Nikon 50mm F - 1

7/15/2016 Nikon 50mm f/1.
4 NIKKORS Auto
Home Donate New Search Gallery Reviews HowTo Books Links Workshops About Contact
Nikon 50mm f/1.4
NIKKORS Auto (19661974)
© 2012 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.
Intro Specifications Performance Compared Recommendations
http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/50mmf14s.htm 1/49
7/15/2016 Nikon 50mm f/1.4 NIKKORS Auto
Nikon 50mm f/1.4 NIKKORS Auto, AIupdated (this sample from 1967, 52mm
filters, 10.8 oz./306g, 2'/0.6m close focus, about $70 used). enlarge. This free
website's biggest source of support is when you use any of these links, especially this
direct link to this lens at eBay (see How to Win at eBay), when you get anything,
regardless of the country in which you live. Thanks! Ken.
May 2013 Nikon Reviews Nikon Lenses All Reviews
Great for
A classic lens that works great on everything from the original Nikon F to today's D4,
D800 and D800E.
Not for
No autofocus.
Introduction top
Compatibility History Production Pricing
This Nikon 50mm f/1.4 NIKKORS Auto was the world's standard
in professional newsgathering during the Apollo era, and still
performs great today, with less distortion and far better mechanics
than Nikon's newest madeinChina plastic 50mm f/1.4G!
Compatibility intro top
The manualfocus Nikon 50mm f/1.4 NIKKORS Auto works great
with most Nikon cameras, 35mm and digital.
with most Nikon cameras, 35mm and digital.
To work properly with cameras made since 1977, it should have
been AIupdated, as was this sample.
Adorama pays top
Presuming it has been AIupdated, it works flawlessly with every dollar for your used
manual focus Nikon ever made, from the original Nikon F of 1959 gear.
through the FM3a and today's FM10.
Search Amazon:
On the D4, D800, D800E, D3X, D3s, D3, D7000, D700, D300,
D200, D2 and F6, use the "NonCPU Lens Data" menu option to
set 50mm and f/1.4 to get full color matrix metering, EXIF data and
finder readout of set aperture. It works great in aperturepreferred
as well as manual modes on these cameras.
It works perfectly on every professional 35mm camera (F, F2, F3,
F4, F5, F6), and adds Matrix metering on the F6 when
programmed into the NonCPU lens data menu.
The meters of cheaper digital (D90, D5100 and below) and
cheaper film cameras (N80 and below) will not couple (or work at Search all B&H
all) with this lens, so you'll be on your own guessing exposure
using the rear LCD or an external meter, or get a tiny Gossen I use these stores. I
Digisix meter and hotshoe adapter, or the free Pocket Light Meter can't vouch for ads
below.
app to meter manually.
See Nikon Lens Compatibility for details on your camera. Read
down the "AI, AIs " column for this lens, presuming it's been AI
updated.
If it's still in its original Fmount form, then read the PreAI column,
and it won't mount on most cameras made since 1977.
Nikon 50mm f/1.4 NIKKORS Auto, AIupdated (this sample from
1969). Enlarge.
History intro top
1950
Nikon invented the world's first 50mm f/1.4 lens in 1950.
1959
Nikon first made a 58mm f/1.4 lens for its new F series SLR cameras for their
introduction in 1959.
1962
Nikon's first 50mm f/1.4 SLR lens was a little different than this lens, coming out in
1962.
The optical formulation of lens was introduced in 1966 and made through 1974.
1974
Multicoating was added in 1974.
Later in 1974, a "K" version with rubber grip and slightly different optics was
introduced.
1976
A new optical design came out in 1976, which is the version still sold new today.
Production intro top
Nikon made about a million of these 50mm f/1.4 NIKKORS lenses from 19661974.
They last forever, so they are very easy to find.
Pricing intro top
Price, Equivalent with
new* inflation in 2012
1966 $89.50 $640
2012 about $70 used
*at full NYC discount. Very few people bought their lenses this inexpensively back
then.
Nikon 50mm f/1.4 NIKKORS Auto. enlarge.

