Which 50mm

PaulStat · 25 Jul 2006 at 14:08

Shall i get

Nikon AF 50mm f/1.8 D Lens

or

Nikon AF 50mm f/1.4 D Lens

Seen both on the bay, not a huge price difference between the two

Slime101 · 25 Jul 2006 at 15:31

1.4!!! Definatly the 1.4.

The 1.8 is great, but the 1.4 is even better

neverender · 25 Jul 2006 at 16:17

All things (that is, IQ) being equal then the 1.4 would obliviously be preferable.

However, I cant say I know what the price difference is, but if it were more than £50 I don't think I'd be prepared to fork out the extra for the bigger apature. Not unless you 100% needed the extra low-light ability which, I'm guessing, you probably don't given that you're unsure.

reddeathdrinker · 25 Jul 2006 at 18:28

I bought the 50mm f/1.8 new, only £97......Couldn't justify £212 for the f/1.4.

Slime101 · 25 Jul 2006 at 18:47

Or of course if you want even better and are feeling fluch for a bit over £200 you can pick up a brand new AI F1:1.2 (f1.2) 50mm which is an awsome lens

gandhi · 25 Jul 2006 at 21:05

The 1.4 is the better lens without a doubt. If you wont feel any financial pain getting it then it's a no brainer. Is it 2.5x better though?

King_Boru · 25 Jul 2006 at 21:15

I would get the 1.8D. An extra £110ish for the 1.4D is'nt really worth the extra. If it were in the region of £160 then it would be. An aperture of 1.8 is more than enough. A little fill in flash can supplement and difference between the 2 anyway.

King.

Sic · 25 Jul 2006 at 21:20

King_Boru said:
I would get the 1.8D. An extra £110ish for the 1.4D is'nt really worth the extra. If it were in the region of £160 then it would be. An aperture of 1.8 is more than enough. A little fill in flash can supplement and difference between the 2 anyway.

King.

not if you're shooting bands and need the ambient lighting it cant.

having said that, the 1.8 is more than enough, providing the bands has a half-decent lighting arrangement.

King_Boru · 25 Jul 2006 at 21:51

looking at a lot of pro shots they seem to favour f2.8 on the 50mm. That is, ofcourse with good stage lighting. I am sure pub bands will have sufficient lighting for a 1.8 lens.

Sic · 25 Jul 2006 at 22:25

yeah, when i've got a spare £900, i'll be getting a 70-200mm f/2.8 VR as that's plenty for low-light.

jhmaeng · 26 Jul 2006 at 00:07

I can heartily recommend the 1.4. Sharpness at f/1.4 is a bit hit and miss (I seem to get acceptable shots sometimes, and very soft shots on the others) but by the time you've stopped down to f/1.8 - 2, the lens becomes significantly sharper, probably as sharp as a lens like 18-70 stopped down a bit.

By the time you're at f/5, it basically resolves more detail than the 6.1mp sensor of the D70 can capture. Absolutely pin sharp with no sharpening.

The colours and contrast are both very good too. Take a look at my photos here - shots 3-6 are all with the 50mm f/1.4 prime.

This is a 100% crop at f/6.3 with zero sharpening: