Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S Review

Focusing Characteristics

The Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S autofocuses almost silently, with very impressive accuracy. Because of the f/1.2 maximum aperture, the lens focuses in very dark conditions without any issue. However, Nikon did trade a bit of focusing speed for increased accuracy – perhaps necessary at f/1.2, but if you intend to shoot sports at this focal length, you’d be better off with a lens like the Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S instead.

The close focusing distance of the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S is 45 centimeters (18 inches), allowing for a maximum magnification of 1:6.7 (or 0.15x magnification). This isn’t horrible but is nothing special. If you were planning to use this lens for wedding ring close-ups, you may be disappointed – otherwise, it should be enough for typical photographic needs.

Distortion

The Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S has hardly any distortion at all – in the lab, we measure a mere 0.21% pincushion distortion. Here’s a simulation of that level of distortion for context:

This amount of distortion is not a concern and will rarely, if ever, need to be corrected.

Vignetting

In uncorrected images, the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S has surprisingly reasonable levels of vignetting, even wide open. Here’s a full chart of the vignetting numbers that we measured:

The maximum of 1.81 stops is very good for an aperture of f/1.2. The lens also improves quickly upon stopping down to f/1.4 or f/2. Also, it has less vignetting as you focus more closely, as is the case in portrait photography. Nicely done by Nikon here!

Of course, the vignetting is still clearly noticeable at f/1.2, but it’s better than most other ultra-bright lenses in this regard.

Lateral Chromatic Aberration

There is a relatively low amount of lateral chromatic aberration on the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S at every aperture. Here’s the chart:

While this is a little bit higher than I had expected – this lens’s less expensive f/1.8 cousin maxes out at 0.76 pixels – it’s still not high enough to be concerning.

For context, anything under about one pixel of lateral CA in our measurements is almost impossible to notice in real-world images, even with chromatic aberration corrections turned off. Although the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S reaches slightly above that mark as you stop down, it never goes above 1.10 pixels of lateral CA, which really is not a concern.

Sharpness

The Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S is a very sharp lens. I had the opportunity to test two copies of this lens in the lab, and they both performed similarly. Here are the results:

The first copy was a little sharper in the center at f/1.2 through f/2, while the second copy was a little sharper in the center from f/4 to f/5.6. Midframe and corner performance is essentially the same on both copies, except for at f/2 specifically, where the second copy was a hair sharper.

In any case, this level of sharpness is quite high. Even at f/1.2 in the corners, you’ll resolve plenty of detail. Portrait photographers who intend to compose their subject in the midframe or center of the image have even less to worry about – the lens is top notch in both areas. (We do measure a small amount of focus shift from f/1.2 to f/2, so in that range, you’ll want to make sure that you set the aperture first and focus second.)

Perhaps the bigger question is whether the lens is too sharp given that it’s possible to reveal too many unflattering details on your subject’s face. Personally, I believe that it’s better to have the capability to take very sharp photos, and then use less sharpening, texture, and clarity in post-processing. So, even in a portrait lens, I prefer a high amount of resolving power. If your opinion differs, just know that the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S is definitely on the very sharp side of the scale.

That said, photographers who are simply after maximum sharpness may be just as well off with the less expensive Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S, as you’ll see on the next page of this review.

Bokeh

Bokeh is another word for the qualities of the background blur in a photo. “Good” bokeh is subjective, since different photographers have their own preferences for how the background blur looks. That said, photographers commonly want their background blur to be soft, not distracting. Out-of-focus highlights that are round, uniform, and soft-edged are usually considered favorable.

You’ll see more about bokeh on the next page of this review, where I compared the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S head-to-head against other portrait-oriented Nikon Z lenses. However, I do want to show a few examples in this section as well. Overall, I love the bokeh from this lens, and the ability to shoot at f/1.2 is addicting.

Out-of-focus backgrounds are definitely smoothest at f/1.2, with a little bit of angularity appearing as you stop down. As you’ll see on the following page of this review, there is a bit of a cat’s-eye shape to the background blur in the corners at f/1.2.

The next page of this review dives into the sharpness numbers a bit more, with some comparisons against other lenses that Nikon users may be considering. So, click the menu below to go to “Lens Comparisons”: