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Nikon 50mm f/1.4 G
AF-S NIKKOR (2008-)
© 2014 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

The Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 Distagon T. ZE Lens has beautiful bokeh (background blur quality) and, again, can create a beautiful background blur when the subject is moderately close as seen in the aperture comparison earlier in the review. Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 Classic Lens Review. Sharpness Like its big brother the Nikkor 800mm f/5.6E VR, the 500E FL doesn’t have MTF curves, it has WTF lines. In an MTF chart, the straight line across the top of the chart equals optical perfection. In a WTF chart, the vertical axis is awesomeness and the horizontal axis goes from here (left) to eternity (right). Take a look at the two MTFs – you know which one is which.

Intro

Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AF-S (58mm filters, 9.8 oz./278g, 1.5'/0.45m close focus, about $425). enlarge. I bought mine at Adorama. You also can get it at Amazon and at B&H.

My biggest source of support for this free website is when you use those or any of these links when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. It helps me keep adding to this free website when you get your things through these links — but I receive nothing for my efforts if you buy elsewhere. Thanks for your support! Ken.

Nikon High-Speed 50mm Lens Sharpness Comparison 09 Sep 2010

December 2014 Nikon ReviewsNikon LensesAll Reviews

Premium 50mm Lenses Compared 04 September 2014

Ideal Uses: Perfect for use on FX digital, DX digital and 35mm for just about anything and everything, daylight or moonlight. It's Nikon's fastest lens that will autofocus on the D40, D40x or D60.

The new 50mm f/1.4 AF-S is a far better choice than any zoom for use in low light, and effectively quadruples your ISO, with no increase in noise, compared to any exotic f/2.8 zoom. The 50mm f/1.4 increases your ISO by ten times compared to any f/4.5 zoom, again with no change in noise.

Not for: It won't work on old manual focus cameras; see Nikon Lens Compatibility for details. Otherwise, immortal photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson have never needed anything else than a single fixed 50mm lens.

Sample Image Files

Go Bruins! Palm Desert 28 November 2014, 12:04 PM.(Nikon D810, Nikon 50mm F/1.4 G, f/8 at 1/250 at ISO 100.) Camera-original rotated © LARGE BASIC JPG.

Of course this flag was far from flat so it's not all in focus, but you can see every thread.

Katie plays with the small basketball on elastic that Ryan won at the pumpkin station – but didn't want, 01 October 2014. (Nikon D750, Portrait Picture Mode with +1 saturation, Nikon 50/1.4G, f/1.4 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 1,800, Perfectly Clear V2.) bigger or camera-original JPG.

Crop from abiove at 100%, shot at f/1.4. camera-original JPG.

McDonald's. Nikon D610, Nikon 50mm f/1.4 G, f/10 at 1/400 at ISO 100, Auto ADR, VIVID Picture Control with 6 sharpening and +3 saturation. Camera-original © LARGE BASIC Optimum Quality JPG (4.5 MB).

Canary Palm with Fusarium. Nikon D610, Nikon 50mm f/1.4 G, f/7.1 at 1/200 at ISO 100, Auto ADR, VIVID Picture Control with 6 sharpening and +3 saturation. Camera-original © LARGE BASIC Optimum Quality JPG (4.8 MB). (Upper right corner obviously not in focus.)

Clubhouse, 28 November 2013. Nikon D610, Nikon 50mm f/1.4 G, f/8 at 1/250 at ISO 100, Auto ADR, VIVID Picture Control with 6 sharpening and +3 saturation. Camera-original © LARGE BASIC Optimum Quality JPG (4.5 MB).

Palms in Paradise, 28 November 2013. Nikon D610, Nikon 50mm f/1.4 G, f/8 at 1/250 at ISO 100, Auto ADR, VIVID Picture Control with 6 sharpening and +3 saturation. © LARGE BASIC Optimum Quality JPG (4.5 MB), losslessly rotated in iView Media Pro 3.1.3.

Palms, 28 November 2013. Nikon D610, Nikon 50mm f/1.4 G, f/6.3 at 1/160 at ISO 100, Auto ADR, VIVID Picture Control with 6 sharpening and +3 saturation. © LARGE BASIC Optimum Quality JPG (4.5 MB), losslessly rotated in iView Media Pro 3.1.3.

Noni's Wreaths, 29 November 2013. (Nikon D610, no flash, Nikon 50mm f/1.4 G, f/9 at 1/320 at ISO 100.) bigger or Camera-original © LARGE BASIC JPG file.

Night Fog, 12 December 2013. Nikon Df, Nikon 50mm f/1.4G, f/1.4 at 1/50 at Auto ISO 4,500. bigger or © camera-original file.

Katie plays Follow the Leader. (cropped from Nikon Df, Nikon 50mm f/1.4G, f/1.4 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 12,800, Athentech Perfectly Clear.) © camera-orignal file.

Nikon 50mm f/1.4G.enlarge.

Introductiontop

Intro

Nikon invented the world's first 50mm f/1.4 lens in 1950. This is Nikon's latest innovation for 2008, and their first new 50mm optical design in over 30 years.

My 50mm f/1.4 is the lens I use most often for photographing family and friends.

