Nikon 50mm f/1.8

Z-Mount FX Mirrorless

Sample Images   Introduction

Format & Compatibility   Specifications

Unboxing   USA Version   Performance

Compared   Recommendations

Z9   Z8   Z7 II   Z6 II   Zf   Z7   Z6   Z5   Z fc   Z50   Z30

Z System   Z Lenses   All Nikon Lenses   Flash

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S (62mm filters, 14.5 oz./412g, 1.3'/0.4m close-focus, $597, or about $425 used if you know How to Win at eBay). bigger or fit-to-screen. I got mine at Adorama. I'd also get mine at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or get it used at eBay.

This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.

 

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Sample Images

Top   Sample Images   Introduction

Format & Compatibility   Specifications

Unboxing   USA Version   Performance

Compared   Recommendations

(there are many more sample snapshots throughout the review; my real work is in my Gallery.)

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 Sample Image

Fountain at Dusk, California Desert, 22 June 2019, 8:25PM (25 minutes after sunset). Nikon Z7, Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 at f/4 for 2 seconds at ISO 64, Perfectly Clear v3.7. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.

 

Introduction

Top   Sample Images   Introduction

Format & Compatibility   Specifications

Unboxing   USA Version   Performance

Compared   Recommendations

New   Good   Bad   Missing

Adorama Pays Top Dollar for Used Gear

B&H Photo - Video - Pro Audio

Crutchfield

I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below.

The Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S is bigger, heaver and more expensive than any Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens ever, but that's because it's also the most complex and highest-performance 50mm lens ever from Nikon.

It's almost optically perfect, having Nikon's most complex 50mm optical design of all time. It offers all the optical insanity of the $4,000 ZEISS OTUS and adds autofocus, at a much lower size, weight and price than the ZEISS. This 50mm is in the same optical class as the OTUS, Tokina Opera or Sigma ART; it's not fair to compare it to Nikon's other 50mm lenses which are much smaller, less expensive and simpler designs. This 50mm is designed for the glorious new tomorrow of future ultra-high resolution cameras, not Nikon's line of 35mm SLRs dating from the 1950s.

While this new lens is the biggest and most expensive Nikon 50mm f/1.8 of all time, it's less than half the weight of any of the other lenses with similar performance. Nikon does this by being smarter than the off-brands, and also taking advantage of the design freedom afforded by not having to clear a reflex mirror and because this lens is only f/1.8 rather than f/1.4 like the others.

This new Z lens has an electronic diaphragm for quiet operation and is designed also for shooting video, with little to no focus breathing (no change in image size as focused). Nikon claims it's dust and drip resistant.

New is that the control ring is programmable. It defaults to Manual Focus, or make it control aperture or exposure compensation if you prefer.

I got my Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 at Adorama. I'd also get mine at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or get it used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

New

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com Nikon's highest performance 50mm lens of all time.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com Nikon's first 50mm fixed lens for their full-frame mirrorless cameras.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com Nikon's first 50mm lens with a concave (inward-curving) front surface.

 

Good

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Superior ZEISS OTUS-grade optics that autofocus, for a fraction of the price.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com The big focus ring provides instant manual-focus override by default, or can be set to control Aperture, Exposure Compensation or ISO — or be disabled entirely — at Z7/Z6 MENU > CUSTOM SETTING MENU (pencil icon) > f Controls > f2 Custom control assignment > click right and down to Lens Control Ring > and chose what you want it to do: Focus, Aperture, Exposure Compensation, ISO or NONE.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Nikon claims it's dust and drip resistant.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com 9-blade diaphragm.

 

Bad

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com Offshored to Thailand; not made domestically in Japan.

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com $597, not $217 for the F-mount AF-S 50mm f/1.8 which also works great on the Z cameras with the FTZ adapter.

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com Not as small or light as it should be; it's Nikon's biggest and heaviest 50mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/2 lens of all time.

 

Missing

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No VR switch for in-camera VR.

