I own the z6 and two z lenses the 50 and the 35, i am sad and must agree with marco, all the z lenses are super sharp and contrasty with nice bokeh but the images are really flat as cardboard, i have the nokton 58 1.4 also and that lens is superior in case of dimensionality so called 3d pop. The 35mm has a little 3d pop. I would like to see a nikon autofocus 35 f2 with the same optical formula as the af-d variant, a fantastic character lens, or the 50 1.8 d. Sorry for my bad english.
Jacob
March 5, 2020 8:42 am
With a 50mm 1.2 Z lens announced for later this year, I am wondering whether to get the 1.8 or to wait and compare. Does anyone already know roughly what the price and weight difference between the two is likely to be?
Pieter Kers
August 12, 2019 5:11 am
I think the focus by wire is a problem… changing focus without me wanting it is not very nice… very often it is important to me that focus is fixed in place- for instance with a panorama or architectural shots, not to mention time-lapse. Also LR must give the photographer the choice to NOT apply the lens profile… these things put me off… Computational photography should add features, not trash features… While Nikon is making compact S-lenses the funny thing is some are larger than the F-series, like this one and the 35mm… still i like the choice they have made, although i recently go for heavy no-compromize lenses as the Sigma 40mm f1.4- corners the are fabulous at f1.4 are worth a lot to me.
PeterTaylor
August 3, 2019 1:26 am
I am not yet very familiar with this lens shooting wide open but my initial impressions are that the bokeh is a bit nervous. Has anyone experienced the same?
Dan T
July 11, 2019 1:45 pm
Thanks for the review! A bit late to the party, but I have a question or two regarding the bokeh.
I know the Nikon 58/1.4 G is appreciated for its bokeh here at Photographylife. How would you rate the bokeh of the 50 S compared to that one? And the 50 S bokeh compared to the Sigma 50 Art?
CAT Pro
July 10, 2019 6:47 am
Thanks for the review, Nasim. Any plans to review the Sigma 40 1.4 Art? I think you might be surprised by the superb numbers you get if/when you test that lens. It’s large & heavy but optically incredible (easily better than the 50 1.4 Art IMO).
iceman
July 3, 2019 8:05 pm
I am not a fan of 50mm focal length, so will think of getting 35mm f1,8s and portrait lens, in addtion to trinity kit 14-30 f4s ,24-70 f4s and 70-200 f4s.
Just a thought but you could get the 24-70 2.8s instead of the f4 version and skip the prime lenses altogether ;-)
Personally, I am a huge fan of 50mm lenses. To me, they are more inspiring than 35mm and more versatile than 85mm.
I already have the 24-70mm f4, the 50mm 1.8s and the 70-300 AF-P.
But my trinity might eventually consist of: 24-70 2.8s / 50mm 1.8 / 70-200 f4
Yeah, and perhaps the 14-30 as well :))
François
July 3, 2019 9:59 am
It is patent that contemporary photographic tastes have been increasingly bent on sharpness. The results are certainly superb, but to my eye this lens (like a number of others), is just oversharp, and I don’t quite like the rendering. (Ok with landscapes, but not so much with people.) This goes hand in hand with the contemporary taste for overprocessed photographs, which gives an over-the-top aspect to too many of them. Now, it’s still better to have an oversharp lens than an over-processed picture. Due to the prevalence of smartphones, our eyes have become used to oversharpened pictures, and many people will regard a “standard” photograph as “flat.” The new digital technologies have deeply changed our aesthetic perceptions. Now, it always remains possible to reduce the sharpness of an image in post-production, perhaps even to add grain, so it’s still fine to have a sharp lens…
François, more sharpness often leads to less pleasing bokeh – which is a bit more complicated to fix in post. I know there are tons of apps for every manipulation, but I still like the tools without the need of additional apps.
emcee
July 1, 2019 5:20 pm
Nasim, is the 50mm f/1.8 S not made of metal? In the hand the focusing ring feels much colder to the touch than the rubbery 24-70 f/4 S.
