Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm F 1 8G Review | 54 Data compared

The ePHOTOzine review of the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G praises the compact, lightweight (185g) prime for its excellent build quality, including a weather-sealed mount and a built-in Silent Wave Motor (SWM) compatible with all Nikon DX bodies. Optically, it offers outstanding value, delivering high central resolution, very low chromatic aberration, and smooth bokeh, making it ideal for portraits and low-light work. Conversely, the lens shows noticeable vignetting at the maximum f/1.8 aperture, which requires stopping down to resolve. While the autofocus is silent, its speed is only moderate compared to faster alternatives, and the lens exhibits slight barrel distortion along with minimal sealing beyond the mount.

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G is a compact and lightweight prime lens that offers a standard-angle field of view on full-frame cameras, while functioning as a short telephoto portrait lens on DX-format APS-C bodies. Weighing just 6.6 ounces and measuring 2.1 by 2.8 inches, it features an internal autofocus motor that ensures compatibility with entry-level Nikon DSLRs lacking an internal drive mechanism. In lab testing on a Nikon D800, the lens delivered strong sharpness, resolving 1,795 lines at its wide-open f/1.8 aperture, which improved significantly to 2,276 lines at f/2.8 and peaked at 2,669 lines at f/5.6. Additionally, the lens shows virtually nonexistent barrel distortion, outperforming its more expensive f/1.4 sibling in managing geometric distortion. The primary advantages of this lens include its sharp optics, inexpensive retail price of around £199 ($219.95 direct), fast f/1.8 maximum aperture, and highly compact design. However, the lens has several distinct limitations, most notably the total omission of physical vibration reduction (image stabilization) and the lack of an aperture ring. The missing aperture ring restricts its utility on older manual-focus F-series film cameras,...

The Photography Life review identifies the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G as a high-performance, budget-friendly F-mount lens, highlighting exceptional sharpness, fast autofocus, and a lightweight, portable design. The lens delivers superior sharpness compared to older models and even the 50mm f/1.4G at wide apertures, producing soft bokeh suitable for various photographic needs. However, the analysis notes notable technical limitations, including moderate barrel distortion, significant vignetting at f/1.8, and visible focus shift when stopping down. While the center is remarkably sharp, the corners remain soft at wider apertures, and the lens lacks weather sealing.

The Amateur Photographer review awards the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G a perfect 5 out of 5 stars, defining it as an essential, high-value standard prime lens for F-mount DSLR users. The main pros highlighted in the review focus on its significant mechanical and optical upgrades over older D-series predecessors. Mechanically, the integration of a Silent Wave Motor (SWM) allows for quiet autofocusing and introduces an internal motor that enables autofocusing on entry-level Nikon DSLRs like the D3100 and D5100. Optically, the inclusion of a new aspherical element, curved aperture blades, and Super Integrated Coatings ensures impressive image sharpness, reduced chromatic aberrations, enhanced contrast, and beautiful circular bokeh—even when shooting wide open at f/1.8. Additionally, it features excellent build quality for its price point, including a weather-sealed metal mount and a convenient M/A mode for full-time manual focus override. Despite the glowing recommendation, the review points out a few specific optical and design cons. On the physical side, the built-in AF motor causes the lens to be bulkier and heavier than past models, which also widens the filter thread to...

In this Through the F-Mount review, Jürgen Becker evaluates the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 G lens and highlights its modern optical improvements over older 50mm iterations. On the positive side, the reviewer praises the lens for being exceptionally lightweight (weighing just 225g) and featuring a robust, weather-sealed metal mount. Optically, it delivers stellar performance with high sharpness and contrast at every aperture setting, drastically outperforming older f/1.8 and f/1.4 screwdriver AF models from f/1.8 to f/3.5. Additionally, the lens does not change its physical length while focusing—making it highly compatible with specialized underwater housings—and it shows excellent resistance to flare and ghosting when shooting directly into the sun. Conversely, the review notes several distinct drawbacks, most notably a nervous and distracting bokeh when handling contrasty backgrounds. Another significant compromise is the omission of a physical aperture ring, which makes the lens difficult to use with standard macro extension tubes or bellows unless paired with specialized workarounds like a BR-4 adapter. Finally, the author points out that the 58mm filter size is somewhat unusual compared to typical Nikon configurations, adding...

