Nikon 50mm F/1.4G AF-S

The Nikon 50mm f/1.4G AF-S is a wide-aperture, normal-range lens for both FX and DX camera bodies. Key features include:

• 1.5-foot minimum focusing distance

• Silent Wave autofocus motor

• 9-blade aperture

• DX and FX compatible

Close Focusing, Smooth Bokeh. It has a 1.5-foot minimum focusing distance and a nine-blade aperture diaphragm to provide smooth out-of-focus highlights.

Silent Wave Autofocus Motor. With a Silent Wave Motor autofocus system and super-integrated coatings, it’s a modern, autofocusing prime lens with resolution that’ll even keep up with the .

OK, call me a “glass half-empty” guy on this one. First, this is a nice lens. It’s a bit sharper than the original 50mm AF, and certainly more flare resistant with a bit less chromatic aberration. …

OK, call me a “glass half-empty” guy on this one. First, this is a nice lens. It’s a bit sharper than the original 50mm AF, and certainly more flare resistant with a bit less chromatic aberration. It’s rather slow to autofocus, but it’s not terribly slow.

But I honestly expected a bit more sharpness wide open, and this needs to be stopped down to f/2.8 to get a really sharp image. It’s not awful wide open by any means—-it’s OK. But my usual purpose for a prime lens is to be able to shoot at wide aperture. If I’m going to shoot at f2.8 I’ll generally pick up a zoom. On a positive note, it’s an accurate, autofocusing lens with a flat depth of field and little focus shift, so you’ll get a lot of keepers.