The reason you want this new 50mm f/1.4G AF-S instead of the perfectly good 50mm f/1.4 AF-D that Nikon has been making unchanged since 1993 is that you can tweak manual focus simply by touching the ring. With the older AF-D lens, you have to move a switch on the camera to get between manual and auto focus.

When this AF-S lens autofocuses, nothing moves except the glass inside the solid barrel. The focus ring and filter ring don't move. It you get hit with a thrown bottle or rock, you won't likely mess up the delicate internal focus mechanics.

By comparison, you have to keep your fingers away from the focus ring of the old AF-D lens, since it has to be left alone to spin freely while the lens autofocuses. When you bang the front of the AF-D lens on a rock, you can screw up the alignment because the entire front of the old lens moves in and out on a helicoid.

The only gotchas are that this new lens has more barrel distortion than the old 50mm f/1.4 AF-D, it has a weird 58mm (not standard 52mm) filter size, and that this new lens is useless on Nikons made before about 1990.

This new Nikon lens uses an 8 element design, while every other 50mm f/1.4 SLR lens from Nikon, Canon and Zeiss has only had 7 elements for decades. The close-focus distance is the same, at 1.5 feet (0.45meters).

In formal, controlled tests this new lens isn't any sharper than all the other very sharp 50mm f/1.4 lenses Nikon has made these past decades, but in real photos where autofocus accuracy and hit rate matter, the results at f/1.4 are even better than older lenses. I'm getting sharp, haze-free shots dead-on in-focus at f/1.4 on all of my cameras, where at f/1.4 my old 50/1.4 AF-D often had more veil, bloom or glow (what scientists call spherical aberration) in real shots.

This new 50 wins on subtlety for real things you shoot with a fast 50mm, but doesn't do anything different in tests for flat subjects at infinity.

This new AF-S 50 has more linear distortion than any other fixed Nikon 50mm ever made. Most people don't care, but if you do, get something else like the 60mm Micro-NIKKOR or 50mm f/1.8.

Get this 50mm f/1.4 AF-S if you have a D40, D40x or D60, or any other modern Nikon, film or digital. On DX cameras, it makes a superb close portrait lens.

If you need f/1.4 at a lower price, get the older and perfectly great 50mm f/1.4 AF-D instead.

If you're a tripod guy and want the most perfect optics for use with a D3X, get the 60mm Micro-NIKKOR.

Besides being Nikon's first fast AF lens that actually can autofocus on the D40, D40x or D60, what makes this new 50 1.4 stand out is how well it works in actual shooting, as opposed to lab tests. In chasing around moving targets, even at f/1.4 I consistently get fantastic, sharp, in-focus results.

Ryan drinking and driving. (Nikon D3, 50mm f/1.4G AF-S, f/1.4 at 1/125, NEUTRAL with +1 saturation picture control, normal ADR, auto A3 WB, Program auto, Auto ISO chose ISO 280.)

Trying to make what seem like simple shots like this with the Canon 5D Mark II and Canon's 50/1.4 USM just don't do this, because I can't get an AF sensor where I want it, and the Canon system can't nail every shot like this Nikon combo does. What you don't want to see is that almost all of the 100 other snaps were also in focus at f/1.4, even if Ryan wasn't smiling. At f/1.4, the depth-of-field is only about an inch, and remember, this kid was moving, not waiting for dad to snap his photo.

Complain about kid pictures all you want, but unlike shooting Formula One racing or American hero Lance Armstrong, you don't know where the kid is going next. Just try getting an in-focus shot without AF.

Rear, Nikon 50 1.4.enlarge.

Compatibilityback to introback to top

Everything works perfectly on every digital Nikon, both FX and DX. Autofocus works perfectly even on Nikon's cheapest digital D40, D40x and D60.

It's also perfect on decent or recent AF film cameras like the F6, F100, F5, N80 and N75.

The incompatibilities for older or cheaper film cameras are that:

1.) It won't autofocus with the cheapest new AF film cameras like the N55, but if you focus manually, everything else works great. Even if you lose autofocus, these cameras have in-finder focus confirmation dots to help you.

2.) Late 1980s ~ early 1990s AF cameras like the N90s, N70 and F4 will focus just fine. You'll have Program and Shutter-priority modes, but lose Manual and Aperture-priority since you have no way to set the aperture on the camera or on the lens.

3.) You're really pushing it with the oldest AF cameras like the N2020, N6006 and N8008. You'll have no AF, confused exposure modes and confused metering. Manual focus is fine, along with electronic focus indications.

4.) Since it has no aperture ring, it's just about useless with manual focus film cameras.

See Nikon Lens Compatibility for details with your camera. Read down the 'AF-S, AF-I,' and 'G'columns for this lens. You'll get the least of all the features displayed in all columns, since 'G' (gelding) is a handicap which removes features.

50mm f/1.4 Historyback to introback to top

1933: Nikon, formed in 1917 out of three other companies around since the 1800s, makes the first Nikkor lens. This new 50mm lens commemorates the 75th anniversary of Nikkor lenses.

1935: Canon's very first camera, the Hansa Kwanon, used a Nikkor lens. Canon didn't make lenses in the 1930s and 1940s, and instead got them from Nikon. Nikon didn't make cameras until the late 1940s, so no problem.

