Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.4 Announcement and Opinions
The Nikon Z 50mm f/1.4 has been officially announced.
The official press release and specifications of the lens can be viewed here:
It follows the footsteps of the previously announced Z 35mm f/1.4, providing users with more options for prime lenses.
Similar to the Z 35/1.4, it comes with two rings - one dedicated manual focus ring and one customizable control ring. It also maintains the same 62mm filter thread size, similar to both the 35/1.4, 35/1.8S and 50/1.8S.
In Japan it is priced very similarly to the 50/1.8S, which also follows the design and pricing strategy of the 35/1.4 35/1.8S pair.
And like the wide angle pair, in addition to the aperture differences, the 50/1.4 also does have other features that differs from the 50/1.8S:
The 50/1.8S has the more advanced Nano-crystal coatings, whereas the 50/1.4 has the more standing SIC coatings.
The 50/1.8S has ED glass elements in addition to aspherical elements.
The MTF for the 50/1.4 shows a steeper sharpness falloff when moving out from the central region, whereas the 50/1.8S has a more balanced sharpness profile throughout the frame.
There is no A/M switch on the 50/1.4.
The differences make a nice proposition for the 50/1.4, as the slightly less corrected lens, together with tis wider aperture, gives the lens a bit more character and a touch of softness when used wide open.
Marketing material also mentions their stance on both lenses:
The 50/1.4 is targeted towards users who want to make use of the wider f/1.4 aperture for softer bokeh and more background blur, as well as for users looking to have a touch of soft character in the lens for more flattering natural portrait shoots.
The 50/1.8S is targeted towards users who want to have good sharpness and resolution across the frame at all apertures, yet maintaining a natural looking bokeh and background blur.
And even if the S-line designation is missing from the 50/1.4, it is still built to the robust Nikon standards with weather sealings in place, so it can definitely be a workhorse lens if one desires the character of the images it produces.
With this announcement, Z system users now have several options in the “normal” range:
The 50/1.2S for best subject and background rendition at the expense of weight, size and price
The 50/1.8S for best image sharpness and resolution across the frame at all apertures
The 50/1.4 for thin DOF shots with some character in its sharpness rendition and falloff when used wide-open
The MC 50/2.8 if you want to double your normal lens as a macro lens as well
The 40/2 for a small compact package without much compromises to image quality
This also opens up several possible future product predictions, such as:
If the 85mm focal length follows similar design philosophies, perhaps we could see a compact 85mm f/1.4 to complete the 85mm trio.
Still hopeful for a compact 105/2.5 equivalent, or a 135/2.5 which could complement the Plena 135mm.
Definitely excited to see how this line of compact wide-aperture lenses would play out!