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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Nikon 50mm F1.4 (AI,AIS,AF,AFD) Review

i read the argument to pick the older sturdier nikkors over the new ones many times. one thing pple tend to forget is how glass manufacturing, coating and cnc machining has improved over the last 25 years...they probably still smoked in clean rooms back in the 70's :)
 
This particular lens seems to be getting more expensive as the days go by. I had several AI versions on my "watch list" on ebay and was startled at the end results. Some were selling for north of $200 (link). Are REDUsers driving them up already? If you planned on getting one, I would recommend sooner rather than later. They do have some on keh.com for less, but I wish they showed more actual pictures of the product rather than simply specifying a condition category.

EDIT: As PaulClements made clear to me, there are some still going for as cheap as $75 on ebay if you are patient, resourceful and/or a little lucky.
 
There is an ancient portrait studio in Prince George that I've driven by for a decade or three. It is primarily for portraits and passport photographs but I thought would stop in and see if there was any old equipment for sale.
Off in the corner was a sorry little display case with maybe a dozen lenses all told... and there, on the bottom shelf, covered in dust, was a Nikkor 50mm 1.4. The man who owns the store had actually forgotten that the lens was even there it had been so long.
We cleaned it up and it the damn thing looked like it had just come out of the box. The $100 Canadian wasn't a smokin' deal but I appreciate the fact that I could look it over before buying it and that there would be no shipping costs.
So I bought my first piece of Red 1 kit.
 
Thanks Evin. It would be interesting to see how the 35mm and 28mm Nikon lens perform.
 
Have you tested the Nikkor 50mm f1.8 lens? This is the lens that I have so just wondering.
 
Evin, I appreciate your post, was very helpful in my search for a good low-cost Nikon mount setup. The other Nikon mount 50's that are interesting are the ZeissZF 50mm 1.4, and the Voigtlander 58mm 1.4 SL2. Would be an interesting comparative test. thanks again for the post!
 
The Zeiss 50/1.4 is good. Not the best lens in the ZF line. Not necessarily better than the Nikon.

I bought two lenses instead:
-The Zeiss 50/2 makro, for better image quality, probably the sharpest 50mm in Nikon mount
-The Voigtlander 58/1.4, for low light, at least as good as the Zeiss 1.4 but not a duplicate focal length. (I've discovered that 58mm is a very useful focal length.)
 
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bryanheath said:
Thanks Evin. It would be interesting to see how the 35mm and 28mm Nikon lens perform.
Click to expand...

There are many versions of those lenses to consider.
The best 28mm is by far the F1.4 AF-D. Review here
My second choice is the 28mm F2 AI or AIS, almost as good as the 1.4.
Third is the 28mm F2.8 AIS (Not AI or AF) ver good but not as fast.

The 35mm f1.4 is a classic, amazing bokeh. Pretty much that and the f2 AF/AI-S are the only contenders.
 
It is amazing to see the difference in depth of field between F 1.4 and F 2.8 .

It seems to me ideal lens for medium close ups at cheaper rate.

Thanks for the post.
 
rplens.com

rplens.com

I bought a set of Nikons from Peter Sensor and rplens.com. He customizes lenses for cinema use. Check out his site!

http://rplens.com/

Here is his process...

"Affordable Lenses for Digital Cinema

How we do it ...

By acquiring used and new still photographic lenses and Re-Purposing, by adapting and upgrading
them for use in Digital Cinema.

These Prime Sets are an excellent affordable choice for use with HD and HDV DoF adapters such
as P+S Technik, Letus 35, Brevis, MovieTube, etc. As well as Ultra HD single chip cameras, RED 4K
and SI-2K. All of which have Nikon and Canon lens mounts available.

35 mm still photography lenses are made to cover an image size larger then that of 35 mm motion
and the DoF adapter image sizes, as well as 4K and 2K image size. They have extremely good
edge-to-edge sharpness.

