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The AF-S 50 f1.4G - honest thoughts?

  
 
GiovanniAprea
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p.1 #1 · The AF-S 50 f1.4G - honest thoughts?


Is it a worth AF 50mm for Nikon F bayonet or kinda like "it gets sharp from f2 onwards..."?


Jun 13, 2026 at 10:39 AM
SoaringSprite
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p.1 #2 · The AF-S 50 f1.4G - honest thoughts?


I took some of my favorite photos with that lens. You can check out my 50mm f/1.4G gallery and see what you think. I really enjoyed that lens. It's not pin-sharp at f/1.4, but sharp enough. I was shooting it on the D600, D610 and D750. I've also tried it adapted to the Z8 and it's pretty good, but of course not as good as the Z 50mm f/1.8 S.

AF-S 50mm f/1.4 G Gallery



Jun 13, 2026 at 10:57 AM
GiovanniAprea
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p.1 #3 · The AF-S 50 f1.4G - honest thoughts?


SoaringSprite wrote:
I took some of my favorite photos with that lens. You can check out my 50mm f/1.4G gallery and see what you think. I really enjoyed that lens. It's not pin-sharp at f/1.4, but sharp enough. I was shooting it on the D600, D610 and D750. I've also tried it adapted to the Z8 and it's pretty good, but of course not as good as the Z 50mm f/1.8 S.

AF-S 50mm f/1.4 G Gallery


I found one for a couple hundred bucks and thinking to give it a try, I love 50 and 85 millimeter focal lengths, I got a beautiful 58G and the 60G on F mount and the 50/1.8S on the Z mount besides a manual focus 50/1.7 Contax and an f2 Nikkor Auto which I either adapt on the Z or use on Nikon film cameras but always been looking for an AF substitute.

Never read wonders about the f1.4G but I like your gallery, I am biased because there is a lot of animals, vegetation and wings so I am not objective into evaluating the pictures ;-) but it could be a compact and native solution for my D8xx and Fxx bodies.

Thank you




Jun 13, 2026 at 12:01 PM
loudtiger
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p.1 #4 · The AF-S 50 f1.4G - honest thoughts?


I like the 50/1.8 AF-S over the 1.4.


Jun 13, 2026 at 01:27 PM
misteracng
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p.1 #5 · The AF-S 50 f1.4G - honest thoughts?


50 1.4g is very similar to the afd version essentially a traditional spherical design, looks nice, sharp but with aberrations wide open, the 50 1.8g actually has an aspherical element so it’s a bit more modern and sharp wide open,


Jun 14, 2026 at 10:25 PM
GiovanniAprea
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p.1 #6 · The AF-S 50 f1.4G - honest thoughts?


I like the 50mm focal length and I am very happy with the 58G but it's not a versatile lens nor is a lens I'd take with me on unsafe for the lens conditions and as such looking for a reliable 50 in F mount (F100-D8x0-Fuji S5Pro) with AF and usable at f1.4 if it needs, I know the f1.8 is sharper but it's not an f1.4 and so far it seems the only alternatives are the huge Sigma Art or the Tokina which also is a very big lens.


Jun 15, 2026 at 01:16 AM
mivadep
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p.1 #7 · The AF-S 50 f1.4G - honest thoughts?


There's also an older 50mm f/1.4 lens from Sigma: https://phillipreeve.net/blog/review-sigma-50mm-1-4-ex-still-worth-getting-in-2020/. Looks to me like a decent (and cheap) option if your focus is more on portraiture.


Jun 15, 2026 at 09:27 AM
 


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CATProductions
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p.1 #8 · The AF-S 50 f1.4G - honest thoughts?


I have the 50/1.4 D, the 50/1.8 G and several other F mount 50mm lenses as well as modern Z mount lenses like the 50 S and CV 50/2 and I like having both as they’re really different. Sometimes, in some situations, that vintage look wide-open with strong aberrations is great.