The OpticalLimits review highlights the Nikkor AF-S 50mm f/1.8 G as a lightweight, affordable, and highly popular "nifty fifty" prime lens that delivers strong value for its price. Tested on the 45-megapixel Nikon D850, it showcases a very decent plastic build with a smooth, rubberized focus ring, and it includes a weather-sealed mount and a silent wave autofocus motor. In terms of performance, its primary pros include excellent sharpness and contrast in the center when stopped down to f/2.8, silent AF action, very low lateral chromatic aberrations, and a generally smooth background bokeh. However, the high-resolution sensor exposes several notable optical cons, particularly when shooting wide open at f/1.8. The lens suffers from fair-to-poor corner resolution that requires stopping down to f/4 or f/5.6 to fully resolve, along with heavy vignetting (over 2.3 EV light falloff) and noticeable barrel distortion at 1.1%. Mechanically, there is an annoying slight play when changing manual focus directions, and the autofocus speed is not overly fast. Additionally, the lens exhibits visible bokeh fringing (longitudinal chromatic aberration), residual focus shift when stopping down, and out-of-focus...

The Nikon 50mm f/1.8G is a lightweight, budget-friendly prime lens that delivers professional-grade image quality and sharp performance across its entire aperture range. Built primarily of durable plastic with a metal lens mount, it weighs just 185 grams and features a protective rubber gasket to keep dust out. The reviewer notes that it balances perfectly on standard DSLRs like the D600 and boasts exceptionally fast and accurate autofocus speed, outperforming the more expensive f/1.4G counterpart at half the price. It also handles lens flare exceptionally well, producing clear shots even when the sun is directly in the frame. Despite its strong value, the lens has a few notable downsides. It can exhibit slight softness in the corners and standard vignetting when shot wide open at f/1.8, though stopping down past f/4.0 resolves these issues. Additionally, its rounded aperture blades mean it struggles to produce sharp sun stars, and its bokeh becomes somewhat egg-shaped and pointed near the corners of the frame. It may also struggle to acquire focus on dark subjects, and its small size does not balance well on...

The Neil van Niekerk review highlights the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G as a superior, cost-effective alternative to the 50mm f/1.4G, boasting faster autofocus, a lighter build, and comparable sharpness and bokeh at a significantly lower price point. While the 50mm f/1.4G offers a 2/3-stop light advantage, it is criticized for sluggish autofocus performance, making the 50mm f/1.8G a more practical choice for most photographers.

The Photography Life review identifies the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G as a high-performance, budget-friendly prime lens that often outperforms the 50mm f/1.4G on high-resolution sensors. It offers exceptional central sharpness from f/1.8, excellent color, contrast, and autofocus accuracy, while featuring a durable, lightweight build with weather sealing. Drawbacks include noticeable barrel distortion and heavy vignetting at f/1.8, alongside a deeply recessed front element that is difficult to clean, though this design provides good protection against stray light and impacts. The lens is highly recommended for its price-to-performance ratio despite these optical compromises.

The Nikon 50mm f/1.8G AF-S is a redesigned prime lens that solves a critical compatibility issue by offering autofocus functionality for entry-level DX bodies like the D3100 and D5100, which lack internal focus motors. Optically, the lens features a simple 7-element formula in 6 groups, including one aspherical element, and includes unexpected weather-sealing dust/moisture protection at the mount. On the plus side, it delivers significantly better sharpness in both the center and corners than the older 50mm f/1.8D model it replaces, handles smoothly with a wide focus ring, and exhibits low linear distortion under 0.5%. Additionally, its autofocus performance is slightly snappier in low light compared to the more expensive 50mm f/1.4G. However, the lens comes with several notable drawbacks, including being larger, heavier, and more expensive than its predecessor. Its initial autofocus acquisition can feel somewhat sluggish or "buh-zip" rather than an instant snap. While center sharpness is strong, the lens struggles with edge-to-edge consistency on FX (full-frame) bodies, requiring users to stop all the way down to f/8 to achieve optimum corner-to-corner results. Furthermore, its background bokeh suffers...

The Nikon 50mm f/1.8G is a highly versatile, lightweight (187g) normal prime lens that delivers superb optical sharpness and excellent overall value for both amateur and professional photographers. Its wide f/1.8 aperture allows it to gather more than twice the light of professional zoom lenses, making it an excellent choice for low-light situations and central subject isolation with smooth background bokeh. Optically, it reaches its peak performance around f/5.6 and actually outclasses the much more expensive Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G lens in raw center sharpness and value metrics. Mechanically, the lens is reasonably well-built for its price point, featuring a durable metal mount, hard plastic barrel, a Silent Wave Motor (SWM) for quiet autofocus across all Nikon DSLRs, and full-time manual focus override capabilities. However, the reviewer highlights a few distinct performance trade-offs, particularly when shooting wide-open. At f/1.8, the lens suffers from softer corner sharpness, lower overall contrast, and visible chromatic aberrations, though contrast and lines clean up noticeably when stopped down to f/2.8. Furthermore, its color rendering is noticeably cooler and less saturated compared to the warmer tones produced...