We pride ourselves in providing only the most Pristine glass we can find. And in some cases, if we
can’t find used pristine quality to complete a set, we’ll find it new. These lenses are hand picked
and sharpness tested before they go through the process of adapting and upgrading for digital cinema.

What we do...

* Aperture rings are dismantled to remove the click stops and to dampen the ring
for smooth cine lens like setting and pulling.
* Focus barrels are cleaned and re-dampened if need be.
* Standard 32 pitch Black Delrin gears (very hard plastic) are carefully press fitted on
the barrel. Compatible with motion picture follow focus systems, Arri, Chrosziel, etc.
* Black anodized aluminum step-ups to 80 mm O.D. are added to the front of the lens.
To match with standard motion picture matte boxes and clamp-on shades.
* Rubber 80 mm push-on caps are used and the set is delivered In a new
Pelican case or optional A&J case.
* Personal attention to detail is taken with each prime set we sell. This is why,
depending on stock, orders can take 10 days to 3 weeks."

I had a custom set put together including a 24mm 1.4, 35mm 1.2, 50mm 1.2, 85mm 1.4, 135mm 1.4. Its a great set and I had it in less than 2 weeks!
 
Anyone done a lp/mm test with this lens? I would like to know what numbers you got. We did a sharpness test on the REd 18-50 and was getting 200 lp/mm.
 
facetmedia said:
Anyone done a lp/mm test with this lens? I would like to know what numbers you got. We did a sharpness test on the REd 18-50 and was getting 200 lp/mm.
Click to expand...

I just bought this lens Saturday. What's a lp/mm test? Tell me how to do it and I'll see if I can.
 
Jason Ing said:
I just bought this lens Saturday. What's a lp/mm test? Tell me how to do it and I'll see if I can.
Click to expand...

Jason,

You can print the The Koren 2003 lens test chart found here:

http://www.normankoren.com/Tutorials/MTF5.html

Make sure you set the print dimensions to what's stated... 9.84 inches long, also use the 5mm charts. There is a distance to target calculation. For the 5mm chart it is 51 * focal length = # of mm converted to inches or feet. Here's a link to my test result of the RED 18-50mm: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3015/2927510524_0feb7c820d_o.jpg

As you can see the REd 18-50mm is clearly resolving at 200 lp/mm. Here's a test result that was conducted with the Zeiss ZF 50mm at f4:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3294/2950247994_d846d77d29_o.jpg

The test of the Zeiss 50mm ZF could be off due to back focus issues that is why I'm on here asking for other test results. I don't have the Nikon mount installed on my camera... the test was done on a friends Red.
 
changing adapters in the field

changing adapters in the field

Can anyone guess how long it will take in the field to switch between the PL mount and the NIKON mount? This will become the deciding factor for me.
Click to expand...

Be very careful when even changing a lens with the same mount, "in the field" can be found one hella lot of dust, lint, and insect parts that would just love to live on your Mysterium. The time it takes to change adapters would exponentially increase the danger.
 
Did someone else run this test with a Nikon Zeiss lens?
Or have you make another try? i expect the 50mm to perfrom much better...

v*

facetmedia said:
Jason,

You can print the The Koren 2003 lens test chart found here:

http://www.normankoren.com/Tutorials/MTF5.html

Make sure you set the print dimensions to what's stated... 9.84 inches long, also use the 5mm charts. There is a distance to target calculation. For the 5mm chart it is 51 * focal length = # of mm converted to inches or feet. Here's a link to my test result of the RED 18-50mm: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3015/2927510524_0feb7c820d_o.jpg

As you can see the REd 18-50mm is clearly resolving at 200 lp/mm. Here's a test result that was conducted with the Zeiss ZF 50mm at f4:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3294/2950247994_d846d77d29_o.jpg

The test of the Zeiss 50mm ZF could be off due to back focus issues that is why I'm on here asking for other test results. I don't have the Nikon mount installed on my camera... the test was done on a friends Red.
Click to expand...
 
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