Nikon 50mm f/1.8G Review
Today we're looking at one of the staple Nikon lenses that should belong in any photographer's bag, the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G. Coming in as Nikon's second cheapest prime lens, it performs excellently for its price and delivers outstanding quality and sharpness that will smoke the professional Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G you just paid ten times more for.
Coming in at only 187g, the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G is a light and versatile normal prime lens that's great for a variety of shooting situations. With a wide-open aperture of f/1.8, it collects more than twice the amount of light as the best professional zooms and over eight times as much light as cheaper f/5.6 zooms such as your standard 18-55mm kit lenses. It's light enough that on smaller FX cameras such as a D750, it serves as a great walking around kit. On Nikon's DX (crop format) cameras, it's equivalent to a 75mm lens, making it great for general portraiture.
This lens is highly recommended and is a must buy for most photographers and really belongs in the bag of all photographers, amateur to advanced professionals.
Coming in at only 187g, the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G is a light and versatile normal prime lens that's great for a variety of shooting situations. With a wide-open aperture of f/1.8, it collects more than twice the amount of light as the best professional zooms and over eight times as much light as cheaper f/5.6 zooms such as your standard 18-55mm kit lenses. It's light enough that on smaller FX cameras such as a D750, it serves as a great walking around kit. On Nikon's DX (crop format) cameras, it's equivalent to a 75mm lens, making it great for general portraiture.
This lens is highly recommended and is a must buy for most photographers and really belongs in the bag of all photographers, amateur to advanced professionals.
Optically, this lens is superb. You can pay over twice as much for the slightly faster Nikon 50mm f/1.4G, but optically, this 50mm f/1.8G is better, it's much lighter and it even has an aspherical element (perhaps the cheapest lens to do so), this makes the design more efficient and minimises spherical abberation.
As part of my personal and professional work, along with various testing I do to bring you all the reviews on this site, I've come across and used some very popular and lauded lenses such as the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G and the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART. Whilst both those lenses have very unique characteristics that somewhat justify their asking price, on a value metric, this Nikon 50mm f/1.8G is simply the best.
Unlike some people who like to shoot expensive gear for the sake of it, I'm a strong proponent of value. I like this lens because it represents extremely good value. It's very affordable, but it's certainly not built cheaply. Its optics are excellent and its construction is reasonably good for a lens of its cost. Unlike the cheaper Canon 50mm f/1.8 II, this Nikon 50mm f/1.8G has a metal mount. Its barrel is made of hard plastics and it has full-time manual focus override, so you can enter MF with a twist of the MF ring.
As part of my personal and professional work, along with various testing I do to bring you all the reviews on this site, I've come across and used some very popular and lauded lenses such as the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G and the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART. Whilst both those lenses have very unique characteristics that somewhat justify their asking price, on a value metric, this Nikon 50mm f/1.8G is simply the best.
Unlike some people who like to shoot expensive gear for the sake of it, I'm a strong proponent of value. I like this lens because it represents extremely good value. It's very affordable, but it's certainly not built cheaply. Its optics are excellent and its construction is reasonably good for a lens of its cost. Unlike the cheaper Canon 50mm f/1.8 II, this Nikon 50mm f/1.8G has a metal mount. Its barrel is made of hard plastics and it has full-time manual focus override, so you can enter MF with a twist of the MF ring.
Specifications
What's in the Box
The 50mm f/1.8G comes with everything expected, packaged nicely in a gold Nikon box. Nothing special, nothing to complain about:
It's packaged safely in a plastic container that would protect it from knocks in shipping, not fancy or pretty, but it does the job better than most systems I've seen.
- Nikon 50mm f/1.8G lens itself
- HB-47 Lens Hood
- Front and rear caps
- Soft pouch
It's packaged safely in a plastic container that would protect it from knocks in shipping, not fancy or pretty, but it does the job better than most systems I've seen.
Sharpness and Optical Quality
The Nikon 50mm f/1.8G is a very sharp lens. In fact, it's sharper than most lenses that are ten times the price. This isn't unexpected, 50mm lenses are usually extremely sharp due to their focal length not requiring more than a simple double-Gaussain design, similar to how 35mm and 85mm lenses are also fantastically sharp. It's much harder to engineer a zoom or a wide-angle lens requiring a retrofocal group.
Wide-open, it's very sharp right in the centre of frame. It's not quite as sharp in the corners but this doesn't matter because very rarely does anyone shoot f/1.8 and subjects flat enough to require corner sharpness. For most people, we shoot f/1.8 when we want defocused backgrounds and our subjects are in the centre of frame. If you want corner sharpness wide-open, the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 can't be beat, you pay five times more, though.
First, we'll take a look at 3 samples, shot on a Nikon D600 at normal viewing sizes shot at f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/5.6 (in that order). This lens reaches peak sharpness at f/5.6, so there's no reason stopping down beyond that unless you need more depth of field.