Specifications top
Name
Nikon calls this the Nippon Kogaku NIKKORS Auto 50mm f/1.4.
Nippon Kogaku was Nikon's more formal name for itself.
NIKKOR is Nikon's brand name for their lenses.
S stands for sept, or seven, meaning seven lens elements.
Auto means that it has an automatic diaphragm. The diaphragm stops down instantly
and automatically from f/1.4 to the taking aperture as the picture is taken, and opens
automatically to f/1.4 the instant the image has been captured. We take this for
granted today, but it was the hot selling feature back then.
Optics top
7 elements in 5 groups.
Singlecoated mostly in amber, optimized for blackandwhite film.
As of 1974, it was multicoated, which Nikon calls Nikon Integrated Coating.
Diaphragm top
1967 Nikon 50mm f/1.4 NIKKORS Auto at f/5.6. enlarge.
1969 Nikon 50mm f/1.4 NIKKORS Auto at f/5.6. Enlarge
7 straight blades. (earlier models were only 6 blades before 1966.)
Stops down to f/16
Aperture Ring top
Yes.
Metal.
Fullstop clicks.
Close Focus top
2 feet.
0.6 meters.
0.6 meters.
(The multicoated "K" version from 1974on focuses to 1.45'/0.45m.)
Maximum Reproduction Ratio top
1:9.8.
(The multicoated "K" version from 1974on focuses to 1:6.8.)
Angle of View top
46° on FX and 35mm.
31° on smallformat DX.
Focal Length top
50mm.
On a smallformat DX camera, this lens sees an angleofview similar to what a
75mm lens would see on a fullframe camera.
Hard Infinity Focus Stop? top
Yes.
This is great for astronomy; just turn to the stop and you have fixed laboratoryperfect
focus all night.
Focus Scale top
Yes.
DepthofField Scale top
Yes, lines colorcoded to apertures.
InfraRed Focus Index top
Yes: red dot at about f/5.6 in the depthoffield scale.
Filter Thread top
52mm, solid chromed brass.
Does not rotate.
Size top
Nikon specifies 2.64" (67mm) diameter by 1.87" (47.5mm) extension from flange
(2.22"/56.5mm overall).
Weight top
10.805 oz. (306.4g), measured.
Nikon specifies 11.5 oz. (325g).
Hood top
HS1 metal snapon.
HN5 metal screwin.
Case top
CL6 brown Corinthian leather tubular case.
Number 51.
CP1 plastic bubble.
Made in top
Japan.
Teleconverters top
Nikon says the TC200 and TC201 work.
Performance top
Overall Focus Bokeh Color Coma Distortion
Ergonomics Falloff Filters Focus Breathing Ghosts
Color Fringes Mechanics Sharpness Spherochromatism Sunstars
Overall performance top
The 50mm f/1.4 NIKKORS Auto performs as expected: flawless, timeless mechanics
and optics which are as good or better than today's plastic lenses when stopped
down a couple of stops.
Shot at f/1.4 and f/2, it can be a bit less contrasty, but so what; very little is ever in
focus at those apertures anyway.
Shooting this classic makes it so obvious that very little has changed optically over
the years, with the real changes are purely cosmetic to stimulate sales and to reduce
Nikon's costs.
Focus performance top
Focus is dry and as smooth as silk, with very little damping and no play.
Manual focus is flawless, both with a real camera like the Nikon F3, or with the three
way ( " > o < " ) manual focus indicators on newer cameras like the D4, D800,
D800E, D3X, D3s, D3, D700, F4, F5, F6 and most professional AF cameras.
Lesser digital cameras, like the D300s and down, usually have just one "OK" focus
dot, which is not as precise as two arrows and a dot.
Bokeh performance top
Bokeh, the character of outoffocus backgrounds, not simply how far out of focus
they are, is usually quite pleasant, with both foregrounds and backgrounds melting
away with very little distraction.
Katie talking to Noni at Mangia Bene, 03 May 2012. (Nikon F3, f/1.4 at 1/15 hand
held, Kodak Gold 100, NCPS process and scan.) bigger, but know that it's blurry
because Katie and Noni are moving and talking and playing at a mile a minute, so at
1/15 handheld, I'm surprised anything came out!
Color Rendition performance top
The color rendition of this Nikon 50mm f/1.4 NIKKORS Auto is a little cooler than my
newer multicoated NIKKOR lenses.
This is because its amber coatings are optimized to transmit as much blue light as
possible, to which blackandwhite film is most sensitive, with somewhat less
transmission of red than multicoated lenses.
No big deal, especially on digital cameras whose Auto White Balance nulls it out,
and/or whose White Balance settings can be set to add a little more amber, giving
you the best of all worlds.
Coma performance top
7/15/2016
Coma performance top Nikon 50mm f/1.4 NIKKORS Auto
Coma (saggital coma flare) is weird smeared blobs that appear around bright points
of light in the corners. They happen with fast and wide lenses at large apertures.
