(84 views/week)
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Review Date
July 31, 2008
Overall Rating
 5 of 5
Value Rating
 5 of 5
Used product for
Less than 1 month
Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 2 votes
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Reviewed by
al5652
, Expert
Price Paid
$110.00
at BH
Photography Experience
21+ years
, Outdoor
Summary
I had a D80 with 18-135 and 70-300 VR. I bought this lens to use mostly in museums where flash is not allowed also to use it with Nikon CLS system with my SD600 flash. I also own older lenses and Nikon bodies. I used 50 f/2 AI and 50 f/1.4 AI on my D80 before.
Strengths
This is a very sharp lens even at f/1.8. At f/1.8 the DOF is very shallow so nailing the focus is very important. In my opinion some of the complaints of softness come from the unfocused results. It is hard to focus in dim places and at night inside homes. The focusing light on D80 helps so it should be turned on. 50 f/1.8 is at the same league as 50 f/2 AI which is sharp from corner to corner, f/2 to f/16. 50 f/1.4 is not very good from f/1.4 to f/4 but sharpness peaks at f/5.6 and f/8. I can easily get the same results from 50 f/1.8 at f/2.8 compared to 18-135 at f/7.1 with of course DOF difference.
Weaknesses
It is very weakly built. It gives a lot of resistance when screwing the lens compared to smooth operation of 18-135 or 70-300VR.
Similar Products Used
Nikkor 50 f/2 AI, 50 f/1.4 AI, 55 f/3.5 non-AI micro Nikkor, 50 f/1.7 Minolta
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Review Date
June 19, 2008
Overall Rating
5 of 5
Value Rating
5 of 5
Used product for
More than 1 year
Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 1 votes
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Reviewed by
jorgemonkey
, Expert
Price Paid
$0.00
at Ebay
Photography Experience
2-5 years
, People
Summary
I got this lens as a freebie when I bought one of my D2h's. I didn't use it at all because of the $100 price tag on it, I didn't think it would be that great of a lens.
After my son was born 3 months ago this lens has stayed on my camera. Its sharp from 1.8 to 22. It focuses quick and it does the job. Personally I think Nikon could raise the price by $100-$200 and people would still buy this lens.
It is built on a plastic body, so it feels cheap and like you'll break it easily. Thats one of the reasons I didn't use it at first.
Strengths
F1.8 aperture
AF speed
Price is by far one of its greatest strengths
Weaknesses
Build quality. I would like to see a version build on a metal body
Lens is a little noisy while focusing, but isnt' annoying until its really quiet and you have to focus
Similar Products Used
Nikon 50mm 1.8 AIS
Customer Service
I've used Nikon's service a couple times, and have been very impressed with them.
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Review Date
June 7, 2008
Overall Rating
 4 of 5
Value Rating
 4 of 5
Used product for
1 to 3 months
Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 2 votes
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Reviewed by
JGaban
, Intermediate
Price Paid
$110.00
at Kuala Lumpur
Photography Experience
2-5 years
, Outdoor
Summary
Took a series of photo from 1.8 to 22.0 to see sharpness and bokeh. Very soft at 1.8 and improving as the aperture decreases. Maximum sharpeness achieved at 6.3 with no discernable change in sharpeness thereafter. Background blur (Bokeh) at 1.8 is very good but not as great as some of the photos I have seen. Bokeh effect becomes ineffective at 3.2.
camera: D80
Strengths
cheap
fast & accurate autofocus on my d80
light
Weaknesses
very soft picture at wide aperture
Similar Products Used
none
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Review Date
March 7, 2008
Overall Rating
 2 of 5
Value Rating
 3 of 5
Used product for
1 to 3 months
Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 2 votes
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Reviewed by
Sosh
, Expert
Price Paid
$79.00
at microglobe.co.uk
Photography Experience
6-10 years
, Outdoor
Summary
I don't know why so many people rave about this lens. Perhaps it's a quality control issue, but I've been extremely disappointed with my copy.
I was hoping for a reasonably sharp prime lens, but this lens is soft - even compared to my 18-70 zoom.
Admittedly it does get better after f/2.8 - but still not great. Less that 2.8 is unacceptably soft in my opinion - so is of little use. Colour reproduction and contrast are also not great.
The build quality is very shabby - it feels like 'disposable' kit. The aperture ring is loose. The lens requires some degree of force to twist on to the body, I can only assume this is because of poor engineering tolerances.
Maybe the 1.4 is better, but I will be likely be selling mine.
Strengths
Low price
Weaknesses
Soft
Very poor build quality
No lens case supplied
Slow focussing
Poor colour reproduction and contrast
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Review Date
January 14, 2008
Overall Rating
5 of 5
Value Rating
5 of 5
Used product for
1 to 3 months
Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 4 votes
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Reviewed by
sharpie05
, Intermediate
Price Paid
$99.00
at Ritz Camera
Photography Experience
2-5 years
, Other
Summary
This lens is great! Fast aperture and SHARP too! It does bloom a little at ƒ/1,8 but as soon as you start stopping down it gets extremely sharp. I found the sweet spot to be a low 2.8!
The dept of field is crazy. Youll have to watch how touchy it is when you take pictures of people- Its easy to get a second person, or even facial features out of focus!
Autofocus is dead-on, though this may have more to do with the cameras and not the lens. I found the AF to be pretty fast, but then again, I am using it on a D50 and N90S. Others may be slower.
Strengths
SHARP
Fast
Great DOF control
Fast focus
Weaknesses
Touchy depth of field! Be careful!
Similar Products Used
SMC Pentax-M 1:2 50mm
Nikon 50mm ƒ1.8 Series E
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