AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G

This lens is very clear and very sharp on my D800 firing at 36mp. Focus is fast (fast enough for most of us anyway) even in low light and there is almost no distortion. Dollar for dollar, in the context of fast lenses, this 50mm 1.4G provides a great value to the consumer.

This is one to consider for an everyday walk around lens or a compact/light carry in your pocket lens for when evening sets in. It is fast becoming the lens I leave on my D800 most of the time.

Just received this lens and I am thrilled with it. Great in low light and for portraits. I find it to be fast and the bokeh is nice and smooth. The lens is substantial on my DX Camera.

There is no situation where this lens cannot win over many others. It is very fast, very sharp, very light and with a good price. Stop it at f/2 if you crop huge pictures to maintain picture perfection. Full open it gives some vignetting and softness at the corners which are just as expected. A lens to always have, mounted or in your pocket.

A wonderful lightweight lens rendering sharp, brillant images consistent throughout its aperture range. Careful focus when shooting wide-open will be rewarded by sharp images. The bokeh from this lens I´ve found to be quite nice. AF is smooth, quiet and fast enough for my needs plus the feel of the focus ring when manually focusing is perfect. This lens has been a great addition to my camera bag. Thanks Nikon!

Used this lens for my last photo class exclusively, get optics and so sharp from edge to edge. I would recommend this lens on a full frame or a DX format camera as I have used this lens both on my D90 and D800 and and extremely happy and impressed in it´s low light ability. Best bag for the money it´s nice owning a lens that is able to goto 1.4 stop.

This review is about the 50mm 1.4G, catalog 2180.

I decided to buy the lens for low-light situations, such as indoor ceremonies. I was not disappointed; the lens is admirable. Keeping the settings of my D5100 camera the same, I tried other lenses and found that this lens gave consistently brighter, colorful indoor shots. As can be expected, the field of focus gets short when the aperture is opened. A couple of cropped pictures are attached to illustrate the lens:

One photo shows a meteor trail from the recent Perseid meteor shower. I used a manual setting at 1.4 and a 1.3 second time exposure. No one beats Nikon for photography in low light.

The other shows a bee visiting the blossoms of a Russian Sage. Bees are constantly moving; so I believe they provide a convenient, conclusive “field test” of the ability of a camera´s computer to quickly appraise the situation and order the focus and aperture of the lens. In other words, the camera and the lens worked well together to get a difficult photograph. The D5100 was set on full automatic – point and shoot. The picture illustrates the narrow depth of field and how out-of-focus objects are displayed. The foreground and background bokeh are consistent.

Best features:
Image brightness and color are superior.
Compact size.
At 50/75 mm the lens gives a “natural” perspective.
Value for price.
Nice match with D5100.

Worse features:
Careful focus is required, or thoughtful selection of the camera´s focus mechanisms.

Accessories:
A neutral or UV filter to protect the lens.

I am very new to the Nikon dslrs, I purchased my camera 1 year ago today(d5100) I just purchased this lense today and absolutly love it! The focal distance is just right and it is awesome for portraits! I would definintly recommend this lense, when using the 1.4 apeture the pictures are stunning. It also takes great stop motion even in the 1.4 apeture. Worth the money!

I love this so much i take it everywhere i go. It is super sharp. I love the auto focus, it works amazingly with my D3100. Its a great beginner lens, i would highly suggest this for people beginning because of how well it works. Honestly great product.

I don´t see it as being any sharper than my 24-70, but it´s much less obtrusive and easier to handle around delicate objects and in restaurants. A nice piece of glass esp. if you need the wider aperture.
One caveat when shooting food or other up close subjects at f/1.4: you will not believe how shallow the depth of field is. This can be a good or bad thing depending on what you´re doing. The more distant the subject, the less of an issue this becomes.