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Hay all, im thinking about getting my next lens for my collection,
I have my eye set on a fast 50mm but would like to know if it’s worth almost double for a Nikon AF 50mm f/1.4D Over a Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8D (about $200 Vs $400)

I know the older F1.4 used to be made out of metal and that they now are plastic( partly why im starting a new thread as ive read up as much as i can and don’t know if people would of changed their minds from this change), so bringing the quality closer to that of the F1.8
Im guessing if would be close to impossible to try track down a metal F1.4 if they are worth it over the others


Lenses in my bag already for my D200:
Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm F/3.5~4.5 G IF-ED
Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm F/4.5~5.6 G IF-ED

conundrum wrote:but would like to know if it’s worth almost double for a Nikon AF 50mm f/1.4D Over a Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8D (about $200 Vs $400)

That's a judgement call that nobody but you can make.

Build quality of each of these lenses is fine. Don't even think of it as a factor. Instead, let's look at the sort of shooting you do.

Do you ever, and I mean ever, anticipate shooting in extreme poor light conditions? Say a bar or nightclub? Street scenes at night? indoor or night sports, up close and personal?

If you do, let me assure you that you're going to be pretty bloody pissed off when (not if, but when) you miss a shot because you decided against buying the faster lens.

IM still sort of new to all this so there IS a big difference between the 2 lenses then? I just would have never guessed .4 of an F stop would change that much....BUT im now guessing from your reply i was wrong

The .4 you refer to is actually 2/3 of a stop in focal length terms. As Gary said, it does make a big difference when you actually need it.

Have a look here for explanation on f-numbers, about half-way down the page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focal_ratio

Both lenses wide open will be a bit soft but the f1.4 version gets sharper at an f-stop where the f1.8 is still soft.

Either way, you won't go wrong with either. I have the f1.4 plastic version. Unless you are really hard on your gear, the plastic version won't be an issue.

HTH,

André

conundrum wrote:I just would have never guessed .4 of an F stop would change that much....

f/stops aren't linear so you can't just look at the difference that way. f/stops are in powers of 2. f/2.8 allows twice as much light as f/4 and 4 times as much light as f/5.6.

An f/1.4 will allow almost twice the light as f/1.8 so that's almost a full stop. It is about the same as the difference between f/22 and f/30. With an f/1.8 you might need say 1/60s, but with a f/1.4 you could probably do 1/100s. That's quite a lot.

In practical terms, when the lenses are wide open and f/1.8 gives you a shutter speed of 1/60 second, then f/1.4 should give you roughly 1/100. (roughly 2/3 of a stop faster).

2/3 of a stop isn't a lot, but if you are working handheld with very little light or with moving subjects then every little bit helps.

I've never regretted getting the f/1.4 version myself. For me it represents an insignificant portion of the amount I have spent on photography and is one of my most useful lenses - a bargain. However, as Gary points out, only you can judge your situation.

Thanks for your feedback guys, I now have a way better understanding of the difference and will be getting the 1.4 as i would like to get the lens i don’t have to replace down the track!

For me the 1.4 is jsut nicer.....creamer bokeh..

MATT

conundrum wrote:i would like to get the lens i don’t have to replace down the track!

And that's another important factor too: how many times do you want to buy any given piece of gear?

I've seen people buy the one thing three times - first of all they buy what's cheapest, because they think it's cheaper. Then they buy something intermediate, because they're dissatisfied with their initial purpose. Finally, they buy what they should have bought first time around, except that they have (by now) spent more than twice as much as they should have.

This is especially evident in the purchase of tripods and longer lenses.

Who amongst us has but just the one tripod?

radar wrote:it does make a big difference when you actually need it.

And especially so if you do not have it.

The f1.4 is worth the extra money. It's a honey of a lens. The f1.8 is sharp and does good work, but it's not in the same league. It is better to have one excellent lens than 2 so so lenses.

gstark wrote:This is especially evident in the purchase of tripods .....

Who amongst us has but just the one tripod?

Well technically speaking i have not gone out to get one yet...the one i got came free of eBay with the underwater housing for my Canon IXUS 75 (and a load of other things) and that listing ..Even with the other items was cheaper than any other listing for the housing by itself so that’s why i got it

conundrum wrote:the one i got came free

So, what do you think it's worth?

My guess would be less than what it cost you

gstark wrote:

conundrum wrote:the one i got came free

So, what do you think it's worth?

My guess would be less than what it cost you

$2....and worth every cent, when it comes time to get one you can bet your bottom dollar i will be asking for advice on one i would only have to replace if i lost or broke it


EDIT: BUT as i said i got it as the listing for the underwater casing with some free junk was still cheaper than any other ones with just the housing (same brand etc) on eBay at the time
So i could have got one without BUT still ended up paying more for the underwater housing

Found this topic doing a search on Google and thought hay...i should do an update in case someone else is doing a search on the 50mm 1.4 (was looking into filters and a few hits high up in the list from this site) and happens to start reading this!

I ended up getting the 1.4 and love it...1st night i had it, i was using it at a house party and the pictures in the low light are so much better using that lens over the 18-70mm F/3.5~4.5 G IF-ED!!!

gstark wrote:This is especially evident in the purchase of tripods and longer lenses.

Who amongst us has but just the one tripod?

I have three!! A cheap Optex that I no longer use, a Manfrotto 714B that I picked up for free, and a Manfrotto 055 that has become my main tripod.

