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Details at a glance
Focal length: 50mm
Maximum aperture: f/1.8
Zoom: n/a
Minimum focus distance: 45cm
Size: 63 x 39 mm
Weight: 155g
We clicked with
Amazing sharpness in a small compact lens. Fast aperture for low light shooting.
Shots in the dark
For a pro lens this is slightly plasticky
Links
Nikon technical information
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Your DSLR probably came with a lens that covers 50mm rather nicely. It probably zooms out wider (great for your landscapes) and in further (so you can isolate details or just get closer to the action). Why on earth would you consider buying another lens that only "does" 50mm? Quality, baby, quality.
Anyone who knows me probably won't even bother reading this review. My opinion of this lens is well known and I recommend it to just about everyone I meet. If you want to spare yourself the entire review then just read these three words: just buy it. If you want to know why then read on...
The techie bit
This is a small, lightweight lens. It will slip in your pocket so easily you won't know it's there. Nikon list its vital statistics as 63.5mm X 39mm and weight as 155g. That's "
small and lightweight" to you and me. It has a manual aperture ring (though works perfectly with the cameras that control aperture from the camera itself which includes all Nikon DSLRs) and takes 52mm screw in filters. It is the "
old style" autofocus which is driven by a motor in the camera body. This is slightly slower and noisier than AF-S but this lens is far from slow at focusing.
This is very much an "old school" lens. As I already mentioned it has an aperture ring, it also has a distance scale on the manual focus ring and even an infra red compensation scale. This is a lens how they used to be built.
Why a 50mm?
Good question. A 50mm is the "
standard" lens on a 35mm film camera. The angle of view it gives is
roughly similar to human eyesight - put it on a film camera and pretty well what you see is what you get. This made it very attractive as a first or kit lens before zooms were of very high quality. Variants of this lens have been made and sold for over 20 years. On a Nikon digital SLR you get a crop factor of 1.5X - this makes it "
almost like" using a lens 1.5X as long so the lens becomes similar to a 75mm. Ask most pro portrait photographers what length of lens they like on film cameras and answers will tend to be around 70 - 110mm so our "
standard" lens now takes on a new life as a short telephoto that's very useful for portraits.
Performance
Stunning. You can go to Nikon and read their
MTF chart, you can even visit their page that tells you how to read an
MTF chart but I'll save you the bother. This is possibly the sharpest lens Nikon have ever made. On a head and shoulders portrait with film or a D2X you can check if the person is wearing contact lenses -
that sharp.
The 1.8 maximum aperture lets in loads of light and this helps in a couple of different ways. Firstly, you can take pictures when it's darker. Really - the wider you can open a lens (and remember, the smaller the F number, the bigger the hole!) the more light it lets through in a given time so you can take handheld pictures with this lens without flash that you just can't with your kit zoom lens. Secondly, when you look through your camera, you are always looking through the lens wide open. Since in this case that's "very wide open" the scene will be brighter and you will get a better view of what's going on. Crucially, the camera will also get a better view and allow the autofocus to work better and in lower light.
Value for money
This is the best bit. Usually on one of my courses, I rave about this lens, show it to the class and then ask them to guess how much it costs. Knowing Nikon pricing and the sheer quality of the lens, guesses have ranged from £200 - over £1,000.
Brand new this lens costs
less than £100. This is a relatively simple lens to make (no nasty zoom!) and has been made for over 20 years so the R&D costs are paid off. Even better, they have been around for years so there are plenty of "
pre owned" ones in the market. Second hand you often see them for £40 or so.
Compatibility
This lens will fit and work perfectly with any Nikon fit DSLR. This includes all the Nikon D series and the Fuji S series (such as the S3 Pro). If your camera is a different fit then it
won't work with this lens. If you use a Canon DSLR then you might want to check out Canon's 50 1.8 offering which is a very similar lens at a similar price.
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Build quality 
Optical quality 
Value for Money
Overall 
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Don't let the low price and plastic body put you off - this is a pro lens that you can use all day long to produce fantastic images. When the light goes down, open it up wide and it will still blow your kit lens away for sheer quality. Three word review? If you own a Nikon DSLR, "Just buy it".
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