Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras

--UPDATED REVIEW-- After a good deal of time using the 50mm f/1.4D, I decided that I wanted to pick up a quieter auto-focus lens so I decided to give the 50mm f/1.8G another shot. I'm pleased to say that the experience has been much better this time around. On my D810 and D850, it's still not wicked sharp wide open, but few lenses are on those camera. Once I stop down to around f/2.8 or so, it actually gets surprisingly sharp for such a cheap lens. I won't get into color rendition because it seems rather pointless given how much the colors get changed anyway during post-processing. Overall, I find the rendition of the lens to be rather clinical, which is to say that it's seems to focus more on accurately recording the scene in sharp detail rather than imparting "character" as some other lenses tend to do. I find this to be a good thing in a 50mm since the focal length itself tends to be one that most photographers would consider to be the "normal" focal length. Overall, this lens has been a joy to use this second time around which makes me wonder what was going on with that first copy. Maybe it got knocked around during shipping? I don't know. Either way, after experiencing what this lens is capable of offering, I felt compelled to come and update this review because it really is a great lens for the beginner and enthusiast alike that's offered a very reasonable price. -- OLD REVIEW -- Given all of the positive reviews, I probably just got a bad copy, but the lens was just unacceptably soft for me which I didn't expect since it flies in the face of most of the reviews I've read about this. As far as I could tell, it wasn't a front or back-focusing issue as micro-adjustments didn't seem to help at all and in order to get my copy as sharp as I wanted, I had to stop it down to f5.6, which just completely defeats the purpose. Ended up returning it and trying out a 50mm 1.4D which I just decided to stick with. I know I could have exchanged it and it probably would have been fine, but the whole experience just left a bad taste in my mouth. Aside from my particular issues, I can definitely say that the lens itself felt built pretty well for the price. A lot of people like to cry about how they don't make them like they used to—which usually just means that they don't make them out of metal anymore—but plastics have come a long way over the years and definitely have plenty of benefits. Most of the people that make this complaint just miss that hefty feeling, which is more of an argument of personal preference rather than an argument of the objective merits of the materials used. All materials have their pros and cons, but the materials used to construct this lens seemed more than durable enough while having the benefit of being lightweight. The autofocus responded quickly and crisply without much hunting at all. All in all, given the low cost of the lens, it's worth at least trying out. You'll probably have better luck than me.

A fun lens addition to my Nikon D3300 toolbox, I purchased this lens primarily to take portraits and to do some street photos - often in low light conditions. After viewing some YouTube videos about the lens and how it was being used, I took a chance and got this lens in favor of the older 'A' lens that is half the price because of the autofocus and nearly silent operation. The 'G' also makes lights appear round versus hexagon in shape. The lens' focusing capabilities are not as fast or accurate as I'd hoped out of the box, but in all honesty that could be my inexperience at using it. I believe with time and use my shots will improve. It was an excellent purchase for my purposes; outdoor and indoor family photos, pet photos, low light street shots, and senior portrait photography. I've played with aperture, and have gotten some great shots with other lenses, but this lens makes it virtually impossible to not get a clear shot with a blurred background - exactly as expected. Additionally though, it can also take great landscape shots. I like that this lens comes with a 5 year warranty, a nice carrying pouch, lens cap, and shield to prevent excess light from causing unwanted effects in photos. A touch expensive, but well worth it in ease of use and quality output for this intermediate DSLR hobbyist. --------------------------- UPDATE: 9/24/15 I used this lens for taking my daughter's Senior pictures. We went to three locations and spent 3 hours snapping over 300 photos. Much to my delight I ended up with about 20 really great shots, and when posted to Facebook my friends and family asked: "So who took them?" I know they were hoping to hear a name of a local professional photographer, but I was tickled to say '...it was me.' Remembering that this lens doesn't have a zoom meant getting closer to my subject, but really produced some top notch photos. I shot in RAW and used Photoshop Elements 13 to edit. Overall, really pleased. -------------------------------

