Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G Lens

I had the previous version of this lens and recently gave it to a granddaughter, along with a camera, so I had realistic expectations for the lens on my N-850. I bought the new version because I missed that lens. With the previous version of the lens I mostly used it for low light situations but I decided to try the new version in other situations, e.g., portrait and sports action.The lens surprised me in the portrait setting. The 1.8 allowed me to use a lower ISO setting and the pictures are very sharp. I shoot a lot of basketball photos for our local community college and, when recent repainting in the gym lowered the lighting, I decided to give the lens a try in that capacity. So you'll know the lens I'm comparing, I usually use a 24-70 2.8 zoom Nikkor lens. In ... MoreI had the previous version of this lens and recently gave it to a granddaughter, along with a camera, so I had realistic expectations for the lens on my N-850. I bought the new version because I missed that lens. With the previous version of the lens I mostly used it for low light situations but I decided to try the new version in other situations, e.g., portrait and sports action.The lens surprised me in the portrait setting. The 1.8 allowed me to use a lower ISO setting and the pictures are very sharp. I shoot a lot of basketball photos for our local community college and, when recent repainting in the gym lowered the lighting, I decided to give the lens a try in that capacity. So you'll know the lens I'm comparing, I usually use a 24-70 2.8 zoom Nikkor lens. In the comparison, the 1.8 allowed me to use a 1600 ISO rather than the 3200 ISO for my 2.8 zoom....that's a plus for the 1.8, AND it's a LOT lighter and that's another plus. The 2.8 zoom lens produced better results when I set the shutter on high speed and I missed the zoom.In summary, the 1.8 lens is a very good buy and I'll mount it on the camera when I'm out and about and don't know what I may encounter and/or photograph. I'll continue to use it for portraits; it's a good prime lens that can focus very close.

I bought this lens as an upgrade to my old 50mm f/1.4D lens. I have to put upgrade in quotes because in some ways it is certainly not. Specifically, the old D lens has a wider max aperture while still being a smaller and sharper lens. For any given aperture that the G lens can match, the D lens wins optically.Still, there is one important reason someone might choose this lens over the old 1.4D (which can be bought for roughly the same price used): autofocus. Obviously, if your camera doesn't have a built-in AF motor, you'll want to stick to the G series. But even with the high-end bodies with robust motors (I use a D810), AF is still improved on this G lens. I wouldn't say this lens focuses any faster than the 1.4D, but it is quieter and more precise more of the ... MoreI bought this lens as an upgrade to my old 50mm f/1.4D lens. I have to put upgrade in quotes because in some ways it is certainly not. Specifically, the old D lens has a wider max aperture while still being a smaller and sharper lens. For any given aperture that the G lens can match, the D lens wins optically.Still, there is one important reason someone might choose this lens over the old 1.4D (which can be bought for roughly the same price used): autofocus. Obviously, if your camera doesn't have a built-in AF motor, you'll want to stick to the G series. But even with the high-end bodies with robust motors (I use a D810), AF is still improved on this G lens. I wouldn't say this lens focuses any faster than the 1.4D, but it is quieter and more precise more of the time.It's never fun to give up image quality, but I'll take a slightly softer image over an OOF image any day. And sadly, the latter simply happened too often with the old 1.4D lens.And don't get me wrong; I'm not saying you can't take sharp pictures with this lens. But you won't be able to do it wide open. The lens starts to get good in the center by f/2.8, and very good by f/4. Of course, you'll be sacrificing light and possibly creating a busier background. The edges never really get good in my opinion, so be sure to place your subject somewhere near the middle.

Nikons 50mm 1.8 lens is a must have lens as part of your kit. The G lenes are relatively inexpensive but more expensive than the better 1.8d lens. The older version had no barrel distortion that this and its more expensive sidekick the 1.4G has. All are great lenses though. The draw back with the older 50mm 1.8d was that there was no built in AF motor within the lens, so you were reliant on the AF motor with in camera body, not all bodies had the built in AF motor, so the older 1.8d lens was a manual only lens when fitted to those.The G lenses are more bulky due to the inbuilt AF motors, so they take up more room in your pocket than the older lens. Plus, this lens has weather sealing at the mount end of the lens that the older one didn't. Not really an issue if ... MoreNikons 50mm 1.8 lens is a must have lens as part of your kit. The G lenes are relatively inexpensive but more expensive than the better 1.8d lens. The older version had no barrel distortion that this and its more expensive sidekick the 1.4G has. All are great lenses though. The draw back with the older 50mm 1.8d was that there was no built in AF motor within the lens, so you were reliant on the AF motor with in camera body, not all bodies had the built in AF motor, so the older 1.8d lens was a manual only lens when fitted to those.The G lenses are more bulky due to the inbuilt AF motors, so they take up more room in your pocket than the older lens. Plus, this lens has weather sealing at the mount end of the lens that the older one didn't. Not really an issue if you're respectful to your kit. Frankly the optics are sharp, the fast aperture is great in low light. I have the 50mm 1.4 G too, but it's hardly used.If you are only going to use this lens only once in a while, I'd buy a really good 1.8d lens up second hand for around a hundred quid, but make sure your camera body has a built in AF motor before you do, unless you don't mind manually focusing it. It's a piece of cake to do.Most videos on line will tell you the G lenses are quicker at focusing than the older D lenses. That rubbish. They are the same speed. Plus, the only reason the G lenses appear quieter is that the AF motors are in the lens not the camera body. So, in affect the AF motors are further away from your face and ears and not attached within the camera body itself. Nikon would have you believe that the G lenses are a revelation but, they just want you to buy newer lenses that are arguable not as good as the ones they replace.The bottom line is this. Why pay £450.00 for a G 50mm 1.4 or a hundred quid less for the G 50mm 1.8, when you can pick the D variants of these leases up in top nick for around £150.00 for the 1.4d or between £60 to £100.00 for 50mm 1.8d. They are smaller often look a little flimsy, but they are far from that, plus they go into your pocket so much easier than the G lenses that are bulkier. To be honest I use the D variants 8 out of 10 of the time, I'm only using the G's on a camera body with no built in AF motor. There is less post production needed with the older lens as you can get the images banging in camera.As a semi pro, I often use the older lenses, as they are often optically better than the newer kit. There's lots of fussy fluff on the modern lenses, and as a result the optic ability are often compromised. All the lenses mentioned in this review are great buys and I'm sure you'll buy the one best suited to your specific requirements, but don't discount looking at a good quality second-hand variant of this G lens, you might just bag a bargain and save a few quid and time sat in post-production.