The 50mm f/1.4 lens is what Mario dubbed the King of Lenses, and I couldn’t agree more with this name. The 50mm f/1.4 is a prime lens with impressive brightness and sharpness, besides being one of the most versatile optics you will find.
Through this article I intend to unravel all the characteristics of this wonderful lens, what each of the acronyms and numbers mean, what its main advantages are, its price, alternatives and, in short, everything there is to know about this lens. so that at the end of this article there is no mystery left unsolved.
Why is Nikon’s 50mm f/1.4 lens so interesting?
- Because it is the one that most closely resembles human vision in terms of distortions.
- The 50mm focal length is very versatile: ideal for portraits, landscapes, food photography, street photography, everyday Photography, etc.
- It is a fixed lens that offers great sharpness.
- Provides a blur or bokeh Awesome.
- It is a very bright lens, which allows you to photograph in low light environments.
- It is very well built.
- It offers excellent value for money.
How not to recommend it, don’t you think? 😉
That said, we are going to focus on the things you should know about this Nikon 50mm f/1.4.
Nikon 50mm f/1.4 mount
If you already have a lens and/or have ever been looking for one for your camera, you may have realized that the type of mount is very important when choosing a lens. If there is no compatibility between one and the other, it is very possible that you cannot directly set the lens, or that it works but you lose functions such as autofocus.
For this reason, it is very important that, before buying any lens, you make sure that it is 100% compatible with your camera. As we know that it is one of the added problems when looking for a lens, we have created a tool to find out the compatibility between all Nikon cameras and all the lenses of the brand itself (Nikkor). Just follow the steps that it indicates (choose your camera model and then the lens you want to check), and you will instantly know if it is compatible or not and if you maintain autofocus with it.
That said, here is a brief summary of the types of mounts that exist for the Nikon brand:
- F-mount: Nikon’s most classic and widespread mount, making it highly compatible with older lens models, since it has been produced from 1969 to the present. F mount lenses are divided into FX and DX format.
- The FX-format ones are used on full-frame Nikon cameras.
- The DX-format ones are for cameras with APS-C format sensors.
- All F-mount lenses can be used on both Full Frame and APS-C cameras, but please note:
- Using a DX lens on a Full Frame camera creates a lot of vignetting at the edges, so it’s not recommended (although it is possible).
- Using an FX lens on an APS-C produces a cropping or conversion effect. In this particular case, a 50mm on an APS-C camera ends up becoming a 75mm.
- Nikon 1 mount: It is the mount of the first series of mirrorless cameras, the J series, which is no longer manufactured but for which some lenses still exist.
- Z-mount: It is the newest, created for Nikon Z-series mirrorless cameras like the Nikon Z50.
Nikon 50mm Apertures
If you’ve been eyeing the Nikon 50mm, you may have noticed that it exists with both f/1.4 and f/1.8 apertures. In total there is a difference of light passage and quite a few euros between the two.
Surely you have come to the question of whether it is worth spending that extra money for “just” a step of light. Well, when we talk about one step of light, we really mean that twice as much light enters, so the seemingly small difference, in low light situations, can be important.
Having as bright a lens as possible allows you to work at low ISOs, get good results in low light and play with blur.
Having said that, I would say, if you can afford it, go for f/1.4, it is worth having at least one lens with these characteristics. If it is beyond your budget, go for the f/1.8, it is still a very good lens, at a more affordable price.
Other differences between the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 and f/1.8
Beyond the most obvious difference that we have already mentioned regarding the maximum aperture of the diaphragm, we must also take into account other aspects when choosing our 50mm.
The price can be a decisive factor depending on how our pocket is at the moment we decide to get one. The AF-S 50mm F1.4 G is priced at €533.06 and the AF-S 50mm F1.8 G you can get for €255.00.
Other differences between both objectives are the weight, the diaphragm plates or the number of elements:
Differences between Nikon’s 50mm f/1.4 and f/1.8
Breaking down all the nomenclatures related to the Nikon 50mm:
It’s no secret that to crack a target you need to put all your efforts into it. There are so many nomenclatures that understanding them all becomes quite a challenge. As I am perfectly aware of this, I am going to break down the Nikon 50mm for you so that you know exactly what each thing means 🙂
What does AF-S mean in Nikon lenses?:
Indicates that the target has a integrated focus motor. That means they can be used on any compatible Nikon camera body, whether or not it has a focus motor in the camera body.
