AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras

I have a side business as a freelance photographer, doing production photography, headshots weddings, & art. And I gotta say, this is a fantabulous lens, plain & simple. I honestly don't see why some people are dumping on this lens! I admit, I haven't used the Sigma 50mm f1.4 (which must be huge & heavy, which I don't want), or anything comparable from other manufacturers, but I couldn't be happier. I did have the older 50mm AF-Nikkor f1.4 D, which was great, but I sold it-for good money-and got this version, despite the opinions that one shouldn't. I've been using this new version for about a month now-including 2 paid freelance shoots-and don't regret it. Pros: 1) Image quality. Contrast, color reproduction & sharpness are superior. I was shocked at the amount of detail I've been capturing. 2) Awesome in low light-how can it not be at f1.4?. 3) Smooth, quiet autofocus. Autofocus is noticeably slower than the AF-D model, but for most situations where you'd be using a prime lens I think it's fine. Plus it's nice when you're photographing a singer up close, trying to be intimate & keep her comfortable, to not have the "buzz" of the old screwdriver-focused lens. 4) Autofocus with manual override. If AF isn't working (like in low light) just hold the shutter button down half-way & turn the focusing ring. This is the way Nikon lenses are being designed nowadays, & that's a good thing! 5) Bokeh. Despite the negative reviews, I like the bokeh I get at wider apertures. Which was one of the reasons I wanted it-the 9 blade rounded diaphragm should be better for background blur than the straight, 7-blade diaphragm of the older model. I'm thinking it helps that I shoot on a camera with a DX sensor, so if you have a D700, D3, D3x, or 35mm film you might get different results. Otherwise, you should not be disappointed. 6) Ergonomics. It just has a really good feel to me. 7) Almost true internal focusing. The lens barrel doesn't change length while focusing, so you can hold onto any part of the lens & focus. 8) Hood. Comes with a nice bayonet hood, easy to put on and off, unlike the AF-D model, for which you need to separately purchase a screw-on rubber hood. 9) Forward compatibility. The only Nikon 50mm lens that will autofocus on the Nikon D40, D40x, D60, D3000, & D5000, which require lenses with their own focusing motors. Cons: Very few of significance. 1) Manual focusing. It works well, & the ability to override autofocus without flicking a switch is great, but I find the focusing ring a little harder to handle than on the older model. This model is larger overall, leading to a larger focusing ring (& filter), and my hands are a little small-ish, so that could be why. But this isn't a major factor if you use autofocus most/all of the time. The ring on this lens also feels tighter to me-which could be both a good & bad feature. 2) Larger filter size-58mm vs. the old, common 52. Only an issue if you already have 52mm filters and would have to get new ones for this lens. If you have multiple lenses with different filter sizes, try to just get one size of most filters and use a step-up ring. 3) Slower autofocus-but see above, not a major problem in my view. 4) Price. Pretty expensive at approximately $450.00, but it's actually not as bad as it looks. If you use a hood, like I do, then you don't have to buy one separately. It also comes with a nice carrying case-not essential, but a good touch. 5) Backward compatibility. Will not work on the older film cameras, because it lacks an aperture ring. Probably won't matter to most people. The older 50mm Nikon f1.4 AF-D is terrific. This version is even terrific-er. All I can say is, if you need a terrific-er 50mm lens: Go for it!

