This page contains reviews of NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.4.
Lens Evaluation
| Price | Low price for a recent F1.4 |
| Size | Minimum in the same segment |
| Weight | Lightest in the same segment |
| Ease of use | Only 2 control rings |
| AF performance | Not lightning fast, but good |
| Resolution performance | Stopping down the aperture improves image quality. |
| Bokeh | The bokeh becomes less smooth at mid to long distances. |
| chromatic aberration | Longitudinal chromatic aberration is slightly noticeable. |
| distortion | Good correction status |
| coma aberration | Coma aberration is quite noticeable at F1.4. |
| Vignetting | It is very noticeable when shooting a distant scene. |
| flare resistance | Good performance for a lens in this price range |
| Overall evaluation | A casual 50mm f/1.4 lens that allows you to appreciate its unique character. |
The Nikon genuine 50mm F1.4 is available at a price and size similar to the S-Line.This is also a good option.
Although the optical performance is far from perfect, the aberrations are suppressed to a level where you can enjoy them as a ‘characteristic’. It is not suitable for specialist, niche photography applications (such as astrophotography, night photography, or when used as a ‘high-speed’ lens), but it is an interesting option for a casual, everyday 50mm F1.4. 「The image quality is distinct from the 50mm F1.8 S-Line, so if you're looking for a different character in your photos, you might want to give it a try.
Evaluation：
Foreword
- Release Date:2024.09.10
- Product page
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- B&H photo
- Adorama
The NIKKOR Z lenses for full-frame cameras were officially announced in September 2024. The first to appear was the ‘NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.4’, a large-aperture F1.4 lens that is not part of the S-Line, and soon after that, a 50mm version with a similar concept was released. This was a lens that surprised Z-mount users around the world. It is currently unknown whether or not a series of non-S-Line F1.4 lenses will be released, but if there are 35mm and 50mm lenses, there may be 24mm and 85mm lenses too.
specifications
| lens mount | Z mount |
| Supported sensor size | Full Frame |
| focal length | 50mm |
| Lens construction | 10 elements in 7 groups |
| Aperture | F1.4-F16 |
| Aperture blades | 9 (circular aperture) |
| Minimum focusing distance | 0.37m |
| Maximum magnification | 0.17x |
| Filter diameter | 62mm |
| image stabilisation | - |
| Teleconversion lens | - |
| Coating | Super Integrated Coating |
| Size | 74.5mm×86.5mm |
| Weight | 420g |
| weather sealing | Dust-proof and splash-proof design |
| AF | Stepping motor |
| Aperture ring | - |
| Other controls | Control ring |
| Accessories | Lens cap 62mm LC-62B (spring type) Rear cover LF-N1 Lens hood HB-115 |
NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.4 Review
Appearance and operability
Boxes and accessories
The box features a black and yellow design, characteristic of NIKKOR Z packaging. This design has remained consistent since the Z system's launch in 2018.The box is slightly larger than one might expect for a compact 50mm prime lens. It is approximately the same size as the 50mm f/1.8 S-Line.
The package includes the lens itself, a lens hood, a standard pinch-type cap, as well as a manual and warranty card.
Camera appearance
The exterior comprises numerous plastic components, with only the focus ring featuring a rubberized cover. The surface has a slightly rough coating with a subdued sheen. It has a solid feel when you touch it, and it's not cheap-looking. However, it doesn't have the high-class feel of the S-Line. Overall, it's the same as the 35mm F1.4.
The only controls are the focus ring and control ring. There is no L-Fn button or AF/MF switch. It has a simple design, but it does have a control ring that the 50mm F1.8 S-Line does not. 「The exterior features printed markings with minimal engraving. Only the 'NIKKOR' logo is engraved. It was made in China.
Hands-on
While other companies' 50mm F1.4 lenses are getting bigger, this lens is surprisingly compact and lightweight for a lens of its class. It is about the same size and weight as the 35mm F1.8 S and 50mm F1.8 S. It's not absolutely compact or lightweight, but it's nice to be able to handle a 50mm F1.4 lens of this size.