1945 Canon S Rangefinder with 50mm f/3.5 Nikkor lens, as shown in Canon's historical display in their booth at PMA 2007.

1950-1962

The world's fastest lens ever in 35mm photography, the Nikon Nikkor-S 5cm f/1.4 trumped the Zeiss 5cm f/1.5 for use on rangefinder cameras. This Nikkor has 7 elements condensed into only 3 groups to reduce flare and ghosts. Its performance is OK, but not as good as modern 50mm lenses. I suspect the f/2 version of this rangefinder lens was better, but have never tried it.

1959-1962

Nikon's first f/1.4 SLR lens was the 7 element, 6 group, Nikon 58mm f/1.4. If you have it converted in a machine shop, it still works fine on the D700 and D3. It has low contrast and a dreamy, hazy effect shot at f/1.4, and is super-sharp stopped down.

1962-1976

Nikon's first 50mm f/1.4 has 7 elements in 5 groups. It is extremely popular, and if updated to AI, works great on the newest FX DSLRs.

1976-2008

Nikon updates the design of the popular 50mm f/1.4 to 7 elements and 6 groups, and the mechanics to AI. This same design is sold today as the 50mm f/1.4 AF-D and the still-in-production manual focus 50mm f/1.4 AI-s, which you still can buy brand-new at B&H Photo-Video for about $300.

2008-

The first new optical design since 1976, this 50mm f/1.4 AF-S is the first 50mm f/1.4 lens from Nikon to use an 8 element design. (Leica's 50mm f/1.4 ASPH also uses 8 elements, as well as aspherics and floating elements, far beyond Nikon, but ten times as expensive, too.)

Pricing, USA back to introback to top

$425, September 2014.

$450, August 2012 - Novemebr 2013.

$440, August 2011.

$440, March 2010.

$500, March 2009.

$440 at introduction, Fall 2008.

Specifications with commentarytop

Intro

Bottom, Nikon 50/1.4G.enlarge.

Name

Nikon calls this the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G.

AF-S and SWM: Silent Wave (focus) Motor.

G: Gelded for cost-reduction and eliminating compatibility with older cameras.

Optics

8 elements in 7 groups.

It's a spherical design without ED glass, without nano-crystal coating and without aspherical elements.

It's multicoated, which Nikon calls Nikon Super Integrated Coating.

Coverage

Film, FX and DX.

Focal Length

50mm.

When used on a DX camera, it gives angles of view similar to what a 75mm lens gives when used on an FX or 35mm camera.

Close Focus

1.5 feet (0.45m).

Maximum Reproduction Ratio

1:6.7

Focus Scale

Yes.

Depth-of-Field Scale

Yes, but so crowded as to be almost useless, and only marked for f/11 and f/16.

Infra-Red Focus Index

No.

Diaphragm

9 rounded blades.

Stops down to f/16.

Aperture Ring

None.

Filter Thread

58mm, plastic, does not rotate.

What? Not 52mm, as it's been since 1959? Oh well, it was 43mm back in 1950.

Size

Nikon specifies 2.1' (54.2mm) extension from flange by 2.9 ' (73.5mm) diameter.

Weight

9.807 oz. (278.05 g), measured, naked.

Nikon specifies 10.2 oz. (290g).

Nikon HB-47 Dinky Plastic Bayonet Hood.

Hood

HB-47 plastic bayonet, included.

Case

CL-1013 soft case, included.

Made in

Red China.

Front and rear caps come from Thailand.

Teleconverters

Probably not compatible with any Nikon teleconverter.

Announced

22 September 2008 at Photokina.

Available Since

December 2008.

Nikon Product Number

2180.

Box, Nikon 50mm f1.4 AFS

Performancetop

Intro

Overallback to Performanceback to top

Optical performance oddly is the same as older designs, but with more distortion. Oh well.

AF performance and ergonomics are finally up to date over all the other old mechanical focusing 50mm Nikon lenses.

What makes this new lens stand out are its superior ergonomics, and its superb ability to get every shot in perfect focus, so long a you're using your camera properly.

Focusback to Performanceback to top

Nothing moves externally when focused, except of course the focus ring, but only if you touch it.

Autofocus

AF is fast and sure. So is AF on the older 50mm f/1.4 AF-D and today's $110 50mm f/1.8 AF-D, too.

AF tracks moving subjects just fine.

AF is very accurate and repeatable, much better than Canon. Even on a D40, I can shoot at f/1.4 and get every shot in perfect focus. Just try this with a manual focus camera; I never could get results this good.

Look at the bokeh sample below: with a Nikon D3 set to it's fully automatic AF mode and handed to a freind, it nailed focus on my eye perfecty.

Manual Focus

Manual focus is easy: just grab the ring at any time.

M/A - M Switch

Nikon goofed. This switch is supposed to be labeled 'A - M.'

The 'M/A' position means autofocus. It's called 'M/A' because back in the old days, when Nikon had almost caught up to Canon who had been doing this for ten years before, Nikon was trying to show off that you could focus manually while in the AF position.

Paint over the extra M if you're easily confused.

