Some people like Leica or the made-in-Japan by Cosina Zeiss-branded lenses, but I find the mechanical precision and focus feel of the Nikon manual focus lenses superior. There is no lens made today that feels as good. The 50mm f/1.2 is an odd lens that most people forget are still available new, so too many people pay more for them used over eBay and from KEH than I paid for mine brand-new from stock from Adorama.Īfter throwing so much money at today's plastic (but optically excellent) lenses, it was a real treat to open a brand-new, all metal, engraved markings, made-in-Japan Nikon manual focus lens. The f/1.4 lenses used at f/2 haven't yet reached their peak sharpness, and they oddly also have a slight focus shift which makes them just a little less sharp than this f/1.2 lens when both are used at f/2.

The f/1.2 performs about the same as the f/1.4 lenses when used at f/1.4, also no big deal.Īt f/2, this f/1.2 lens is operating at almost peak sharpness and has no focus shift. It's only a half-stop faster than f/1.4, so I wouldn't worry about wide-open speed.

The photographic reason to get a Nikon 50mm f/1.2 is because it's the sharpest Nikon 50mm lens in production when used at f/2.

The optics are indistinguishable from each other for normal photography, the AF lens is plasticy and made in China, but the ability to autofocus and use all the exposure modes on digital cameras without hassle, as well as a much lower price, make it the obvious choice. As a manual focus AI-s lens it works perfectly with every manual focus SLR made since 1959, and also works, with varying degrees of convenience, on all Nikon digital and AF SLRs.įor most people, including myself, I suggest the latest 50mm f/1.4 AF instead for use with modern cameras. This is Nikon's fastest lens currently in production. Nikon still does make them like they used to! Not that many Americans buy them, but Nikon still makes manual focus lenses, including this 50mm f/1.2.

Nikon lens filters 50mm