Front and back
The front of the lens is compatible with screw-in filters with a diameter of 62mm. Because this is a relatively unusual filter diameter for a full-size lens, it is difficult to share filters with other lenses as they are. However, it does share the same filter diameter as the 35mm F1.4.
The front of the lens is compatible with fluorine coatings, so there is no need to excessively attach a protective filter. However, it is better to use it if you want to adjust the light rays or light amount with a C-PL or ND filter.
The rear element of the lens is a large rear lens with a large diameter Z mount. The lens mount is made of metal and secured with four screws. The rear design is very similar to the 35mm F1.4.
Focus ring
It has a wide focus ring made of rubber. The moderate torque and smoothness are almost the same as the S-Line. It has good responsiveness, and it is easy to focus on details with smooth operation.
The focus ring has a non-linear response, so the movement is restricted according to the speed of rotation. The stroke over the entire focus range is about 90 degrees when rotated quickly, and about 180 degrees when rotated slowly. Both of these are moderate strokes, making fine adjustment easy. The same design and layout as the 35mm F1.4 makes it ideal for video recording.
Control Ring
Equipped with a plastic control ring. The resistance is stronger than the focus ring, and there is a slightly rough feeling when turning. As before, there is no click. This is appropriate for preventing accidental operation. The function of the control ring can be customised on the camera side.
Example of use
Fits on the Z 8. It is almost the same as the 50mm F1.8 S and 35mm F1.8. You can take photos with one hand without losing balance. It can also be used with relatively small mirrorless cameras such as the Z 7, and it does not look out of place when attached to an APS-C camera.
AF・MF
Focus Speed
As with the 35mm F1.4, the focus is driven by two stepping motor units that each drive a focus lens (multi-focus). Lenses of this type tend to have fast AF speeds, but this lens does not seem particularly fast. Although it has a sufficient focus speed that does not cause stress, it may be insufficient when chasing a fast-moving subject at close range.
Breathing
Focus breathing refers to the change in the angle of view depending on the focus position.If the change in angle of view is significant, the field of view will expand or contract during focusing, potentially causing distractions and affecting autofocus stability. Ideally, it is better to have no focusing breathing. In order to check the effects of breathing, we took the following photos with the lens stopped down to the minimum aperture, at the minimum shooting distance and at infinity.
There is almost no change in the angle of view depending on the focus position. The suppression of focus breathing is very good, and it is better than a 35mm F1.4.
AF accuracy
Although the centre is not bad, there is a tendency for performance to deteriorate in the periphery and corners, where resolution performance is slightly reduced. Although this is not a problem with AF-S in many cases, there may be some situations where it is a little concerning when shooting at close range or using AF-C.
Maximum magnification
Minimum focusing distance: 0.37m
Maximum magnification: 0.17x
This is slightly shorter than the ‘NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S’ and has a slightly higher magnification. However, this is not a dramatic difference and is within the margin of error. If you really want to get close with a 50mm lens, we recommend considering the ‘NIKKOR Z MC 50mm f/2.8’.
Resolution Chart
Test conditions
- Camera body:Z 8
- Interchangeable lens:NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.4
- Pearl Optical Industry Co.
‘[HR23348] ISO12233-compliant 8K resolution test chart (for still cameras)’ - Olympus HYRes 3.1 analysis software
- The lighting environment is constant indoors.
- Tripod, self-timer 10 seconds, electronic shutter
- RAW output
- ISO 100
- RAW development in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC
・Sharpness: Off
・Noise reduction: Off
・Chromatic aberration correction: Off - Focus on each point to be analysed and take a picture
(image plane curvature is difficult to measure at close range, so check at infinity) - Note that this is a test at close range (infinity may be even better).
