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My Overall Rating : ★★★★½

Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras Review

This is Nikon’s latest 50mm lens which replaces the 50mm f/1.8 AF (non D). It is as sharp or sharper!

This unassuming lens is the best budget choice for a D3 or D700, much better than any zoom, to get you the fast autofocus, great low-light performance and the sharpness for which you bought a D3 or D700 in the first place.

The only difference between this and the 50mm f/1.4 D and 50mm f/1.2 AI-s  is that the faster lenses become sharper at f/2, but all are the same by f/4. The faster lenses also cost two to four times as much and have more distortion.

Like all of Nikon’s 50mm f/1.8 lenses, this has almost no distortion. Its distortion is so low that it was never visible in film days, and I only can see it today in digital by blowing up images to the equivalent of 6 feet (2m) wide on a computer screen and dropping an electronic straight edge on them, and then only if I deliberately shot a test.

Plug these figures into Photoshop CS2’s lens distortion filter to correct the distortion. These aren’t facts or specifications, they are the results of my research that requires me to climb a bluff on a very clear day and shoot the ocean’s horizon.

Let’s take a look at all of the Nikon 50mm f 1.8D features/specification:

  • High-speed normal lens
  • Great for travel and for shooting full-length portraits in available light
  • Distortion-free images with superb resolution and color rendition
  • Provides high-contrast images even at maximum aperture

If you want to buy Nikon 50mm f 1.8D, you can get it cheap online through Amazon.com here. They offer special discount price and reliable shipping service.

Let me show you what current owners have to say about it:

“…As a professional photographer, I cannot praise this lens enough: it brings me closer to my subjects, and connects my photographs with viewers from the level of intimacy it imparts. Why? When you fall in love with someone, they are right in front of you, and the rest of the world blurs away. That’s how this lens makes me see: as though I am right in front of, and in love with, what I’m viewing.

I take lots of pictures of food, people, and farms. (See the samples I’ve uploaded here.) This lens has a quality of gentleness in it that is unsurpassed. Because it’s fast, it’s great for low lighting, and brings a romantic quality to beautiful food in restaurants. It’s also the perfect portrait lens, seeing people much as we ourselves do, with no distortion, only kindness. Yes, I am ascribing emotional qualities to an inanimate object, but it doesn’t exist in a vaccum. It makes me a better photographer, by showing me how to see.

It’s wonderful, and wonderfully priced…”

If you want more info on this Nikon 50mm f 1.8D, I suggest you take a look at the Nikon 50mm f 1.8D reviews on Amazon here. A lot of consumer positive response to this Nikon 50mm f 1.8D here.

Here is why Nikon 50mm f 1.8D is worth buying:

Nikon 50mm f 1.8D AF Nikkor Lens : Pro

  • Very fast (f/1.8)
  • Very sharp pictures (especially when stopped down to f/2.2, f/2.5 or more.)
  • Great for sport/action photography
  • Great for indoor and low light situation
  • Great for portrait
  • Bokeh is almost as good as many expensive Nikon tele-lens
  • Fast autofocus
  • Good for wedding photography (or no-flash event). However, if this is your main objective then you might want to get the 50mm f/1.4 version or 28-70mm f/2.8 lens)
  • 75mm equivalent which can be considered a short tele lens (I actually like the fact that it’s 75mm equivalent vs 50mm in DSLR. if you need more zoom, you can get the Nikon 85mm f/1.8, or the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR). If you have full frame DSLR(like the D3 or D700), then this #9 pros is not applicable.
  • Inexpensive

Nikon 50mm f 1.8D AF Nikkor Lens : Con

  • Being prime lens, you need to move your feet a lot to adjust/compose
  • Autofocus issue on some situations (read detail above)
  • Plasticy build
  • Autofocus is not the most silent but very reasonable
  • 75mm equivalent with 1.5x multiplier on non full frame DSLR (many people find this is an odd range for normal lens. I actually like it). If you have full frame DSLR(like the D3 or D700), then this #5 cons is not applicable.
  • Autofocus does not work with D40, D40x, D60 and D5000. The newer 50mm f/1.4G AF-S lens or 35mm f/1.8G AF-S lens will autofocus with those cameras.

Conclusion

This lens is so versatile (and inexpensive) that I think everyone should own in addition to all the lenses that they already have. Being a very fast lens, it enables me to take pictures in low light (sport/action photography) that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to do.
After knowing its limitation, I would predict that 99% of you that decides to buy this lens will find this lens very useful. And if you decide that you don’t like it (which I think not more than 1%), I’m sure there will be a lot of people who wouldn’t mind buying it from you (with some discount of course).

Again, I would recommend everyone to get this lens. In some ways I can say that this lens makes me a better photographer.

This Nikon 50mm f 1.8D can be ordered directly from Amazon.com today. CLICK HERE for the best price and get your Nikon 50mm f 1.8D today! They are 100% secure site so you can be rest assured that your details are protected when ordering.

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