50mm prime lenses

daveminnich

Senior Member
Hi all.

I currently have a 50mm f/1.8D. Is there any compelling reason to replace it with a 1.8G or a 1.4G, or would I be better served sticking with the 1.8D?


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pforsell

Senior Member
Short version: Get the 50/1.8G.


Long version:

50mm f/1.8D dates back to the low resolution film era. It produces rather low contrast, soft, milky image at larger apertures and pretty ugly busy double-line bokeh at all apertures. Its build quality is also the worst of any Nikkor ever built.

Nikon's 50mm f/1.8G probably delivers the best overall image quality of any Nikon 50mm lens, it is sharper than 50/1.4G. Nasim Mansurov rates it very high: https://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-50mm-f1-8g/

That said, I don't own any of the aforementioned lenses. I have Nikon's manual focus AIS 50/1.2 and AI 50/1.8 (much better than AIS 50/1.8 which is optically the same as AF 50/1.8D) and has probably the best bokeh of any Nikon 50mm. I also have the neo-Noct 58mm f/1.4G.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Hi all.

I currently have a 50mm f/1.8D. Is there any compelling reason to replace it with a 1.8G or a 1.4G, or would I be better served sticking with the 1.8D?
The main difference between the "D" and "G" variants is the "G" packs its own Auto-focus motor. Not much of a consideration for your D90 since it has its own Auto-focus motor. There are differences in IQ between the "D", "G" and the f/1.4 versions of those lenses, but how significant those differences are, and whether they're worth paying for, is something for you to decide.

Suggested reading on this topic: Nikon 50mm f/1.8G vs f/1.4G
 
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Samo

Senior Member
For myself the short answer is no. No compelling reason. You should look at the mir site maybe even KR and brush up on all the Nikkor 50 s. One last thing I will say about what you are pondering OP...the screw drive on the 50 D is blazing fast.
 

Blacktop

Senior Member
I love my 50mm D lens. It doesn't take up any space in the bottom of my bag and it's always there when I need it. Usually, never. Plus if I ever lose it, I can always get one for under a hundred bucks.
 

skene

Senior Member
Both the 50 1.8D and 1.8G and good lenses. The G version has rounder blades so bokeh will end up looking smoother and rounder in comparison. The sharpness I would say will also go the the G version. Not taking anything away from the D version, but I find it slightly crisper. The D version does get bonus points for being inexpensive and will work with any body that has a built in motor.

Me myself though.... I have the 50 1.8D, 50 1.4G, 50 1.8 Pancake, and classic 50 1.4 mf.... and the 50 1.4G is always in my bag.
 

gfinlayson

Senior Member
I've had nearly all of the 50s at one time or another. The 50 1.4 D was my favourite (just something really nice about it's rendering), that was until I got the 58 1.4....

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Woodyg3

Senior Member
Contributor
FWIW, my Tamron 18-50mm f/2.8 is sharper than my 50MM f/1.8D at wider apertures, and is pretty much just as good at smaller apertures. I have never owned any of the other Nikkor 50mm lenses, so this may not be much help to answering your question. :)

Edit: I meant 17-50mm.
 
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Fortkentdad

Senior Member
I had an 50mm 1.8 AFD - gave it to my daughter-in-law who shoots with a D90 after I received a Sigma Art 1.4 50mm. After using the new lens for a very short time I knew my old AFD would get better use in her hands than mine. My only regret is that sometimes you just want a very lightweight lens. That and I have filters that fit the old lens but not my new one.
 

spb_stan

Senior Member
This the first prime I got right after getting my first Nikon when the D90 was introduced. It was only $120. It turned out to be well made, small, light and if used knowing its limitations, could be a very useful tool. It is not sharp wide open but my purpose was portraiture which does not require ultimate sharpness. The curious fact is that it is very sharp in one very small area dead in the center of the lens so it worked great with the eye in that center with the rest of the frame soft wide open. Stopping down to 2.8 the whole lens changes to become a good general purpose lens and at 4-5.6 it is darn good so as a walking around lens it really is good at the smaller apertures.
Wide open the bokah is not great but it is actually helped by the rather soft corners so some really dense blur can be produced. I use it on a D7000 and D800 and for artistic effect and very shallow DOF wide open is well worth the price.
I have a number of 50s including the f/1.2, Sigma 50 1.4 DG HSM, and 1.4G. None are great in all things but each has a special feature or two to makes them worth having. The 50 1.8g is better wide open but not great until stopped down to f/4-5.6 so for a walking around lens it is a good deal. The 1.8D version actually sharpens up faster and is quite usable at 2.8 and very good at f/4.0
Right now, the best AF 50 mm is by Sigma in their excellent ART series, the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM A but it is $950.
On DX cameras, a 50mm is a short telephoto so for more of a human eye perspective, angle of view the 35 1.8g is the best choicer. And for a better short telephoto field of view on DX the 85 1.8G is hard to beat and makes an excellent portrait lens on Dx or Fx while saving $1300 under the 1.4g version. But here again, the Sigma version in the ART series is better than the Nikon version yet saves $1000.

There is no perfect lens but every lens has some trait that is very useful for some styles of work. The best results versus goal, is when you know what traits you need and which you don't. Sharpness is not as important as most people assume, there are other traits that make an image pop even more than sharpness, such as micro contrast. Some of the older simpler optical formula have advantages in micro contrast because they have fewer lens elements. Test results only have marginal relation to how well a lens works on your subject matter so don't go by DxO or other scores, use the lens, rent one before buying. I got my Sigma 50 1.4 despite some not great reviews about sharpness out of the center when wide open. The camera store loaned one to me and it had a look none of the others had that made it a top portrait lens for me. The newer and twice as expensive ART version is held in very high regard by many photographers to have no real weaknesses however.
 

ejronin

New member
I own both the D and G variant of the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8. Of the two, I much prefer the sharpness of the D over the G. I find if I let my camera do the AF it's never exactly where I want (depending on distance from subject, the razor-thin focal plane makes a world of difference.) So for example, the AF sensor on almost all cameras will be slightly offset from the guide box in the viewfinder. G lenses, in my experience offer slightly less manual control on the lens itself, and I prefer to control at the source not the destination.

That aside, the D is smaller, less expensive, and just as capable (some argue noticeably sharper, if that's your thing)
 

ejronin

New member
I do newbie models and being newbies rather than 'pose' they are in constant motion as they are naturally nervous. I was using the 50MM Nikon D but just got a G and it was worth it with the speed of focusing. the percentage of blurred shots is down pretty dramatically. https://www.flickr.com/photos/lautermilch/albums for the images
And see, I didn't find the cost difference worth it. It's a bigger lens with less control. It hunts for focus more than my 35mm 1.8G. I used my 50mm 1.8D to photograph toddlers. I had to learn how to track my subject and increase shutter speed along with ISO, exposure, etc. All in all, the G is easier in the sense of speed, but that's about it IMO

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