- If you adjust the sharpness when developing JPEG or RAW images, the values may improve. Please note that the values given here are the ‘minimum values’.
Test results
It is not possible to say that the lens performs at its peak from wide open aperture, and it seems that you need to stop down 2 or 3 stops to maximise the lens's performance. Stopping down the aperture improves the image rapidly, and it is possible to obtain excellent results. Compared to the S-Line, the F1.4 has a more classical tendency, but at least the centre of the image is very good when stopped down.
On the other hand, the periphery and corners are very soft at wide aperture, and even when stopped down, there is no significant improvement. Considering that good results were obtained in the test of distant scenery, it is thought that the performance is reduced by the fluctuation of aberration at short distances. It is better to think of this lens as one that changes its expression depending on the aperture and shooting distance.
Centre of frame
At maximum aperture, the image is a little soft and the contrast is low. If you stop down to f/2, you will see an improvement, and at f/2.8 the image will improve significantly. If you want to get the best results, we recommend stopping down at least two or three stops.
Middle of frame
Compared to the centre, it is much softer, and even when stopped down to F2, there is still a little sweetness in the depiction. To get a sharper result, you should stop down to at least F2.8. It improves further at F4, but it never catches up with the centre.
Four corners of frame
There is no extreme drop from the centre to the corners, but the image is soft in the same way as the centre. It improves at F2.8-4, but is still a little soft in comparison.
Sample
Comparison with competing lenses
Compared with the low-priced, compact and lightweight Z 40mm F2, the performance in the corners is better. However, it is not as high-performance as the Z MC 50mm F2.8 Macro, which is specialised for close-up photography. And, the aperture is not as sharp as the S-Line Z 50mm F1.8, and there is a big difference in the corners and periphery. If you prioritise resolution performance at close range, it is wise to choose the Z MC or S-Line.
far-field resolution
Test environment
27th September 2024: Sunny: Slightly strong wind (handled with a stone bag)
Camera: Z 8
Tripod: Leofoto LS-365C
Head: SUNWAYFOTO GH-PRO II
Exposure: ISO 100 Aperture priority AE
RAW: Adobe Lightroom Classic CC
Test results
The overall image is sharp from the open aperture, but the contrast from the centre to the corners is low due to residual aberration. This is thought to be due to spherical and coma aberration, and closing down the aperture by two stops improves the overall image. If you want to take a picture of a distant landscape in the best possible condition, we recommend closing down the aperture by at least two stops. The image quality around F2 is not as good as the S-Line, but there is no significant difference from F2.8 onwards. If you want to get the best possible result, it is best to close down the aperture to around F4-5.6.
Centre of frame
As mentioned above, F1.4 has a lower contrast. It improves at F2.0, and rises to near peak condition at F2.8. There is no significant change after F4. If contrast is not a problem, F1.4 is a practical image quality option, and if you want to enjoy a slightly softer depiction, it is one option.
Middle of frame
The basic trend is the same as for the centre, but the contrast is relatively low due to the influence of coma aberration. Even at F2, the effect remains slightly, and it improves significantly at F2.8. After F4, the peak is reached and there is not much change even if the aperture is stopped down.
Four corners of frame
The contrast is even lower than the surrounding area. However, there is no significant disturbance in the resolution performance of the details, and it looks like it has better performance than you might expect. It gradually improves when you stop down, but the peak is when you stop down to F4. If you don't do your best, F2.8 is also within the acceptable range.
curvature of a surface
What is surface curvature?
This refers to the fact that the shooting distance at which the image is in focus differs from the centre to the four corners. For example, even if the image is in focus at a shooting distance of 1m, if the subject is moving back and forth around 1m at the edge of the frame, there is a possibility of field curvature.
Although there are few lenses that have noticeable field curvature, in recent lenses, aberration may increase and become noticeable at close distances. However, there are few opportunities to take photos of flat subjects at close range, so even if there is some image curvature, there is no need to worry.