Bokehback to Performanceback to top

Do i need cyberlink photodirector. Jadi inti dari program ini adalah memperhalus dan membuat foto anda tampak lebih sempurna dari sebelumnya.

Ryan at Mathis Brothers furniture clearance center, 29 November 2013. Nikon D610, no flash, Nikon 50mm f/1.4 G, f/1.4 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 160, Athentech Perfectly Clear. bigger.

At f/1.4 on FX, Nikon 50/1.4G.enlarge.

Bokeh, the character of out of focus backgrounds, not simply how far out of focus they are, is very, very good.

It's also very good for foregrounds, but you should never have out of focus foregrounds unless you have a very good reason; our eyes and brains freak out when there's something fuzzy between us and the subject.

The 9-bladed diaphragm gives essentially round circles at every aperture, unlike previous Nikon 50mm f/1.4 SLR lenses whose 7-bladed diaphragms could give septagonal blur circles.

Color Rendition back to Performanceback to top

I can't see any difference in color rendition between this 50 1.4 AFS and my other multicoated AF lenses.

Coma back to Performanceback to top

Coma (saggital coma flare) is weird smeared blobs that appear around bright points of light in the corners. They happen with fast and wide lenses at large apertures. Coma goes away as stopped down, and tends not to be seen in slower and tele lenses.

The 50mm AFS has coma at f/1.4, which becomes weaker as stopped down, but isn't completely gone until f/4.

Distortionback to performanceback to top

The 50mm f/1.4 AF-S has relatively strong and visible barrel (bulging) distortion.

It's plainly visible, so if straight lines and architectural items are your thing, pass on this lens and get the 50mm f/1.4 AF-D instead , or get the 50mm f/1.8 AF-D which has no distortion at all and sells new for only $110.

The distortion of this 50/1.4G easily can be corrected for critical use by plugging these figures into Photoshop CS2's lens distortion filter. These aren't facts or specifications, they are the results of my research that requires hours of photography and calculations on the resulting data.

© 2008 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

Ergonomics (handling and ease-of-use) back to performanceback to top

Ergonomics are superb. Ergonomics are the reason to get this 50/1.4G instead of the earlier ones.

The focus ring doesn't move during AF; it only moves when you turn it for instant manual focus override.

It seems silly, but you can just hold the outside of this lens and shoot. With every other NIkon AF 50mm made to date, you have to avoid touching the focus ring, because it moves as the lens autofocuses. If you touch the ring of the other lenses, you bung up the focus, with this 50/1.4, no problem: hold on tight anywhere you want.

Falloff (darkened corners) back to performanceback to top

Falloff on FX is as expected: visible at f/1.4, barely visible at f/2, and gone by f/2.8. If you're shooting tests and looking for it explicitly by comparison to other apertures, it's completely gone by f/4.

It shouldn't be much of an issue on DX (see crop factor).

I've exaggerated this by shooting a gray field and placing these on a gray background.

Filters, Use withback to Performanceback to top

There is no problem with vignetting, even with combinations of thick filters.

The filter ring never rotates. It never moves in and out, either.

Ghostsback to Performanceback to top

You'll probably go blind trying to see any ghosts. Good luck, I can't make any happen under any reasonable set of conditions.

Hoodback to Performanceback to top

Nikon 50/1.4G with included BH-47 Hood.enlarge.
(It's more than just the hood that comes from China!)

The plastic bayonet hood is dinky.

I wouldn't use it; I'd rather just shield the lens with my hand if I need it so I don't have to worry about breaking the hood the first time I use it.

Lateral Color Fringesback to Performanceback to top

I can't see any lateral color fringes on the D3 or D40. The D3 would correct them if the lens had any.

Mechanics back to Performanceback to top

The 50G feels just like the 18-200mm VR and similar lenses.

Hood: Dinky plastic bayonet, included.

Barrel Exterior: Plastic.

Filter Threads: Plastic.

Hood Mount: Plastic.

Focus Ring: Plastic; rubber covered.

Focus Helicoids: Beats me. Feels like semi-gritty plastic.

Depth-of-Field Scale: Barely.

Internals: Who knows, probably some metal and lots of plastic. Diaphragm blades seem like metal.

Aperture Ring: None.

Mount: Seems like the usual dull-chromed brass.

Markings: Paint.

Identity Plate: Raise gold letters, looks like metal and feels like plastic.

Serial Number: Printed sticker on bottom of barrel.

Ass-Gasket (dust seal at mount): Yes.

Noises When Shaken: Clicking and klunking.

Made in: Red China. Get over it, both AF-D 50mm lenses are made there, too.

Sharpnessback to Performanceback to top

Warning 1:Image sharpness depends more on you than your lens.

Warning 2:Lens sharpness doesn't mean much to good photographers.

With those caveats, the 50mm f/1.4 AF-S is at least as sharp as every other 50/1.4 at most apertures, and significantly better shot wide-open at f/1.4.

Go Bruins! Waving flag not all in focus, 30 November 2013, Nikon D610, Nikon 50mm f/1.4 G, f/9 at 1/320 at ISO 100. Camera-original © LARGE BASIC JPG file.

