Reviewed by Ben Lee, http://dslrlensesonline.com editor.
Nikon 50mm 1.8
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The Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens is the cheapest 50mm lens from Nikon and replaces the 50mm f/1.8 AF. This very accomplished lens owes its popularity to its tack-sharp image quality for an extremely low price, enabling it to hold its own against lenses that cost 10 times as much or more.
As if this wasn’t enough, the 50mm 1.8 is compatible with every Nikon body lens ever made, whether it be digital, film auto focus or manual focus.
This lens passes every test with flying colors and where it matters with superb image quality, fast auto focus and minimal to no distortion, all for a price so low that you are wondering whether it’s too good to be true.
Well, I’m happy to tell you that it isn’t too good to be true. The lens is only just over $100 because it is a simple design and as a result easy to construct. A zoom lens for the same price would be almost unachievable (and extremely low quality if achievable) for the simple fact that a zoom lens is more complex to construct.
At a glance…
- Lens Construction: 7 elements in 6 groups
- Closest Focusing: 045m/1.5ft.
- Filter Size: 52mm
- Dimensions: 2.5 x 1.7 in.
- Weight: 7.9oz.
But who is the Nikon 50mm 1.8 lens good for? This lens is good for anyone really, but particularly those who shoot in low light often and will benefit from the wide aperture setting and fast auto focus. It is also good for potrait photography and the bokeh is awesome, too.
It is also great for travel photographers who want the convenience of a cheap, light, high quality prime lens which they can get out at a moments notice for that important travel photo.
In fact, I would go so far as to say that everyone should own this lens in addition to the lenses they already have, and especially if they have an extra $124 lying around. It is that good that you will always find a use for it and its size and weight enable it to not become a nuisance if you are carrying it around in your bag.
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Now I mentioned above that the 50mm f/1.8D AF is a prime lens. If you don’t know or have never owned a prime lens before, it basically means that you cannot zoom in or out on your chosen subject(s). What this means is that you yourself is the thing that has to move in order to get the right composition.
One thing I forgot to mention in this Nikon 50mm 1.8 review is that the 50mm becomes 80mm on a 1.6x body, meaning the versatility of this lens is increased further. Now obviously that is not going to be to everyones liking, but it may be ideal for some people as 80mm is a pretty workable focal length in my opinion.
If you want a faster 50mm prime lens, then by all means check out the Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens which, for a slight increase in price, is highly worth considering also.
As we have learnt in this review, the lack of zoom on this lens has made it extremely cheap as it is a simple design. If you are willing to pay for the privilege of a very fast zoom lens then you can always have a look at the 24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S lens which is about 15 times the price.
Overall Rating:
I don’t know about anyone else, but I would be happy to do a bit of walking backwards and forwards, especially if my finances didn’t allow for the $1700 upgrade.
Related posts:
- Nikon 70-300mm Review – Discover A Hidden Gem Of A Lens
- The Nikon 80-400mm – Telephoto Performance Without The Bulk Of A Telephoto Lens
Filed under: Nikon DSLR Lenses
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