The Nikon 50mm 1.4D comes with mechanical auto focus, and hence only works for those Nikon cameras that have a built in AF motor. So if you have a D5x00 or a D3x00 series Nikon, beware that AF will not work. The entry level cameras simply assume that the lens has built in motors. It is a mechanical construction with no motor and no stabilization. The construction is an oldie, but still a goldie:
The aperture ring enables you to manually switch from f/1.4 to f/16, and the lens is an FX lens, meaning it will work both on full frame cameras and on cropped sensors. However, on a cropped sensor, you may want to go for a 35mm lens to get the equivalent of a 50 mm.
Why the Nikon AF-D 50mm 1.4?
Price. Unless you are flea market shark (very lucky or a very good negotiator) you will find that a lens as fast as f/1.4 is very expensive, as it requires a lot of glass. This lens will only set you back 230 USD, which compared to other lenses is a true bargain. I think it is because the lens construction is very old and has been produced in so many copies that the R&D that went into making this lens has been recovered many times since the first version of this lens saw the light of day back around 1950. You can get it used a lot cheaper, and if you go for a Pentax 50mm f/1.4, then you can get it down to 50-80 USD if you follow e-Bay closely for a while!
Low light shooting. This lens is fast and will let in a lot of light. Lots of light enables you to shoot where there is very little ambient light, without adding flash or the like. For each f-stop you go down, the amount of light the lens lets in doubles, i.e. it is not a linear relationship but a more “explosive” one. So a 1.4 lets in double the amount of a 2.0 which is also considered at fairly fast lens.
Background separation. When the lens is wide open and you shoot at f/1.4, the depth of field (DoF) is very narrow, meaning that you will have excellent background separation, even to the extend where parts of your subject may be out of focus! I find that if I take a picture of my cat at f/1.4, then if the eyes are in focus, the nose may not be! The DoF is that shallow! At 45 cm distance (minimum focus distance for this lens), the DoF is 1-2 centimeters!
Shooting wide open on a summer’s day
You may find that your pictures are overexposed if you shoot at f/1.4 on a summer’s day.
The problem is that the lens lets in so much light, that even at a ISO 100 and maximum shutter speed, to much light hits the sensor. My Nikon D750 has a maximum shutter speed at 1/4000th of a second, and shooting a white or yellow flower in bright sunlight leads to over exposed pictures. The solution (other than stopping down) is a Neutral Density filter. I find that a ND3 filter (takes out 3 stops of light) solves the problem in most cases.
Sample pictures
Below some sample picture that I hope can give inspiration. I really enjoy shooting with the 1.4 lens, and if you are a photography nerd but have never tried to use a super fast lens, I can only recommend you try it! It is really great fun! If the price tag seems steep, try to see if you can lend or borrow one – but be prepared to be hooked! PS: Links to related reading at the bottom of the below images.
The below is a wine bottle cork with some graphics on top. It stands on my kitchen table. But because the DoF is so shallow, the structure of the wood is only visible very close to the subject – the rest is blurred:
Related reading
Nikon 50mm 1.8 AF-S lens review (G series lens)
Nikon 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 AF-D lens review
Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AF lens review
Video link
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