Coma goes away as stopped down, and tends not to be seen in slower and tele
lenses. Coma is an artifact of spherical aberration.
As expected for this older design, coma is quite obvious at f/1.4, greatly improved at
f/2, and gone by f/2.8.
Distortion performance top
The Nikon 50mm f/1.4 has the usual mild barrel distortion of all Nikon's 50mm f/1.4
SLR lenses.
It has less distortion than the newest 50mm f/1.4G.
It can be corrected by plugging these figures into Photoshop's lens distortion filter.
These aren't facts or specifications, they are the results of my research that requires
hours of photography and calculations on the resulting data.
FX and Film
10' (3m) +1.5
Ergonomics performance top
This Nikon 50mm f/1.4's ergonomics are perfect!
Focus adjusts with your thumb and forefinger, and the aperture ring adjusts with just
the tip of your middle finger as you hold the lens in your left hand. When shooting a
real camera, you never need to take these three dedicated fingers off the lens'
controls.
You can preset focus and aperture manually by feel, even before you lift the camera
to your eye. Just turn to the stop, and with experience, you'll know exactly how far to
turn it for different distances, even without looking. This sure beats autofocus, which
still requires at least some light to focus.
With twelve precision ribbed, raised areas and matching lands in the solid aluminum
focus ring, it's easy to put a finger on one and know exactly where the ring is set by
feel, something we lost when Nikon downgraded to cheap rubberbands for focus
rings around 1974.
When shooting with one hand, it's easy to set the aperture or focus with the middle
finger of your right hand, especially when put in one of the lands of the rings.
finger of your right hand, especially when put in one of the lands of the rings.
You can't do that with AF lenses because their focus rings usually turn 360,º unlike
this lens where each focus distance corresponds to only one unique position of the
focus ring.
Likewise, the aperture ring has only one position for each aperture, so it's also trivial
to turn it to the stop in the dark, and count clicks to set your aperture without taking
your attention away from your subject. You can't do that with AF lenses, since the
dopey function buttons and rings spin around and around without stopping, and even
worse, you have to take your attention off your subject and look at a display on your
camera at the same time.
Falloff (darkened corners) performance top
Falloff on FX is usually visible at f/1.4, greatly reduced at f/2, and gone at f/2.8.
It won't be much of an issue at all on DX (see crop factor).
I've exaggerated this by shooting a gray field and placing these on a gray
background:
Nikon 50mm f/1.4 NIKKORS Auto falloff on FX and film at infinity, no
correction.
f/1.4 f/2
f/2.8 f/4
© 2012 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.
Filters, Use with performance top
7/15/2016
Filters, Use with performance top
Nikon 50mm f/1.4 NIKKORS Auto
Vignetting is not a problem, even with stacked filters.
There's no need for expensive "thin" polarizers or grads.
Flare and Ghosts performance top
I don't see any ghosts with reasonable use.
Likewise, I'd expect lower contrast shooting into the light in color with this single
ambercoated lens, but didn't see anything significant.
Focus Breathing performance top
Of interest mostly to cinematographers focusing back and forth between two
subjects, the image from the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 S gets larger as focused more closely.
This is a traditional unitfocusing lens. The images grows because the entire optical
cell moves forward slightly as focused more closely.
Lateral Color Fringes performance top
When shot on the D800, which automatically corrects lateral color fringes as best it
can, the Nikon 50/1.4S has no color fringes, except sometimes for some very slight
orange/blue fringes only in the farthest corners.
Spherochromatism is a different aberration, and applies to anything even slightly out
of focus.
Mechanics performance top
Like all Nikon manual focus NIKKOR lenses, this 50mm f/1.4 NIKKORS Auto is built
to the highest mechanical standards of any lens ever made.
Even after 45 years with no maintenance, this 1967 lens as tested today in 2012 feels
and works better than most of the plastic crap that Nikon wants us to buy instead.
God bless Nikon for ensuring that these classic lenses still work perfectly on the
newest Nikon DSLRs!
Barrel Exterior
Anodized and enameled aluminum and solid chromed brass.
Filter Threads
Solid chromed brass.