On a D3 (12MP FX) at infinity:

At f/1.4: The 50mm f/1.4G AF-S is sharp all over, but has lower contrast in the corners of FX due to coma (slight radial blurring of highlights). The spherical aberration in the center isn't much of a problem, so most of the image is sharp and contrasty without much veiling, fog or haze, also called glow or bloom by Leicaphiles.

At f/2: Contrast picks up from the lessening of spherical aberration in the center. Far corners on FX are a little better than at f/1.4.

At f/2.8: Much better in the corners of FX.

At f/4: Better still, and still getting better in the corners of FX.

At f/5.6: The only improvement is the very far corners of FX. f/5.6 is optimum.

At f/8: Same as f/5.6.

At f/11: Almost as good as f/8.

At f/16: Softer due to Diffraction.

Spherochromatismback to Performanceback to top

Spherochromatism is the variation of spherical aberration with color. This is what causes out-of focus highlights to have slight color fringes, typically green and magenta, with fast normal and long lenses.

This 50/1.4G has some, meaning that at f/1.4 your background highlights might have a bit of green or bluish-green around them. Well-composed photos shouldn't have out-of-focus foreground elements, but of you do at f/1.4, they may have slight magenta to reddish-magenta fringes.

You won't notice this unless you look for it, and like many artifacts, once you notice it, you'll always see it, so don't look for it!

Sunstarsback to Performanceback to top

It's hard to get sunstars because the diaphragm is so round.

If you can, they tend to be asymmetrical, mostly due to whatever slight out-of-roundness you get in the 9-bladed diaphragm.

I'd prefer a straight 9-bladed diaphragm instead of the rounded blades, which would give stronger, more precise sunstars.

Comparedtop

Intro

NEW: Premium 50mm Lenses Compared 04 September 2014

Want easy switching to manual focus? This is Nikon's best lens by far; just grab the ring at any time.

Oddly, optical quality is the same as other 50/1.4s, but distortion is worse.

Sharpness is as good as the 50mm f/1.4 AI-s and 50mm f/1.4 AF and AF-D, but distortion is worse. The original 5cm f/1.4 NIKKOR-S from 1950 was awful by comparison to any of these.

Want to use it on a manual-focus camera? Forget it; you can't control the aperture. Use any manual focus lens for best feel and results.

Recommendationstop

Intro

A 50mm f/1.4 is mandatory for anyone shooting in available light. The older AF-D works great on all the cameras likely to be used by serious photographers, but you were out of luck with the D40, D40x or D60.

This new 50mm gives even clearer results for real-world available-light portraiture at f/1.4 than the older lenses, and it doesn't chatter away in AF-C mode as do the older mechanically focused (AF and AF-D) 50mm and 85mm lenses. All these lenses are equally sharp by f/2.8.

Another reason to get this newest AF-S is to have autofocus on the crappiest digital D40, D40x and D60 cameras, or just to get better handing than the older AF-D lenses.

Lens Blur 1.4.3 Review

If price matters, the old 50/1.4 AF-D is still excellent. The biggest disadvantage is having to keep your hands away from the old 50mm's focus ring as it moves by itself in AF mode.

If you worry about straight lines or distortion, this is the worse 50mm lens ever made by Nikon since at least 1950, and I've tried them all, even for their rangefinder cameras. For low distortion, any of the f/1.8 lenses are nearly perfect. The 50mm f/2 and other f/1.4 lenses are all better than this 50/1.4G. The 50mm f/1.2 (only made for pros, so it's manual-focus only) is about the same, but still has a a hair less distortion than this 50/1.4 AF-S.

Enough of my bellyaching. This AF-S lens rules for real shooting. Shoot it in the dark, and the images are sharp, and dead-on in-focus with any of the cameras I've tried. With an f/1.4 lens, being in focus is critical, and this new lens excels at real-world performance.

I love mine, and I will be making most of my Christmas and family pictures with it from now on.

Capped Nikon 50/1.4 AFS. enlarge.

Deployment

I never use hoods. I'd leave it in the box.

I'd leave a 58mm Nikon Clear (NC - UV) filter, or a 58mm Hoya Super HMC UV on the lens at all times. I would leave the dinky hood at home.

If I was going to use this as part of a larger pro system, I'd consider attaching a 58->77mm step-up-ring to convert this to today's pro standard of 77mm, and use a 77mm Nikon UV or Hoya UV filter for protection. This is what I really do; I just put on a step-up ring when I get a lens like this and treat it as if it's a 77mm filter thread len as long as I have it. I'd get a new 'pinch' type cap in 77mm too.

If I was working in nasty, dirty areas, I'd forget the cap, and use an uncoated 58mm Tiffen UV filter instead (or in 77mm). Uncoated filters are much easier to clean, but more prone to ghosting.

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The biggest help is when you use any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. It costs you nothing, and is this site's, and thus my family's, biggest source of support. These places have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all personally.

If you find this page as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.

Lens Blur 1.4.3 Download

If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Thanks!

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If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.

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Thanks for reading!

Mr. & Mrs. Ken Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.

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Lab Test Results

• Blur

• Chromatic Aberration

• Vignetting

• Geometric Distortion

SLRgear Review
July 5, 2009
by Andrew Alexander

The Olympus 50mm ƒ/1.8 manual focus lens is no longer in production, but was the standard lens of the Olympus OM camera series, employing a design using six elements in four groups.