I knew I should have gotten the 50mm f/1.4, oh well I guess I have to learn to live with the slower shutter speeds, and hope that no one lends me a f/1.4 to make me want one.

i owned a 50mm f1.4, fine lens it is. but if you let me choose again a 1.8 will do for my shooting. i hardly use 1.4 as i find the DOF too shallow. just my opinion. cheers

mansunzz wrote:i owned a 50mm f1.4, fine lens it is. but if you let me choose again a 1.8 will do for my shooting. i hardly use 1.4 as i find the DOF too shallow. just my opinion. cheers

No-one is forcing you to use the lens at f/1.4. In fact, even a f/1.8 doesn't have to be used at f/1.8 but having the ability to go to f/1.4 if you need it is valuable.

ATJ wrote:No-one is forcing you to use the lens at f/1.4. In fact, even a f/1.8 doesn't have to be used at f/1.8 but having the ability to go to f/1.4 if you need it is valuable.

Very good point! I find mysself stopping down my glass a lot, just for longer DOF and when possible to get to the sharpest region.

Can I get this verified? I dont want to be misinforming people.
"The sharpest/strongest region in most lenses is in the area between f/8 and f/11"
Cant remember where I heard this, but it seems to be true with most of my lenses.

a late reply, but nevertheless........ I agree with all the observations below........ One issue though; the older manual lenses are pretty interesting and can be found in the second hand market for good prices. Check out the 50/1.4, 50/1.2 or 55/1.2. They force you to go back to basics and get you much closer to the art of photography. Build quality on the older
(full metal) lenses is pretty stunning. Additionally, you can get a 50/1.2 or 55/1.2 on the second hand market for about 500-600 AUS$. They should work on the d200 but don't nail me on this so double check. However, the 50/1.4 AF has pretty decent quality plastics and unless you start throwing it around you should be fine.

Good choice!I have one and absolutely love it - my favourite lens of those I own, in terms of quality of the results produced. Both 1.8 and 1.4 are relatively inexpensive, so I would go for the best there is,othweise a few weeks down the track you'd be wondering if you made the right choice.

Alex

However, the 50/1.4 AF has pretty decent quality plastics and unless you start throwing it around you should be fine.

I don't know why there is this anti-plastic mentality among photographers.

Yes it can be crap, but there are plastics out there that are stronger and tougher than steel. They might scratch & look ugly after a while, but they will will survive impacts, and more importantly protect the optics inside them, that will leave metal bodied lenses in the scrap heap.


My assumption is that the likes of Nikon & Canon use these super plastics, at least on their premier lenses.

stephenvandermark wrote:...you can get a 50/1.2 or 55/1.2 on the second hand market for about 500-600 AUS$...

You can get a Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AIS brand new for just over $500, I got mine only a few months ago

See pics of it here http://flickr.com/photos/starforge/sets ... 956485959/

benefit of an f1.4 over the 1.8 is also faster focus as there is more light available that the camera can use

this is an important factor to me as i take drifting (japanese motorsport) shots at night

I own the 50mm 1.4 - love it.

i have the canon50 1.4
Went to my nieces stage show they have at her school about twice a year as the school very heavy into music and acting
It was the only len I could use as no flash was allowed if she goes futher with this hello 1.2.
This lense is the hard len to learn but when you get it right it so sweet.
Tripods I only have 1 thank god for birthdays and xmas

Tony

There are two other factors here, what camera you have and your style of photography. I do a lot of low-light photography and I have a 50mm f2 AI. It's sharp enough and must be quite cheap second hand and though I have wondered about upgrading it I probably won't because I don't use it that much. With a D3 the extra stop (as compared to the f1.4) is not critical to me. The same would apply for a D700 and to a lesser extent to a D300 or D90. The bokeh of the f1.4 might be compelling but I'd have to want to use the focal length to be tempted.

I'm currently trying to decide between the 1.4 and the 1.8 myself. As a fairly budget-restricted PhD student, I had almost decided on the 1.8 since it was so much cheaper and nearly as good. However, reading through this thread has caused me to reconsider - I'm wanting to get a fast 50 because I'm sick of poor shots in low-light indoor situations. I can see that the extra 2/3 of a stop would be very useful.

One thing that would help me decide is the resale value of a Nikkor 50mm 1.8D lens second hand. If I bought the 1.8 now and used it for a year and then "upgraded" to the 1.4, how much would I expect to loose on the 1.8 selling it second hand?

latch wrote:I'm currently trying to decide between the 1.4 and the 1.8 myself. As a fairly budget-restricted PhD student, I had almost decided on the 1.8 since it was so much cheaper and nearly as good. However, reading through this thread has caused me to reconsider - I'm wanting to get a fast 50 because I'm sick of poor shots in low-light indoor situations. I can see that the extra 2/3 of a stop would be very useful.

One thing that would help me decide is the resale value of a Nikkor 50mm 1.8D lens second hand. If I bought the 1.8 now and used it for a year and then "upgraded" to the 1.4, how much would I expect to loose on the 1.8 selling it second hand?

The 50mm f/1.8 can be bought new for around $150, so I would say there is little resale value. I use my f/1.8 for a lot of low light work, and it does quite a good job, the 1.4 will give u a little more light but you must ask yourself if it is worth the premium.

If you think the 1.4 will make a diff then save for it and buy it straight out, otherwise get the 1.8. I think i will keep my 1.8 and maybe get teh 1.4 if they ever bring out an af-s version.