Nikkor 58mm f/1.4

Wesley

PitchBlack: I would recommend trying out the Sony A7 and 55mm 1.8 for you.

ANTCT1: =D>

Golf007sd

@Emcee and specially @ANTCT1: Well said; hence, I lean more your guys way in how I looking at this lens and the images it produces. Yet, like any lens we have all purchased or will purchase...to each his own.

As I have said before, their will be a new 50mm lens in my bag this year...and it has come down to the 58 1.4G or the up coming Sigma. The Optus is out due to is lack of AF.

donaldejose

"the sophisticated way it can render uniquely stunning images that command attention and differentiate themselves from the everyday" What more could you ask for? Maybe a lower price?

Vipmediastar_JZ

I was looking something up and ran into the Voigtlander 58 1.4 Nokton. I can really say that I like the bokeh even though this is manual focus I'm digging the photos. My next nifty fifty?

Msmoto

Flow asked:

Who bought and kept it not for gear collecting reasons but because he or she really liked it?

Vipmediastar_JZ

I like what Sam Hurd did with his 58mm Check it out

Here is a Flickr Group

starralazn

Sorry for the necro-bump, but I just wanted to share my experience borrowing the lens for a convention. Every single shot that was in focus was awesome, outstanding out of focus elements, and it was sharp enough for me (even though initially it did not seem sharp enough). also, for me, most shots were in focus at the eyes!

maybe its because i normally use a 50mm on FX almost 90% of the time, so it was an easy transition to a slightly longer focal length. here's an example:



before i was sure that i was set on the 14-24mm to round out my collection, but i think this one might take the cake.

WestEndFoto

It is a good lens. Some have complained that it is a bit soft wide open and they are probably right.

You should give the 85 1.4G a test before you make a decision. In my view that is a better focal length for portraits. It is also not too long in tighter situations, unless you are doing full body shots inside.

Either are nice lenses with your D800.

starralazn

@WestEndFoto
mm... yeah i'll have to keep that in mind, it does seem that the 85 is more capable of that creamy background while maintaining a higher resolution on whats in focus.. i will have to give it a try sometime

nek4life

I've been super interested in this lens. If the price wasn't so astronomical I think I'd pick one up. Perhaps a refurbished one, but even then it's still quite expensive. Since I don't have an abundance of glass right now I think my money would be better spent in other areas, but still, something about this lens is mighty tempting.

WestEndFoto

It is tempting. It will probably end up in my bag eventually. But that time would come sooner if it was sharp wide open.

spraynpray

+1 WestEndFoto. An expensive lens that doesn't perform wide open is - in my mind - an over priced lens. That failing is what you expect with kit lenses.

Emcee

Everyone keeps talking of these uncompromising lenses, you can't always have it all. Plus there is some actual physics involved.

If you want uncompromising, just go buy the Zeiss. And if you have the nerve to complain about autofocus, then you're not really concerned about sharpness (especially at f/1.4)...

WestEndFoto

I am not asking for it to be perfect. I just wish it was as sharp as the 85 wide open which is similarly priced. Even I sometimes grumble about the 85 not being as sharp as it could be wide open, but I realize that it would be reasonable for me to pay more to get that.

However, this lens has a lot of qualities that make it attractive and I can mitigate the sharpness issue by having the 85 handy if I need sharpness wide open.

Vipmediastar_JZ

I'm thinking of "renting" it again for my next event. Just to have something diffrent when the time permits and the Sigma 50 art for when time does not permit for re-takes. While it seems counter productive shooting at F2 would be lovely.

starralazn

@westendfoto

I used the 85 1.8G. sure, it does not have the same stunning paper thin DOF as the 1.4G, but I learned that I really can't take shots at a convention, where working distance is problematic, with that focal length... unless doing a planned shoot( which, i most likely would not have the time to set up at a convention... and yet would probably be more likely to make money than impromptu shots/snapshots) .
maybe its because i've been using a 50mm FOV almost exclusively for the past 3 years that I am more comfortable using a 58 than an 85...

WestEndFoto

If you are shooting conventions that makes perfect sense. If I was doing that and wanted a fast prime, I would have at least two D4s (or D750s). One would have a 35mm 1.4 and the other would have a 58mm 1.4. A third would have a 70-200 2.8. A 24-70 2.8 instead of the primes is arguable. However, the extra two stops gives me the same benefit as four times the low light ISO performance. That is very seductive reason to compromise a little on the flexibility of the 24-70 zoom. I might have a 24mm 1.4 or 20mm 1.8 in my pocket if I really needed to go wide once in a while.

I think that a little perspective is in order here. I use my 85mm 1.4G wide open and complain to myself that it is not sharp enough. It is amazing at f/5.6. I am sure if the D820 has 72 megapixels, it will use every megapixel. But I struggle a bit at 1.4. I am very demanding and will never be truly happy until I can see detail in the iris with a full body shot.

And then I think about Nikon’s previous 85mm 1.4 lenses, every one of which was a legend in its own right. However, if we put the 85mm 1.4D up against the 58mm 1.4G, I predict that the 58 will perform better at every f-stop less than 5.6.

So what is the issue with the 58? It is really that it is not the 85mm 1.4G.

Most photographers at conventions will be using a 24-70 2.8G. The 58mm 1.4G will almost certainly be sharper than that lens when shot at 2.8. And the 24-70 cannot do 1.4 or even 2.0. You will be able to differentiate yourself right there. Even if you are shooting at 1.4, I doubt that you will hear a single complaint about sharpness and you will likely get compliments on the bokeh. One word of caution however, if you are shooting more than 1 person, their eyes all have to be the same distance from you at 1.4, or else some will be blurry which will be a deal breaker with any knowledgeable client. I would shoot a little stopped down in this situation and save 1.4 for individual shots or carefully planned shots of small groups. And doing this requires practice and the ability to heard people.

If you are shooting glamour, fashion or portraits where sharpness really really counts, then it is a different story and the 85mm or even longer starts to make sense. You are competing against medium format in these scenarios.