Day isn’t to far away 😜😜
I have the 50 mm 1.8 G and I like it. Your 1.4D is a steal and the video looks great! What do you think of the 50 mm f1.2 manual focus lens?
SO theres the AI-S and the AI. The AI version is not sharp at all at 1.2 allot of CA chromatic aberration. I've owned that lens and sold it. Focus ring is smooth for video its good. the AIs has a shorter focus throw I believe. good for faster focusing and has 9 aperture blades vs 7. Pretty sure both lenses are soft at 1.2 and hard to focus wide open but thats to be expected They go for around the same price. If you like longer focus throw for more precise focusing, get the AI, both lenses sell used for around the same price.
Thank you, Vahagn! Great video, indeed. I got an AF f1.4D for my F80. I learn to shoot videos in 2020. I plan to shoot with 50 f1.4D recently. After I watch this video, I am confident to give it a try. Much appreciated for the video!
You are very welcome. The 50mm is a fun small light compact lens and it comes in handy for something fast in low light and for travel. Till this day I use it. I have the D lens and not the G. I prefer the colors of the D lenses.
Great video Great comparison. I love my 50's. I have a 1.8D, 1.4G, 1.8E, 1.8AI-s. I really should do a comparison one day.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. Played with the 1.4G. Had the D. sold the one in this video. I have the AIs 50 and the 58 G. I also had an older 50 1.2 ai lens. Wasn't that sharp but built well.
I like the 58mm 1.4G lens over the 1.4G in your video shoot. I think the 50mm 1.4 lenses are great for low light areas and night photography, they seem to excel in dark areas than the do in the light.
Thank you for your comment and thoughts. I would of loved the compare it with the 50mm G but didn't have one in hand. The 58mm , yes a bit pricey but well worth it.
The thing is, if you want cheap with blown out background or shoot in dark areas this is the best deal around. But if you want to get seriously good portrait 50 or 58mm just won't cut it, you'll want the flat look you get out of a 85-135 (or even longer if you like) lens. I do like the 50 1.8G for it's neutral bokeh. On a full frame 50mm is fine for full body shots, but when it comes to closer portraits you want a longer focal length. That said I could make do with this lens if I had to.
Thanks for the great review. I'm a beginner and this was informative + easy to understand.
Thanks for this review. I have both the Nikon 50mm 1.8 D and G lenses. I like them both but wanted an F1.4. I wanted the rendering of that lens I suppose. It really is not that much more of a stop but it seems to really have some nice bokeh. I really hate saying that since it is a buzz word these days with hipsters. I have been shooting since 1980 and only recently have the ability to buy the lenses I always wanted. Kids, bills etc... Right? I ordered it and am looking forward to this lens. I also have the Nikkor 300mm F4-D you reviewed a while ago. Such a great lens. Micro-contrast and color rendition is amazing. Thanks for all the reviews and all the best.
An excellent review of the 50mm 1.4 D lens. I am very impressed with the results. As a hobbyist it would work just fine.
The difference was quite clear in sharpness between 1.4 and 2.0. I guess this is one instance where RUclips compression really helped the case!
Yah, the one case. yah the difference is huge between wide open and stopping it down some for sure.
definitely worth the 100 bucks, only the 58 is an amazing little gem of a lens man!
I use the ai version of this on my D700. Such a fantastic lens. The Ai actually shares the same optical formula as the 1.4d. Good video
The AI is maybe sharper and smoother to MF. Makes for a killer video lens. I actually owned a 50 1.2 AI lens from Nikon. Im pist I sold it years ago. Should of kept that thing. 1.2 wow
@@Vahagraphy I actually still prefer the 50 1.4ai over the 50 1.2. The 55 1.2 is the one I like personally.
@@Wh33lsofFortune true the 50 1.2 was a bit soft wide open. loved the character and focus ring though. the 55 1.2 is pricey and hard to find.
@@Vahagraphy ebay ebay ebay. Usually can find them around 200/220. I always look at the sellers rating and never buy from them unless it's like 99% at least
@@Wh33lsofFortune question. are you familiar with old canon FD L lenses. The red strip old L 85mm 1.2 FD or 50mm FD 1.2? if so what is your take on them? good for mirrorless with adapter? love the smooth focus for video on those gems, I dont see them selling to much and if I do they are up there in price.
Definite difference between the G and the D but for the new to budding photographer the D is very very good. Great video.
In regards to the video comparison, there was definitely a difference between those two lenses, but I can't honestly say I saw better IQ from the 58. Maybe if the camera with the 58 had been moved back farther so both lenses gave the same image size on screen, the difference in IQ would have been more apparent to me. As presented, all I could say for sure was that the 58 produced a larger on screen image. As for the 50 f/1.4D lens itself, I agree on all points that it's still a viable tool, and one that a photographer of any skill level should never be ashamed to have in their kit. I love mine...