F/1.4 performs like a dream in low light and creates a wonderful blur. I also like the minimum focus distance at about a foot so I can get a tight shot even at 50mm. Focus is fast and quiet and it's a must have for any photographers. 50mm is a must have for me. Sometimes I just want to carry it because it's smaller and doesn't make me stick out like a sore thumb with larger lens. Below is a summary of how I use all of my lens today and I hope it will help you find what you are looking for if you have similar needs as mine: * AF-S 50mm f/1.4: Great for infants and walk-around lens on the street. I use this lens most of the time for infant pictures because 1) I don't want to use flash when infants have their eyes open even if I have a softbox/umbrella. 2) lightweight 3) low light performance at f/1.4. I also uses this when I'm out of the house because it's not in-you-face when you pull it out of you bag so people won't notice you. This lens also makes me move around a bit to be more creative vs. just zoom in and out. 50mm lens makes me think more about the shots. * AF-S 60mm f/2.8 micro: Great macro lens: I use this for very close up shots. I can get as close to less than an inch away even though the minimum focal length isn't listed as being 1 inch away. You will want good lighting since flash will be useless when you are this close to the subject. I take photos of baby lips, eyes, face, hands and feet, & other objects such as jewelry * watches. Basically any fairly stationary subjects that I want to highlight the details and intentional imperfections/wrinkles, etc. I sometimes wonder if I should use this all the time instead of my 50mm but I find the 50mm better at non-macro shots because it focus faster and lets in 4 times more light. * AF-S 85mm f/1.8 : I use this most of the time for adult portraits and it has very good low light performance as well. I choose this over the f/1.4 version because the other reviews I've read on the web did not justify the extra $1000 spend for marginal performance improvement and unless I am getting paid to take pictures all the time, I don't see the need to pay the extra cost for the f/1.4. This lens also makes me move around a bit to be more creative vs. just zoom in and out. * AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8: I use this when I just don't know what kind of pictures I could be taking and need to have zoom & I don't have to move around as much. While I don't take landscape pictures (24mm) often, I will use this for a large group outing, birthday parties when I may need to get a wide shot of a lot of people in a room and be able to have a little bit of zoom capability and not have to walk up so close to the people's face. This allows me to get some candid shots when needed. It's fairly heavy at 2 lbs and huge when you put on the hood so I almost never use this lens when I'm on the street because it attracts a lot of unwanted attention. I wouldn't want this hanging on my neck or shoulders for a long period of time. * AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 vr2 : This is one of my favorite lens only because I can use it for portraits as well (with some lighting support) and I can get really good candid shots since I can be much farther away 10-20ft from my subjects and able to get a nice picture. I do have to crop at times to get rid of the cluttered background but with the D600 camera, I have enough megapixel details to crop my pictures when needed. This is obviously a monster lens so I avoid taking it for street photos even though I've had some nice pictures and experiences on the street but it's so big... I've had people stopping me asking me if I'm a paparazzi and which celebrity I am stalking..... haha. It's almost over 3 lbs so I definitely wouldn't want this hanging on my neck or shoulders for a long period of time. * AF-S 70-200mm f/4: this is also a great lens and a fantastic alternative to the 2.8 version. At over $1000 less, this is a bargin and great lens if you're taking photos at good lighting conditions (outdoor, have flash or good indoor lighting). Otherwise it may be problematic for you at F/4.

First prime lens. Purchasing the Nikon D750 soon. Have 3100 at the moment which isn't that great of camera. Choice was between the f/1.4G and f/1.4D. G version is made in china and newer. G version has near silent focusing compared to the older G model. Hearing the D model uses screws that allow faster focus compared to the G model. However, the G model has 8 elements compared to D lens with 7 elements. I think f/1.4 G has flare issues which is a bummer if you take pictures toward the light or sun. Very fast focusing on this crappy camera I have now. I mean very fast. Now the older D model may be faster focus on certain cameras but for me, the F/1.4G is very fast with nice bokeh. I plan on purchasing the 105 macro lens next, then the 70-200 f/2.8. I included a photo of my dog, who moves every time a camera is on her face. This was taken at around 7:30 pm at dusk. Yes, I focused on her nose because she was moving her head, but just check out the bokeh! The other picture of my dog (Chuppa) was taken at dawn inside a dark family room with no flash. And Chuppa was moving. The last picture was taken at dusk from my snowy rooftop (which I do not recommend!). You look closely and can see some flare. I will say that the F/1.4G has less chromatic Aberrations then let's say the Sigma F/1.4 and it is lighter. The next picture was of my famous Art "Deep Shadows" a painting I purchased in La Jolla, California (the good old days). Keep in mind my flash on this crappy camera is limited and I was just playing around. The last picture was taken at night, no flash; the only lighting were 8 seven watt landscape lights and partial moon on a clear dark night. I had to brace my arms on wall of an adjacent patio so I could not see to focus on redwood railings. I wonder if the F/1.8 could do this at night? Doubt it. The Lens was on sale for under $340 when I purchased. Cheaper than the Sigma and about the Same as the older D model. If you are deciding between the Nikkor F/1.4 G and D model, I recommend purchasing both and trying them out in terms of focusing. I also recommend between the F/1.4G and F/1.8 be considered because the F/1.8 is less expensive and many claim it has a sharper center focus. But if you take pictures at dusk or dawn or at higher ISO, then go for the f/1.4 G or D.