The 50 f/1.8 is a lens almost every FX shooter should have. However, which one of these you should buy is a little tricky. The D is about $80 cheaper, is smaller, lighter, has less distortion, and has manual aperture control. The D doesn't have auto focus but as of right now every FX camera has an autofocus motor built in. What the G really brings to the table is curved aperture blades, better construction, sharper corners, quieter autofocus and instant manual override focus. On a DX camera it is still a no brainer lens but not as much as on a FX. The 1.5x crop makes this a 75mm lens on a DX. Usually portrait lenses start around 85mm. So this lens, on a DX, is too long to be a normal focal length and too short to be a portrait lens. With that said, those are just generalities. Even at 75mm it will work great in a dark house and great outside. In the house you may find yourself running out of room to back up. However, that can probably help some peoples photography as one of the biggest mistakes most people make is not framing in close enough. The 35mm f1.8 DX only lens is probably a better starting lens to get as it is ~52mm on the DX and the 50mm f1.8 a good second lens. I used to own the f1.4G but it was stolen from me. I personally don't believe it is worth the extra money over this. It has 9 rounded aperture blades for a smother bokeh and is 2/3 stop faster but has significant distortion. Also, it has been shown that many manufactures have been playing with the ISO on the edges to get the f1.4. At very wide apertures the light hitting the edges of the sensor is not perpendicular to the sensor but is angled. Because digital sensors are very sensitive to the direction of light, camera manufactures have been increasing the ISO at the edges of the sensor to get the same amount of light as the middle. This causes some noise. It is not hugely noticeable but you are paying a premium for a slightly worse image. However, the bokeh is nicer, you can shoot a 2/3 faster in low light, and you have a shallower depth of field. If those are important to you then the 1.4G is the way to go. Compared to the 1.8D the 1.8G is Bigger Will autofocus on the cheaper bodies with no built in auto focus motor (D3100 and D5100) A little better optically in the corners but has more distortion About $80 more expensive Has full time access to manual focusing 7 rounded aperture blades instead of straight tops out at f16 instead of f22 has quieter focus If you have a body that has a built in autofocus motor and you want the smallest lightest and cheapest kit then the 1.8D is a no brainer. If you don't have the built in autofocus motor and size is not an issue or you want instant ability to manually focus then the 1.8G is the way to go. The 50 f1.8 is a brilliant lens and one of the true bargains in photography. A must for almost every kit.

I upgraded from the 50mm 1.8D and was thoroughly impressed with the 50mm 1.8G. For the money this is the best lens Nikon has to offer; fantastic optics and build quality. What can I say, for the price this is optically the best lens I've ever used. Wide open (f/1.8-2.2) this lens performs very very well; sharp corners, good contrast, smooth and pleasing bokeh. Stopped down a bit (f/2.2-4) the optics are far above my expectations; sharp everywhere, punchy contrast, and gorgeous bokeh. Stop it down even further (f/4-8) and this lens is optically perfect. What impresses me is the ability to shoot wide open and achieve far above average performance; that little aspherical element is hard at work here. The autofocus is reasonably quick, accurate and reliable, and it's very very quiet. The lens almost never flares unless pointed into the sun, but popping on the lens hood fixes that. I only noticed slight color-fringing when wide open and stopping down past f/2.8 takes care of the rest. I only have two minor optical complaints with the 50mm 1.8G; there is a slightly noticeable amount of barrel distortion and the minimum aperture of f/16 is slightly less than many other Nikon primes. I am a huge fan of how Nikon built this lens, in fact I hope all future Nikon lenses follow the great ergonomics and build of the 1.8G. The plastic feels tough and resistant to scratches and impacts and has a nice epoxy-sprinkled finish like many of their newer lenses and bodies. The white attachment-aligning mark is a very visible white plastic ball that looks great and is nice for low-light shooting. The focus ring is a nice grippy rubber, but has a little play to it before it moves the focus - I assume this is because of the manual focus override when using autofocus, so this is something I am perfectly fine with. The distance scale window is large and easy to read, but the scale itself only contains a few markings. The front lens element moves in and out (does not rotate luckily) but is sunk very far back into the front of the lens meaning nothing actually moves on the exterior of the lens. The lens hood snaps on nicely and is great to use. Pros: - An optical stunner - Perfectly usable wide-open (unlike the 1.8D) - Sharp, sharp, sharp, sharp - Little to no flaring - Excellent color reproduction and contrast - True professional performance for very little money - Built like a plastic tank - Fits well in the hand (unlike the puny 50 1.8D) and is very light - Well thought out ergonomics - Manual focus override of AF - Great lens hood Cons: - Small amount of barrel distortion - Only stops down to f/16 (the 1.8D went to f/22) - Slight play in the manual focus (manual override makes up for this) - Distance scale could be better - AF could be faster I highly recommend this lens for any Nikon shooter. It's a wonderful lens that delivers a class-up set of optics and great handling all for an incredible price.