Great video friend ! I am realy impressed by this lens and it fits to my budget it seems.. I recently got Nikon D800 and im upgrading from d5100, only have a 35mm 1.8 dx and i seen that 35mm will work on a full frame with a slight vignetteing so im thinking of getting this lens. I hope it will give solid results for my portraits
Hello vahagn.
I had 50mm1.8D and 50mm 1.4d And did lots of comparisons. They're not good at wide open . I really scared to shoot at 1.4 and i lost lots of opportunities with them . I sold them and bought 50mm 1.8g . The best nikon 50 mm is 1.8g . the same price as 50mm 1.4d , better wide open , better bokeh and with SWM .
I always use it for walk around on dx body . It's really good for low light . A little tight in term of field of view but i use my feet And I move back a little.
Yes the 50mm 1.8G is known for being a great performer and good price. the 50 1.4's a little soft wide open, I think they need to be stopped down a little for ultimate sharpness. I have the 58mm 1.4G and the power of that lens is the character at 1.4. as far as this lens the 50 1.4D, I like the compactness of the lens. If i want something small. not to big. thanks for your take Mohammad.
Great review. Can you tell about the contrast wide open at 1.4 ?
The sharpness at 1.4 seemed pretty good for non proffesional social media outputs
Thank you Manish. The contrast improves greatly along with the sharpness when you stop it down some. It becomes a totally different lens at f2. However its still a rock solid performer wide open. What I do is I shoot. little under exposed wide open and make sure im very careful with my focus point at 1.4. Ohh yah and I take a few shots just to nail focus.
@@Vahagraphy Thank You. Really helpful. Subbed
@@dasmohapatramanish thank you Manish. and welcome to VAHAGRAPHY. Ohh yah correction on my last comment. I shoot under exposed not over. haha
I have this lens, and the sharpness when the aperture is at f1.4 is soft. When you buy a a fast lens you hope to shoot down at that level, but most of my pictures were unusable. I ended up shelling out the money for a 50mm 1.4g and have been happy with it.
@@spcshiznit Very true. Its a bit soft wide open. Wow so the G version is that much better you say? interesting. I had that lens and sold it because i bought the 58mm 1.4G. thanks for the feedback. Good to know David.
Looks professional to me. Great Lens!
Thank you. Loved these lenses.
I'm considering buying one from 1986-1992 era. Those have plastic focus ring which is inferior to then improved 1.4D rubber rings, but the deal seems sweet enough (around 80$) and I can use AF from my D7000 at least. Plus it's guaranteed built in Japan 😄
Might get this for my Nikon FA ( I know it's manual only ) but I don't mind using this lens on manual and it can be used on my F100 and such on AF. Too bad my 50mm f/ 1.8 G cant be used on it properly ( because no aperture ring ).
in video , i could not tell any difference at all except the 58mm zoomed in slightly !
Hello Richard. Thank you for the comment. That just shows you the 50mm for being a $100 lens is worth every penny. hehe Rock on!!
Hi. Did you calibrate the lens?
Hello again Vahagn, How would you rate this compared to the 1.8 D?
Hello Charles. Thank you for your comment. To be honest, I haven't had any time with the 1.8D so I don' t want to give you wrong advise, but from what I heard, photographers are very happy with it, some say its even sharper and at a fraction of the price.
@@Vahagraphy - You haven't used the 50mm 1.8D? .. that surprises me. I thought everybody had that lens - haha. I do want to pick up a new 1.4 (mine is MF AI-S version) .. not sure if I should go with the D or the g yet. I haven't researched prices or other reviews yet, I'm not in any hurry - still need to get some time in with that 24-120. :-)
Thank you very much for such a enjoyable and informative video.
This is my prime lens over 25years. Doing nice soft pictures. For wider pictures I use 24mm f2 D from the same raw of objectives. And for me this two objectives are inaf.
Not gonna lie. That split screen at the end makes the 50mm look way better.
That 50 is a great lens, The D is really underrated sometimes. Great lens for the money.,
@@Vahagraphy I also got great results by going into fine tuning the AF.
Full disclosure, it seems WAY better on my D7200 than on my D800
This lens suffers from flaring the 1.8g is very resistant to flaring. Is sharper and only a little slower.
Yes I heard great things about the 1.8G. Never actually used or owned one only because I use the 1.4 G. 1.4D and the 58 1.4G but yes, allot of photographers swear by the 50mm 1.8G and rightfully so. Thanks for the comment Albert.
We shouldn't forget focus calibration on DSLRs. Got the 1.8d and is tack sharp calibrated which wasnt the case before. Probably same goes for the 1.4d
Interesting talk. Interesting lens. Interesting guy.
