Found on a Facebook group – what should I buy, the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 G or the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 G?

My Ramblings:

Photographers always seem to break into two camps – 50mm lovers, and the 85+35 or 85+28 lovers.

Honestly? In my opinion 50mm just gets boring after a while. I like having two primes, a wide and a long. 85mm is incredibly more useful than 50mm during things like ceremonies and toasts, while 28mm or 35mm is just gorgeous for close-quarters type candid stuff.

Yes, I do own a 50mm, but I barely use it compared to the Nikon 28mm f/1.8 G and 85mm f/1.8 G. Those two babies are just nuts-sharp, and the perfect combo for general photojournalism and portraiture.

Even if you shoot a lot of medium sized family group photos or something, where 50mm is a great focal length, I don’t really even recommend the f/1.4 G because the new f/1.8 G is so flippin’ awesome! It is just as incredibly sharp as the 28 and the 85, in fact I like the flatness of the focal plane for large group photos more on the 50 f/1.8 G than the f/1.4 G. Bottom line, the new 1.8 G is not your grandpa’s “plastic fantasitc” disposable 50mm f/1.8 lens it even has a weather gasket around the mount, and overall solid construction.

You have to be absolutely obsessed with 50mm in order to go for the f/1.4, and even then in my opinion anyone who is obsessed with only 50mm simply hasn’t “seen the light” yet.

So there you have it. Start with the 85mm, if you shoot portraits on a full-frame camera. (Of course the whole discussion goes out the window, if you shoot on a crop sensor camera and you plan ot do so for a while to come. In this case, buy the 50mm f/1.4 G and be thrilled with its approximate similarity to the 85mm f/1.8 on full-frame!

Then someone asks: But aren’t the Nikon 85mm’s kinda slow?

My Ramblings:

It depends on which 85mm you get. The f/1.4′s are slower than the f/1.8′s, and unfortunately, the G’s are slightly slower than the D’s. However the G’s are insanely accurate and consistent in low light, and in my experience on a semi-pro body such as the D700 the 85 1.8 G is incredibly snappy and trustworthy, even for stuff like aisle processionals and dance floor craziness. Although when autofocus conditions get truly abysmal, I must admit I opt for my 24-70 or my 50mm f/1.8, because those two lenses are just like laser beams with low-light focus.

The reason for all this is that “D” and “G” lenses have different types of autofocus motors in them. The AF-D lenses are an older, “clunky but fast” type of autofocus and the AFS-G lenses are the newer, “slower but laser-accurate” type of autofocus. (Silent Wave Motor, AKA SWM much like Canon’s USM, if you’re interested)

Basically, there is no reason to buy an AF-D lens unless you are on an extreme budget, or you have some very weird shooting demands for which the AF-D lenses are actually superior.

Even on a budget, I would rather have a 50mm f/1.8 G than a 50mm f/1.4 D. The same goes for 85mm.

Bottom line- having shot in all sorts of ridiculous light, from pitch-black to absurdly bright flares, I prefer the G lenses by a long shot, and the f/1.8′s suit my style very well- I prioritize focus speed and snappiness a little bit more than DOF. However if you’re mainly a portrait photographer and your subjects hold relatively still, then f/1.4 is the way to go.

Personally, I just love these primes so much I wouldn’t mind owning both a set of 1.4′s and 1.8′s, …and just using whichever suited my fancy for the day.

The 1.8′s are lighter and smaller, which is nice for general around-the-town type shooting. For example the Nikon 28mm f/1.8 G is just about the ULTIMATE “trip to Disneyland” lens… http://www.slrlounge.com/nikon-28mm-f1-8-afs-g-n-lens-review

Either way, you need to pick the lens that defines your style as a photographer, and invest the most in that lens first.

BTW, right now both of these Nikon lenses have $100 instant rebates, but you gotta buy a camera body with them. Click HERE. The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 G comes out to be $397, and the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 G comes out to be $369.

Thanks for reading and take care,
=Matt=

PS: Support my addiction to giving free advice – Donate via Paypal, or by shopping at B&H.

I recently purchased a Nikon 5200, only to discover that it lacked Autofocus Fine Tuning. Apparently there are others out there who are discovering this about their beginner / mid-range DSLRs, as someone posted online about their Canon T3i.

My Ramblings:

Yep, I’m very used to doing AF microadjustment with all my pro cameras for the work I do, and when I bought my D5200 a few days ago I was dumbfounded by this omission. Luckily the camera seems to focus perfectly with all my lenses.

Aside from the fact that your camera simply cannot calibrate your lenses, it would still be nice to know whether or not you can count on this lens to function without any calibration. I especially like the trick where you shoot at an angle to a perfectly flat surface. I’ve never used those fancy charts and graphgs and programs in my life; I usually just go up on my apartment balcony and take pictures at a shallow angle of the grassy area below. The trick is to focus on something that is much larger in the viewfinder than your selected focus point, so that there is no room for error. The important thing is that you compose the shot so that there is a visible transition from foreground to background.

I also have another tip: turn your in-camera sharpening all the way up to it’s max setting, and use one of the more vibrant picture styles too. This will allow you to check your focus on the back of your camera effortlessly, without using a computer or software to do any silly calculations.

Of course if you shoot JPG or video, be sure to turn your sharpening and picture styles back to whatever you usually prefer, because while this is great for RAW shooters who like to determine sharpness easily, this will ruin your images otherwise.

Honestly, I really do think charts and graphs and software are for people who have more money than they know what to do with. A simple test focusing on a tree trunk in the park will be perfectly accurate, as long as you understand simple geometry and get the angle correct.

Either way, if you set up your test right you should be able to clearly see where focus is, in relation to where it should be.

As with any test, be sure to eliminate variables that could cause error, and click multiple test shots. I use a solid tripod and a cable release that can perform autofocus. I perform my tests in bright sun and then also in dim light, but bright sun should be a priority of course for the best accuracy.

And there’s a very good chance that, even without any focus adjustment, your Sigma will shoot perfectly on your T3i. As it is a big chunk of glass, of course, you will want to keep in mind that no super-fast prime can nail every single shot every single time, when used on anything less than a flagship camera. (And even then your keeper rate at f/1.4 and close distances may not be 100%) So, in other words, even when you’re on the job and you know your lens is focusing perfectly, you should be clicking 2-3-4 shots depending on the overall reliability of your camera’s autofocus. I have seen many people get angry at their lenses for not focusing accurately, when it is the body’s overall consistency that is the problem.

Good luck!

=Matt=

PS: Support my addiction to giving free advice – Donate via Paypal, or by shopping at B&H.