Best 50mm lens for Nikon D850 (Page 2): DXO says that without a doubt the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* Otus 1.4/55 and Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art are the two best 50mm lens for your camera, a bit...

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

bob100 wrote:

Which 50mm lens is best for D850? Nikon 1.4G, 1.8G, or something else? Appreciate opinions/experience. Thanks!

DXO says that without a doubt the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* Otus 1.4/55 and Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art are the two best 50mm lens for your camera, a bit pricey though.

http://www.dxomark.com/category/lens-reviews/

tomcat

Blurryeyed wrote:

DXO says that without a doubt the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* Otus 1.4/55 and Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art are the two best 50mm lens for your camera, a bit pricey though.

http://www.dxomark.com/category/lens-reviews/

Yes, pricey, but worth every penny. The Sigma Art is so sharp that you can enlarge the image to the equivalent range of a 300mm and still get a very sharp image. So this one lens is equivalent to a whole range between 28mm and 300mm, so you are buying a bag full of lenses with just this one purchase.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

tomcat wrote:

Yes, pricey, but worth every penny. The Sigma Art is so sharp that you can enlarge the image to the equivalent range of a 300mm and still get a very sharp image. So this one lens is equivalent to a whole range between 28mm and 300mm, so you are buying a bag full of lenses with just this one purchase.

Yes, I have one, exceptional lens.

Slade1

bob100 wrote:

Which 50mm lens is best for D850? Nikon 1.4G, 1.8G, or something else? Appreciate opinions/experience. Thanks!

1.8G. It tests sharper. No one really needs the 1.4G because few people shoot with a lens wide open anyway, that is, unless they are seeking maximum bokeh and if that is often required, then go ahead and purchase the 1.4G if you feel like you just have to !

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

bob100 wrote:

Which 50mm lens is best for D850? Nikon 1.4G, 1.8G, or something else? Appreciate opinions/experience. Thanks!

It's nearly impossible to tell the difference between a 50mm f1.8D for $134 and anything costing nearly 10x more or even 60x more for a Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH. Lens (Silver Anodized).

More money gets you a more rugged lens and lots of other intangibles but, unless you tell the viewer what lens you used and how much you paid for it, 99.99% of the people looking at the image won't notice. They are looking for other qualities in the image.

So long as you stick with a reputable manufacturer (the camera's brand or Carl Zeiss, Tamron or Sigma) and watch out for models that have been panned, you really can't go wrong with any prime lens from about 35mm through 85mm.

Bu there is a self fulfilling prophecy that favors a more expensive lens. You will be more careful with it and you will strive to justify the dent it made in your wallet.

But if you treat a less expensive version with the same care and attention, you can get the same benefit and help pay for a nice vacation.

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

bob100 wrote:

Which 50mm lens is best for D850? Nikon 1.4G, 1.8G, or something else? Appreciate opinions/experience. Thanks!

I have the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D lens and I love it... I mainly use it for low light and it is a full frame lens. I use it both on my Nikon D610 (full frame) and on my Nikon D7100 (crop). I picked it up used from KEH and its a great lens for those shots just after sunset as you are loosing the light. My other lenses are a Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 fx zoom, a Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 D, and others. None of which can approach the 1.4 for speed. And, when I put it on my D7100 (or use in in DX mode on the D610) I challenge you to show me a reasonably priced 75mm f/1.4 lens.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

dcampbell52 wrote:

... I challenge you to show me a reasonably priced 75mm f/1.4 lens.

A bigger challenge might be to find a 75mm lens at all, at any price.

But even the 50mm Leica Summicron (f/2) is considered to be a better lens than the 1.4 or 1.2 versions. It seems that f/1.8 is a pretty good place to start and probably nobody can tell the difference of 1/3 stop, even in the DOF when wide open.

SuperFly48 Loc: NE ILLINOIS

I use a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 manual lens on my D850 and it gives me what I want at that focal length. Had that lens from my film days. Now have a Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 manual as well. Both are made in Japan. Ordered a Nikon 24mm f/1.8, sent it back, did not like made in China. Because of their physical size, my 28mm and 50mm look almost out of place and disproportionately small mounted on my D850 but the proof is in the shots. Daylight shots taken with the 50mm; night shots taken with the 28mm. Just my two cents worth.

(Download)

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

FlyGuy47 wrote:

... Now have a Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 manual as well. Both are made in Japan. ....

I should have included that lens in my range of excellent and relatively inexpensive lenses. It's one of the best Nikon ever made.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

I own the Nikon 50mm f1.8G. But, I use it on a crop sensor camera. I would love to see a heads up comparison of this lens to, Nikon's newest, 50mm f1.4G AF-S lens on a FF Nikon D850 DSLR.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

mas24 wrote:

I own the Nikon 50mm f1.8G. But, I use it on a crop sensor camera. I would love to see a heads up comparison of this lens to, Nikon's newest, 50mm f1.4G AF-S lens on a FF Nikon D850 DSLR.

Look at https://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Ratings

The f/1.8 G and D are marginally sharper than the 1.4 versions but that's in their lab. Each D version is slightly sharper than the G and less expensive. You are not likely to see the difference in real images.

But the 1.4 versions have other things going for them besides sharpness and it's not the unnoticeable extra 1/3 stop of brightness wide open.

The differences are not enough to lose sleep over. You pay your money and take your choice.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

selmslie wrote:

Look at https://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Ratings br... (show quote)

I kinda thought that. I'll use that DXO Chart Link you provided for many other lenses. I also own the Nikon 35mm f1.8G, which is formatted for Nikon's crop sensor cameras. Best investment lens I ever bought new for $197. Thanks for info and link.

mscott842

Nikon recommends using their “gold ring” lenses on the 850 to reap the benefits of the camera’s technology. They have superior coating etc. I recently acquired the 58mm 1.4. Expensive, but if you have an 850, then I guess you might be willing to spend some funds on glass. I sold my 50D 1.4 and went for the 58mm. I have an 800D and love the soft focus BG I get at 1.4 on the 58mm. Unlike any other 1.4 lens I have owned.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

MT Shooter wrote:

"BEST" is the Sigma 50mm F1.4 ART lens. Once you've used it other 50mm lenses just cannot measure up!

Per usual, I find myself in complete agreement with MT Shooter. I owned a Nikon 50 1.4D, which I am somewhat sorry that I traded for the G version as I didn't think too much of that one. I too sold my Nikon for a Sigma Art 50/1.4 and am extremely happy with everything except the added weight, but the lens is so awesome, the weight becomes minor. I have heard that the Zeiss Otus entry is just a tad better, as it should be for 4 grand! In general, I really like all the Sigma ART lenses and own three of them, including the 50. The others I have are the 135/1.8 and the 24-105/4. I find them all on the large and heavy size, but all are amazing optics. To put this is perspective, I'm a pretty entrenched Nikon shooter. Best of luck.

Bazbo Loc: Lisboa, Portugal

bob100 wrote:

Which 50mm lens is best for D850? Nikon 1.4G, 1.8G, or something else? Appreciate opinions/experience. Thanks!

Zeiss 50mm 1.2. Manual focus but well worth it.