NikonAF 50 mm f/1.4 D SLR Lens, Black

Let's get this out of the way first. Your max aperture is simply a mathematical ratio describing the len's ability to gather light entering the front element. It does not measure the amount of light where it's important -- light exiting the rear element on to the film or sensor. That's always LESS than the max-ap because the glass and surface-to-air planes absorb light. The amount of light that hits the sensor (or film plane) is known as a t-stop and it's what cinematorgraphers use. The max f-stop and t-stop readings can be off by a surprising amount. As measured by the tech website DXOmark, the vaunted Canon 1.2 has a t-stop of 1.5. Guess what DXOmarks measures this Nikon's t-stop rating as? 1.5. Same as the Canon. This is the best max aperture to t-stop ratio I'm aware of. 1.4 max aperture, 1.5 t-stop. Same as the Canon 1.2 -- see for yourself. Now, on to the review.This is a lens for those who appreciate a classic standard focal length prime that uses the timeless seven element in six groups planar optical formulation. Every major manufacturer from Zeiss, to Olympus, to Yashica (RIP), to Pentax, to Minolta to Canon, to Sigma has made nearly an identical lens using the same classic configuration. They're basically the same lens (sorry Nikon but you know it's true...) It's a simple lens compared to modern lenses -- no fancy coatings, few elements and groups, no vibration reduction, no exotic glass, no aspherical elements. None of that stuff. As a result, this lens will vignette a little and be a bit softer at wider apertures, especially in the corners. You will always get some barrel distortion that will look terrible on "internet lens testing sites" but will hardly be noticeable in the field. It will be more susceptible to flare at wider apertures. Newsflash -- f1.4 is not a "working aperture", really. Working apertures for this lens are f 2 to f 8. Let's go through -- f 1.4 is "in case of emergency". If you need every photon available for available darkness shooting -- it's there. Also, use it to squeeze every bit of bokeh possible out of the lens for creative effect , playing and experimentation. F 2 -- 2.8, used to provide subject isolation. Great for environmental portraiture, ambient light shooting, or natural light still lifes. You'll get very good to excellent center sharpness, corners will be acceptable, and you'll get nice bokeh while losing a good bit of the chromatic aberrations and vignetting associated with shooting wide open. F 4 -- now were starting to get some serious sharpness in the center, corners improving dramatically, vignetting gone. F 5.6. BAM! If you're after max sharpness especially in the center with good depth of focus and some subject isolation (depending on focus distance) this is your aperture. You will be hard-pressed to find a sharper optic at any price. Center sharpness is off the charts, almost literally. Good daylight, flash, outdoors, that's your aperture. Whenever you're looking for optimal sharpness. Or? F 8. This will give you excellent corner sharpness at the expense of some center sharpness (which is still excellent) but no "bokeh" everything pert much in focus. F 11 -- image quality now visibly degrading due to diffraction. Still quite usable. Kinda the reverse of f1.4 except now you're going for max depth of focus. F 16 -- not a working aperture imo. Too much image degradation from diffraction but it's there if you need it for some reason.So. Why this lens? Why is it still relevant after 20 years of production? Why is it still made? A number of reasons. Modern FX cameras are pretty heavy. My "little" D600 weighs 2 lbs (I think). Now, slap a lens on it that easily adds another pound (or more) and it becomes a drag lugging this kit around and there's a good chance you leave it home and not use it at all, Your big, pricey FX camera is not doing any good setting on the shelf. This is the smallest and lightest f1.4 lens Nikon makes. It's great for "lug management". Not only that? It is very bright and is capable of completely professional results. Some of the greatest photographers shot solely with a 50 taking brilliant images with them. Since my camera has a built-in focus motor, I prefer to use that. (It's also purportedly faster on this lens...). I think the tiny motors built-in to the newer lenses will eventually wear out. I think this guy is simply more durable.Finally, I use two sites when choosing a lens: DXOMark and Flickr. DXO rates lenses objectively using an indexing scale and you can match lens performance to you camera body. There was one modern 50 by a 3rd party manufacturer that topped this one by a bit -- but it's a big, heavy, expensive behemoth. I can make just as good "ART" without lugging that thing around. No thanks. This lens was tied for 2nd among standard non-specialty "everyday" focal lengths. (Scrolling way down the list you start getting to your pricey pro zooms...) It was also a good bit cheaper (especially used and they're plentiful), smaller, and lighter. Then I went on Flickr -- some talented folks taking some amazing images with this lens.That comes as no surprise. This is a better lens than I am a photographer. Henry Cartier Bresson, Ralph Gibson, and others mostly shot a 50mm 1.4 their entire careers.Sold!

発送早くて梱包も丁寧で良かった。初オールドレンズ楽しみます

One of the best portrait lens.Even though this is a old generation lens this remains one of best lens from Nikon

LO COMPRE PENSANDO EN ACTIVIDA MI AFICIÓN POR LA FOTOGRAFÍA. EL 50 MM ES EL LENTE IDEAL PARA HACER FOTOGRAFÍA CREATIVA. COMPLETA MI EQUIPO DE OBJETIVOS.

ボケ感がすごく良いです。