Hood
Black anodized and enameled aluminum.
Focus Ring
Solid metal.
Focus Helicoids
Solid brass: smooth and silky with no play or need for damping grease.
DepthofField Scale
Engraved into barrel and filled with different colors of paint.
Internals
All metal.
Aperture Ring
Solid aluminum.
Engraved markings filled with different colors of paint coded to the depthoffield
scale.
Automatic ApertureCoupling Prong
Solid chromed, machined brass.
Mount
Dullchromed brass.

Markings
Engraved into the metal and filled with paint.
Identity and Serial Number
On the front of the lens, inside the filter ring, engraved into the metal and filled with
paint.
Moisture Seal at Mount
No.
Noises When Shaken
Mild to moderate clicking and clunking.
Made in
Japan.
Sharpness performance top
Warning 1: Image sharpness depends more on you than your lens.
Warning 2: Lens sharpness doesn't mean much to good photographers.
With those caveats, the 50mm f/1.4 NIKKORS Auto is less contrasty at f/1.4, and
supersharp, even on the 36 MP D800, stopped down to f/2.8 and smaller. It's exactly
as we expect for a classic 50mm f/1.4.
Used as intended at f/1.4 (low light or isolating a subject), it's brilliant. The focused
object is sharp, and all else fades away. In the snap below, only the "Nikon" logo is in
focus. It's sharp, and everything else is softer as intended. Even the "F3" insignia is
farther away and therefore outoffocus. Not bad for shooting in a bathroom mirror:
Self Portrait at Mangia Bene, 03 May 2012. (f/1.4 in AUTO, Nikon F3 and 1967
50/1.4 S, Kodak Gold 100.) uglier.
Sharpness o n the 36 MP D800:
At f/1.4
The 50mm f/1.4 NIKKORS Auto has less contrast in the center due to spherical
aberration, but it's still reasonably sharp. Anything not perfectly in focus will of course
be very soft, and overall at f/1.4, we have a dreamier look than the newest 50mm
f/1.4G, which is quite sharp and contrasty in the center, even at f/1.4.
Away from the center, coma and everything else quickly degrade sharpness.
The 50/1.4 is softest in the zonal area, the area about 1518mm away from the center
of the image, and then sharpens up a bit at the corners. The corners are loaded with
coma at f/1.4, but so what; its unlikely you've got the corners in focus anyway unless
you're shooting test charts.