 

Format & Compatibility

Top   Sample Images   Introduction

Format & Compatibility   Specifications

Unboxing   USA Version   Performance

Compared   Recommendations

I got my Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 at Adorama. I'd also get mine at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or get it used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

This is a full-frame lens which works only on Nikon's Z-series mirrorless cameras.

It does not so much as even mount on any other camera.

 

Specifications

Top   Sample Images   Introduction

Format & Compatibility   Specifications

Unboxing   USA Version   Performance

Compared   Recommendations

 

I got my Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 at Adorama. I'd also get mine at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or get it used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

Name

Nikon calls this the Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S:

    NIKKOR: Nikon's brand name for all their lenses.

    Z: For Nikon's mirrorless cameras.

    S: Subliminally suggests sexual satisfaction. The "S" designation has no other purpose than subliminal seduction; Nikon and electronics and automobile and every kind of marketer have been using letters like "S" and "X" in model numbers since the 1940s for this same reason. Nikon called their first 1946 rangefinder lens mount the "S" mount, then went whole-hog to the "F" SLR mount in 1959, used "S" again when they updated their AI lenses to AI-"S" in 1983, created AF-"S" SWM lenses in 1998 and here it is again.

 

Also has:

    E: Electronic diaphragm for silent operation.

    AF-P: Stepper (Pulse) autofocus motor: silent and ultra fast.

    D: Couples distance information to the 3D Matrix Meter.

    ED: Magic Extra-low Dispersion glass for reduced secondary chromatic aberration.

    RF: Rear focusing; nothing moves externally as focused except the rear element.

    Aspherical: Specially curved glass elements for sharper pictures.

    Nano Crystal Coat (N): Magic anti-reflection coating that has a variable index of refraction that's far more effective against ghosts and internal reflections than traditional multicoating.

    ∅62: 62mm filter thread.

 

Optics

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S internal optical construction. Aspherical and ED elements.

12 elements in 9 groups.

2 ED extra-low dispersion elements which help reduce secondary axial chromatic aberration.

2 aspherical elements.

Rear focusing.

Nikon Super Integrated multicoating (SIC).

Nano Crystal Coat.

 

Coverage

FX and DX.

 

Diaphragm

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8. bigger or fit-to-screen.

9 rounded blades.

Electronically actuated.

Stops down to f/16.

 

Angle of View

47º diagonal on FX.

(31.5º diagonal on DX.)

 

Autofocus

Internal focus.

No external movement as focused, so no air or dust is sucked in.

Silent stepper motor.

 

Focus Scale

No.

 

Infinity Focus Stop

No.

 

Depth of Field Scale

No.

 

Reproduction Ratio Scale

No.

 

Infrared Focus Index

No.

 

Close Focus

1.3 feet (0.4 meters).

 

Maximum Reproduction Ratio

1:6.7 (0.15×).

 

Image Stabilizer

Rated 5 stops improvement when used with the Nikon Z cameras. The lens itself has no internal stabilizer.

I get 3-stops of real-world improvement.

 

Caps

LC-62B 62 mm snap-on front cap, included.

LF-N1 Z-mount rear cap, included.

 

Filters

62 mm x 0.75mm pitch standard filter thread.

 

Hood

Nikon HB-90 hood

HB-90 bayonet hood. bigger or fit-to-screen.

HB-90 bayonet hood, included.

 

Case

CL-C1 slipcase.

 

Size

2.99" maximum diameter × 3.41" extension from flange.

76 mm maximum diameter × 86.5 mm extension from flange.

 

Weight

14.525 oz. (411.8g) actual measured weight.

Rated 14.7 oz. (415 g).

 

Quality

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Made in Thailand.

 

Announced

12:09 AM, Thursday, 23 August 2018, NYC time.

 

Promised for

Late October 2018.

 

Included

LC-62B 62 mm snap-on front cap, included.

LF-N1 Z-mount rear cap.

HB-90 bayonet hood.

CL-C1 bag-style case.

 

Nikon's Model Number

20083.

