where there’s smoke there’s forum fire
Hey guys,
I was thinking of swapping my Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 D and 85mm f/1.8 D for the 50mm f/1.4 G.
I don't use my 85mm too often anymore.
This is my current lens line up for my D90.
Nikkor 35mm F/1.8
Nikkor 50mm F/1.8
Nikkor 85mm F/1.8
Nikkor 105mm F/2.8 VR Macro
Nikkor 10-24mm F/3.5
Nikkor 17-55mm F/2.8
Nikkor 70-300mm VR
Thoughts? Is the f/1.4 THAT much better than the f/1.8?
I dunno, I heard the 50mm 1.8 AF-S has better AF than the 1.4 AF-S.
Personally, I'd get the 50mm 1.8 AF-S, but that's because of budget concerns.
The 85mm might be odd on DX, so I understand why you want to switch out.
Yeah, I'm in a bit of a bind.
I can't decide...
I'd go for that if I didn't already have the 85mm. The 1.4AFS focuses VERY slowly, to the point where I use my 1.8 if I am not expecting to shoot wide open.
I have had the last 3 50mm 1.4s (AF, AFD, AFS) and the AFD 1.8. I had the 1.4 afs since before the new 1.8 came out so I haven't seen any reason to try that one. I honestly don't get the "slowness" claims some make of the new AFS. It is barely slower than the 1.8 AFD - but when it focuses, it is spot on more than the older 1.4s. Some really forget that at 1.4, the focus is razor thin and the older 1.4 missed focus quite a bit. Sharpness & contrast wise, I never saw much difference - all the 50s are tack sharp in my eye.
That said, I personally don't think it all that different from the 1.8 other than the bokeh highlights are rounded rather than hexagonal. I think the bokeh is a bit smoother and that means more to me personally than many others. Other than that and being able to MF override, the difference is really small. For me, the Bokeh and MF override sold me to upgrade.
Is it worth dumping two lenses for one? I love the 85mm 1.8afd and ask the same question you did but with the 85 1.4. If you love shooting with the 50mm and do so all the time and never use the 85, it might be worth it. I have basically the same setup (minus the 17-55 & plus the 70-200) and although I often think about moving one direction to another, month - in and month out, there is rarely a low light situation that really a 35,50,& 85mm 1.8 can't handle when I run into it.
It all depends if you photograph black cats in coal holes and need the extra half stop
for unavailable light photography on dance floors with out flash the f1.4 is brilliant
the only lens better is the 24 f1.4 at least that is what I am told, because I cant afford one ether
Each time I sell a lens, it is usually at a low retail price. And when i buy a lens, retail. So, with this in mind, if I wanted a 50mm f/1.4 instead of a 50mm f/1.8, I would hesitate. The 1/2 f/stop will, on a practical basis, never be important with the ISO available on the newer cameras. Even the D90, which I love and have, can find an extra 1/2 stop. Then to give up your 85mm, this does not sound like a good idea. For some reason, once I sell something, the next day I seem to want it. Sold D200 body a couple months ago, now with I had it to go IR. Sold 18-105mm kit lens for about $200....well, it is another lens just worth having around.
So, there you have my opinion...and, just that! Worth exactly what you paid for it, ha, ha, ha.
spraynpray said:
85mm is almost 135mm FX which is super for portraits whereas 50 is 75 which is in the middle of nowhere on DX for me. Don't you do portraits NSX?
I didn't think about that, 135mm sounds good.
Occasionally I do portraits, but not regularly. For portraits I usually use my 35mm 1.8 actually, I haven't tried using the 105mm, it's way too long, especially indoors.
mm If it's only about the xtra F-stop, then swap your 50mm 1.8 for a..... 50mm 1.2 AI-S ( this one is also still available new) and learn to Manually focus..
At F1.2 it is a üsefull lens but at 1.8 it beats all other 50mm lenses in IQ and sharpness.. :D
1 But ... you need to know/learn how to focus with razor thin DOF ... :-)
Hi Regulator75,
You do great work already, so I'm not sure you need anything.
I have the 35mm f1.8, the 50mm f1.8, and the 85mm f1.8, and use DX and agree that the 85mm is a 135mm alternative, one of the lenses I used in film days instead of a zoom.
If you shoot portraits, it's very useful. I just checked, and it's on my D7000 right now.
Most of my primes are FX, and I do plan to add a D800 at some point when the stocks are more plentiful, assuming the sun is still rising in the East.
My best,
Mike
Thanks everyone, I think I'll stand pat with my current lineup.
Its strange I have had several samples, and I have always enjoyed shooting the 50mm 1.8 over the 1.4, but that just might be me. I just like the look it renders. This goes for the new G updates too not just the D lenses.
Hi,
@kanuck, At one time I had a 50mm f1.4 on an F2, and liked it a lot. But the cost between the f1.4 and f1.8 on a 85mm or the wides is a bit much more (or used to be), and the bokeh as TTJ puts it, is largely circles and hexes in difference. That means something, but then everything does. It what it means to _you_. I find that it doesn't mean as much to me. I rarely go down all the way to f1.8, much less to f1.4, to get the fullness of the circle-ly bokeh, and that is where (at full open aperture) where it would really matter.
I really, really lust after a wide-ish fast, really fast prime when I get an FX body to manipulate DOF.
My best,
Mike
kanuck said:
Its strange I have had several samples, and I have always enjoyed shooting the 50mm 1.8 over the 1.4, but that just might be me. I just like the look it renders. This goes for the new G updates too not just the D lenses.
Ditto that for me and the 50 1.2 that was mentioned. Maybe I should have bought a katz eye focus screen or something, but I had a hard time focusing the 50 1.2 with the D300's viewfinder. Besides, I wasn't so in love with the bokeh of the 1.2 wide open and so I ended up selling it and keeping my 1.8D.
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