In moving to digital, Olympus has abandoned the original OM mount, adopting instead the four thirds standard (and micro four thirds standard) for its digital camera bodies. However, Olympus has made available the MF-2 lens adapter, which allows OM lenses to be fitted to a micro four thirds digital camera. With this system in place, we have tested this vintage lens on the Olympus EP-1.

As a micro four thirds camera, the EP-1 produces a 2x 'crop factor,' meaning lenses used with it provide an effective field of view that is double their listed focal length. So in this case, the 50mm ƒ/1.8 operates effectively as a 100mm ƒ/1.8 lens.

We reviewed this lens out of curiosity to see what one might experience with an old OM lens on Olympus's latest digital camera. There were far too many versions made of this lens for us to review them all, and we won't likely be seeking out or posting reviews of other OM lenses; as such, this was as much a test of the OM adapter as it was an older lens. Olympus engineers warned us that a lens like this, designed for a 35mm body, would suffer in the corners and appear soft wide open, thanks partially to all the light bouncing around in the adapter and chamber. Add that it was designed for film, while Olympus's Zuiko Digital lenses were designed for sensors, and you have all the qualifiers you need. This isn't necessarily a perfect representaton of how this lens would perform on a 35mm film camera, and it should not be seen as criticism of the old Zuiko 50mm f/1.8, which Senior Editor Shawn Barnett, the owner of this lens, can attest is a good quality optic on the OM-1.

The lens is available used in the $50 range. The MF-2 lens adapter is available for $170.

Sharpness
Wide open at ƒ/1.8, the 50mm is not a sharp lens, particularly in the corners. At this setting we note a fairly linear progression from a center point of relative sharpness (2 blur units) to corners which are very soft (9-12 blur units). Stopped down to ƒ/2.8 however, this corner softness is very effectively reduced (4-5 blur units) and we see a larger and sharper central region (1.5 blur units).

Stopping the lens down to ƒ/4 improves sharpness further, and by ƒ/5.6 the lens is essentially as sharp as it will get, with results of around 1.5 blur units across the frame. There is some negligible improvement at ƒ/8, and diffraction limiting sets in at ƒ/11 (even so, the lens is sharp at 1.5 blur units across the image). Fully stopped down at ƒ/16, the lens provided results of 2 blur units across the frame.

Obviously, sharp corner-to-corner performance is out of the question when used wide open at ƒ/1.8, but for portraits this isolating corner softness could be very useful.

Chromatic Aberration
Despite the fact that the lens is quite long in the tooth, its multi-coating does a good job of reducing chromatic aberration - when the lens is stopped down to at least ƒ/4. There is some significant fringing in areas of high contrast at ƒ/1.8 or ƒ/2.8, which is fairly evident in our sample photos.

Shading ('Vignetting')
Corner shading isn't really an issue with this lens, with the corners just 1/3 EV darker than the center when used wide open at ƒ/1.8. Stopped down anything greater than that, and there is practically no light falloff.

Distortion
The 50mm ƒ/1.8 is excellently optimized against distortion, showing just the slightest bit of barrel distortion (+0.1%) in the corners.

Autofocus Operation
The 50mm ƒ/1.8 OM Zuiko is a manual focus lens.

Build Quality and Handling
They just don't build them the way they used to, is the mantra when handling lenses of this era. The 50mm ƒ/1.8 is built with all-metal construction, with a smooth black finish and a rubber focus ring near the middle of the lens. The 49mm filter threads are metal, and the lens uses a metal mount to attach to the camera body. The lens features an aperture ring near the front of the lens, and a distance scale in feet and meters behind the focus ring. There's also a depth-of-field scale, with markings for ƒ/4, ƒ/8 and ƒ/16.

The focus ring takes up the most real estate on the lens, with a rubber composition and a nice crossed pattern. The ring is 3/8' wide and takes about ninety degrees to turn through its entire focusing range. The focus ring ends in hard stops at infinity and its minimum close-focusing distance of 45cm. There is some lens extension during focus operations.

Our sample of the lens didn't have a lens hood, though literature we've consulted suggests that a 'slide-on' hood is available.

Alternatives

Olympus 50mm ƒ/2 Zuiko Digital Macro ~$450
The Olympus 50mm ƒ/2 macro is hands-down sharper than the 50mm ƒ/1.8 with the MF-2 adapter, showing less CA as well. Both lenses show virtually no corner shading or distortion. The 50mm ƒ/2 has the benefits of autofocus and 1:2 macro reproduction, but would have to be attached to an EP-1 with the MMF-1 adapter.

Sigma 50mm ƒ/1.4 EX DG HSM ~$500
Sigma offers its 50mm ƒ/1.4 in the four-thirds configuration, so (theoretically) with the MMF-1 lens adapter this lens could be mounted on the EP-1 and would offer the same focal length and 2/3 of a stop faster performance. It would appear that the Sigma is a sharper lens wide open, with better tolerance to CA.

Conclusion
If you're looking for sharp edge-to-edge performance wide open, you're out of luck with the older 50mm ƒ/1.8, but stop it down to ƒ/4 or ƒ/5.6 and it's a different story all together. Its extremely soft corners wide open at ƒ/1.8 would make it quite the portrait lens on the EP-1, with its effective focal length of 100mm.

