Why are there no good AF 50mm lenses available for Nikon?

Good topic. I've campaigned for years for Nikon to give us a great 50/1.4, so far they haven't bothered.

Because Nikon made their 50mm lenses with price in mind; as in, they try to make the best possible for $400, not the best possible.

No kidding. Great lens.

Among the fast lenses, 50mm are typically the worst.

Price. Nikon 50/1.4 is a $400 lens. Leica 50/1.4 M is great, and it's $4,000.

Nikon never made a great fast 50mm. Canon didn't, and Zeiss didn't either. Zeiss made a crap 50/1.4 for $700, now they're making a 55/1.4 for $3,000-4,000, we'll see how they do. In the meantime, I'm using Nikon's cheap 50s, and dreaming of something better.