Verdict: This lightweight lens boasts fantastic sharpness, excellent build quality smooth bokeh. The vignetting is noticeable when shooting wide open and there is a little barrel distortion, but nothing that can’t be fixed with editing.
Nikon was responsible for the first 50mm f/1.4 back in 1950, and has continued to produce amazing updates ever since.
This version is no exception, with fantastic sharpness at the widest f/1.4 aperture, and the build quality, while mostly plastic, feels solid due to its compact size and weight (280g).
The lens features an SWM (Silent Wave Motor) to keep autofocusing noise down to near-silent. The AF performance is impressive too, which is needed considering f/1.4 only gives you very shallow depth-of-field. At the centre, images are extremely sharp at the widest aperture, and stay that way throughout the range.
Corner sharpness is also excellent and excels from f/4, as does vignetting, which is noticeable when shooting wide-open. There is a touch of barrel distortion, though that can easily be fixed in editing. The bokeh (out-of-focus area) is extremely pleasing and smooth, thanks to the 9 rounded diaphragm blades, and achieving background blur is very easy given the f/1.4 aperture.
Pros
Fast AF
Excellent sharpness
Bokeh
Cons
Barrel distortion
Vignetting
No weather-sealing
Want to see more lenses? We've rounded up 10 of the best wide-aperture lenses for under £1000.
Spec
Max aperture: f/1.4
Min aperture: f/16
Elements/groups: 8/7
Min focusing distance: 45cm
DxL: 74x54mm
Weight: 280g
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Kirk Schwarz is a tech-addicted photographer with over a decade's experience; Kirk’s used to putting new gear through extreme field testing. He's previously written for Practical Photography.