Nikkor AF 50mm f1.8D in the city

Oldhand · Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 8:38 am Post subject: Nikkor AF 50mm f1.8D in the city

I have been off for the past week visiting family in Brisbane.
Brisbane is the State capital of Queensland and a beautiful city.
Here are some images from the humble 1.8/50D Nikkor.
OH

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

Went there for the first time a few weeks ago,I agree a lovely city...on a river...so nice.Love the sun image coming through the buildings.

Oldhand · Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 9:34 pm Post subject:

Thanks Mo.
Here are a few more from this very good lens (made in China BTW)
OH

tomzcafe · Joined: 01 Jun 2009 Posts: 196

Nice shots !

I visited the city two years ago and your first shot reminds me on the time I spent on the Story Bridge shooting the very same area.

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

It looks and performs like a very reasonable lens...no matter where it was made...they did a good job Very Happy

Oldhand · Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 7:43 am Post subject:

!Karen · Joined: 20 Jul 2013 Posts: 836 Location: Belgium Baby

A very neat little lens it seems from the beautiful photographs
I have the canon ef 50mm f1,8 and despite it's super plastic construction it consistently delivers great results

Oldhand · Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 10:49 pm Post subject:

Doc Sharptail · Joined: 23 Nov 2020 Posts: 1207 Location: Winnipeg Canada

Just bought one used today for $89.00 C.A.D... It is my very first A/F interchangeable lens.

There's a couple of shots to show what the lens looks like.
Yes, it's made in China. Construction seems to be almost all plastic/carbon fiber. There are seven aperture blades in it, and it is definitely coated with something that gives the glass a purple/rose color.

My copy seems to have been used a bit. Slightly grindy, plasticky feel to manual focusing with it. Very likely nylon bearing surfaces in there that are wearing.

It's lightning fast in A/F mode. The only M/F lens I have that approaches this speed is the old short throw 50mm f2 H.C. nikkor.

A couple of quick test shots here:

At ISO 200 in A/F and full Program/Matrix metering mode on the D-810. Aperture is f10 as selected by the camera. Image is un-manipulated except for re-size to fit here.

Hefty crop of the image above. Not bad at all, considering the low hanging dull over-cast we've been putting up with here for a while.

I have mixed feelings on this. I can't really tell a difference in I/Q between this and the old stand by 50mm f2 M/F only K based nikkor.
What it does do (and very well at that) is allow full use of the the camera's capabilities that the m/f lenses miss out on. (yeah it's a nikon gripe, but I live with it.) It's a lot lighter in weight as well. I don't think I'll ever quite get used to that plastic feel though. I'll give it a good run when things clear up weather wise here.

-D.S.

Doc Sharptail · Joined: 23 Nov 2020 Posts: 1207 Location: Winnipeg Canada

Similar frame to above in better lighting conditions.

Significant crop of the r/h edge. Not much to define in the corners on this one, but this should give an approximate idea.
The camera selected f9 for reasons beyond me.
As a glorified point and shoot, it works reasonably well.
Now to play with it by assigning various user inputs in the more controllable modes...

-D.S.

Doc Sharptail · Joined: 23 Nov 2020 Posts: 1207 Location: Winnipeg Canada

Little Limestone Lake under the usual over-cast.
D-810 on program and in A/F mode.
I sold this lens when KEH was here. The lens is just not me- from several standpoints. I am better off and more comfortable with my stable of m/f lenses, I think.
Nothing against the lens- it does what it's supposed to, but the handling under manual focus leaves much to be desired. I don't like the way the aperture interacts with the camera, and there's a fair amount of menu surfing to get the aperture control I'm accustomed to.

I think that's the last image I took with the lens. I like the contrast levels from the old K-based normal lenses a lot more- again, a matter of personal taste.

-D.S.