Mounting the old 50mm on the new EP-1 was an interesting combination, and if you already have a collection of older OM glass looking for a home, the Olympus adapter could give them a new lease on life.

Sample Photos

The VFA target should give you a good idea of sharpness in the center and corners, as well as some idea of the extent of barrel or pincushion distortion and chromatic aberration, while the Still Life subject may help in judging contrast and color. We shoot both images using the default JPEG settings and manual white balance of our test bodies, so the images should be quite consistent from lens to lens.

As appropriate, we shoot these with both full-frame and sub-frame bodies, at a range of focal lengths, and at both maximum aperture and ƒ/8. For the 'VFA' target (the viewfinder accuracy target from Imaging Resource), we also provide sample crops from the center and upper-left corner of each shot, so you can quickly get a sense of relative sharpness, without having to download and inspect the full-res images. To avoid space limitations with the layout of our review pages, indexes to the test shots launch in separate windows.

Olympus 50mm f/1.8 OM F.Zuiko User Reviews

• 9 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbyHetsumani(1 reviews)
  I had to model and print a mount adapter for my EOS Rebel.. I know they sell them but it was a fun project.

  I found this lens at a flea market. I thought I would use it as teaching material, mainly to show its diaphragm, then I researched about the model and thought I'd give it a try sans adapter, just holding it with one hand and focusing with the other and loved the colors and bokeh. I was impressed by the result and ended up printing and adapter.

  reviewed January 27th, 2019(purchased for $2)
• 9 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbywilsonpettit(1 reviews)
  not much

  Strengths: Sharp, even at f/1.8, gorgeous bokeh, cheap a sin (or so cheap it ought to be a sin, take your pick), built very solidly, small and light, renders light beautifully.
  Weaknesses: OM mount is film-only so you'll need a mount adapter for digital, no autofocus (obviously) so you'll have to MF through the tiny viewfinders on today's DSLRs.
  Bottom Line:
  Wow, what an amazing lens for the price of a pizza delivery! I'm using it mounted to an Olympus E-300 digital (8 megapixel) with an OM adapter bought on eBay for half the price of a pizza delivery.
  The lens renders light beautifully. Contrast and tonality are subtle and lovely, while in-focus areas are sharp. Bokeh is lovely. To a one, images from this lens have a timeless, clasic look that you don't often see anymore--even the 'snapshots,' especially at f/1.8.
  I'm more than happy to sacrifice autofocus to have the opportunity to shoot a lens like this on a modern digital body. What a joy!
  http://www.hitsticker.com http://www.printradiant.com http://www.adstateagent.com

  reviewed December 2nd, 2015(purchased for $25)
• cheap, light,sharp, excellent color rendition, fun.

  Got interested in this lens after much reading on the Internet. I waited till I found a 'made in Japan' engraved on the front since those are supposed to be the best, and MC also, according to OM gurus. I wanted to try these old lenses on my 'old' E520, just for fun. I equipped months before the old body with a split image focusing screen purchased from Taïwan ( 75 euros ) and an viewfinder magnifier ( x 1.36 ) for 35 euros from Hong Kong. This has proven a very good decision and makes manual focus much easier.. until f5.6. Then at smaller apertures the screen darkens and it gets complicated. In very low light just forget it. Another alternative, and easier too, is using Live view on the Dslr or back screen on EPL-2 for exemple, works best with the EVF. It just means buying another ( OM to M4/3 ) adapter, preferably from some Hong Kong dealer since Olympus's are so expensive. So I finally purchased the lens on eBay germany and just could not wait to try it on. And man I just fell on my ass when I saw what I got with this little wonder. But first the manual focus, no confirmation from the body : tricky at the beginning, then it gets better and after a day or so you develop a feel for it, it's not just the aligned split screen it's that little extra brightness that indicates you got it. Now 90 % of my shots are in focus, and by focus I mean real focus, not the so-so AF I get from my Olympus kit lenses, good as they are, or from the Digital 14-54 mm, or even from my Pana Summilux 25 mm f1.4, expensive as it is. This lens is magic and I feel like a kid in a candy store. If you pay attention to what you're doing , you can get perfectly sharp shots at 1.8 or at least sharp shots of what you want to be sharp in the picture. At f2.8 and to f5.6 it becomes wonderful, never a miss. Color rendition and depth are super, and with the E520 you don't get that cold digital nikon-like picture treatment. it's a magic lens for portraits, details of houses, details of buildings, close-ups on table items, on machinery. For lanscape not worth it. i leave the aperture ring on f2.8 now, way enough for low light, and keep my iso at reasonnable 800, except naturally by broad daylight up to 5.6 and iso 100. This little lens is a joy to use and now that I caught the Zuiko fever I'll go for the 200 mm f4 and the 28 mm f2.8 as well.

  reviewed March 24th, 2013(purchased for $45)
• 9 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbycwrt(1 reviews)
  Sharp enough at F1.8 and gets pretty good by F4, nice colors, light weight, very cheap