 

Price, U. S. A.       specifications       top

July 2021

$597 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

About $425 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

August 2018 ~ February 2021

$597 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

 

Unboxing

Top   Sample Images   Introduction

Format & Compatibility   Specifications

Unboxing   USA Version   Performance

Compared   Recommendations

I got my Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 at Adorama. I'd also get mine at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or get it used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

The box and lens are completely unsealed. There is no way to know if anyone else has been fiddling with your lens, swapping parts and accessories, or even if it's a dropped, returned, damaged or used lens.

This is why it's critical to buy only from an approved online source, since they ship from automated warehouses where no shifty salesmen or customers ever get to touch your new camera before it ships. While new $5 CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays and bottles of milk and drinking water are sealed and quite obvious if anyone's opened them, paradoxically Nikon doesn't bother sealing anything, so your only insurance is to buy only from a trusted online dealer.

 

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Open the unsealed microcorrugated cardboard box, and you'll see a clear plastic bag with the black sack covering the USA warranty card and big folded sheet of instructions in a zillion languages:

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Lift up the inner cardboard flap holding the paperwork and you'll see the capped lens in bubble wrap on the left, and the hood in a clear plastic bag on the right side of folded cardboard dividers:

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Getting a Legal USA Version

Top   Sample Images   Introduction

Format & Compatibility   Specifications

Unboxing   USA Version   Performance

Compared   Recommendations

I got my Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 at Adorama. I'd also get mine at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or get it used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

This section applies in the USA only.

In the USA, be sure your box has a "5 Years of Protection Included" sticker, and that most importantly you have this USA Warranty Card inside your box:

Nikon Z 50 1.8 USA Warranty Card

Nikon USA Warranty Card. bigger or fit-to-screen.

If you don't have this card, if the card doesn't say "4 YEARS USA EXTENDED SERVICE COVERAGE" or the serial number on the card doesn't match the one on your lens exactly, you got ripped off with a gray market version from another country. (The serial number on the box doesn't have to match, but if it doesn't it means you bought from a shady dealer who took lenses out of boxes and then resold them as new.) This is why I never buy anyplace other than from my personally approved sources. You just can't take the chance of buying elsewhere, especially at any retail store, because non-USA versions have no warranty in the USA, and you won't even be able to get firmware or service for it — even if you're willing to pay out-of-pocket for it when you need it!

Nikon USA enforces its trademarks strictly. It's unlikely, but possible that US customs won't let your lens back in the country if you bought a gray-market version in the USA, carried it overseas, and try to bring it back in. (If you take the chance of buying one overseas, be sure you have a receipt to prove you bought it overseas and be prepared to pay duty on it.)

If a gray market version saves you $300 it may be worth it, but for $200 or less I wouldn't risk having no warranty or support.

Always be sure to check yours while you can still return it, or just don't buy from unapproved sources or at retail so you'll be able to have your camera serviced and get free updated firmware as needed.

Get yours from the same places I do and you won't have a problem, but if you take the risk of getting yours elsewhere, be sure to check everything while you still can return it.

 

Performance

Top   Sample Images   Introduction

Format & Compatibility   Specifications

Unboxing   USA Version   Performance

Compared   Recommendations

 

Overall   Autofocus   Manual Focus   Breathing   Bokeh

Distortion   Ergonomics   Exposure   Falloff   Filters

Flare & Ghosts   Lateral Color Fringes

Lens Corrections   Macro   Mechanics

Sharpness   Spherochromatism

Stabilization   Sunstars

 

I got my Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 at Adorama. I'd also get mine at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or get it used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

Overall

Performance          top

The 50 1.8 is ultrasharp and almost optically perfect, just as good as the exotic ZEISS OTUS at a fraction of the price, size and weight.

 

Autofocus

Performance          top

Autofocus speed is moderate. It takes a moment to motor quietly from infinity to close distances or vice versa. It's not instantaneous.

This lens is designed for optical and autofocus perfection and precision rather than ultimate speed.

On my Z7 firmware version 2.0, as with all other lenses on my Z7, in Auto-AF-Area select mode it will tend to ignore a close subject in the center of the frame right in front of the camera if the background is already somewhat in focus. If you're focused at a distance, hold your hand a foot or two in front of the camera and you have to select the single-AF zone to get the Z7 to focus on the hand. Weird, but that's a Z7 problem with all lenses, not a problem with this lens.

