Nikon Z 50mm F1.4 Preview and 50mm Lens Comparison
Hands on Preview of the Nikon Z 50mm f1.4
I had a chance to preview of a pre-production copy of the new and unreleased Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4 lens. Chaperoned by a Nikon staff and only having a very short time with the lens, I give Nikon’s latest 50mm prime lens a spin. I also managed to squeeze in some time to do a quick comparison with the other Z mount lenses, the 50mm F1.2 S, 50mm F1.8 S as well as the 50mm F2.8 macro lens.
Images/Videos was taken using a pre-production Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4 set and was processed from the photographer's impression. Note that for purposes of this YouTube video, minimal processing was done to show the true quality of the glass. Other images from my account on IG have more edits to show what you can achieve with the lens.
Yes the lizard is real and alive. Shot at f1.4, iso100, 1/500s. Focus is slightly below the lizard's head. (I had to shoot fast before it scurried away)
As this is a preview, I had very limited time with the lens to both try out the lens and record a video. I did manage to get some sample images.
Check out the vintage-style bokeh and swirly effect at close focus.
Nikon Z 50mm Prime Lens Comparisons
Nikon's currently 50mm prime offerings. Note the new 50mm F1.4 is almost the same size as the 50mm F1.8 S.
As expected, the 50mm F1.2 S performs the best, with the 1.8 S trailing behind and the new 1.4 with almost as good performance. To be honest all 3 lenses performed very well and it’s hard to see any differences in this quick comparison. The macro lens was excluded in this comparison because it's a macro lens, the sharpest and depth of field looks different.
Pricing and Availability
Being a new unreleased product, Nikon declined to give me the pricing for the Nikon Z 50mm f1.4 but I’d expect it to follow the footsteps of the Nikon Z 35mm f1.4 and be slightly cheaper than the Z 50m F1.8 S lens.
Nikon Z 50mm f1.4 Sample Images
Here’s also a gallery of Nikkor Z 50mm F1.4 sample images. Check out the full video for more details. Images were taken with available lighting and the portraits in the gallery are spontaneous shots of strangers who happened to walk by. There’s no make up artist, artificial lighting, and since they were strangers, the ladies were posed almost exactly on the spot I met them.