Wide-open, it's very sharp right in the centre of frame. It's not quite as sharp in the corners but this doesn't matter because very rarely does anyone shoot f/1.8 and subjects flat enough to require corner sharpness. For most people, we shoot f/1.8 when we want defocused backgrounds and our subjects are in the centre of frame. If you want corner sharpness wide-open, the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 can't be beat, you pay five times more, though.
First, we'll take a look at 3 samples, shot on a Nikon D600 at normal viewing sizes shot at f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/5.6 (in that order). This lens reaches peak sharpness at f/5.6, so there's no reason stopping down beyond that unless you need more depth of field.
You get much more depth of field at f/5.6 compared to f/1.8, but at these normal viewing sizes, I don't see any difference in sharpness. The focus was on the "1:2.8D" text. If we look at the point of focus at f/1.8 compared with at f/5.6, I see they have the same biting sharpness. At f/2.8, this 50mm f/1.8G will be smoking that Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G lens you paid ten times more for. I do see an improvement in contrast going from f/1.8 to f/5.6, though I think this is due to better control of chromatic aberration (which often affects IQ more than sharpness does) at f/5.6.
See how in all of these pictures, the corners are not in sharp focus? That's why corner sharpness doesn't bother me too much for a lens like this. Even in landscapes, very rarely do people analyse the corners, only photographers do.
We'll look at some 100% crops to see if we can see any image quality differences between the three samples. Note that at f/5.6, I'm shooting at above ISO6400 and there's quite a fair bit of noise visible at 100%, but that it's remarkably clean at normal viewing sizes.
See how in all of these pictures, the corners are not in sharp focus? That's why corner sharpness doesn't bother me too much for a lens like this. Even in landscapes, very rarely do people analyse the corners, only photographers do.
We'll look at some 100% crops to see if we can see any image quality differences between the three samples. Note that at f/5.6, I'm shooting at above ISO6400 and there's quite a fair bit of noise visible at 100%, but that it's remarkably clean at normal viewing sizes.
Transitioning from f/1.8 to f/2.8, at 100% crops, we do see a noticeable perceived sharpness improvement, with cleaner lines between the black background and gold text. This is probably a combination of higher resolution, better control of chromatic aberration and an increase in contrast as we stop down the lens. Of course, more is in focus, but that's given.
Moving to f/5.6, we don't see much of a change. To my eye, the transition between the black to gold text "1:2.8D" look exactly the same and I don't feel that f/5.6 is any sharper. I would say that in theory, it might be sharper, but in reality, this lens has achieved peak sharpness around 1 stop down from its maximum aperture, which is a very respectable performance.
Next, let's shoot it out at f/2.8 against the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G at 50mm and f/2.8 as well and see who wins in this little prime vs. zooms comparison. I'm actually writing this before I even shoot the test, but I know that the 50mm f/1.8G will probably take the crown. 50mm lenses are always knife edge sharp. Whilst people often praise the quality of zooms, very rarely to they achieve the same raw sharpness as primes. Looking at the results, it's clear that at normal viewing sizes, there is no difference, as expected. (Top - 50mm, Bottom - 24-70mm)
Moving to f/5.6, we don't see much of a change. To my eye, the transition between the black to gold text "1:2.8D" look exactly the same and I don't feel that f/5.6 is any sharper. I would say that in theory, it might be sharper, but in reality, this lens has achieved peak sharpness around 1 stop down from its maximum aperture, which is a very respectable performance.
Next, let's shoot it out at f/2.8 against the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G at 50mm and f/2.8 as well and see who wins in this little prime vs. zooms comparison. I'm actually writing this before I even shoot the test, but I know that the 50mm f/1.8G will probably take the crown. 50mm lenses are always knife edge sharp. Whilst people often praise the quality of zooms, very rarely to they achieve the same raw sharpness as primes. Looking at the results, it's clear that at normal viewing sizes, there is no difference, as expected. (Top - 50mm, Bottom - 24-70mm)
If there's anything I'm really surprised about, it's the much warmer rendering of the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G despite keeping the same white balance. I think this is Nikon's Nano Crystal Coat coming into play, giving it a bit more contrast in general and a slightly warmer, more saturated look. It does look nicer, but nothing you can't quickly fix up by boosting the contrast and saturation later.
At 100%, it's as I had predicted, the 50mm f/1.8G is sharper, it's close, however. But that does show how great the 50mm f/1.8G really is. As one of Nikon's cheapest lenses, it out does a professional staple lens costing over 10 times as much. The focus point is the "1:2.8D" text (the "ED" is also on the same plane).
At 100%, it's as I had predicted, the 50mm f/1.8G is sharper, it's close, however. But that does show how great the 50mm f/1.8G really is. As one of Nikon's cheapest lenses, it out does a professional staple lens costing over 10 times as much. The focus point is the "1:2.8D" text (the "ED" is also on the same plane).
Mechanical Quality
The mechanical quality of this Nikon 50mm f/1.8G is good, not bad, not excellent. For the price you're paying, you get stellar optics and nice construction. I assume that most people who would buy this lens wouldn't be shooting it for longer than ten years or so. It's much more likely that Nikon's Silent Wave Motor inside the lens dies before the plastic outer casing breaks.
