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Nikon 50mm F/1.2 AI Lens
Price:
£315.21
+ £23.79 postage
Returns:
30 days return. Buyer pays for return postage.
Condition:
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Using a fixed focal length requires a certain degree of discipline when you are using it, but in the end you are forced to compose and think within a specific "frame" of composition. Foot zooming ends up being your only choice if you want to draw yourself in and our of a scene. I'm one of those people who has developed an "eye" for the 50mm focal length. Generally speaking, most photographers end up developing that "eye" for one or two focal lengths. What's the *real* advantage to this piece of glass? The speed of course. But more so than that, selective focus. Nikon doesn't make a faster lens than this, although f/1.2 apertures are available with their 58mm Noct (a $1,500 lens) and with their older (but not nearly as good) *55mm*. I don't have any other lens in my lineup that produces images like this one does. The selective focusing can at times be *startling*. But generally speaking you don't get selective focus (or depth of field) like this lens unless if you're using a fast telephoto prime. But you end up with the same sort of depth of field without having to be so far away from your subject. The AI-S version of this lens comes with a nice 9-bladed aperture. The AI version is only 7. If you can, seek out the AI-S version if at all possible. The out-of-focus rendering is nicer due to the 9-bladed aperture. Cons? Some photographers think that this lens is soft. My experience tells me something entirely different, with many 8 by 10 blowups of pictures taken wide open. Certainly I would never put this 50mm up against Nikon's 50mm f/2 in terms of overall performance. This lens was designed to give it's best performance at f/1.2 within the 5 to 15 feet (1.5 to 5 meters) range. If you stop this lens down to f/4, it equals the performance of any 50mm at any aperture. You would *never* want to use this lens with extension tubes or bellows. The performance of this lens is not designed around macro work. I happen to like the extremely low depth of field with macro work, but I concede that the performance decline is noticeable, even in the viewfinder. The other con to this lens is that since it does not have a CPU chip, there are many modern Nikon camera bodies that it will not meter with. Is it worth the $430 USD grey market price? If you are into selective focus, available light, or 50mm lenses (or any combination of the three) then it is very much worth the purchase. It can be had for roughly $250 USD on the used market. I purchased mine used a few years ago, and I think it was the best money that I've ever spent in terms of sheer *usefulness*Read full review
I bought this out of pure curiosity. It wasn't that expensive and 1.2 is a spectacular aperture that you mostly just read about. I've read many reviews about this lacking sharpness and contrasts wide open, but to be honest people saying that is overly critical or lacks good eyesight (and simple PP takes care of the contrasts). Of course at 1.2 it isn't as sharp as at 2-11, but which lens is? Shooting at 1.2 (which you should do all the time, otherwise, use another much cheaper lens) is really not for extreme documentary reasons, but for a specific (artistic) effect. the DOF is shallow of course, but the bokeh is to die for! Pure, pure cream (some times I deliberately shoot OOF just to see the effect). If you are shooting digital with cropfactor at about 1.5 this makes for a perfect portrait lens that is not surpassed by any other in this price range (a 85mm 1.4 costs much more and has a much longer near focus point inappropriate for casual shooting). I've even stopped taking credit for the pictures it produces, it's simply to easy to create a spectacular look. Only downside is the size and weight and limited field of use (since the other 50mm nikkor lenses is as good on all the other apertures).Read full review
If lens sharpness & contrast was the only to define a verdict this would be a 3.6 out of 5. Since it's built solidly, made of metal and paints an excellent bokeh I rate it a 4.4 out of 5. It benefits a lot from the HS-12 hood, so I recommend using it with the lens. It's also excellent to handle, the focusing feel is perfect and build quality is excellent. Easy to focus in low light as it gives a bright and clear view in the viewfinder. DoF scale is from f/5.6 to f/16. f/1.2 to f/1.4 - soft, vignetting (D3) and loss of contrast f/2 improves a lot, making it indeed usable f/2.8 further improves a lot, and starting at f/4 is where it paints best. If you need a bokeh lens and love to feast with that shallow depth of field, this is the lens you are looking for. I've uploaded some samples wide open & original resolution here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mureena/sets/72157604089158389/Read full review
Over the years I've had several samples of both this one and also the earlier 55mm version of the f/1.2. There was another f/1.2, the 58mm Noct Nikkor, but I have not as yet had the pleasure (or bank account balance) to try one of these. Both the 50mm and 55mm f/1.2 lenses indicated very similar optical characteristics, both being rather soft and lacking contrast at or near full aperture, and subject to flare. Both behaved well at f/2.8 and at smaller apertures. They are not lenses I would choose for everyday work, since they are heavy and of questionable value wide open. There is of course the sex appeal that such huge glass has, but I'd probably leave these on the shelf and choose something that delivers better optical performance.
At f5.6 this makes very sharp images rivalling the sharpness of my 105 VR prime lens, which cost £700 new. Build quality isn’t great but it’s cheap and excellent value for money. Great for non macro product photography
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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