LIKE.
rock n roll
I had 58mm it was my fav from all nikon lenses.
Yes the 58mm is special for sure.
Subbed, just put one on my new D850. Very impressive results in few shots so far. Great contrast and sharp. Minor con it does feel cheap while focusing the ring manually. I can live with that for the results are pleasing for little monies. Thanks
Thank you Stephen. For the money its so worth it. hehe yah when you MF this lens, no action when you turn focus dial. however your AF ing this lens most times so thats really not a deal breaker. You are right, for the money its so worth it. Fast and reliable. A good Nifty Fifty for a couple of hundred bucks. Enjoy it and take some cool shots.
@@Vahagraphy it lets in alot of light. I an now interested in finding some other classic Afd or vintage lenses. I hear the older 135 is a triumph.
@@stephenbates5237 135 f2 DC, that one is a gem, THe MF 200mm f2 is one I am really after. If I can find one I will buy one. The old Canon FD L lenses are amazing. I love the focus feel on those old L FD Glass like the 85mm and the 50mm 1.2 lenses. With adapters these are gems specially with an FD to Nikon Z or F adapters
Your advice is quite helpful in decision making.
Pretty daughter.
Thank you Siddharth. Glad I can help in your photography journey.
What is the difference between the AF and then thr AF D.. I'm so confused. Trying to get one for my Nikon d750
AF-D is AF screw mount with aperture rings on the lens, AF-s is the newer one with no aperture rings. the AI lens is MF.
I enjoyed your video on the Nikon 50mm f1.4D. I own a Sigma 50mm f1.4 ex DG HSM and am generally pleased with it either on FX of DX. It seems to have a tad more CA than the Nikon. DXOmark rates both lenses as a 32 score on a D600. The greatest difference is the weight of the Sigma given its massive glass elements and a 77mm diameter. Have you shot with one as a comparison? I have an opportunity to pick one up on the cheap. Yet another lens in the collection just makes my photography habit a little obsessive.
Hi Ted. Never shot with the sigma but heard good things. I say buy and enjoy whatever works for you. at the end of the day. all these lenses are good and there really isn't a crappy lens out there. Sure some suffer CA and distortion, maybe some are not as sharp wide open but most are good enough for what we do anyway.
Wow great lens
those bargain 50s are great. actually prices have gone up on these lenses as of late.
It doesn't focus well at all on my D200, but I love it in manual mode
Can I use that lens on a Nikon FE2?
Hi Davitan. Yes you can mount and use this lens however FE2 is not an AF camera. Manual Focus sure.
is it compatible with my nikon d7500?
Yes! The D7500 has a focus motor so it will AF with that camera.
It must be perfect for nikon d780
ohh yes, any F mount camera. these lenses will rock,
Ունեմ դրանից, 750d-ի վրա շատ լավ նկարում է))))
Yes the d750 and the 50mm great combo. enjoy and take some nice pictures
@@Vahagraphy Thank you my friend, have a good time🙂👋
@@Ars1978-t2w thank you, You too Arsen . Rock n Roll!!
I was not satisfied with the sharpness of the lens and walked in to my friendly photo gear supplier telling him that I'm somewhat disappointed by this lens. He agreed and recommended me to have a closer look at the Sigma 1.4 Art Series lens. This me to investigate deeper into the matter and so I dropped on this video. Well, I have to dig deeper but your shots and video comparison make me think. May be I should work on myself first before buying a new lens. By the way: I was highly irritated throughout the whole presentation by your CANON EOS shirt!
The shirt was great since it has all kinds of images on it so you can see the sharpness, the (micro) contrast of the lens etc.
At 1.4 you can tell the difference, but once you got to f2 they looked the same
Not much differens at all
Do not use this lens past F8 because you get a haze effect
yup. its a cool lens on a Zf. i feel retro again. lol
My copy of this lens has horrible chromatic aberration
Yah. nothing a little processing cannot fix. Btw loving the Z lenses.
@@Vahagraphy what i find funny is that the chromatic aberration is apparent during daytime, but not at night. I can't explain it
Beginners don’t need great picture quality 🤣👍
The 50mm AF1.4 is just a plain crap lens: possibly among the worst 50mm I have and certainly worse then my 1965 Nikkor 50mm F2.0H which is a pre AI lens with Jurassic coatings. Wide open it's straight unusable, with massive colour fringing, very low contrast and overall bad, washed out colours.
Stopped down at F2 it improves massively to the level of an "average" cheaper kit lens and at F4 it get decent, but what's the point of a relatively heavy 1.4 if it is unusable wide open? I'd rather increase ISO on a sharper 1.8. I keep it on a Nikon F90 as a low light prime as it is the only Nikkor AF prime I have and the camera has no split focussing screen to work with.