Its construction is decent, it'll survive being thrown around in a camera bag and can probably take some light abuse. Because it's so much lighter than tougher lenses such as the 24-70mm f/2.8G, I would predict that this little 50mm f/1.8G with very little moving parts will survive a small drop and bumps much better than larger, heavier lenses. For the physicists out there, you would know this is because this little lens has much less momentum and that plastic is much better at absorbing shock than metal.
Using this lens is a treat. It's very light at 187g, meaning it won't break your back and it's light enough to take with you everywhere, especially paired with a lighter camera such as the D750 or D600.
Its construction is decent, it'll survive being thrown around in a camera bag and can probably take some light abuse. Because it's so much lighter than tougher lenses such as the 24-70mm f/2.8G, I would predict that this little 50mm f/1.8G with very little moving parts will survive a small drop and bumps much better than larger, heavier lenses. For the physicists out there, you would know this is because this little lens has much less momentum and that plastic is much better at absorbing shock than metal.
Using this lens is a treat. It's very light at 187g, meaning it won't break your back and it's light enough to take with you everywhere, especially paired with a lighter camera such as the D750 or D600.
Samples and Real World Performance
This is the most important section. How well a lens performs in a corner of my room isn't all that relevant to how it performs in the real world. Sharpness is just one part of the equation. It doesn't matter how sharp a lens is if it's impractical or if it's never taken out of your bag. There's a reason why I prefer this Nikon 50mm f/1.8G over my sharper Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART, its weight. Personally, the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G is great for me because it's extremely easy to shoot one-handed. It's not front heavy like the Sigma so it balances very nicely especially on a smaller body such as the D610 or D750.
I use this lens for a variety of applications. It serves excellently as a 'walking around' lens because it's capable of capturing most of what you see with your eyes quite naturally and easily. Unlike zooms which encourage you to be lazy and to frame by twisting your wrist, primes encourage you to work with the focal lengths you have and to move around and find better vantage points. Interestingly enough, this leads to better photos, the more you're looking, seeing and visualising, the better your photos will be. Taking photos isn't about taking as many shots as you can or carrying enough lenses to break your back, it's about seeing, feeling and capturing what you see.
I use this lens for a variety of applications. It serves excellently as a 'walking around' lens because it's capable of capturing most of what you see with your eyes quite naturally and easily. Unlike zooms which encourage you to be lazy and to frame by twisting your wrist, primes encourage you to work with the focal lengths you have and to move around and find better vantage points. Interestingly enough, this leads to better photos, the more you're looking, seeing and visualising, the better your photos will be. Taking photos isn't about taking as many shots as you can or carrying enough lenses to break your back, it's about seeing, feeling and capturing what you see.
Recommendations
The Nikon 50mm f/1.8G is one of the lenses that deserves to be in every photographer's toolkit. Unless you already have an alternative, such as the 50mm f/1.4G, this light, fast, nifty lens does a great job as both a general walking around lens and a fully professional optic fully capable of delivering excellent image quality. Sure, you can blow ten times as much on a 24-70mm f/2.8 if you really need to zoom, but if you don't shoot events and weddings professionally, save yourself the cash and get this 50mm f/1.8G instead. It has better image quality, is lighter and works better in low light because of its much larger aperture.
Compared to the older Nikon 50mm f/1.8D, I prefer this newer lens. Not only is the image quality better because of the newer optical design, but it also has an SWM inbuilt for autofocus on all of Nikon's DSLRs and silently too. The older 50mm f/1.8D won't autofocus on the D3000 and D5000 series of bodies and even on the higher end bodies, autofocus is noisy and can suffer from backlash. The newer lens is slightly more expensive, but over a long period of the time, the added benefits such as additional sharpness, better build quality, full time manual focus override and silent autofocus will pay for itself. For those that care, the older lens has a telescoping front element as it focuses (meaning if you hit it on something, you're likely to damage the AF mechanism) and the front rotates as it focuses, meaning using circular polarisers and graduated neutral density filters are a pain (important for all you landscape guys).
The Nikon 50mm f/1.8G is excellent, get yourself one and start shooting!
Compared to the older Nikon 50mm f/1.8D, I prefer this newer lens. Not only is the image quality better because of the newer optical design, but it also has an SWM inbuilt for autofocus on all of Nikon's DSLRs and silently too. The older 50mm f/1.8D won't autofocus on the D3000 and D5000 series of bodies and even on the higher end bodies, autofocus is noisy and can suffer from backlash. The newer lens is slightly more expensive, but over a long period of the time, the added benefits such as additional sharpness, better build quality, full time manual focus override and silent autofocus will pay for itself. For those that care, the older lens has a telescoping front element as it focuses (meaning if you hit it on something, you're likely to damage the AF mechanism) and the front rotates as it focuses, meaning using circular polarisers and graduated neutral density filters are a pain (important for all you landscape guys).
The Nikon 50mm f/1.8G is excellent, get yourself one and start shooting!