 

Manual Focus

performance          top

Just grab the focus ring at any time for instant manual-focus override.

Manual focus is very slow. Since it's completely electronic (the manual focus ring isn't connected to anything other than a digital encoder) I'm surprised we don't have a menu option for focus speed, or better, have adaptive manual focus speed that goes faster as we turn the ring faster.

If you have a problem with a camera not autofocusing on a close subject, just use the manual focus ring to get to about the right distance and then the AF system will lock in.

 

Focus Breathing

Performance          top

Focus breathing is the image changing size as focused in and out. It's important to cinematographers that the image not breathe because it looks funny if the image changes size as focus gets pulled back and forth between actors. If the lens does this, the image "breathes" by growing and contracting slightly as the dialog goes back and forth.

While I can see that the image from this 50 1.8 lens shrinks very slightly as focused more closely in the lab, there's no way this would be visible in actual use while you're trying to tell a story.

 

Bokeh

Performance          top

Bokeh, the feel, character or quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to how far out of focus they are, is excellent.

Here are photos from headshot distance. Click any for the camera-original © file:

Nikon Z 50 1.8 Bokeh

Nikon Z 50 1.8 Bokeh

Nikon Z 50 1.8 Bokeh

Nikon Z 50 1.8 Bokeh

Nikon Z 50 1.8 Bokeh

Nikon Z 50 1.8 Bokeh

Nikon Z 50 1.8 Bokeh

Davis 6250 weather station, 26 June 2019. Click any for the camera-original © file.

As always, if you want to throw the background as far out of focus as possible, shoot at f/1.8 and get as close as possible.

 

Distortion

Performance          top

The Nikon Z 50 1.8 has a tiny amount of barrel distortion which won't be visible unless you're putting a ruler on an image, and it goes away completely if you set your camera to correct it automatically at MENU > SHOOTING > Auto Distortion Control > ON.

Even if you don't set your camera to correct this, it's easy to correct fully with Photoshop's lens correction filter with my correction factors below.

These aren't facts or specifications, they are the results of my research that requires hours of photography and calculations on the resulting data.

On full-frame

Correction factor with uncorrected images

Correction factor with correction ON in Z7
100'/30m
+1.10 +0.50
30'/10m
+1.10 ±0.00
10'/3m
+1.00 ±0.00

© 2019 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

 

Ergonomics

Performance          top

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8. bigger or fit-to-screen.
Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8. bigger or fit-to-screen.

There are no secrets here; half the lens is the big metal focus ring and there's but one AF/MF slide switch, and that's it.

You can program the ring in the camera to other things than focus if you prefer.

 

Exposure

Performance          top

Exposure is uniform across the aperture range, except that even with Vignette Correction ON it tends to expose less wide-open at f/1.8 and f/2. This is a a little weird; cameras for many decades have always added a little extra exposure wide-open to compensate for overall falloff.

While cameras traditionally have overexposed slightly with the lens wide-open to give about the same overall exposure with some central overexposure wide-open, this lens on the Z cameras maintains the same central exposure at the expense of darker periphery wide-open, even with correction ON.

 

Falloff

Performance          top

Falloff on full-frame is invisible in actual shooting with Vignette Correction left at its default of NORM, except for some corner darkening at f/1.8. As soon as you stop down to f/2.8, it's gone. The biggest effect you'll see is a little less exposure at f/1.8 rather then corner darkening.

I've greatly exaggerated the falloff by shooting a gray field and placing these on a gray background; it will not look this bad in actual photos of real things:

 

Falloff on full-frame at infinity, Vignette Correction NORM.

f/1.8
f/2.8
Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 falloff
Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 falloff
Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 falloff
Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 falloff
f/4
f/5.6

© 2019 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

 

If you go out of your way to turn Vignette Correction OFF, of course you'll see more:

 

Falloff on full-frame at infinity, Vignette Correction OFF.

f/1.8
f/2.8
Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 falloff
Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 falloff
Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 falloff
Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 falloff
f/4
f/5.6

© 2019 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

 

Filters, use with

performance          top

There's no need for thin filters. I can stack eight regular 62mm filters with NO vignetting on full-frame!