Very well-made lens and takes excellent pictures with my D700. Price: Its priced right in my opinion, you can get them from anywhere from 400 to close to 500 dollars. It's absolutely worth $500, but I wouldn't pay more than that. Image quality: This is where I find it excels the most. Slightly soft and glowy at 1.4, but that's to be expected. Gets quite sharp at f2. The Sigma and the other Nikon 50mm is even softer wide open compared to this lens, so if wide-open sharpness is important to you, then this is your lens. Bokeh: Its very nice. Some "experts"; say its a little to harsh or jittery looking but bokeh is subjective. I love should single subjects wide up outdoors with this lens and having that wonderful dreaminess surrounding the subject. Its not like the Nikkor 85mm 1.4D but it has its own thing going for it. Focusing: A little sluggish but precise. At 1.4, the depth of field is extremely thin, so focusing just isn't possibly going to be spot-on every time unless you stabilize your subject and your camera. Most amateurs won't notice if things are slightly out of focus, so not generally a problem unless you're a perfectionist. Low-light performance: Stellar performance. This is really why I bought this lens. I love this lens for events where I have room to move around because I hate using flash if it's not necessary. This lens and a slight ISO boost is all you need to take flash-free pictures in many settings. Amazing for weddings and indoor concerts. Build quality: Good. Not like Nikon's professional-grade lenses, but very sturdy - I can't foresee any possible problems. The plastic hood is a twist-on bayonet type, and it works well. Very pleased with this lens. If your a sharpness nympho then check out [...] and look for the review and graph of this lens. Its a stellar lens and even beats out some of Canon's $$$$ lenses in sharpness.

I previously owned a Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras , but I found that when taking candid shots of people I did not want to get very close and on top of the subjects. I'm still saving for the new Nikon 85mm f/1.4G AF-S NIKKOR Lens for Nikon Digital SLR which could be even better, but found that this is a very good option for me for taking photos of people say at a dinner party or while out on vacation taking shots of various things going on during the evening. The 35mm was a tad too short, but was phenomenal on my D90. I decided to pick up this lens instead of the Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras (which is also a really great lens) because of the internal focusing. I started taking pictures with AF-S lenses, and found it a little annoying to hold the lens while the parts of the barrel rotate. This is a simple personal preference for me. This lens is very sharp and gets great shots even wide open at f/1.4, but one will see some color fringing at the widest apertures with high contrast photos off the center of the image (green and magenta). This is reduced by f/2 substantially, barely noticeable by f/2.8 and f/4, and completely gone by f/5.6. Also, I heard that this lens is not the fastest when focusing, but I haven't seen any problems with this at all; focusing is fast and quiet. This lens is my trusty low-light lens while traveling, and will serve as my outdoor portrait lens (to get background separation from the subject) until I can buy the new 85mm f/1.4. This is a great piece of glass for someone looking for a fast prime for DX or FX. It will not disappoint!

