Nikon MF 50mm f/1.2 AIS Manual Focus Lens
Nikon F, full size
Nikon MF 50mm f/1.2 AIS Manual Focus Lens
Nikon F, full size
7 years ago •
purchased this product
Wow, what a lens! I immediately fell in love with the workmanship, the handling and the results.
Since the lens only offers manual focus, it's great for slowing down and relaxing. You have to take more time to focus. This leads to taking more time with composition and exposure.
The focus throw is a little short but very smooth with a pleasant resistance.
For its size, the 50mm f/1.2 is relatively heavy, but hardly noticeable on my D500.
Wide open at f/1.2 and f/1.4 it lacks contrast and a little sharpness. In addition, the lens shows a lot of chromatic aberrations, which leads to a very special, softly drawn look. Definitely a matter of taste, I like it a lot. Already at f/2 contrast and sharpness increase dramatically and CAs decrease significantly. Between f/2.8 and f/5.6 the lens reaches its maximum and then drops again at f/16.
Bokeh at f/1.2 is gigantic, soft, creamy with very special bokeh balls. It just looks great! From f/2 the bokeh balls become a bit angular, which has a charm all of its own. The bokeh is gorgeous!
Focusing is not easy, especially at f/1.2 due to the extremely shallow depth of field. But if you hit the focus you are usually rewarded with a great picture. Otherwise it is a very pleasant and fun change not to have autofocus to help. Pure fun for me.
It's not cheap but worth the money, even if it's not the youngest one anymore. (1978)
Pro
Contra
7 years ago •
purchased this product
I had owned this lens some time ago. After I had looked through the old pictures, I realised
what qualities this lens has. You can't compare the image look with modern lenses which are especially sharp at open aperture.
The lens has a fantastic bokeh, even with light reflexes and tonal value gradients as one was used to in analogue photography. The experience reports on the net are relatively accurate.
F1.2 and F1.4 need to be mastered. This does not work with every subject. From f2 upwards, the lens is at its best on my 36 MP sensor. This applies to sharpness and contrast. The colours are equisite throughout. This lens is a classic that
that challenges the photographer at large apertures. If you do everything right, you get a special kind of image. What is striking and worth emphasising is the cropping ability of this AIS50 lens.
Pro
Contra
4 years ago •
purchased this product
Today there are also more advanced lenses, this one is a special or enthusiast lens. I am not an objective myself ;-) I simply had to have it for my black and white films. Sometimes you don't want a high level of sharpness right into the corners. Different bokeh than more modern lenses.
Pro
Contra