Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D Lens Review

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D Handling and features

Nikon's older lens designs are often more compact than their latest offerings and this lens is no exception, measuring only 64.5mm in diameter and 42.5mm in length. It weighs only 230g too, which makes a compact and lightweight combination with the Nikon D700 used for testing. Overall the lens feels well put together with tough black plastics used for the lens barrel and metal for the lens mount. However, the aperture ring is made of brittle plastic and the small lug that registers that the lens is set to its smallest aperture for automatic operation is prone to breaking off if the lens is abused.

As this lens is one of the older 'D' variants, auto focus is powered by the camera via a screw in the lens mount. This means Nikon's entry level camera bodies will not autofocus with this lens as they have no motor in the camera body. Auto focus speeds are quite fast, especially when compared with the latest 'G' version of this lens. Unfortunately it can also be inaccurate, leading to out of focus images when shooting at wide apertures as the lens zips quickly just past the point of focus.  The focusing motor in the camera has to be disengaged from the lens to allow manual adjustments to be applied. The narrow rubberised focusing ring is not damped at all, which can make focusing manually a little trickier than it should be. On a positive note, as this lens has an aperture ring, it can be used in conjunction with Nikon's older range of film SLRs that accept manual focus lenses.

Closest focus distance is 45cm, and is performed by moving all the glass back and forth in the lens. However, the 52mm filter ring does not rotate, which makes this lens ideal for use with polarising and graduated filters. No lens hood or case are supplied with this lens. Included accessories are as spartan as the lens design, with only front and rear caps included.

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