Nikon's using a 62mm thread since the rest of the lens is so big and so it takes the same size filter as other lenses. I tried even 39mm filters, which also work without vignetting if you adapt them carefully to this lens.

Go ahead and use your standard rotating polarizer and grad filters. You're not going to have any vignetting with any 62mm filter.

 

Flare & Ghosts

Performance          top

There are no significant ghosts. See also more samples at Sunstars.

Here are extreme worst-case examples had by exposing for the dark underside of a palm tree and putting the full disc of the sun in the corner. Ignore the rainbow effects around the sun at smaller apertures, these are sensor artifacts and not caused by this lens.

Nikon Z 50 1.8 Ghosts

Nikon Z 50 1.8 Ghosts

Nikon Z 50 1.8 Ghosts

Nikon Z 50 1.8 Ghosts

Click any to enlarge or fit your screen.

This is the very worst I could get. This is the direct disc of the sun shining into the lens while exposing for the dark underside of a palm tree. You'll never see this unless you go way out of your way as I did here deliberately to do this.

 

Lateral Color Fringes

Performance          top

There are no color fringes as shot on Nikon cameras, which by default correct for any that may be there.

There is some slight spherochromatism, which can cause color fringes on things that aren't in perfect focus. Spherochromatism is a completely different aberration in a different dimension than lateral color fringes.

 

Lens Corrections

Performance          top

The Z6 and Z7 correct for any or all of distortion, diffraction and falloff, any of which you may turn ON or OFF.

The Z6 and Z7 always correct for lateral color fringes (chromatic aberration), this is part of Nikon's secret sauce and never appears in any menu.

 

Macro Performance

Performance          top

Macro gets about as close as most lenses (1:6.7 or 0.15×), and it stays sharp and contrasty even at f/1.8:

 

Wide-open at f/1.8

Nikon Z 50 1.8 macro performance

Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance at f/1.8, 05 July 2019. bigger or camera-original © file.

 

Nikon Z 50 1.8 macro performance

1,200 × 900 pixel crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a large 14 × 21″ (35 × 55 cm) at this same high magnification.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a huge 27½ × 41¼″ (70 × 105 cm) at this same high magnification.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a mammoth 55 × 82½″ (1.4 × 2.1 meters) at this same extremely high magnification!

 

At f/4

it gets even sharper at f/4. Of course there is still nearly nothing in focus at f/4 as with all lenses this close:

Nikon Z 50 1.8 macro performance

Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance at f/4, 05 July 2019. bigger or camera-original © file.

 

Nikon Z 50 1.8 macro performance

1,200 × 900 pixel crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a large 14 × 21″ (35 × 55 cm) at this same high magnification.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a huge 27½ × 41¼″ (70 × 105 cm) at this same high magnification.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a mammoth 55 × 82½″ (1.4 × 2.1 meters) at this same extremely high magnification!

 

Mechanical Quality

Performance          top

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8. bigger or fit-to-screen.

The Nikon Z 50/1.8 is a mostly plastic made-in-Thailand lens with a metal focus ring and mount.

 

Hood

Plastic bayonet.

 

Front Bumper

None.

 

Filter Threads

Plastic.

 

Hood Bayonet Mount

Plastic.

 

Front Barrel

Plastic.

 

Focus Ring

Metal.

 

Rear Barrel aft of Focus Ring

Plastic.

 

Rearmost Barrel

Section with AF/MF switch: metal.

 

AF/MF Slide Switch

Plastic.

 

Identity

Molded engraved and filled with paint on ring between front element and filter threads.

Also engraved and filled with paint on top of rear barrel.

 

Internals

Probably plastic.

 

Dust Gasket at Mount

Yes.

 

Mount

Chromed metal.

 

Markings

Mostly molded as engraved and filled with paint.

