I had some fun writing reviews for my Nikon Z gear on DPR recently, and I am happy to be able to continue with the Nikon Z 50mm F1.8 because of the outstanding quality of this lens. Again, I try to write this from the perspective of an amateur travel and street photographer.
I have to admit that I had several nifty-fifties over the years (35mm on APS-C), and was never a huge fan of this focal length. I bought them mostly because of their size, prize and weight. The optical performance usually surpassed comparable zoom lenses, and they were all fast. But I felt that they constrained me at this one focal length, which I always felt too restricted.
I have since changed my mind, and embraced the 50mm cutout of the world, which has been used by so many great photographers. This is indeed an angle of view which feels very undistorted and natural. And that's how I use the lens now. If anything, it is more a telephoto lens than a wide-angle lens, but also not really condensing the scene. It restricts the view in a way that looks just okay.
I always put this lens on the camera for museums or indoor shooting, where the F1.8 really helps. I previously used the Nikon Z 85mm F1.8 for family portraits, being told that one should do so to avoid distortion. I find the 50mm much more convenient for any portrait that goes wider than just the face. Especially, children should not be reduced to beauty shots. The 50mm can just show the right amount of the surrounding.
To help me overcome my reservations, the immense quality of this specific 50mm (together with my beloved Nikon Z system) helped a lot. From lens reviews (like here ), you learn that the lens is extremely sharp in the center, even wide open, and the corners start getting excellent at F4, being already perfect at AF2.8. The lens is also an S-line lens, which means a superb flare and glare resistance, and great contrast. This coincides with my observations.
The lens has an AF-MF switch. I'd have preferred a programmable button, which the lens does not feature. The AF is perfect, by the way. I did not notice focus breathing, but I don't do much video work, nor a lot of focus stacking. The IBIS allows my hands to go to 1/15. (By the way, I do not think it is a good idea to use the lens on a Z50/ZFC as a portrait lens, because of the missing VR.)
The lens is not small, but also not too large. But it is way more bulky than 50mm I know. Some may not like that. It is also more expensive than expected from a standard lens. For the quality, I think the price is reasonable.
What are the alternatives?
50mm, F4, 1/640, ISO100
50mm, F2.8, ISO1600
50mm, slight cropped, F4, 0.4sec
50mm, F4, 1/30, ISO1600
50mm, slightly cropped, F2.5, 1/60, ISO200
I have to admit that I had several nifty-fifties over the years (35mm on APS-C), and was never a huge fan of this focal length. I bought them mostly because of their size, prize and weight. The optical performance usually surpassed comparable zoom lenses, and they were all fast. But I felt that they constrained me at this one focal length, which I always felt too restricted.
I have since changed my mind, and embraced the 50mm cutout of the world, which has been used by so many great photographers. This is indeed an angle of view which feels very undistorted and natural. And that's how I use the lens now. If anything, it is more a telephoto lens than a wide-angle lens, but also not really condensing the scene. It restricts the view in a way that looks just okay.
I always put this lens on the camera for museums or indoor shooting, where the F1.8 really helps. I previously used the Nikon Z 85mm F1.8 for family portraits, being told that one should do so to avoid distortion. I find the 50mm much more convenient for any portrait that goes wider than just the face. Especially, children should not be reduced to beauty shots. The 50mm can just show the right amount of the surrounding.
To help me overcome my reservations, the immense quality of this specific 50mm (together with my beloved Nikon Z system) helped a lot. From lens reviews (like here ), you learn that the lens is extremely sharp in the center, even wide open, and the corners start getting excellent at F4, being already perfect at AF2.8. The lens is also an S-line lens, which means a superb flare and glare resistance, and great contrast. This coincides with my observations.
The lens has an AF-MF switch. I'd have preferred a programmable button, which the lens does not feature. The AF is perfect, by the way. I did not notice focus breathing, but I don't do much video work, nor a lot of focus stacking. The IBIS allows my hands to go to 1/15. (By the way, I do not think it is a good idea to use the lens on a Z50/ZFC as a portrait lens, because of the missing VR.)
The lens is not small, but also not too large. But it is way more bulky than 50mm I know. Some may not like that. It is also more expensive than expected from a standard lens. For the quality, I think the price is reasonable.
What are the alternatives?
- Since the lens goes up to F1.8 with excellent center sharpness and contrast, there is no zoom lens that can hold up. Only if you plan to use the lens at F8 and above, you can just as well use one of the excellent zoom lenses of the Z system.
- Another obvious alternative is the 40mm F2.0, which may be good enough for almost anything, plus being smaller and less expensive. I had it with great results, but in this case, the better has beaten the good.
- Of course, the even better would be the Nikon Z 50mm F1.2. However, this is out of my price range and a lot more bulky again.
50mm, F4, 1/640, ISO100
50mm, F2.8, ISO1600
50mm, slight cropped, F4, 0.4sec
50mm, F4, 1/30, ISO1600
50mm, slightly cropped, F2.5, 1/60, ISO200