However, if there is an effect even at infinity, you should be careful. If you are trying to achieve a pan-focus effect, for example in a landscape, there is a possibility that you will end up with an unintentional out-of-focus image. As there is no way to correct this aberration, the only way to avoid the problem is to increase the F-number to widen the depth of field.
Test results
At least at infinity, both the centre and the corners of the image are within the depth of field when the aperture is open at F1.4. From the test results of the close-up resolution chart, it seems that the effect is not noticeable even when the shooting distance is close.
Lateral chromatic aberration
What is lateral chromatic aberration?
A colour shift that appears mainly around the edges and corners of the frame. Unlike longitudinal chromatic aberration, the effect of correcting this aberration using the aperture is small, so it is necessary to correct it at the stage of optical design. However, it is possible to digitally correct chromatic aberration using the image processing engine built into the camera body. This makes it possible to correct chromatic aberration, which is difficult to correct optically alone, and recently, there have been lenses that prioritise the correction of other aberrations over chromatic aberration correction. In particular, mirrorless systems tend to rely on post-processing.
Test results
As long as you develop with Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, there is no lateral chromatic aberration at all. There are no problems with camera output or genuine development software either. Even when checking the long-distance photography test, there is no significant impact on high-luminance areas, so it is thought that it is optically corrected.
Longitudinal Chromatic Aberration
What is longitudinal chromatic aberration?
Longitudinal chromatic aberration is a colour shift that occurs in front of and behind the plane of focus. If the area in front of the plane of focus is mainly purple fringing, and the area behind the plane of focus has unnatural green colouring in the out-of-focus area, then the main cause is likely to be longitudinal chromatic aberration. This is more likely to occur with large-aperture lenses such as F1.4 and F1.8, and in such cases it is necessary to close down the aperture to improve the situation. It is possible to correct this using development software, but it is more difficult to process than lateral chromatic aberration, so it is best to suppress the aberration optically if possible. However, when suppressing longitudinal chromatic aberration with a large-aperture lens, the product price tends to be higher. Lenses that perfectly correct for longitudinal chromatic aberration have high contrast on the focal plane from wide open aperture, so you can expect a punchy resolution.
Test results
A noticeable effect can be seen when shooting with the aperture wide open, and this can be improved by stopping down two or three stops. In real-life photography, the effect is well controlled, so there is no need to worry excessively. However, it is easy for a slight colour cast to occur, especially in high-brightness areas, so you should be careful when shooting reflections on water or metal surfaces, or when including strong light sources in the frame.
Distortion
What is Image Distortion?
Distortion is the phenomenon where a straight line does not appear straight on a flat surface. It is particularly noticeable in cases where there are many straight lines, such as in man-made objects or when the horizon is visible, and it is divided into two types: barrel distortion, which is similar to the fisheye effect, and pincushion distortion, which causes the centre of the image to appear squeezed.
This is a relatively easy aberration to correct, but it is difficult to manually correct for distortions that have a special shape, such as ‘bamboo hat-shaped’ distortion. In this case, a correction profile that matches the lens is required.
Test results
The image is in good condition regardless of whether or not it has been corrected on the camera or development software side.
Coma aberration
What are coma and astigmatism?
Coma and astigmatism are mainly the failure of a point of light to appear as a point of light in the four corners of the frame. For example, this can be seen in artificial lights, stars and illuminations in night scenes. Even during the day, bright point light sources such as sunlight filtering through trees can also have an effect. As this problem cannot be corrected in post-processing, it is necessary to correct it optically.
Although it can be improved by narrowing the aperture, in situations where shutter speed is important, such as night scenes and astrophotography, it is not possible to narrow the aperture, and optical correction may be necessary.
Test results
The coma aberration of the lens is very noticeable. This is the main factor that degrades the image quality around the edges and corners of the frame. It improves rapidly when the aperture is narrowed, but some remains even at F2, and converges almost completely at F2.8.
