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My Nikkor 50mm 1.8G is one of my favorite lenses. When I had a cropped sensor DSLR I used it as my portrait lens, and when I upgraded to a full frame I started

My Nikkor 50mm 1.8G is one of my favorite lenses. When I had a cropped sensor DSLR I used it as my portrait lens, and when I upgraded to a full frame I started using it as a general purpose lens. It creates beautiful images. I've always been curious about the versions with a lower f-stop, but the price always makes me think twice.

distantsounds 5y ago
oh hey i have read many of your AOL files over the years, cheers :)
Wowfunhappy 5y ago
I came so close to buying this lens when I got a Nikon D750 last fall. I'm not really a photographer, but I was unsatisfied with the images coming out of my phone, and if I was going to get a dedicated camera, I wanted to go "all the way", so to speak. But the problem with 50mm prime lenses is they all seem to lack image stabilization. (The one exception I could find, a 45mm from Tamron[1], has bad chromatic aberration which really bothered me when I tried it out.) Maybe OS isn't essential in all situations, but not having it just seems like a needless downgrade for no benefit. 1: https://www.tamron-usa.com/product/lenses/f013.html https://www.tamron-usa.com/product/lenses/f013.html
- formerly_proven 5y ago
  Short, fast primes are rarely optically stabilized. That Tamron series (35-45-85/1.8 VC) is the only exception I know. While these can be stabilized using IBIS on mirrorless cameras, I have just that combination (Nikon Z6 + 50/1.8G) and the VR is less useful than you'd think, because being around f/2.0 already gets you to shutter-speeds where it's not really necessary, and a 50 mm can go pretty slow without stabilization anyway.
- EvanAnderson 5y ago
  Spend a few bucks and get a manual focus version from eBay to play around with before you spend more on an AF version. You'll be pleasantly surprised. At the low noise levels that you get with high ISO on a D750 you really don't need stabilization w/ an f/1.8 50mm. Turn on auto-ISO and cap it it ISO 6400 or 3200. Even in low light you'll get reasonable shutter speeds at f/4.
- t-writescode 5y ago
  An old rule of thumb when it comes to image stabilization needs is that you should be able to hand-hold the lens at 1/focal length without too much loss. That's 1/50 for a 50mm 1/200 for a 200mm, etc. For everything else, there's a tripod.
- petepete 5y ago
  Unless you're really shaky I wouldn't think you'd need VR in a 50mm lens, especially with a D750 where you can push the iso quite aggressively without much impact. You can get a 50mm f/1.8 for about £90 used, you can find the 50mm f/1.4 D for a similar price too.

distantsounds 5y ago

oh hey i have read many of your AOL files over the years, cheers :)

Wowfunhappy 5y ago

I came so close to buying this lens when I got a Nikon D750 last fall. I'm not really a photographer, but I was unsatisfied with the images coming out of my phone, and if I was going to get a dedicated camera, I wanted to go "all the way", so to speak. But the problem with 50mm prime lenses is they all seem to lack image stabilization. (The one exception I could find, a 45mm from Tamron[1], has bad chromatic aberration which really bothered me when I tried it out.) Maybe OS isn't essential in all situations, but not having it just seems like a needless downgrade for no benefit. 1: https://www.tamron-usa.com/product/lenses/f013.html https://www.tamron-usa.com/product/lenses/f013.html

formerly_proven 5y ago
Short, fast primes are rarely optically stabilized. That Tamron series (35-45-85/1.8 VC) is the only exception I know. While these can be stabilized using IBIS on mirrorless cameras, I have just that combination (Nikon Z6 + 50/1.8G) and the VR is less useful than you'd think, because being around f/2.0 already gets you to shutter-speeds where it's not really necessary, and a 50 mm can go pretty slow without stabilization anyway.
EvanAnderson 5y ago
Spend a few bucks and get a manual focus version from eBay to play around with before you spend more on an AF version. You'll be pleasantly surprised. At the low noise levels that you get with high ISO on a D750 you really don't need stabilization w/ an f/1.8 50mm. Turn on auto-ISO and cap it it ISO 6400 or 3200. Even in low light you'll get reasonable shutter speeds at f/4.
t-writescode 5y ago
An old rule of thumb when it comes to image stabilization needs is that you should be able to hand-hold the lens at 1/focal length without too much loss. That's 1/50 for a 50mm 1/200 for a 200mm, etc. For everything else, there's a tripod.
petepete 5y ago
Unless you're really shaky I wouldn't think you'd need VR in a 50mm lens, especially with a D750 where you can push the iso quite aggressively without much impact. You can get a 50mm f/1.8 for about £90 used, you can find the 50mm f/1.4 D for a similar price too.