Like others, I had to debate for my D5100 did I want 50mm, 35mm, or even the 40mm Macro. I read the reviews and finally pulled the trigger on the 50mm F1.8. So far (a few days) I love it. The lens is fast and sharp, and I really like it. I wanted a lens that I could use in-doors without a flash, and would have good image quality (pleasant pictures Bokeh/Contast/Sharpness). I also wanted a lens with nice Bokeh (background blurring). I was a bit afraid of the 35mm, I read some reviews that faces up close might look distorted (i.e. big noses). The 50mm is more 'natural' in this regard, and with the DX sensor gives the equivalent FOV of a 75mm lens - so you don't want to go much above 50mm for in-doors. Although I have not used the 35mm, I also felt that the Bokeh might not be as nice because the 35mm is a bit 'wider' than the 50mm and therefore the depth of field (what enables the Bokeh) would not be as shallow, so more of the background (and foreground) would be in 'focus', thus ruining the Bokeh. (I might be totally off base on this, but when I played around with my kit lens, it seems that a lot more was in focus with the wider angle settings.) So now I had to choose between the 50mm and the 40mm Macro. I really wanted the low-light performance and Bokeh, so not only is the 50mm a stop faster (F1.8 vs F2.8), but also provides a narrower depth of focus at the smallest F number. I also read reviews of the 40mm Macro, and felt that I would have to get too close to the subject (40mm?) to really get the Macro functionality. I will have to deal with the Macro photography at some other time. In any case, the 50mm F1.8 feels solid - it has a metal mount rather than the plastic - it feels much nicer to mount it on the D5100 rather than the kit lens. It also is an FX lens so if I ever 'upgrade' the body, I save a whopping $215 in not having to replace the lens :) [FX vs. DX debate - flame retardant suit on.] The kit includes the bag and hood. The lens is internally focusing so the filter does not turn or move as it does in the kit lens (now I can use a polarizer, and I also don't have to worry about bumping the lens element. The lens also feels pretty light-weight.

Great focal length for a walk around prime on FX format. Super bokeh, great color/contrast, fast AF speed, great build quality for the price....I'm addicted to fast glass and this lens is just what I wanted as my "primary mount". It is the perfect addition to my Nikkor 17-35 f/2.8, 85 f/1.8G and 105 f./2.8VR family with my D700 and D810 bodies. I tried two copies of this lens and found them both to be a tad bit on the soft side compared to my 85 f/1.8 when fully open at f/1.8. Checking some of the pixel peeping/review sites, it looks like that is one would expect to see when comparing the two lenses, so I'm pretty certain that both copies were good copies. Nevertheless, the lens is a serious keeper and I know I'll get some really great pictures out of it. I'm really pleased and would recommend it. I would have given it 4.5 stars if I could have.....almost went with 5.

Is it really possible to get an excellent Nikon FX-format prime lens at such a low price? Yes it is! This is the first Nikon prime lens I've had in a while, and I am completely satisfied with its performance on my Nikon Z6 using the FTZ adapter. After having used the f/ 4 stock zoom lens for a year, I'm impressed with the low light ability of this considerably faster 50mm prime lens. And of course the much shallower depth of field. If you already have a nice zoom lens and want to check out prime lenses, this 50mm f/1.8 lens is an incredibly inexpensive place to start. I've had a chance to use this lens in bright sunlight and indoor gloom, and find the picture quality to be sharp, and of high quality in general (allowing for my skill level as a photographer). I haven't run any "tests" but distortion seems to be minimal, colors accurate. Autofocus on this lens is par for the Nikon standard - not always the fastest to zero in on an accurate focus, particularly in lower light situations. This lens is quite light-weight, giving it a bit less heft than Nikon's higher end lenses. Although functionality and image quality are excellent and the build quality seems high, this lens feels less significant than the heavier higher-end lenses. Of course, the lighter weight is certainly nice when you are carrying the camera. Overall, this is an incredible high-quality lens at an incredible price. If you have a Nikon Z or Nikon FX-compatible camera, you have no reason not to buy this lens right now. Not at this price.

I regularly shoot events and weddings with a D600 as my main body. Similarly to the d800, it is not very forgiving to lenses (albeit to a lesser extent) I had been using a 50m 1.8d for a few months and during that time i mostly used it at 1.8- 2.8. It was so-so but I couldn't figure out why people really liked it. THEN I stopped it down to 4-5.6 for a portrait session and WOW. I couldn't believe how sharp it was. It is AMAZINGLY sharp at these apertures. Unfortunately, I had a zoom that took decent pictures at that speed, and the low light function of being able to open up to 1.8 weren't really all that usable as they would result is just OK pictures. Then I was ready to upgrade. I looked the 50mm 1.4d, 1.4g, and then this 1.8g. Lots of internet deliberation eventually led me to believe that the 1.4d was a little too out of date, and the 1.4g would simply be too slow for effective event photography. I am very happy with my decision. For starters, it looks great. The beefy 1.8g instill much more confidence than the dinky 1.8d. The autofocus, while fast, seemed just a hair slower than my 1.8d + d600 focusing system, but its hard to say. However, while wide open, the lens showed its true colors. It was just as sharp wide open as when stopped down. I think this is largely attributed to the aspherical element in the lens but that is just my speculation. Overall I would rate the lens performance at each stop as follows. 1.8d - @1.8 = 5/10 1.8d - @5.6 = 10/10 1.8g - @1.8 = 9/10 1.8g - @5.6 = 9/10 So while this is a simplistic comparison, my opinion is that the 1.8g really shines wide open, which is what its really designed for anyways. If you don't have a 50mm prime, or have the 1.8d and are thinking about getting the g, I highly recommend it. I actually see myself using it wide open more often than not. It is low light king and I cant wait to use it more.