SWM: Silent Wave Motor
SWM stands for Silent Wave Motor (SWM) (or silent wave motor). This technology involves high-speed autofocus that is very precise and quiet.
M/Y
It is the tab located on the lens’s own focus ring and that allows you to switch from automatic to manual immediately.
ACE
AS stands for Aspherical lens elements. This type of lens uses non-spherical surfaces on one or both sides of the glass in order to eliminate certain types of lens aberration.
G-type lens
It means that it is a lens that does not include an aperture control ring. The adjustment is done electronically from the camera.
50mm focal length
Why a 50mm and not another focal length? You may be wondering why we praise this lens’s versatility in terms of photographic possibilities so highly. Well, the 50mm is more or less in the middle of the focal lengths, in the range that we call “standard”.
This, applied to photography, implies that it is the lens that most closely resembles human vision in terms of distortions, giving us a viewing angle of 46º (in the case that concerns us with the 50mm).
With this angle of vision you can take portraits, culinary photography, street photography, flowers, nature, landscape… If you can only get one lens, I think it is the best to cover a huge number of situations with spectacular results.
This has been my exclusive optician for a few years and I have not needed more, so I recommend it knowingly 😉 . To see this optic in action, take a look at this gallery.
What happens if I attach the 50mm to an APS-C format camera?
I have already advanced it throughout the article, this Nikon 50mm is designed for both Full Frame cameras and APS-C cameras, with the difference that it only behaves like a real 50mm in terms of focal length, on full frame cameras.
In APS-C cameras, what we know as cropping or conversion factor, which implies that the effective focal length translates in this case into a 75mm. If you have an APS-C camera, therefore, it is something very important to consider when choosing a lens.
If you are interested in delving into the subject, here you can answer your questions: Do you know the conversion factor of your SLR camera?
What if I want a 50mm equivalent focal length but have an APS-C camera?
It was logical that we came to this question. So much to sell you the benefits of its angle of view, its versatility, etc., and then I tell you that in your camera it is likely to become a 75mm.
Given this, I will tell you that a 75mm is still a super versatile and brutal lens for portraits 😉 , but if you want an effective 50mm and you have an APS-C camera, then you need the AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 G for cameras APS-C.
This lens has a viewing angle of 44º, very close to 50mm in a Full Frame camera, 7 diaphragm blades, 200 gr of weight, a maximum aperture of f/1.8 and a minimum of f/22, it is built with 8 elements in 6 groups (with an aspherical lens). To see the full specifications, click here.
You can get it for €209.90.
Nikon 50mm f/1.4 lenses
From the Nikon brand (Nikkor is the one used for its lenses), I have already told you that you have the option of the Nikon AF-S 50mm F1.4 G for €533.06 and the Nikon AF-S 50mm F1.8 G for €255.00.
50mm f/1.4 lenses compatible with Nikon
Nikon is not the only brand that bets on the 50mm, there are others that are also perfectly valid for your Nikon camera, here I leave you with other options outside the Nikon brand with an f/1.4 aperture:
- Sigma 50mm f/1.4: A high-end lens with image stabilizer and hypersonic motor, 9-blade diaphragm, weighing 815g, and an angle of view of 46º. If you are interested in knowing it in depth, here you have their full specs.
Of
)
You save: €72.01 (9%)
6 new since €686.990 2nd hand
(* = Affiliate Link / Image Source: Amazon Affiliate Program)
To see the possibilities of this objective, here you have an inspiring gallery.
50mm f/1.8 lenses compatible with Nikon
- Yongnuo YN 50MM F1.8: For fairly tight budgets, we have this lens compatible with Nikon F mounts. The price is really suggestive for beginners because the value for money is very interesting. It consists of 7 diaphragm blades, 6 elements in 5 groups, a minimum aperture of f/16, and a minimum focus distance of 45 cm, a weight of 120gr. Julian Marinov tells you about him in this video:
Of