Nikon 50mm f1.4 AI review

steventimothy

steventimothy

Well-known member
(Sorry, mods, for the cross-post (also on 7D lenses), but this lens can be used on the 5D as well. Adjust as you see fit.)

I just posted a review of this lens, with video, on my site below.

To make a long story short, it has some optical flaws, especially when it's wide open at 1.4. But it's a fun, heavy, funky lens that's easy to focus. And it can be got for about $100-150 on ebay.

See my review here:
http://www.espacesteve.com/2010/06/lens-review-for-dslr-video-nikon-50mm.html
 
wow I really like that lens, maybe it was just your video but it looks very good to me, i think u might have just convinced me to buy it ! =)
 
tackleqb said:
wow I really like that lens, maybe it was just your video but it looks very good to me, i think u might have just convinced me to buy it ! =)
Click to expand...

In the first shot I quite like the weird glow going onto the buildings from the sky. It grew on me though, I found it disturbing at first:shocked:
 
haha i honestly didn't even notice that, now i do, did you do any post work on the image? i like the dof you get with the people, looks very clean
 
tackleqb said:
haha i honestly didn't even notice that, now i do, did you do any post work on the image? i like the dof you get with the people, looks very clean
Click to expand...

It's shot at the "neutral setting" with saturation bumped 20-30%, and the gamma level at .9.

I edited it on Premiere Pro 5.0, in native DSLR mode.
 
I have been picking up old Nikon manual focus lenses for a couple of months. I love them and want to pick up the 50mm 1.4 for sure. They are not prefect, but they do have a definite "Mojo" in the images they make that I like.
 
haha my paycheck actually comes in tomorrow, I actually have been eyeing the nikon prime lenses for sometime now and this looks cheap enough and producing a good enough image, looks like I going to buy it if i can find it under 100 bucks

ps. IM A SENIOR MEMBER NOW!!! CHEERS! haha (like you guys even care)
 
That's not actually an ai lens, it looks like an S.C. The optical design is almost identical, the big difference being no multi-coating like the ai. Still a great lens although I think the pentax lenses from that era have the edge over the nikons. More info here-http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/50mmnikkor/index2.htm
 
Definitely, that's an old "non-A.I." lens. The actual AI lenses are much improved.

This lens should be in the $50-$70 range. I own one and love it but I now consider it a specialty lens like a Helios.
 
Like others have noted, it's not an "AI" lens so the review is really for the older "non-AI" "S" Nikkor 50mm.

How can you tell? The "ears" have no holes in them.
 
Thanks for the info about the lens - it's a stock, non-converted S so of course lacks the multi-coating. The seller failed to apprise me of that fact and sold it as an AI. Still my bad for not checking more carefully.

The review will be adjusted for the significant fact of not being AI and I will review an AI lens as soon as possible.

Edit: This is a 50mm 1.4 S, not the S (C). It has no AI-conversion.
 
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got a bargain here $200 for the 50mm 1.2! :D havent tried it yet on my cam cuz my nikon - canon adapter broke! hoepfully it works well with aps-c cams.. ive read it nids to be tweaked on 5d mark II
 
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