Nikon Japan announced the release date of the new Nikkor AF-S 50mm f/1.8G lens as June 2nd, 2011. The US press release indicated a release date of June 16, 2011. Maybe this time the shipments will start earlier than previously expected. See all available pre-order options here.
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72 Comments
I want a couple of these!!
This lens probably outperforms the 50/1.4 AF-S, but there aren’t many sample images yet. And the weight … oh boy, could it be any better? Yes, it even has an aspherical element and only costs 200 dollars! And that with the dollar having lost 50 percent of its value since 2008.
It will not outperform it, my 1.4 AFs at f/2 is tack sharp, the 1.8 will be soft and will suffer from CA. I bought my 1.4 in order to shoot sharp at f/2 and 2.8, and reasonably sharp at 1.4 for bokeh and low light. Different lenses with different applications. In the same way, a 24-70 will outperform all of the primes on that focal range, at certain apertures, in certain conditions.
24-70 will not out-perform the primes. I disagree to that.
I disagree to your disagreement.
Maybe you two could settle this with photos?
This is an impossible thing to ever prove for certain but given the infinite amount of variables there probably are cases when one outperforms the other.
I would say most commonyly a prime will come out on top but they are still not without their flaws.
I’ve use only primes for 20 years, I won’t give up my 24-70 and 14-24mm f/2.8 for primes.
I’ll be you that the 50mm 1.8G will even outperform the newer 1.4G version, witch appears to be one of the worst 50mm nikon ever created. It is slower than the older version & has deformation, which is really bad on a regular focal lenght prime.
Besides, the “bokeh” is not the more tasty one.
The Sigma 50mm 1.4 HSM is a gem compared to it.
Even the 150$ Canon 1.8 II lens beats it by far.
If one were to go by MFT charts then, according to lenstip.com, the 24-70 does out perform the 50 AF-S at f2.8.
the new 50mm 1.8G will outperform your 24-70mm, @ 1.8 !!!
Guys stop arguing, here is the link with full resolution FX samples. It is excellent wide open!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nikonfrance/sets/72157626467084527/with/5661588080/
Oops, those french f@ckers removed the full res samples. Luckily I downloaded them, here is one 100% fx crop
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3153/5703668593_d062ccf6a2_o.jpg
Don’t blame on French people, it’s not easy to test a camera lens and jump on a maid at the same time !
I take offense to that, I am french and i could test a lens and jump a maid at the same time
Even the 24 f/1.4 ? Doubtful
Nikon measures the MTF graph at the lens max aperture, if you want a true comparison, put them head to head at f/1.8
Try head to head at f/2.8 where they should both be at near the top of their respective curves. Measuring them where the 1.8 is at it’s worst and the 1.4 is near the top is not a fair comparison. But I agree that they are different lenses for different applications.
OK the 1.4 is not near the top of it’s performance at 1.8 but it’s on its way up the side of the curve whereas the 1.8 is still at the bottom.
Hope this helps me with my night photography and street scenes at night as well! Can’t wait.
Told you so
I’m going to need to see more bokeh samples before I get one, but so far it looks great! I’d love to have a backup for my Sigma 1.4.
I preordered already. woo hoo
I just had a look at your site……wonderful photography.
Thank you!!
Very Nice pictures Sir….. well of course Nikon whew!
I have got my Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8G lens yesterday (in Bratislava, Slovakia, from http://www.alza.sk/nikkor-50mm-f1-8g-af-s-d236339.htm)
Here are some sample pictures (sorry for the low non-professional quality):
https://picasaweb.google.com/Witkovsky/2011_05_20TestNikonD7000AFS50mmF18G#
It’s in stock since 3 days at PCH in Brussels http://www.pch.be
Not yet on their website but in stock at their store.
It’s available in Czech too since yesterday.
In stock indeed
http://www.pch.be/en/lenses/nikon/standard/50-mm-f-1-8g-af-s-nikkor?___from_store=fr
Ordered!
With the new 1.8er Lens I think sharpness could be slightly better, and maybe also AF-speed and accuracy.
But if you change to the new one, you have to accept a worse bokeh because of the lesser number of blades (7 instead of 9) , don’t you?