  This review pertains to a black nose F.Zuiko F1.8, Serial 16xxxxx, tested om E-PM1.
  The particular copy I got is much better than Nikkor 50mm F1.8 from around the same time. I tried both E series Nikon and the normal one and both were much worse wide open. Stepped down they are probably comparable.
  I don't see much CA or distortion. Wide open there is a little bit of 'soap coating' that you often see in old lenses wide open. It is however nowhere near the Nikkors. There are some flares even from distant objects that could be troublesome.
  In terms of sharpness at F1.8 I would say it is on par with the M4/3 14-42mm kit. At closed-down apertures it is a little better.
  One minor flaw could that, at least in my copy, the focus is somewhat stiff. This is a little of a problem during shooting video.

  reviewed February 25th, 2013(purchased for $25)
• 7 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbyjnolan(7 reviews)
  Performance with 4/3 sensor

  I have a third party adapter that I use to mount OM lenses on my Olympus E-5. I actually have multiple adapters because the third party copies are so cheap (and functionally the same).
  I have both this f-1.8 lens and the 50mm f-1.4 OM Zuiko. I find the f-1.4 superior to the f-1.8. The f-1.4 is definitely a pain to deal with wide open, but stopped down to an estimated f-1.8 it's clearer than this one wide open. At f-2, the f-1.4 lens objectively clearer. I've been using 'clearer' because it's not a focusing issue or the condition of the lens. Both lenses are clean, free of scratches and fungus.
  As other reviewers have noted, there isn't one f-1.8 lens. the OM line existed for long enough that we're forced to lump a number of different lenses together as if they're the same product. I'm not sure, then, if my model is simply inferior to the other versions. I unfortunately don't have the lens with me right now, so I'm not sure of the details regarding its production run.
  So, my review ends up being fairly useless. I guess you can take away the fact that the OM Zuiko 50mm f-1.4 lenses are decent. It's slightly larger than the f-1.8, but not that much larger.

  reviewed May 31st, 2012
• 9 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbyStoka(1 reviews)

  I used this lens for several years in the early 1980's, especially on an Olympus OM10, which I used as a lightweight travel camera in India.
  I've posted some images shot with this lens at the following flickr addresses.
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/mahamantra1/5753145376/in/photostream
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/mahamantra1/5753145834/in/photostream
  Note that the slides are very old and I have just recently scanned them to digital.

  reviewed May 23rd, 2011
• 0 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbySLRGuy(1 reviews)

  'As a micro four thirds camera, the EP-1 produces a 2x 'crop factor,' meaning lenses used with it provide an effective field of view that is double their listed focal length. So in this case, the 50mm ƒ/1.8 operates effectively as a 100mm ƒ/1.8 lens.'
  Not quite true.
  On the E-P1 the effective field of view is HALF that of the lens if it were on a full-frame camera, not double.
  Put the other way, the FOV is that of a 100mm lens on a full frame camera.
  The focal length does not change. If you could change the focal length by altering the size of the sensor or film, we wouldn't need lenses of varying focal lengths.

  reviewed March 11th, 2010
• 8 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbyAshley_Pomeroy(6 reviews)
  Excellent image quality, small, light, chic, works well with adapters, cheap!

  Slightly wobby aperture ring, not much "character"

  Literally the day before this went up, I wrote a short article about the lens for my blog, where I tested it briefly on a full-frame Canon 5D. I was looking exclusively at its extreme corner performance at f/8. On a Canon 5D I concluded that it is at least as sharp as Canon's EF 50mm f/1.8, in the extreme corner, at f/8. The colour balance seemed to be relatively cool. Mine was a later version, with a serial code that indicates it was made in January 1983, with 'Made in Japan' written on the front.
  I imagine that its performance on a less pixel-dense sensor than the Four Thirds standard would be very, very good. If the Micro Four Thirds - OM adapter cost $17 rather than $170 it would make sense as a backup. For $200 it is silly. Of note, I have a Pentax Takumar 55mm f/2 which is almost as small as the Zuiko, and seems to perform just as well, at least in the corner at f/8.
  It would be interesting to see how the Olympus 24mm f/2.8 fares with such a setup. I have one of these lenses and it is very, very sharp right in the centre even at f/2.8.

  reviewed July 9th, 2009(purchased for $30)
• 8 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbychucknorcutt(1 reviews)

  Thanks for the review. It was good to see one of my favorite oldies given new life. But there are a couple problems with your review. There are at least 5 versions of the OM Zuiko 50/1.8. This is one of the older ones which can be determined by examining the text on the name ring. Despite your praise for the multicoating this version was not multicoated. And, even if it was, the mulitcoating shouldn't have any effect on chromatic aberration. The final version was multicoated (as were others before it) and is a superior performer to this one.
  Chuck Norcutt

  reviewed July 8th, 2009
• 0 out of 10 pointsand recommendedbyadamleahyphotography(4 reviews)

  Just wanted to say thanks guys for doing this test! I have this lens sitting on my desk right now. I carried it with my OM1 on my shoulder for about 20 years. The camera body was destroyed, but the lens survived. Anyway, I'm buying the new Pen as soon as it's available with the 17mm lens. I'll get the adapter to use my old 50mm too. Will post on my experience with it later. :) Thanks again for doing the testing on this, can't wait to do my own.

  reviewed July 6th, 2009

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