Spherical aberration
There is a slight difference in the quality of the bokeh before and after, but there is no significant change. Although it appears to be in good correction condition, as can be seen from the test results for longitudinal chromatic aberration, there is a noticeable focus shift between F2 and F2.8. If you stop down after fixing the focus at F1.4, there is a possibility that the focus peak will move. Of course, there is also a possibility that this will not be a problem depending on the shooting distance.
Foreground and background blur
What is a beautiful blur and a noisy blur?
The evaluation of bokeh tends to be subjective, but I personally think that ‘soft, diffused bokeh’ is beautiful, while ‘sudden bokeh or hard-edged bokeh’ is not so good (or is a unique depiction). However, everyone has their own preferences, so there may be people who prefer the opposite. For reference, here are some examples of ‘blurred bokeh’ and ‘hard-edged bokeh’. The difference in the tendency of the depiction is mainly due to the state of correction of spherical aberration, and when the bokeh on either side is soft, there is a tendency for the bokeh on the other side to become hard.
Back Blur
Slightly more towards the neutral side, with a slightly smoother rendering. The correction for longitudinal chromatic aberration is not perfect, so it's a little disappointing that there is still some colouring in the bokeh. Closing down the aperture improves this, but at the same time it changes the softness of the bokeh.
Front Blur
Compared to the front blur, this is a harder look, but it is more neutral and does not stand out too much.
Bokehball
Effects of Vignetting and Spherical Aberration
If vignetting is strong, the bokeh at the four corners of the frame will be elliptically deformed or partially missing. The only way to solve this problem is to close down the aperture. However, closing down the aperture will make the bokeh smaller and in some cases the shape of the aperture blades may become visible, so it is necessary to compromise on the amount of vignetting depending on the situation.
If the amount of vignetting is small, it is possible to get a circular bokeh from wide open to the four corners. Ideally, a lens with little vignetting is preferable, but to eliminate it, it is necessary to fundamentally increase the size of the lens. There is a need to strike a balance between portability and cost, so some kind of compromise is necessary.
If the correction of spherical aberration is not perfect, there will be a difference in the depiction of the bokeh in front and behind (as shown in the review of bokeh in front and behind). In this case, one side will have a smooth depiction with blurring, while the other side will have a hard depiction like double-line bokeh.
Test results
The bokehball is smooth, but the edges are hard and there is some colouring. The edges of the bokeh, especially around the frame and in the corners, are emphasised. The vignetting is moderate. Even if you stop down to F2, the effect will still remain, but it will improve if you stop down to F2.8. If you feel that the background bokeh is too noisy, we recommend stopping down to around F2.8.
Sample of a boke
Close range
At a short distance, the F1.4 produces a very large bokeh, so the shortcomings of the rendering are not noticeable. Looking at the corners of the frame, there is a hint of hard-edged bokeh, but it is not a problem.
Short range
If you increase the shooting distance a little, the blur in the periphery and corners will become more pronounced. If this bothers you, you may be able to alleviate it by adjusting the aperture to around F2 to F2.8.
Medium range
When the shooting distance is even longer, the framing is more noticeable in the area close to the centre. This is fine, but if it bothers you, it's better to narrow it down. I recommend adjusting it around F2-2.8.
Portrait
The following are the results of taking pictures of a tripod that is 170cm tall while changing the distance and aperture.
F1.4を利用すると、周辺や隅が非常に騒がしいボケとなります。個性的とも言えますが、厄介と感じる場合も多いはず。被写体に接近すると徐々に緩和しますが、F2くらいまで絞って使ったほうが無難かもしれません。
Vignetting
What is vignetting?
Unnatural drop in light intensity around the frame.
The light intensity is lower than in the central area, and there is insufficient exposure in the four corners of the frame. This mainly occurs with large-aperture lenses and wide-angle lenses.