 

Serial Number

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Laser engraved on bottom of barrel.

 

Date Code

None found.

 

Noises When Shaken

Moderate clicking.

 

Made in

Made in Thailand.

 

Sharpness

Performance          top

Lens sharpness has nothing to do with picture sharpness; every lens made in the past 100 years is more than sharp enough to make super-sharp pictures if you know what you're doing. The only limitation to picture sharpness is your skill as a photographer. It's the least talented who spend the most time worrying about lens sharpness and blame crummy pictures on their equipment rather than themselves. Skilled photographers make great images with whatever camera is in their hands; I've made some of my best images of all time with an irreparably broken camera! Most pixels are thrown away before you see them, but camera makers don't want you to know that.

If you're not getting ultra-sharp pictures with this, be sure not to shoot at f/11 or smaller where all lenses are softer due to diffraction, always shoot at ISO 100 or below because cameras become softer at ISO 200 and above, avoid shooting across long distances over land which can lead to atmospheric heat shimmer, be sure everything is in perfect focus, set your camera's sharpening as you want it (I set mine to the maximum) and be sure nothing is moving, either camera or subject. If you want to ensure a soft image with any lens, shoot at f/16 at ISO 1,600 at default sharpening in daylight of subjects at differing distances in the same image.

These cautions aside, this is an ultra-sharp lens especially wide-open at f/1.8 where most lenses are softer. At f/1.8 the corners are only the tiniest bit softer in the lab at 45MP but you won't notice this as 1.) they are darker due to falloff, and 2.) depth-of-field in all lenses is so narrow at f/1.8 nothing is probably in focus there anyway. In most of the image, it's utrasharp even wide open at f/1.8!

As you view these samples remember that, especially at f/1.8, there is very little in focus.

 

Wide-open at f/1.8

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 Sample Image

Trek Émonda SLR 8 H2 58cm (Made in USA!), California Desert, 23 June 2019, 11:25 AM. Nikon Z7, Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 wide-open at f/1.8 at 1/6,400 at Auto ISO 64, -0.7 stops exposure compensation to keep the reds from turning orange, Perfectly Clear v3.7. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.

 

At f/4

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 Sample Image

Trek Émonda SLR 8 H2 58cm (Made in USA!), California Desert, 23 June 2019, 11:25 AM. Nikon Z7, Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 wide-open at f/8 at 1/320 at Auto ISO 64, -0.7 stops exposure compensation to keep the reds from turning orange, Perfectly Clear v3.7. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.

Nikon's MTF data agrees with what I see. These MTF curves look the same as the $4,000 ZEISS OTUS' MTF curves!

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S MTF

Nikon's MTF chart at 10 cyc/mm and 30 cyc/mm.

 

Spherochromatism

Performance          top

Spherochromatism, also called "color bokeh" by laymen, is an advanced form of chromatic aberration in a different dimension than lateral color. It can cause colored fringes on out-of-focus highlights, usually seen as green fringes on backgrounds and magenta fringes on foregrounds. Spherochromatism is common in fast lenses of moderate focal length when shooting contrasty items at full aperture. It goes away as stopped down.

The Nikon Z 50/1.8 has a little bit of spherochromatism, which is much better than other 50mm f/1.8 lenses:

Nikon Z 50 1.8 spherochromatism

Mondaine A132.30348.11SBB at close-focus distance at f/1.8, 05 July 2019. bigger or camera-original © file.

 

Nikon Z 50 1.8 spherochromatism

1,200 × 900 pixel crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a large 14 × 21″ (35 × 55 cm) at this same high magnification.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a huge 27½ × 41¼″ (70 × 105 cm) at this same high magnification.

If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a mammoth 55 × 82½″ (1.4 × 2.1 meters) at this same extremely high magnification!

 

Image Stabilization

Performance          top

This lens has no Optical Image Stabilization (OIS, IS or VR (Vibration Reduction)), but it is designed to work with the built-in stabilization of Nikon's cameras.

In real-world use I get 3 stops of improvement.

