50mm 1.8D or 50mm 1.8G with D7000

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kluisi

Senior Member
I currently have the 1.8G lens and really like it, but Amazon has the 1.8D on sale right now for for $114 brand new. I am actually thinking of selling my 1.8G for more than that (seems that it's worth around $150 or so) and picking this up so that I can also reverse it and use it as a better macro. Am I crazy for wanting to do this or does it make sense?
 
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skene

Senior Member
You would probably be better off finding an older full manual lens as those could be had for cheap. Keep the 50 1.8G as it is a great lens.
 
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rocketman122

Senior Member
kluisi said:
I currently have the 1.8G lens and really like it, but Amazon has the 1.8D on sale right now for for $114 brand new. I am actually thinking of selling my 1.8G for more than that (seems that it's worth around $150 or so) and picking this up so that I can also reverse it and use it as a better macro. Am I crazy for wanting to do this or does it make sense?
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Why? the 1.8g is noticeably better then the D. why cant you use a reversing ring with the G? asking because I dont really know myself. Id keep the G.
 
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stmv

Senior Member
oh,,,, if you have the G,, keep the G,, better bokeh with the rounded blades, and its a AFS,, which means its has a quieter focus,, so,, would be a slight step down to get a 1.8D,, I like the suggestion of getting a used lens..

heck,, get a e series 50 mm 1.8 for say 50 dollars. even see a 1.8 AIS manual for 33 dollars! such a steal.
 
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WayneF

Senior Member
rocketman122 said:
Why? the 1.8g is noticeably better then the D. why cant you use a reversing ring with the G? asking because I dont really know myself. Id keep the G.
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A definition of a Nikon G lens: from Nikon F-mount - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


  • G — Designation for lenses without an aperture ring, indicated after the f-number in the name. G lenses retain the mechanical diaphragm coupling of other Nikkors, but the aperture setting can only be controlled by the camera body. Only autofocus bodies with command dials are capable of controlling G lenses. Older autofocus bodies will work with G lenses in shutter priority and program modes with full opened aperture.[SUP][/SUP] Some recent G lenses feature a weatherproofing gasket around the mounting flange. G lenses otherwise have the same characteristics as D lenses.


This makes a reversing ring be quite awkward to use.
 
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480sparky

Senior Member
rocketman122 said:
Why? the 1.8g is noticeably better then the D. why cant you use a reversing ring with the G? asking because I dont really know myself. Id keep the G.
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You either have to shoot with the aperture wide-open, or closed to minimum. There's no way to set it to, say, f/8 or f/11.
 
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skene

Senior Member
480sparky said:
Do tell...........
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Lemme grab the popcorn... popcorn.gif
 
K

kluisi

Senior Member
OK...thanks for the replies and suggestions. I do love the 50mm G, but I was thinking that the step down in quality would not be that large and I would be able to control it better for reverse macro work. Also, the price of the D lens seemed pretty good brand new.
 
Marcel

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
I don't know about in your area, but over here I can get a second hand 50 1.8 D for around $100.00. I might be good for you to keep the G for regular use and then keep then reverse mount on the D and just use it for close-ups.
 
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skene

Senior Member
aroy said:
Here in India the new 50mmF1.8D is going for much less - about US $ 90.
Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D Lens - Buy Online @ Rs.5443/- | Snapdeal
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While that may be a good deal for your area geographically... It doesn't make sense to travel or ship one all the way from India for one. Besides all else... in the US they can be had brand new for $121 or $114 (B&H USA/Grey Market) and save time and a headache of dealing with import fees and on the shipping.
 
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skene

Senior Member
aroy said:
The G lense is marginally sharper, but the D has no distortion and lower chromatic aberration. I would get the D and sell the G.
Nikkor AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D on Nikon D7100 versus Nikkor AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G on Nikon D7100 - Side by side lens comparison - DxOMark
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Well and good based on what DXO says about certain things, but take all things like a grain of salt.

The 50mm 1.8G is a bit more than marginally better in terms of sharpness and bokeh. Bokeh is significantly smoother and the rounder due to the rounded aperture blades. This you can see in side by side images, so you will get a more pleasing image. Quieter to AF, albeit not as fast as the D lens.

The 50mm 1.8D is more cost effective. Quicker to AF. Smooth bokeh, decently sharp (however not as tact sharp as the G lens). Dollar for Dollar this would be the 50mm to beat, when comparing brand new.

Now... You go into the used market where you do not need AF and you can easily get a 50mm 1.4 pre AI lens for next to dirt cheap. If just using the lens for macro work with a reversing ring, this would be my go to purchase. Also if you decide that this isn't the thing for you, you would not lose anything in terms of resale on these items as they can be flipped for the same price you purchased. Depreciation has already settled on these lenses while there would still be loss on the newer lenses.
 
D12345678

D12345678

Senior Member
I don't know if I may need to fine tune my D7100, but the 50D seems to be sharper for me than the 50G, but my old AIs 50 is sharper than both of them!
 
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Englischdude

Senior Member
i have the D and have no desire to go to the G. I think the D is a fantastic lens for the 100 euro I paid for it. The G may be quieter, rounded blades etc., but I dont need any of the benefits this offers. In fact, I will be taking this on a motorcycling tour this year so the straight blades will give me much better sunstars on reflections from the bike. And last but not least, I love the cool retro look of the D :cool:
 
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