At f/2
The image is significantly better at f/2.
In the center, it's completely sharp and contrasty, even at 36 MP.
The sides are also much better, but still far from perfect.
At f/2.8
Again, a stunning improvement from f/2. Now just about all of the fullframe image is
sharp and contrasty except for the last millimeter or so of the far corners.
At f/2.8, this is a very sharp lens overall, especially at 36 MP as I'm testing it.
At f/4
The farthest corners improve a bit at f/4 from f/2.8.
At f/5.6
The corners are now greatly improved.
At f/8
The corners are optimum at f/8.
At f/8, the image is optimum all over, although the central 90% of the image isn't that
much different from how it looked at f/2.8.
At f/11 and smaller
Diffraction limits performance at the smallest two apertures.
Spherochromatism performance top
The Nikon 50mm f/1.4 has just a little spherochromatism, meaning that outoffocus
highlights can sometimes take on a little bit of green (background) or magenta
highlights can sometimes take on a little bit of green (background) or magenta
(foreground) color fringes.
Sunstars performance top
With its straight 7bladed diaphragm, the 50mm f/1.4 makes great Nikonstandard 14
pointed sunstars on bright points of light.
Compared top
See my 50mm Comparison for pages of explicit details and comparisons to modern
lenses.
My experience shows that the 50mm f/1.4G will be sharper at f/1.4 and have color
balance that matches other modern lenses better, but stopped down, they'll be as
sharp. They have similar bokeh, and this NIKKORS has less distortion and better
sunstars.
Recommendations top
The Nikon 50mm f/1.4 NIKKORS Auto is a marvelous lens for use on any Nikon.
On digital, I'd add an extra unit or two of Amber or Red to the white balance to match
newer lenses. Even without that, I get the same brilliant, sharp and colorful results out
of this veteran lens as I do with the newest 50mm lenses. Not much changes except
cosmetics over the years.
All AF 50mm lenses are made much less well. This Apolloera classic is made as it
should be. If you prefer to shoot with real cameras as I do instead of plastic junk,
consider one of these.
Be sure you get one that has been properly updated to AI by changing the aperture
ring to the newest type with an original Nikon part. Avoid buying any lens that's had a
"hatchet job," where someone sent it out and had the original aperture ring machined
to add an AI groove. These are easy to identify by their pastedon secondary
aperture scale.
If you get one with the original F aperture ring, don't send it out to be butchered by a
machinist; find the correct AI conversion kit (a new aperture ring) and have it installed
professionally.
The Nikon 50mm f/1.4 NIKKORS Auto is a manualfocus only lens.
If you've found all the time, effort and expense I incur researching and sharing all this
If you've found all the time, effort and expense I incur researching and sharing all this
information for free, my biggest source of support is when you use any of these links,
especially this direct link to this lens at eBay (see How to Win at eBay), when you get
anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Thanks! Ken.
Deployment top
I'd pitch the original Nikon cap that came with this lens new, and get a new "pinch"
type cap. I'm not kidding: the new fatter caps are much easier to use in the field.
I'd leave either a 52mm Nikon Clear (NC UV) filter, or a 52mm Hoya Super HMC UV
on the lens at all times. I would leave the hood at home.
If I was working in nasty, dirty areas, I'd forget the cap, and use an uncoated 52mm
Tiffen UV filter instead. Uncoated filters are much easier to clean, but more prone to
ghosting.
For color prints or slide film like Velvia 50, I use an old Nikon A2 or new 52mm Hoya
HMC 81A all the time, except indoors at night, when I simply pull the filter.
For B&W film outdoors, I'd use an old Nikon Y48 or O56, or a new 52mm Hoya HMC
K2 Yellow or 52mm Hoya HMC Orange.
Help me help you top
I support my growing family through this website, as crazy as it might seem.
The biggest help is when you use any of these links when you get anything,
regardless of the country in which you live. It costs you nothing, and is this site's, and
thus my family's, biggest source of support. These places have the best prices and
service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend
them all personally.
If you find this page as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop
you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.
If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family.
It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site fulltime. Thanks!
If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.
As this page is copyrighted and formally registered, it is unlawful to make copies,
especially in the form of printouts for personal use. If you wish to make a printout for
personal use, you are granted onetime permission only if you PayPal me $5.00 per
printout or part thereof. Thank you!
Thanks for reading!
$9.99 USD monthly
Mr. & Mrs. Ken Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.
Home Donate New Search Gallery Reviews HowTo Books Links Workshops About Contact
May 2012

Nikon 50mm F - 1

Enviado por

Dados do documento

Título original

Direitos autorais

Formatos disponíveis

Compartilhar este documento

Compartilhar ou incorporar documento

Opções de compartilhamento

Você considera este documento útil?

Este conteúdo é inapropriado?

Direitos autorais:

Formatos disponíveis

Nikon 50mm F - 1

Enviado por

Direitos autorais:

Formatos disponíveis

7/15/2016 Nikon 50mm f/1.

Você também pode gostar