When using this lens, the only thing that will make your photos better is you, the photographer. This lens is phenomenal. It has properties you want in precision optics: resolution, acuity, contrast, color fidelity, aberration corrections, and smooth transitions between the essential three image qualities of soft foreground, sharply focused subject, and background fade. This lens focuses quickly and is of a size and weight that make it easy to use. I like very much how it feels and handles on my Z 7II and on my Zf (without a grip accessory). The 50mm focal length has long been my favorite. My first one was a Nikkor 50 f/1.4 AIS that I bought in 1964. In the intervening years I have bought a lot of other lenses but it was that faithful 50/1.4 AIS that recorded what are now my life’s most heartwarming memories.I sold all my old photography gear when I converted to mirrorless in March of 2021. Starting over with all new gear, I bought first a Nikon Z 7II and a Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.2 S. The 50/1.2 is a spectacularly fine lens and I am very glad I have one.However, with my hands now a bit less steady than they used to be (I am 81 yo), I find that, for me, the 50/1.2 is best used on a tripod. That constraint (speaking just for me) is not so handy for catching my kitty in her moments of mischief or for leisurely ambling around town and countryside to photograph what catches my interest. Hence, for Christmas of 2024, with a 50mm already in hand, I decided to treat myself to a lighter and smaller Z 85mm f/1.8 S. That lens became a fave so fast that just two months later it was easy to talk myself into buying its sibling 50/1.8. And am I ever glad I did! I own six other Z lenses; 26/2.8, 40/2, 50/1.2, 85/1.8, 105/2.8, and 24-120/4. Each fills a purpose to shoot portraits, florals, landscapes, and some street. Nonetheless, I expect my new 50/1.8, as was my old AIS 50/1.4, will be the one I use most. I like the look of 50mm photos because they render most closely how we perceive the world. And that makes their images all the more real.Based on my own complete satisfaction with the Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8 S, I vouch for it to fulfill your expectations for a high quality prime lens.Photos: All Nikon Zf + Nikkor Z 50mm/1.8 S. 1) Ginger loves to keep an eye on her yard from her window perch @ f/4; 2) Harbingers of Spring @ f/4; 3) Winter ends with beautiful Crocus blossoms @ f/4; 4) Ginger pauses for an intermission during her morning zoomie @ f/2.5.

Great lens for portrait photography. fantastic.

I love this lens for its sharpness and overall image quality. I bought it with a Nikon z5 almost a year ago to photograph my daughter's wedding. Now I am reluctant to take it off the camera for other lenses.

This lens is a great addition to my camera bag! I love the sharpness, wide aperture for low-light performance, and the smooth bokeh it produces. The lens performs well in tight area's for portraits and is also a fantastic street lens.

The lowest aperture lens I've been using was a 2.8 so playing around with a 1.8 has been a blast. It produces very clean, crisp photos. I'm so in love!

I bought this lens 3 weeks ago and since then I'm very pleased. The picture quality is top notch. The only downside is the focusing noise like my power drill when start and stop. This lens supposed to be virtually salient.

This lens lives up to the hype. It produces beautiful colour and sharpness. I was content with my 40mm f2 until I tried this, and now there is no going back. Amazing lens! I would say it produces slightly nicer results even than my 85mm 1.8s

Aa a landscape and product photographer who highly values image sharpness and detail, I find the 50 f/1.8 Nikkor S to be the sharpest lens I've used in over 45 years in photography! I am extremely pleased with the Nikon Z System, with the Z7 and several stellar Nikkor S lenses. Congratulations, Nikon!

I've been using the Niikor Z 50mm 1.8S for a few weeks now and have been testing it. Instead of listing the specs-list, here are the top three features of this lens that jumped out the most: 1. Image quality: Strikingly beautiful due to Nikon's color science and exceptionally sharp edge-to-edge thanks to good distortion control, color aberration control, and vignette control. 50mm is a great focal length for street, portrait, landscape photography, and this lens is well-suited for most of the types without a doubt. For a f/1.8 aperture, the image quality is at par with some of the f/2.8 lenses out there. However, if it's bokeh (out of focus background and foreground) you're looking for, this Nikkor does well and not as good as some of the f/1.4 or f/1.2 lenses. That's just physics! Overall, the image quality is THE reason you should get this lens for your Z camera body, perhaps the very first lens to invest in. It will last decades! 2. Focus breathing: for those of you into videography, you're in for great cinematography in the form of virtually non-existent focus breathing. Remember how in movies and TV shows things that emerge into the scene from out of focus to in-focus? Lenses that focus-breathe tend to distort the subject coming into focus seeming like everything including the subject is coming closer as you focus in. Well, nothing like that happens with the Nikkor 50mm 1.8S. Subject and the background remain where they are with only the focus going in and out. It's just beautiful. I am not a videographer but I can imagine how well this lens will perform in such situations. In addition, the focus ring on this lens is made of metal and has a good throw, and is super smooth reminding me of my Voigtlander 58mm 1.4 SL II lens. 3. Camera-linked customization: Assuming you will use this lens of Z body (obviously!), the lens makes use of two of the most important features from my perspective - in body image body stabilization (5-axis IBIS) and the ability to customize the focus ring to do other things than manual focus. This is game-changing, to say the least. The lens doesn't have image stabilization (VR - vibration reduction) but impeccably uses Nikon Z's IBIS and it's super important to get steady vibration-free images. (Quick tip - even with IBIS, make sure to keep the shutter speed above 1/50th of the second to get really sharp images.) Secondly, the focus ring customization. You can make the focus ring change the aperture settings or change the shutter speed or (my current setting) change exposure compensation. It makes the process of making images so much more enjoyable and convenient. In summary, two words aptly describe this lens: worth itHappy to test and review more gear from Nikon!