"Percent Perfectly Sharp Shots" are the percentage of frames with 100% perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness I get when I'm shooting hand-held while standing with no support. Hand tremor is a random occurrence, so at marginal speeds some frames will be perfectly sharp while others will be in various stages of blur — all at the same shutter speed. This rates what percentage of shots are perfectly sharp, not how sharp all the frames are:

% Perfectly Sharp Shots
1s
1/2
1/4
1/8
1/15
1/30
1/60
1/125
VR ON
0
3
67
100
100
100
100
100
VR OFF
0
0
0
0
17
50
83
100

This is a 3-stop real-world improvement.

 

Sunstars

Performance          top

With a 9-bladed rounded diaphragm, I get 18-pointed sunstars on brilliant points of light only at the very smallest apertures.

Click any to enlarge:

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 Sample Image

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 Sample Image

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 Sample Image

 

Compared

Top   Sample Images   Introduction

Format & Compatibility   Specifications

Unboxing   USA Version   Performance

Compared   Recommendations

 

I got my Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 at Adorama. I'd also get mine at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or get it used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

Versus the Z 24-70mm f/4

These each have superb optics. I find the 24-70/4 zoom more useful, while this 50/1.8 is over two stops faster for use in low light.

 

Versus Adapted F-Mount Lenses

This Z-system dedicated lens is sharper on Nikon's Z cameras in some specialized laboratory conditions than an older SLR lens like the F-mount AF-S 50mm f/1.8 on the FTZ Adapter, but if you have to ask, no, you or I won't see any difference in actual use.

What you will see is less weight: this lens weighs 14.5 oz. (412g) while the F-mount AF-S 50mm f/1.8 on the FTZ Adapter weighs 11.3 oz./318g (6.6 oz./185g + 4.7 oz./133g), and it's shorter, even with the adapter, and costs less, even with the adapter.

See also Is It Worth It.

 

Versus the $4,000 Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4

Here's Zeiss' datasheet. Compare its construction and MTF data on page three. The optics are similar and MTF curves are the same! (Nikon's MTF is at 10 and 30 cyc/mm whiles Zeiss' are at 10, 20 and 40 cyc/mm.)

While optical performance is the same, this Nikon lens adds autofocus (the Zeiss is manual-focus only) and costs less than one-sixth as much. The ZEISS needs the FTZ Adapter while this Nikon Z lens works directly on Nikon's Z cameras. The Nikon lens is also much smaller and lighter.

 

Recommendations

Top   Sample Images   Introduction

Format & Compatibility   Specifications

Unboxing   USA Version   Performance

Compared   Recommendations

I got my Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 at Adorama. I'd also get mine at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or get it used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

If you want the sharpest possible 50mm lens for your Z camera, this is it.

This f/1.8 lens is especially for people who usually shoot in low light or need soft backgrounds at 50mm. This is a basic wide-to-normal fixed lens for your Z camera. I find the 24-70/4 more useful, but for people who need an f/1.8 lens for extremely low light or softer backgrounds or simply people who know that Fixed Lenses Take Better Pictures, here you go.

I use a clear (UV) protective filter instead of a cap. I only use a cap when I throw this in my bag, otherwise I leave a clear protective filter on my lens at all times so I'm ready to shoot instantly.

The very best protective filter is the Hoya multicoated HD3 62mm UV which uses hardened glass and repels dirt and fingerprints.

For less money, the B+W 62mm 010 is an excellent filter, as are the multicoated version and the basic multicoated Hoya filters, but the Hoya HD3 is the toughest and the best.

Filters last a lifetime, so you may as well get the best. The Hoya HD3 stays cleaner than the others since it repels oil and dirt.

This junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Nikon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, non-USA, store demo or used lens. I use the stores I do because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new camera before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.

Thanks for helping me help you!

Ken, Mrs. Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.

 

© Ken Rockwell. All rights reserved. Tous droits réservés. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

 

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Mr. & Mrs. Ken Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.

 

 

 

12 October 2021, 10 July 2021, 19 February 2021, 05 July 2019, 23-27 August 2018