Although this is a phenomenon that can be easily corrected using software, it is necessary to be careful about the fact that it can cause noise, as the insufficient exposure is covered by post-processing correction (sensitization). In particular, when using high sensitivity for nightscape or starry sky photography, there is a possibility that noise will appear strongly.
Minimum focusing distance
There is a slight reduction in light, but it has a wide range of effects. It is negligible.
Infinity
A much stronger reduction in light intensity occurs compared to the minimum shooting distance. At F1.4, vignetting is very noticeable, so vignetting correction is often necessary. It improves when the aperture is narrowed, but it does not disappear completely even when the aperture is narrowed to F4.
Backlight resistance, sunstar
centre
As you would expect from a NIKKOR Z lens, it has good resistance to backlighting. Even when exposed to a strong light source directly in front, there are only a few ghosts at around the open aperture. Although there are ghosts when the aperture is closed, they are not overly noticeable.
corner
If you move the light source to the corner, there are no problems with flare or ghosting.
sunstar
The sunstar begins to appear around F5.6 and becomes narrower at F11, creating a sharp image. For a relatively low-priced 50mm F1.4, it has a beautiful sunstar.
Summary
Good points
Low price for a genuine manufacturer 50mm F1.4
Small and lightweight for a 50mm F1.4
Dustproof and drip-proof, with fluorine coating
Equipped with a control ring
Focus breathing is well controlled
Long-distance shots are sharp from wide open (but with low contrast)
No image field curvature problems
Good correction of lateral chromatic aberration
Good correction of distortion
Smooth background blur when shooting close-ups
Moderate backlight resistance
Sharp depiction of sunstars
F1.8 Although not as high-performance as the S-Line, this is a compact, lightweight, reasonably priced large-aperture lens that delivers good results in orthodox shooting situations. When shooting at maximum aperture, you can get a soft bokeh effect, and when shooting distant subjects at a smaller aperture, you can get a sharp result right up to the edges.
Unlike the S-Line, it is easy to change the aperture and shooting distance. If you can see the unstable depiction that changes depending on the shooting conditions as ‘individuality’, you will be able to enjoy this lens. We recommend not sticking to F1.4, but instead adjusting the aperture to around F2 or F2.5 depending on the situation.
Bad points
AF is not lightning fast
There is no AF/MF switch
Resolution performance near the open aperture deteriorates at short distances
Longitudinal chromatic aberration is slightly noticeable
Vignetting is noticeable
The effect of spherical aberration is slightly noticeable at short distances
Noisy background blur at medium distances and beyond
Vignetting is very noticeable at long distances
As mentioned above, the optical performance of the S-Line is clearly different. If you are looking for high optical performance at an aperture of F1.4, you are likely to be disappointed. The problem is particularly noticeable in the peripheral coma aberration, which causes deformation of the point image in nightscapes and starry skies. For such applications, we recommend the F1.8 S-Line (even if you stop down to F1.8-2, the S-Line will perform better).
Furthermore, at high brightness, longitudinal chromatic aberration may occur, and at short distances, the resolution performance of the main periphery and corners will decrease. Also, from medium distances onwards, the bokeh at maximum aperture will be noisy, so if this is a concern, you will need to stop down. Sometimes a more subdued bokeh quality can be obtained by stopping down further than F1.8, so if you are looking for stable resolution performance and bokeh quality at F1.8, you should consider the S-Line.
Conclusion
The Nikon genuine product 50mm F1.4, which you can get at a price and size similar to the S-Line. This is also a good option.
Although the optical performance is far from perfect, the aberrations are suppressed to a level where you can enjoy them as a ‘characteristic’. It is not suitable for specialist, niche photography applications (such as astrophotography, night photography, or when used as a ‘high-speed’ lens), but it is an interesting option for a casual, everyday 50mm F1.4. The image quality is clearly different from the 50mm F1.8 S-Line, so if you are getting a bit tired of the superb optics, you might want to give it a try.
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- B&H photo
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Example
The original data is available on Flickr.
