Nikon AF FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8D Lens for Nikon DSLR Cameras

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This is the exact lens I needed for my 35mm film Nikon fm10. I’ve read numerous reviews stating that the lens does not match the description and that is correct, the description is for the newer model lens without an aperture ring. I needed the aperture ring for my film camera and this was a great price. The lens is great so far although I didn’t develop my film yet. I only took some test shots with it on my D3300. For clarification the lens is AF autofocus but only with a body that supports it (not a starter camera like a D3300). I was looking for a fully manual lens and this is exactly what I needed. My one thing about it is that I clicked buy new but it didn’t come with any paperwork or padding in the box. Just the loose lens with body caps and it was slightly dusty. But doesn’t matter to me as long as I have a working and inexpensive f1.4 lens I’m happy. I was originally working with a f3.5 so this makes so much of a difference, it’s excellent!

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The lens says AF ( autofocus) but autofocus isnt supported on my d5600, which I didnt realize (using a small device, didnt see in the description that it wont autofocus on a nikon d5600). Im a newer camera user so an expensive lesson as I now realize that I needed an AF-S in order for it to autofocus which is only about $30 more. Im kicking myself because it was a (requested ) gift so I open it until it was too late to return it. Ill sell it at KEH and get the AF-S. Sigh.

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If you have a camera with a built-in autofocus-motor (D90, etc...), then you need this lens. Everyone should have a 50mm f/1.8 (or faster) lens. This lens is just too inexpensive and too good to pass up. You buy this lens for two reasons: to shoot in low light without flash or to get great depth of field control. With a wide aperture of f/1.8 you are guaranteed to get great natural light pictures indoors or other low light situations while maintaining a relatively low ISO. The other advantage to large apertures is of course the great isolation of your subject by limiting depth of field. The sample images posted by reviewers show how well this lens works on both accounts. I see reviews complaining about the sharpness of this lens. Forget about it. Sharpness is rarely a result of the lens. Ive taken incredibly sharp pictures with this lens and very fuzzy pictures. Every fuzzy picture was because of something I did "wrong", for example... Depth of Field: With f/1.8 at 50mm if youre framing a close subject that is only 2 feet away, your depth of field (amount of subject in focus) is only .38 inches (< 1 cm). That is what is referred to as "paper thin" depth of field. Naturally with such a small amount of the subject in focus much of the image will be "unsharp". This is expected and called bokeh. Be sure to understand how depth of field works, or make sure to shoot all your subjects from very far away (not recommended). If this is your first prime lens, then consider the 35mm f/1.8 which has a much more forgiving DOF (.8 inches at 2 feet when wide open). Subject Motion: With such a limited depth of field, when shooting at the larger apertures, even a small bit of subject motion can cause one of two things to happen. The first is that the part of the subject you wanted to be in focus moved and is now out of focus. The second is that the shutter speed wasnt fast enough to freeze the subject and motion blur occurs. Make sure to shoot moving subjects with an appropriately high shutter speed. Here is where your Nikon beats all other DSLRs: you can customize this using Auto ISO in your camera menu. Camera Shake: If you let your camera decide everything for you then eventually your shutter speed is going to drop to a value where you can no longer hold the camera steady enough to get a clear shot without a tripod. You need to always shoot at a speed that you can hold the camera steady at. Customize Auto ISO here as well based on your capabilities. Focus Errors: With paper thin depth of field at the wider apertures its even easier for a focus error to ruin a picture. If youre taking a close-up picture of someones face, and your camera selects the nearest object to focus on, then their nose will be in focus but their eyes slightly blurry. That will ruin your picture. Even being slightly off will wreck a great picture. Be very careful with your choice of focus method. If youre shooting at the wider apertures, but not at the nearest object, you may want to use selective auto-focus. Try to focus on the eyes if youre taking pictures of people. Its easy to see how the challenges of shooting at wide apertures have more to do with the sharpness of pictures than any optical quality of the lens. It is challenging, but the great pictures you get are well worth the effort. After the first year I owned this lens my photography education was greatly accelerated. I was immediately challenged to understand and master depth of field, shutter speed, ISO, and auto-focus. Without it, I would have continued to do the same dumb things that resulted in mediocre and blurred pictures. I would have continued to blame the tools (camera, lens, flash, etc...) instead of taking control for myself. If youre afraid to walk, then dont get this lens. The only way youre going to get proper depth of field and good framing is by walking closer to or farther away from your subject. If you dont have a camera with a built in autofocus-motor (D40, D40X, D60, D3000, D3100, or D5000), then you will either need to get the more expensive 50mm f/1.4 with the autofocus-motor or, if this is your first prime lens and you want a lower price, go ahead and start with the more forgiving 35mm f/1.8 .

