I bought this lens for portraits on my DX D7500 body. It really is the only good portrait option for a Nikon crop sensor body. On test shots I found the lens to be just a bit soft wide open. By 2.8, the lens is very sharp. I was hoping for better. The lens will likely work very well for me for portraits and certainly at higher f-stops for everything else, and I expect the lens to be a valuable part of my tool kit. The wide open sharpness seems about the same as the much cheeper 35mm f1.8. Again, I was hoping for better from a lens of this price point.Please note: I did pixel peep, and no-one but me is going to notice any issue, it is a very good quality match for the number of pixels on my D7500 DX sensor. If I was using a D850, I should be spending more on my ... MoreI bought this lens for portraits on my DX D7500 body. It really is the only good portrait option for a Nikon crop sensor body. On test shots I found the lens to be just a bit soft wide open. By 2.8, the lens is very sharp. I was hoping for better. The lens will likely work very well for me for portraits and certainly at higher f-stops for everything else, and I expect the lens to be a valuable part of my tool kit. The wide open sharpness seems about the same as the much cheeper 35mm f1.8. Again, I was hoping for better from a lens of this price point.Please note: I did pixel peep, and no-one but me is going to notice any issue, it is a very good quality match for the number of pixels on my D7500 DX sensor. If I was using a D850, I should be spending more on my lens.As to the noisy focusing, with the exception of the much less costly 35mm f1.8, it is by far noisier (both manual and auto) than any of the other 8 or so Nikon lenses I have owned. The noise is kind of a Shhh sound like it is unlubricated plastic on plastic. Makes it feel a little cheep. Also not a show stopper as long as it doesn't get worse or cause some other problem over time.Overall, considering this is still a relatively inexpensive lens, It's a very good lens.

Overall this lens didn't meet my expectations. My assessments are all done on a focus calibrated D810. Wide open contrast is average and sharpness is below average, both improve quickly when stopping down. Focus is the biggest disappointment, it's a little slow but it's not accurate at all - it tends to back focus if the subject is closer than 3 meters. I've seen this behavior with other fast Nikon primes and I believe the reason has to do with bokeh characteristics and how the AF sensor judges when something is in focus - the bokeh transition on this lens is so gradual and smooth the AF sensor misses. Bokeh on this lens is really nice for portraits and would be a top reason to have it. Overall if you don't mind working with this lens to get great results then you ... MoreOverall this lens didn't meet my expectations. My assessments are all done on a focus calibrated D810. Wide open contrast is average and sharpness is below average, both improve quickly when stopping down. Focus is the biggest disappointment, it's a little slow but it's not accurate at all - it tends to back focus if the subject is closer than 3 meters. I've seen this behavior with other fast Nikon primes and I believe the reason has to do with bokeh characteristics and how the AF sensor judges when something is in focus - the bokeh transition on this lens is so gradual and smooth the AF sensor misses. Bokeh on this lens is really nice for portraits and would be a top reason to have it. Overall if you don't mind working with this lens to get great results then you may like it, however if you're looking for something that just works the cheaper f/1.8 50mm is fantastic.

My first Nikon 50mm 1.4 lens was purchased in 1964. That MF lens was great and I still use it. I own several 50mm 1.4 lens purchased over time and what makes this special is that I can get almost instant focus shots that are razor sharp! The pros: 1) Focus is internal so focus doesn't alter polarizing settings 2) I can grab the lens to change the focus easily if I want to. (The previous design 50mm f 1.4 AF-D required you to switch the ring to manual focus) 3) It has great bokeh is very good (as it is on previous 1.4 lenses) 4) Fast, accurate AF-S autofocus is giving me a lot more keeper shots that are sharp. 5) Great keep-on-camera lens for walking around. 6) Well thought out placement of controls make the lens feel like I have used it for years. The cons: 1) G ... MoreMy first Nikon 50mm 1.4 lens was purchased in 1964. That MF lens was great and I still use it. I own several 50mm 1.4 lens purchased over time and what makes this special is that I can get almost instant focus shots that are razor sharp! The pros: 1) Focus is internal so focus doesn't alter polarizing settings 2) I can grab the lens to change the focus easily if I want to. (The previous design 50mm f 1.4 AF-D required you to switch the ring to manual focus) 3) It has great bokeh is very good (as it is on previous 1.4 lenses) 4) Fast, accurate AF-S autofocus is giving me a lot more keeper shots that are sharp. 5) Great keep-on-camera lens for walking around. 6) Well thought out placement of controls make the lens feel like I have used it for years. The cons: 1) G lenses can not be used on older Nikons 2) Who thought up the weird 58mm filter size? Should have been 52 or 62 like all Nikons 3) Made in China and not Japan 4) Preferred when things were all metal including filter ring and lens hood instead of plastic In summary, I pity the fool who parted with this great lens! His loss is my gain! (Side note: I have never sold any Nikon product I purchased, EVER!