Jun 15, 2026 at 09:53 AM
mawz
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p.1 #9 · The AF-S 50 f1.4G - honest thoughts?


GiovanniAprea wrote:
Is it a worth AF 50mm for Nikon F bayonet or kinda like "it gets sharp from f2 onwards..."?


It's another in a long line of 'just buy the same generation f2/f1.8, it's cheaper and pretty much identical in performance' 50/1.4's from Nikon.

IMHO the only 50/1.4 designs from Nikon worth buying over the f2 or f1.8 equivalents are the first (the 5cm f1.4 Sonnar in Nikon S or LTM mounts) and the last (the Z 50/1.4, which while not as good optically as the f1.8 S, has a delightful rendering making it quite a different lens from the f1.8 S)

The 58G is a different story entirely. Lovely lens.



Jun 18, 2026 at 09:03 AM
GiovanniAprea
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p.1 #10 · The AF-S 50 f1.4G - honest thoughts?


mawz wrote:
It's another in a long line of 'just buy the same generation f2/f1.8, it's cheaper and pretty much identical in performance' 50/1.4's from Nikon.

IMHO the only 50/1.4 designs from Nikon worth buying over the f2 or f1.8 equivalents are the first (the 5cm f1.4 Sonnar in Nikon S or LTM mounts) and the last (the Z 50/1.4, which while not as good optically as the f1.8 S, has a delightful rendering making it quite a different lens from the f1.8 S)

The 58G is a different story entirely. Lovely lens.


I am looking for a worth 50mm from Nikon since ages, I managed to give away the 50/1.4D which was ok on a DX sensor but meh on FF and bleah on modern dense ones, I like the 50S on the Z but the bokeh is nothing to scream home about, I have an old 50/2 manual focus and it has a very interesting rendering but focusing it on a D-SLR is no easy exercise especially for that kind of semi-candid shots or wide open, I have the 58G which is one of a very kind but for easy going or when going abroad I rather prefer something less flashy and not as expensive should anything happen, the Sigma Art is huge as far as I remember, the Tokina I have never seen in person but also a big lens and both expensive and rare on the used market, there really isn't much in AF fashion for the F mount uh!?



Jun 18, 2026 at 12:27 PM
Ripolini
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p.1 #11 · The AF-S 50 f1.4G - honest thoughts?


If your budget isn’t too tight, buy a brand-new 50/1.4G. If you don’t like the way it renders, return it:
https://www.nikonstore.it/obiettivi-fotografici/obiettivi-dslr/nikkor-fx/af-s-nikkor-50mm-f-1-4g/
or buy a second-hand item from an online shop so that you can make use of your right of withdrawal:
https://www.newoldcamera.com/Scheda.aspx?Codice=26U1781
https://www.rcefoto.com/en/data-sheet/nikon-af-s-50mm-f1-4-g/



Jun 18, 2026 at 12:41 PM
LostLensCap
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p.1 #12 · The AF-S 50 f1.4G - honest thoughts?


I had one for a while and it was sharp from f/2 on and f/1.4 in a pinch. I use a f/1.8 now and am happy with it.


Jun 18, 2026 at 12:48 PM
mawz
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p.1 #13 · The AF-S 50 f1.4G - honest thoughts?


GiovanniAprea wrote:
I am looking for a worth 50mm from Nikon since ages, I managed to give away the 50/1.4D which was ok on a DX sensor but meh on FF and bleah on modern dense ones, I like the 50S on the Z but the bokeh is nothing to scream home about, I have an old 50/2 manual focus and it has a very interesting rendering but focusing it on a D-SLR is no easy exercise especially for that kind of semi-candid shots or wide open, I have the 58G which is one of a very kind but for easy going
...Show more

Get a 50/1.8G for cheap, or go a bit wider with the excellent Tamron 45/1.8, those are pretty much the best AF options at a size that isn't the Sigma 50 Art.



Jun 18, 2026 at 02:48 PM







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