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Update: ARE YOU KIDDING ME? The lens is now stuck to my camera body (Nikon D3300) and I can’t release it. I have to take it to a camera repair shop bc it seems like the cheap plastic part of the mount is jammed into the body. I’d love to return this and get a full refund but I don’t know how, considering I can’t remove it! Definitely going to seek compensation if this has damaged the camera body itself. Great lens, exactly what I wanted— but it only came with a front lens cap. I wanted to take this on an upcoming trip soon, but don’t want to risk damaging it because there’s no rear lens cap. I have to keep it in the box on top of a shelf so it’s safe and not getting bounced around or dust in it. I don’t really have the time to go out and buy just the rear lens cap before I leave, which is a bummer.

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This lens is also great for a DX camera as long as it has a focusing motor in the camera body. Otherwise you have to focus manually. Manual focus is not as bad as it sounds because the camera will still use the focus module to tell you when youre focused, it just cant move the focus ring for you if you have a D3xxx or a D5xxx body Nikon. If you cant stand the idea of having to focus manually, the AF-S version of this lens is available at about double the price. The D600, 7xxx, and 800 Nikons have a focus motor in the camera, and this lens will autofocus on those cameras. The 75 mm equivalent focal length on a DX camera makes it good for portraits or short telephoto shots. And its a small, light lens that you can carry around in your pocket to supplement whatever you have on the camera already. Prime lenses really are sharper and have less distortion, and gaining a couple of stops for low light shooting is nice. But no VR, so you gain something and you give up something. The 50mm lens is iconic in SLR photography, and any serious hobbyist or semi-pro shooter should have one, especially considering the price. If youre a pro, just get the 24-70mm f/2.8 for $2000 instead of this $100 lens.

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The Nikon 50mm 1.8 AF-D is still in production and still is the best 50mm 1.8 prime for Nikon full frame body. Ive also had and used the 50mm 1.8g verision extensively for a while and in comparison I believe the 50mm 1.8 AF-D is indeed a better option. The micro-contrast, distortion, and its size makes it an overall better option than the G version with its barrel distortion. I thought the G version rendered a sharper image at the maximum aperture of 1.8 but the difference seems minor. Based on the lens sample and the body combination, the 50mm 1.8 AF-D can appear soft at its maximum apeture of 1.8. For more consistent performance at the expanse of some distortion and loss of superior micro contrast/rendering from lower lens element construction, the G version might work better depending on your camera body.

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Glad Nikon still cranks these out. I sold my old one circa 1998 and have been using a 24-70 and 80-200 2.8s for years. Although a50 1.8 isnt a replacement for either obviously I like using the 50 1.8 on my DX cameras for portrait/glamour as it is like weightless and excellent on. DX. It becomes a 75mm. Perfect for heads, 3/4s. Awesome bokeh and if youre shooting in tight quarters it is much more convenient. Sharp as a tack.

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This was one of the best lens purchases Ive ever made. Ive won contests using this lens. Probably the best kept secret of the Nikon Photography world. Awesome lens.

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I have been using this lens for almost a year now, and it has been my go-to lens for so many occasions. I shoot both indoor and outdoor shots on my Nikon D750 and this lens does great in all settings. I even used this lens on my first DSLR, a Nikon D3100 and the clarity is great on the crop lens, too. My only criticism of the lens is that my more self-conscious clients think they look fatter with this lens when I use my full-frame Nikon body. This makes sense since 50mm on a crop lens will make you look smaller than 50mm on a full-frame. Just something to be aware of.

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My first prime lens and I am already loving it. Its small and light - but the make is not great, feels cheap (which it is) near other Nikon lenses and is a bit noisy when focusing. Does not have an internal AF motor so unless your camera has a auto focus motor this will have to be used as a manual focus lens. Havent got a chance to go outdoors for field test with this lens yet, but have already done more than 1000 clicks indoors. Images from this lens are great, wide aperture (widest I may use is 2.5 though) and fast focus.

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