I'm a novice and i was reluctant of getting this lens over 50mm 1.8G Nikon 50mm f/1.8G AF-S NIKKOR Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras for double the price. I figured for less than $500 to get f/1.4 and 9 blades were a good deal. I first try this lens at my daughter's ballet recital in near dark and stage lights, the lens delivered. I didn't need any chessy flash light and the photos were very bright, nice boke and professional look about them on my D5100. Mind you, I did end up buying 50mm 1.8G as a back up but for indoor and nicer bokeh this 50mm 1.4G is better than 50mm 1.8G. I used latter for outdoor and day time for slightly faster auto focus and a bit sharper image but for darker and video i fall back on 50mm 1.4G. To my eyes, the photos from this lens is more well rounded and pleasing than 50mm 1.8G or 35mm 1.8G Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras which tend to be sharp but very flat and contrasty/digital looking way. BTW, I've bought and returned 24mm 1.4G Nikon 24mm f/1.4G ED AF-S RF SWM Prime Wide-Angle Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras after some difficult focusing issues and lack of wow factor, i'll try again when i upgrade to a FX body but I don't need it now. I've tried 35mm 1.4G, 70-200mm 2.8G, 24mm 1.4G, 105mm 2.8G on rented 3DX body. This lens and 85mm 1.4G Nikon 85mm f/1.4G AF-S Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR are keepers.

My second lens and first prime. I shoot on a D7000 and wanted something that would let in more light than my 18-105mm. Not only does this 50mm allow my low light photography to be easier, image quality is much better all around. I rarely use the 18-105mm anymore because of this lens. Images are much sharper, clearer, just more pleasing overall. It's hard always framing with 50mm on a crop sensor, but it has a nice cinematic feel that I find rewarding in my work. It is certainly usable at f/1.4, although it takes plenty of practice and patience to focus. At f/2.5 and onwards the sharpness is fantastic. Honestly, unless you are extremely critical of the entire frame in your photos, you'll be very happy wide open. As far as build quality goes, the lens is small, light, and feels sturdy. The focus ring isn't very smooth however, so don't expect to bring things into focus very quickly for video work. I have no trouble using this lens while it snows or rains. Overall, I feel it is a light package with my D7000 that I can take anywhere and in all conditions except downpours. One last thing, the auto focus. I never use it. I always manual focus, even if I'm out and about in a city. Unless I am shooting at f/5 I don't trust the auto focus to be accurate. Depth of field is generally too shallow to trust anything but your own eyes. With all this in mind I'm rating this 5 stars. A cheap 50mm that does everything I expect.

I'm a hobbyist and a dad. I mainly take photos of my 3 year old. I found that my kid kept turning away because of the flash even if I bounce it. I needed a lens that can perform in low-light w/o flash. I've tried these lenses for this purpose: Nikon/Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D, 35mm f/1.8G, Sigma 17-50mm f2.8. Like many other users here, I'm upgrading from the 50mm 1.8D. I bought the cheaper 1.8D first because I didn't think I'd be using the 50mm so much. I soon found that the most useful (and most commonly used) focal length for my job was around 50mm. Once I realized that, I upgraded to the 50mm 1.4G. I've considered the 85mm f/1.4. If you have a telephoto, then try zooming to 85mm. In a small room, you might not be able to include everything you want on your frame. 85mm is very tight especially on a DX camera because of the 1.5x crop factor. I think 85mm is more for the full-frame camera owners. If you have a DX, this 50mm lens (x1.5 = full frame equivalent is 75mm) is just right for many indoor portraits. I've also tried the Sigma 17-50mm because of its wide constant "pro" aperture (f2.8). I was hoping that I can use that instead of carrying multiple primes like I do sometimes (50mm and 35mm). That was a big $700 mistake. There is no way an F2.8 can ever compare to the primes in terms of being able to shoot in low-light without flash and also getting beautiful bokeh with background separation. This does have an odd filter thread size. I tried putting a 58-70mm step-up ring like Ken Rockwell suggested so I can use my 70mm filters. That setup looks ridiculous, and your hood won't fit anymore. Just get the 58mm HOYA UV filter. The photos taken with this lens actually look brighter than what I can see with my own eyes in the room. No clumsy flash needed. Amazing lens.