AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D

This lens lives on my camera. Its sharp, fast, lightweight.

I have used this lens for travel, portraits and landscape photography.
The spot on clarity in my prints has been most rewarding.
With thousands of images shot it has worked flawlessly.

Reliable performance; as expected, soft at f/2 and below, but entirely usable
Fast auto-focus for a mechanical lens
Small and lightweight
- Plastic finish will quickly show signs of use; white lettering is only painted and may disappear after time
- Bokeh doesn´t look very good

I have nothing but great things to say for this lens. It is super fast, super sharp from f2.0 up. Even at 1.4, it is still reasonably sharp. It´s a great lens that out to be in everyone´s bag.

This lens have to be used with knowing what you are doing, taking just photos at f/1.4 using a DX camera , more likely you going to be disappointed,
with great care photographing f/1.4 using a DX camera works beautifully under stable controlled shooting, Shooting at F/2.8 is safe.
Using film Shooting at F1.4 is safe and same with FX format

I use this on a D3.

Comparing this to my other Nikkor fixed-focal length, the 85mm f/1.4D, the 50mm f/1.4D has lower contrast (especially wider open), is softer, and focuses a bit faster. The 85mm has a nearly indescribable pop and look to its images that the 50mm lacks. But it´s also three times more expensive, too.

It is an excellent focal length for an all-around portable lens. Bokeh is good, but shows heptagonal bokeh from its 7 diaphragm blades. I quite like the heptagonal effect, though.

This is the lens that I use the most indoors; it´s great for low-light photography. I just ramp up the ISO, if necessary, on my D700, and most of the time my subjects (usually my sons) are unaware that I´m taking photos of them. Wonderful quality and well worth the price!

This is one of the most versatile small lens that I can carry if I had to pick one lens. It handle low light with flying colors. I can be used as a moderate portrait lens in a pinch. I´ve had mine for over 14years and it´ll probably stay with me forever. It works on my D700 very well, and lets me capture subtle light in very dark places, like night club, with only ambient light, or spot lights. In some case where f2.8 lens would have made it almost impossible with out a flash. Also being able to grab the aperture ring unlike the G-series gives it faster control, as well as backwards compatibility with older film cameras(F3, F4).

Tip: I prefer to use this lens with metal lens hood without the lens cap for speed and protecting the front glass element. The suggested rubber lens hood takes longer to set up, and it started to peel from its mount after a couple of years.

Got this specifically for my D90 body because it very nearly matches the 85mm F/1.4. Had I an FX body I would have had to use the 85mm!

I haven´t given it too much to do but the portraits I have done are up to my standards and with a soft filter it is hard to find any difference in the results from shots taken with the FX format and an 85mm F/1.4.

So for a person using a DX body to make portraits, this is a lens worth a whirl.