7 rounded blades are still pretty darn good, and by the look of the samples (disclaimer: terrible bokeh taste), the OOF areas are pretty creamy.
this is a nice match for the D700 and sound more attractive than the 50mm 1.4 , sounds a nice kit! But I like the manual focus version of the 1.4 better than any 50mm I ever had, love to manual focus my old unit!
Can’t wait to see the new version of the 85mm f/1.8 and 35mm f/2.0 as well
w00t! Bring it! I hope this lens is better behaved wide-open, then the 50 1.8D. We shall see!
Ok i already have 35mm 1.8 and kit lens for my d7000…do you guys think i should get this new 50mm? is the 15mm focal lenght is a big difference..? you guys can check my flickr and have a look for my style of shooting,i need opinion before make any decision…,
It’s that that simple to say yes and no.
But
1) Take your kit lens and set it to 50mm and walk araound and take some pictures.
if the 50mm a good zoom for you to take pictures in, and will you do it alot then Yes get a 50mm. if you don’t like it. (to mutch/to little zoom) then 50mm is not for you.
2) The lens here is a FX lens and not a DX lens as the D7000 is using.
You can still use a FX lens on a DX body with no problem, you just have to remember to multiply the FX mm with 1.5 to see how many mm it is on you camara.
50mm = 75mm
So if you want to buy this lens, then set you kit lens to 75mm and see if you like that.
Thanks henrik,..actually i was thinking that i want to get a 85mm for shooting portrait,but this 50mm in DX equal to 75mm (close to 85mm),so i really not sure to get this 50mm or 85mm(not sure yet 85mm 1.8D or just wait for 85mm 1.8G,cannot afford 1.4 and dont need that extra stop)…,
The 85mm 1.8 is a great portrait lens and fits your D7000 perfectly. Whether you prefer 85mm or 50mm is up to you. Some would argue that 35mm and 50mm are too close but I had such a setup for a while and it worked fine for me. If you wanna find out which focal length suits you better, then take your 18-105 set it one day to 50mm and shoot. The next day you set it to 85mm and shoot. Then you compare and see what you liked better.
You confuse a few things. If you want to see how an 50mm FX lens looks on a DX body, you set your lens (any lens, DX or FX doesn’t matter) to exactly 50mm.
However, if you have a FX body and want to see what the angle of view of your 50mm FX lens would look like on a DX body, then you set it to 75mm!
Sorry I misinterpreted your post. Indeed 75mm on FX would test 50mm on crop.
No, if he want to test 50mm on his crop sensor, he need to set his kit zoom to 50mm, not 75mm. Also 50mm is 50mm in crop or ff. The perspective doesn’t change.
ok guys thanks for the inputs,i’ll use my kit lens and find which focal lenght i like better and suit me,,,
You’re overcomplicating things. You should just set the zoom to 50mm (not 75). DX lenses do NOT have the crop factor incorporated in their focal lengths. A 50 mm FX lens gives the same FOV on a DX camera as a 50 mm DX lens does on a DX camera.
This is only true of angle of view characteristics. Other lens characteristics (i.e. Compression/exageration etc) are not changed by swiching from FX to DX. So depending on why you choose a lens, you may or may not use this as a refrence. For instance, I use 85mm+ for portrait because of how that focal length renders the subject. To maintain this, I have to increase my shooting distance from the subject, but it is worth it.
I dont get it. I feel that 50 is too tight on my crop sensor body. I would rather have a 30mm
this is why nikon has a fantastic, fast, sharp, and cheap 35 1.8. Go buy it.
I didn’t realise that they did not announce the release date when the lens was announced :p
Yeah, I see they’re playing that game. Anyone ever figure out where it’s made? I guess China like the last one but it could be Thailand where they make the small AFS motors.
I’d upgrade mine just for the ergonomics.
A little advice please? I’ve lucked out beyond my wildest dreams and been offered a work trip to Japan — a fully paid week in Tokyo, no bloody less. I’m wondering, does anyone know if it’s cheaper to get lenses there (in Yen) than it is in the States (in dollars)? I’m thinking about getting either the latest 70-200mm 2.8 or the latest 85mm 1.4. (Is that rude to talk about these lenses in front of the new 50mm 1.8?)