I can compare it with a Canon50mm FD lens which is cheaper, and MUCH better at every aperture despite being 20 years older. Even my Nikkor 55mm micro is so much sharper and contrasty at F2.8. To give this lens the final blow, I will compare it with the Zuiko 50mm 1.8, a cheap kit lens from 1972 and, wide open at 1.8, it's much sharper and contrasty then the Nikkor 1.4, stopped down at f2.0 with almost no hint of chromatic aberrations. The colour pop of the Zuiko is otherworldly compared to the muted and muddy 50mm, which transpire from this video, side by side with the more expensive lens. It is not just about the 58 G being a wonderful lens, but about the 50mm being very badly designed one. It is the only Nikkor Ive tested lens I'd call "BAD".
My copy is a 50mm AF1.4 Not "D" in mint conditions bundled with a Nikon F4, but as far as I know the only difference is the focussing speed which has improved cogs on the D, with identical optics and coating.
You can probably use this lens for video were it's faults are less prominent bit for photography you are better with a cheaper Nikkor AF1.8 if you really need a screwdriver autofocus lens.
I tested my lens on my Canon 5Dmkll with a split prism screen and on a canon RP.
Interesting points here. I have to check out that Zuiko. Was never a big fan of the 50mm G 1.4. Had that and sold it. Soft wide open. What are your thoughts on the 58mm 1.4 G and also the older 50mm 1.4 Ai lens? I have that lens and I prefer that one over the D and G. The new Z 50's are amazing. Even wide open, sharp.
@@Vahagraphy My 50 AF1.4 could possibly be a bad copy, but I briefly tested a 1.4d some times ago and there were no appreciable differences. Unfortunately I can only compare the lens to lenses I own or I've tested extensively: it often takes more then a couple of shop to find out what's wrong. I have then Nikkor-H Auto 1:2 50mm, kit lens on the venerable Nikon F2 and, provided you are wary of direct light, because of poor coating, it is IMO sharper at F2 then the AF 1.4. The Canon FD 50 1.4 is also amazing.
I know from experience that very bright lenses were often poor back in the day of film (Canon FD 28mm f2.0), unless stupidly expensive because when you were stuck on fixed ISO, a soft image is better then no images: this is what puzzles me, because the 50mm AF 1.4 is technically still a modern lens, available for purchase new despite being a bridge lens between film and digital. I wonder why they never improved it instead of just undercutting the price.
A 50mm 1.4d is a beginner lens? You are wrong, An 18-55 is a beginner lens. No wonder why you only have 650 subscribers.
I didn't say the 50mm 1.4D is a beginner lens I said the lens is a good option for a beginner that wants a fast low light 1.4 lens without costing to much money. Some beginners might be on a budget so this lens is a perfect option. As far as this lens goes, Yes this is a professional 50mm lens. Not an amateur consumer lens however its a bit dated and there are far better options for more money. As far as my subscribers go. LOL It's all good. I havent been doing this for years. What do you think. maybe I should make silly videos , maybe prank videos catering to kids or teenagers if all I cared was to compete for who has more subscribers. LOL .
@@Vahagraphy You have it in the videos description that it’s a great lens for a beginner, If it’s a professional lens in your words why recommend it to a beginner? Wouldn’t it sound funny if I recommended a race car to someone that’s beginning to drive? This lens will be rocket scientist to a beginner that has an entry level body camera like a D3500 or a D5600 which beginners normally have, This is a professional lens by heart I would recommend a beginner a 35mm 1.8G before a 50mm 1.4D simply because it autofocuses with any DX body. Stop recommending pro gear to beginners.
@@techhead976 Obviously this is meant for a beginner photographer that has the correct camera - meaning a full frame Nikon. It will not work on a Canon. It will not work on a Fuji. It will not work on a Sony. It will partially work on a DX Nikon. Beginners can have the right full frame camera. This is easily possible, a used D800 is just as cheap as a new D3500. To the other part of your point, 18-55 is a crap lens. What is the aperture, something like 3.5-5.6? Wow. For a beginner, a fast, prime nifty fifty is a great choice to learn to work with your feet - the best zoom ever. Fast, sharp prime over a crappy zoom any day of the week for me. 35mm 1.8G is a great lens if you have a DX body, pretty much equivalent tot the 50mm 1.4D for FX, so it turns out you agree with the video. Great!
@@techhead976 The 50 mm 1.4D is great for beginners and pros a like. Its not difficult to use as long as the camera supports AF. A fast 50 mm should be a part of your kit, pro or not in my opinion.
@@torbjornwiken It’s not exactly a beginner lens though, An 18-55 is more like it.