Michael Jin
- Comment
I purchased this lens after trying out a 50mm f1.8G and being disappointed with it. I know... Different type of lens and different price point. But the reason I came to this lens rather than the 50mm 1.4G is a conclusion that I came to somewhere in-between those two purchases: Great lenses dont stop being great because the next thing comes out. It just means that the newer thing may possibly be better. Now Im sure plenty can be argued about whether this is a "great lens" or not, but the simple point is that this lens, like the 35mm f2D, 85mm f1.4D, and plenty of other older lenses, has served countless photographers and produced countless amazing photos since its inception. The appearance of more capable lenses today doesnt mean that the 50mm 1.4D is suddenly incapable of creating great photos. And lets be honest... how many of us are actually taking photos that can even hold a candle to so many of those photos taken in decades past on all of that "inferior" equipment? I have a Nikon D810 (recently upgraded to full frame from my old D300), so as I build my FX lens collection, Ive been facing some odd decisions. Given the fact that I can use these older lenses, I am not forced to default to the newer "G-Series" lenses where some others might unfortunately already have that decision made for them by virtue of the fact that their camera bodies cannot autofocus with older lenses. And while the newer lenses are largely superior in IQ as well as aperture in some cases, the ultimate question I have to ask myself is whether or not those advances are truly meaningful to me at my level. I can definitely tell you that Im not a pixel-peeper (although even at 1:1, the 50mm 1.4D seems to perform just fine) and I believe that, in fact, technical aspects like that are probably the last thing to worry about behind lighting, composition, etc. And if Im not really getting meaningful value (as a function of the limits of my own ability as a photographer) out of the newer lens, why spend the extra money to get it? By the time I get to a point where it might actually matter somehow, its entirely possible that something even newer and better will be out as the endless march of technology continues. If youre still with me after my ramblings, let me simply say that Ive found this to be an absolutely wonderful lens that has more than served my needs. While its true that my camera may push the limits of this lens on a sheer technical level, my abilities as a photographer have not even begun to outgrow it. It may be different for some of you, but Im more concerned about nailing a good composition and capturing the feel of scenes than I am about staring at photo comparisons to see which lens renders bokeh slightly better than another or which lens is sharper at the pixel level—things that I can assure you that nobody on the other side of the camera will ever care about or even notice. If youre one of the elite photographers for whom this lens will honestly be a limitation, you already know you dont want this. If youre an owner of a body for which this lens will not autofocus because of technical limitations, you should look elsewhere. But if you fall into the same category as me where you have a camera body that can use this lens, but youre still on the journey of learning the art of photography, I encourage you to save a little bit of cash and explore the possibilities of this lens. It will ultimately reward the trust you put in it when you do start taking some of those great photos, and youll be reminded by the fact that youre doing it on equipment that many people will turn their nose up at as being somehow "obsolete" that the essence of your photography doesnt lie within the gear in your camera bag. It is within yourself, gained through experience, study, and hard work.