Zoheb Munshi
June 30, 2019 7:29 pm
Thank you for the timely review. I just purchased the 50mm 1.8S to and it is superb! Its a great companion with my 24-70 f4.
Hi Friends,
I own the z6 and two z lenses the 50 and the 35, i am sad and must agree with marco, all the z lenses are super sharp and contrasty with nice bokeh but the images are really flat as cardboard, i have the nokton 58 1.4 also and that lens is superior in case of dimensionality so called 3d pop. The 35mm has a little 3d pop. I would like to see a nikon autofocus 35 f2 with the same optical formula as the af-d variant, a fantastic character lens, or the 50 1.8 d. Sorry for my bad english.
With a 50mm 1.2 Z lens announced for later this year, I am wondering whether to get the 1.8 or to wait and compare. Does anyone already know roughly what the price and weight difference between the two is likely to be?
I think the focus by wire is a problem… changing focus without me wanting it is not very nice…
very often it is important to me that focus is fixed in place- for instance with a panorama or architectural shots, not to mention time-lapse. Also LR must give the photographer the choice to NOT apply the lens profile… these things put me off…
Computational photography should add features, not trash features…
While Nikon is making compact S-lenses the funny thing is some are larger than the F-series, like this one and the 35mm… still i like the choice they have made, although i recently go for heavy no-compromize lenses as the Sigma 40mm f1.4- corners the are fabulous at f1.4 are worth a lot to me.
I am not yet very familiar with this lens shooting wide open but my initial impressions are that the bokeh is a bit nervous. Has anyone experienced the same?
Thanks for the review! A bit late to the party, but I have a question or two regarding the bokeh.
I know the Nikon 58/1.4 G is appreciated for its bokeh here at Photographylife. How would you rate the bokeh of the 50 S compared to that one? And the 50 S bokeh compared to the Sigma 50 Art?
Thanks for the review, Nasim. Any plans to review the Sigma 40 1.4 Art? I think you might be surprised by the superb numbers you get if/when you test that lens. It’s large & heavy but optically incredible (easily better than the 50 1.4 Art IMO).
I am not a fan of 50mm focal length, so will think of getting 35mm f1,8s and portrait lens, in addtion to trinity kit 14-30 f4s ,24-70 f4s and 70-200 f4s.
Hi Iceman,
Just a thought but you could get the 24-70 2.8s instead of the f4 version and skip the prime lenses altogether ;-)
Personally, I am a huge fan of 50mm lenses. To me, they are more inspiring than 35mm and more versatile than 85mm.
I already have the 24-70mm f4, the 50mm 1.8s and the 70-300 AF-P.
But my trinity might eventually consist of: 24-70 2.8s / 50mm 1.8 / 70-200 f4
Yeah, and perhaps the 14-30 as well :))
It is patent that contemporary photographic tastes have been increasingly bent on sharpness. The results are certainly superb, but to my eye this lens (like a number of others), is just oversharp, and I don’t quite like the rendering. (Ok with landscapes, but not so much with people.) This goes hand in hand with the contemporary taste for overprocessed photographs, which gives an over-the-top aspect to too many of them. Now, it’s still better to have an oversharp lens than an over-processed picture.
Due to the prevalence of smartphones, our eyes have become used to oversharpened pictures, and many people will regard a “standard” photograph as “flat.” The new digital technologies have deeply changed our aesthetic perceptions.
Now, it always remains possible to reduce the sharpness of an image in post-production, perhaps even to add grain, so it’s still fine to have a sharp lens…
François, more sharpness often leads to less pleasing bokeh – which is a bit more complicated to fix in post. I know there are tons of apps for every manipulation, but I still like the tools without the need of additional apps.
Nasim, is the 50mm f/1.8 S not made of metal? In the hand the focusing ring feels much colder to the touch than the rubbery 24-70 f/4 S.
Thank you for the timely review. I just purchased the 50mm 1.8S to and it is superb! Its a great companion with my 24-70 f4.