Used Nikon 50mm f/1.4 NIKKOR Ai-S Manual Focus Lens

2018-09-30T20:00:00

I've owned this lens for about 30 years. I bought it with a Nikon FE2. Now using it with a D750 and it still works great.

George314

Originally posted at

2017-10-17T10:14:07

This is a first rate lens way above it's price point. Use it inside with hi speed film, no flash, for great results. Also great for street photography.

LEONARD B.

2015-01-31T19:00:00

If you are looking for a fast, light weight, compact, affordable normal lens (FX format) for available light photography, this is the one to get. Although it is a manual focus lens, it has transitioned beautifully from my Nikon F3 to my D600 and D800. With this lens on my camera I am never afraid of the dark. It has the speed to enable making photos under very dim available light situations. It has long been my standard lens for available light photography indoors and outdoors at night. Since about 1968, I have owned a number of these lenses of various vintages, some dating to about 1963. I like the latest version the best because it is the most compact of them all. The remarkable thing about all of them has been their consistently excellent image quality. That says a lot about Nikon quality control. I find the image quality is better, on-axis, than most modern zoom lenses. However, the off-axis image quality is a bit softer, in comparison. This seems to be due to curvature of field, which can be compensated for by focusing off-axis, should the situation permit. This lens does not work well for close-up work. No general purpose fast lens is designed for that. You should be using a macro lens well stopped-down for such work.

Bronto48

Originally posted at

2013-03-20T20:00:00

This is by far the best 50mm prime lens i have ever had the pleasure of using. The color rendition is beautiful, and the low light performance is stellar.

Drew

Originally posted at

2011-11-23T19:00:00

This lens is a must for taking indoor shots without flash.Good portrait and general photo lens.High quality metal construction unlike the cheap plastic AF lenses made today.Nikon should add the 180mm f/2.8 ed manual focus ais to their lineup.

Photo B.

Originally posted at

2011-11-07T19:00:00

Good general use lens. Took some great portraits of my daughters. One pretty sweet lens.

Photo d.

Originally posted at

2011-04-19T20:00:00

This lens has the most delightful boket, out of focus qualities. It is a very sharp lens edge to edge and delightful for close in shots of objects with distracting backgrounds which it leaves creamy soft.

va3dlr

Originally posted at

2011-04-15T20:00:00

Some of the best I have used in a long time the correct match for my camera and needs

Retiredcop-56

Originally posted at

2011-04-14T20:00:00

Great quality lens. Ligh. Super for panorama. Very easy to use

EZIO

Originally posted at

2011-04-14T20:00:00

I have extensively used this lens over 32 years for all types of photography: landscape, travel, nature and macro (w/extension tubes), and also portrait. It is extremely sharp even at apertures wider than f/4. Shallow depth of field great for close ups in nature photos.

OldNikon

Originally posted at

2011-04-13T20:00:00

Great light gathering capability. I have taken several shots inside buildings and at plays and concerts and have been able to avoid using the flash. (This is especially useful when there is a rule against using flash or when picture taking is frowned on) Very compact and exceptionally clear. This was my firts lens; and it stays on my camera most of the time.

Evilevo

Originally posted at

2011-04-13T20:00:00

The 50mm f1.4 is incredibly sharp. In fact, it'll find every flaw in your portrait subjects. It's like filming in a juiced-up hi-def. It is very responsive and can shoot with incredible clarity in very low light. A must have if you take head shots, portraits, etc.

arejaywhy

Originally posted at

2011-04-13T20:00:00

I'm loving it so far! Compared to 50mm 1.8, I would say 1.8 is a little sharper for me, other than that, It's an awesome lens!

Nikonluvr

Originally posted at

2011-01-02T19:00:00

I bought this lens on ebay some years ago for low light photography. Back then on the D70 I wasn't able to really appreciate this jewel. Now on the D700 I do not want to take this lens off. It's incredibly sharp, with excellent micro contrast and color rendition, and the bokeh is a dream. I particularly like the way it turns street lights at night into 14-point stars. I use it for everything from landscape / cityscape to portrait and low light photography. I also own in the 50/f1.4 AF-D and this old AIS beats the newer lens in every aspect by a save margin (except the autofocus, of course). Mechanically this lens is a marvel, too. Focus is very smooth and the entire lens is built like a tank. Once you enter the maximum aperture into the D700/D300 etc. menu, it even meters on these cameras (A and M modes). If you can work with manual focus lenses, I highly recommend this lens.

hs_photo

Originally posted at

2010-10-03T20:00:00

My old AIS Nikkor delivers good IQ at f/1.4, improving to very good/excellent by f/4. My 1.4 is better overall than my 50mm, f/1.8 AF lens.

FotoHaole

Originally posted at

2010-08-01T20:00:00

This lens is awesome for potraits. The picture sharpness is incredible. Its great for kids coz of the 1.4 aperture.

static

Originally posted at

2010-07-30T20:00:00

This lens produces amazingly sharp photos with a great bokeh. I recommend it. It's definetly a must have and great walk-around lens.

ralphps2000

Originally posted at

2010-07-30T20:00:00

I bought one of these beauties used. It's small, well made, and has nice optics. I use mine both for digital and film photography. It is a wonderful portrait lens on DX cameras, as long as you don't mind focusing manually, and setting exposure manually on some bodies. On full frame film, especially wide open, it is a little softer, dreamier due to coma, and has noticible falloff, but this is to be expected on a super fast lens. It's actually flattering for portraits (I don't think portraits need to be shot with telephotos) and if you are shooting in low light the speed might allow you to get photos you would not be able to otherwise. Stopped down it is very sharp and uniform -- I've made 11 by 14 inch (optical) prints from my negatives and they look great. On DX it is pretty much impeccable at f/2.8 or smaller, at least on my D40. At larger apertures you will have trouble getting critical focus since the screens on DSLRs are optimized for slower lenses. Take a couple shots and check the image fully zoomed in on the LCD to be sure. Overall, this is a very versatile lens. In fact, when I spent a semester abroad last year in Hungary this was the only lens I brought! If you don't need the fast aperture, you might consider getting the 55mm f/2.8 AI-S micro instead of this lens. It seems to be a little sharper and gives you some more flexibility for macro shots. The 50mm f/1.4 focuses down to 1.5 feet or 0.45 meters, which I bump up against in some cases. I have used it with close up lenses very successfully.

icouldbeahero

Originally posted at

2010-07-29T20:00:00

If somebody wants to shoot with an f/2.8 lens, a 28-70 AF-S zoom is great. But the f/1.4 normal lens gives you the possibility of shooting at night at 400 ISO sensitivity, and to see clearly in much darker conditions than with a zoom. Setting the correct distance is also much easier with a lens like this. The lens itself is the same optical design as its successor, the autofocus version, but the mechanical quality of a full-metal housing is superior to any AF lens. This lens is compatible with the lightmeter of the old, purely mechanical Nikons. The optical quality is quite great. Contrast is low, vignetting is visible at f/1.4, but not on a disturbing level because of the wonderful sharpness. But from f/2 the quality is already great, vignetting disappears around f/8. With a D700, no difference is visible between the 50mm f/1.8 AF and this lens - and the f/1.8 lens is legendary for its sharpness.

NikonPro

Originally posted at