My experience, after living in Japan for a year, is that you have to check carefully which lenses you want. Some may be cheaper, some may be even more expensive and others may be just the same. If you buy in stores, then the chance you make bargains is low if you compare prices to online stores back home. If you wanna buy online in Japan, you need a Japanese shipping address and at least some Japanese language skills. (Unless you order from the Japanese Amazon, which you can do mostly in English.) A good site for price comparison is kakaku.com However, sometimes it will find products only if you write the brand name in Katakana. (Most items are found though.)
Cheers,
Timo
If you are paying in dollars, buy home.
But when will the D800 be announced?
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…..
Another 50mm I don’t need
again, another anouncement of an announcement that an announcement will come one day after the final announcement. That’s it folks, move along nothing to see from Nikon. Really boring. I start to believe that the reason why Nikon can keep its secret super duper D4 and D800 is because they will not come…at least not this year.
Ordered
sonyalpharumors are reporting that the Sony A77 will be announced on July 7th (7/7),
There are rumours that it’s 24mp Sony sensor will be the one Nikon will use for the D400.
Personally I think if there is going to be a new Nikon body this year it’ll be the D400… but what do I know lol ?
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr4-sony-a77-and-nex-7-coming-on-july-7-for-1099-including-the-kit-lens
Yes, it appears that Nikon went in bed with sony and cannot live without her.
Nikon seems to be on the backseat nowadays. All the inteteresting patents are done by sony and others especially when it comes to sensors. I cannot recall one Nikon sensor patent lately.
On the other hand, I like the concept of that sony lens patent with the liquid lens that can change it curvature. I think this will send down nerves for the establishment. Seriously, Nikon is so qiuet that it is getting worrying.
Wow, Anonemo. That D800 not existing has obviously dominated your life. Maybe get out and take some photos instead of talking about Sony in a Nikon forum.
Just sayin’.
Sorry Joe, I was just responding to broxibear’s post and while I was browsing through the link broxibear posted I came across that lens patent.
How is it that Sony is able to produce this camera when Nikon can not? Are they not both companies originating and located in Japan?
Hi D700guy,
I think the Sony Alpha production is based in Thailand…
http://asia.cnet.com/a-visit-to-sonys-alpha-facility-in-thailand-62204436.htm
Sony are such a massive company compared to Nikon they can throw money at problems that Nikon can’t.
Sony doesn’t sell as many DSLRs, and they keep a larger inventory, which might be why they don’t have a shortage, yet.
Still wondering why there is a 14, 24, 35, 85 with a “goldring” but none ever for a 50mm. Dont get me wrong , i have a 50mm f1.8D and i love it !
Hi BenS,
I’m not entirely sure what the gold ring signifies, I always thought it was a lens that used ED and Super ED glass but I could be wrong.
You could always ask Nikon themselves, they’re usually pretty helpful ?…
https://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com/app/ask
Back then, ED glass was very expensive and they actually used real gold. Nowadays its just some marketing BS.
The 12-24 has the ring, the 10-24 does not. Both have ED and aspherics. Take it from there. I figure it’s largely meaningless marketing today.
Ok…I contacted Nikon Europe and asked them about the Gold Band/Ring on lenses and this what they said…
Dear Sir/Madam,
Thank you for your email
The gold band on the lenses has no significance any longer. It used to signify the Nikon pro lenses.
If there is anything else I can help you with, please email me.
Kind regards,
Ferg Redmond
Customer Support Advisor
Nikon Europe Support
http://www.europe-nikon.com/support
is this a fx lens
yes
Well, just because they’re being soft spoken about upcoming products doesn’t mean they are sleeping. This is Nikon and they are not stupid. Sometimes the competitor that makes the most noise, ends up being trumped the the company that watches quietly and just focuses on R&D. This has always been Nikon’s stance!
Another thing everybody must remember, Sony might be the manufacturer of Nikon’s sensors, but it’s Nikon that’s designing them for themselves. It’s not uncommon to outsource wafer production to another company. The cost of a wafer plant is astronomical. Don’t get too hung up on Sony manufacturing Nikon’s sensors.