Nikon 50mm f/1.4G Sample Images

A 50mm prime lens is the classic “normal” lens for DSLRs. It’s a very similar perspective to what we’re used to seeing with our eyes in real life. It’s sometimes known as the “nifty fifty” because it can be a go-to lens for all sorts of things. They’re often small and light, and even surprisingly inexpensive.

With relatively simple lens designs that are tried and tested, they also happen to be some of the sharpest lenses available. That doesn’t, of course, mean they’re equally as sharp at every aperture, and often they can be a bit soft wide open. That’s true of this lens—at f/1.4, there can be a slightly ethereal effect to it. That’s not necessarily a bad thing—just a performance quirk that’s worth being aware of.

A 50mm lens is also a great first prime to get if you’re looking to upgrade from a camera’s kit lens and dip your toes into the world of prime lenses. If you’re using a DSLR with a cropped sensor, it will turn the 50mm into roughly equivalent to a 75mm lens on a full-frame camera. That’s approaching the lower end of the range for a moderate telephoto. The major lens manufacturers produce 50mm f/1.8 lenses that are very sharp and surprisingly affordable. This f/1.4 version is over double the price of its f/1.8 sibling, but it’s still quite affordable considering its quality and versatility.

One of the things I like most about this lens is its versatility. While it might not be the perfect lens for every type of shooting, it can handle a very broad range of shooting conditions well. Whether you’re shooting a wedding, a travel destination, a restaurant’s food, candid family shots, or street photography, there’s a good chance that you can come away with some great shots.

And that holds true in an unusually broad range of lighting conditions. With a maximum aperture of f/1.4 and a moderate focal length, it opens up possibilities for hand-held photography even in very low lighting conditions. Travel photography. Street photography. Candid (or even posed) portraiture. Landscape photography. And so on.

Nikon has two autofocus 50mm f/1.4 lenses in their current range. The one I’m using here is the “G” version and is the newer of the two. It’s designed for newer Nikon cameras and doesn’t have a mechanical aperture ring—that’s all handled electronically in the camera. There is also still available an older “D” version that includes an aperture ring (and will still work on newer Nikon cameras).

F-mount / Z-mount

This is an F-mount lens designed for Nikon’s full-frame (FX) DSLRs, but you can also use it (and I do) on Nikon’s Z-mount mirrorless cameras with an FTZ adapter.

Nikon has also made an even faster (and substantially larger and heavier) ƒ/1.2 for the Z-mount: the Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm ƒ/1.2 S, which I’ve reviewed more recently.

Nikon 50mm f/1.4G Sample Photos

Here are some example photos I’ve shot with the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G lens to give some idea of how it performs in real-world shooting.

If you’d like a closer look, you can click on each image for a full-size version.

Optical Correction Tools

I deliberately haven’t applied extensive corrections to these images. And the general rule of thumb in photography is that it’s better to get the shot right at the time of capture rather than trying to fix it after. That’s a great aspiration, but it’s not always possible to do if you’re bumping up against limitations or flaws in gear, conditions, or technique.

But it’s worth mentioning that there are some excellent tools available to help address common issues with lenses, such as distortion, chromatic aberration, and lens vignetting when editing the images. All-round image processing apps like Lightroom Classic and Capture One have solid tools built in already that often cater to specific lens profiles (or you can make your own).

Some more specialized tools can take it even further. DxO, in particular, sets the gold standard. Their software is built on the foundation of their incredibly deep archive of data from their extensive lab testing of the optical performance of lenses and cameras. But there are some other excellent specialized tools available. These are well worth a look (and have free trials):

• DxO Pure RAW (for a suite of automatic RAW file corrections enhancement)
• DxO ViewPoint (correcting for distortion and geometry)
• Topaz Labs Sharpen AI (in addition to standard unsharp tools, includes focus correction and shake reduction)
• On1 NoNoise (includes Tack Sharp AI, which applies sharpening)

Price & Availability of the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G Lens

Check the current price and availability at:

• B&H Photo
• Adorama
• Amazon

You can often find a good selection of used copies at KEH, which is my go-to source of used photography gear.

You can also rent them at BorrowLenses and LensProtoGo, which is a great way to try out a lens before buying.

Accessories for the Nikon AF-S 50mm ƒ/1.4G Lens

Filters. It takes standard 58mm screw-in filters: Polarizer | UV/Haze | ND.

Lens Hood. It comes with a lens hood. If you need a replacement, the model number is HB-47. I’ve also written about a metal alternative lens hood I prefer on this lens.

Lens Case. It does come with a soft lens pouch (model CL-1013), but there’s no particular reason you have to stick with the official Nikon one.

Lens Caps. It uses a standard Nikon front (LC-58) and rear (LF-4) lens caps. Aftermarket versions are usually cheaper and work just as well.

Images and product information from Amazon PA-API were last updated on 2023-12-01 at 13:38. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon Site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.