The Battle Royal - KING of Nifty Fifty Prime Lens


jeff7id said:
For you Guys who are considering among Nikon AF-S 58 1.4 vs Nikon AI-S 58 1.2 vs Sigma 50 1.4 (non Art)

For my personal taste, I prefer AF-S 58 1.4 than the other two lenses, because it is so sharp in the center !!
Can you notice lot of pimples on her face in the photo taken by AF-S 58 1.4?
Click to expand...

Hi Jeff,
Not sure if we can compare the pimples in this way though. Reason bec
1. The model head is facing slightly different angle.
2. as fellow bro Far Far away mentioned..skin tone different....assuming all 3 shots taken at same f-stop.
3. picture one focal length is 58mm...so 8mm more than the other 2. if i shoot a model using a 50mm and a 60mm from the same distance..you should be able to see more details on her face with 60mm lens..even though 10mm difference.
Unless we know or met this girl before, we wouldn't know which skin tone was accurately reproduced also.
As the 3 pictures are dark around the model...a bit hard to determine the bokeh also..i liked the 58mm 1.4 based on what i saw at NSC...I have even shot at a straight white edge with strong lighting at NSC...the CA is very little..much lesser than the 85mm f1.4g. So the 58mm f1.4G is a nice lens. :) buy buy buy :P

oh yah..the Sigma bokeh balls are indeed nicer.
 

Last edited:
akuma said:
Hi Jeff,
Not sure if we can compare the pimples in this way though. Reason bec
1. The model head is facing slightly different angle.
2. as fellow bro Far Far away mentioned..skin tone different....assuming all 3 shots taken at same f-stop.
3. picture one focal length is 58mm...so 8mm more than the other 2. if i shoot a model using a 50mm and a 60mm from the same distance..you should be able to see more details on her face with 60mm lens..even though 10mm difference.
Unless we know or met this girl before, we wouldn't know which skin tone was accurately reproduced also.
As the 3 pictures are dark around the model...a bit hard to determine the bokeh also..i liked the 58mm 1.4 based on what i saw at NSC...I have even shot at a straight white edge with strong lighting at NSC...the CA is very little..much lesser than the 85mm f1.4g. So the 58mm f1.4G is a nice lens. :) buy buy buy :P

oh yah..the Sigma bokeh balls are indeed nicer.
Click to expand...

1. I know angle is not the same, the pose is also not the same, no choice.
2. Skin tone different because glass elements & glass coatings are different. Whatever skin tone produced by the elements or coatings of Nikon 58 1.4, it makes the portrait sharp especially on the center.
3. Ehmm we are comparing Nikon 58 1.4 vs Nikon 58 1.2 vs Sigma 50 1.4, so there are two 58mm lenses and one 50mm lens here.
Assumed that all pictures taken on the same f stop, I say that comparison between Nikon 58 1.4 vs Nikon 58 1.2 is valid. (maybe not valid for comparison with Sigma because its focal length is 8 mm shorter than the other two lenses).

Sigma rounded bokeh is nicer indeed !
 

jeff7id said:
1. I know angle is not the same, the pose is also not the same, no choice.
2. Skin tone different because glass elements & glass coatings are different. Whatever skin tone produced by the elements or coatings of Nikon 58 1.4, it makes the portrait sharp especially on the center.
3. Ehmm we are comparing Nikon 58 1.4 vs Nikon 58 1.2 vs Sigma 50 1.4, so there are two 58mm lenses and one 50mm lens here.
Assumed that all pictures taken on the same f stop, I say that comparison between Nikon 58 1.4 vs Nikon 58 1.2 is valid. (maybe not valid for comparison with Sigma because its focal length is 8 mm shorter than the other two lenses).

Sigma rounded bokeh is nicer indeed !
Click to expand...

Hi Jeff,
oops..my bad...yes..i missed the second one being 58mm also.
I wonder why the nikon bokeh balls are elliptical? maybe we should see if nikon 50mm f1.4G is also circular.
I shot some street shots today using my Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art...i shot directly into a bright sky...i feel the flare control is not as good as the Nikon Nano coated lens...so i wonder if Sigma 50mm F1.4 Art will have same characteristics as well or not.
if not the Sigma 50mm Art will definitely have more buyers. cheap and good.
 

akuma said:
Hi Jeff,
oops..my bad...yes..i missed the second one being 58mm also.
I wonder why the nikon bokeh balls are elliptical? maybe we should see if nikon 50mm f1.4G is also circular.
I shot some street shots today using my Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art...i shot directly into a bright sky...i feel the flare control is not as good as the Nikon Nano coated lens...so i wonder if Sigma 50mm F1.4 Art will have same characteristics as well or not.
if not the Sigma 50mm Art will definitely have more buyers. cheap and good.
Click to expand...

Whether or not bokeh balls are elliptical depend on the angle at which the light is coming in, the curvature of field etc.

In any case, I do own the Nikon 58/1.4 and I must really say that the out of focus areas are incredibly smooth, reminding me of older lenses.


_DSC2682_20131222_42 by NazgulKing, on Flickr


_DSC2686_20131222_43 by NazgulKing, on Flickr
 

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NazgulKing said:
Whether or not bokeh balls are elliptical depend on the angle at which the light is coming in, the curvature of field etc. In any case, I do own the Nikon 58/1.4 and I must really say that the out of focus areas are incredibly smooth, reminding me of older lenses. http://www.flickr.com/photos/86833683@N00/11680377296/ _DSC2682_20131222_42 by NazgulKing, on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/86833683@N00/11679736413/ _DSC2686_20131222_43 by NazgulKing, on Flickr
Click to expand...

Hi NazgulKing,
Many thanks for the explanation.
 

NazgulKing said:
Whether or not bokeh balls are elliptical depend on the angle at which the light is coming in, the curvature of field etc.

In any case, I do own the Nikon 58/1.4 and I must really say that the out of focus areas are incredibly smooth, reminding me of older lenses.
Click to expand...
Hi Andrew,
What nice images taken by Nikon 58/1.4 you have !! The bokeh effect of this Nikon 58/1.4 resemble 3d bokeh from Leica lenses. The bokeh effect on the background will make the subject stand out more. I am considering....
 

Steve Huff say
"It’s NOT all about Sharpness with the Summilux!
Just because a lens is sharp does not mean it is a great lens. Hell, any 50 can be sharp but what I always look for is “character” and the character of the 50 Summilux is unmatched with ANY lens I have ever shot with. The only lens that is somewhat similar is the newest $10,500 Leica Noctilux. While the 50 Summicron is sharp, AND has great classic character, the 50 Summilux is still sharp but in a different way. When shooting at 1.4 you have the ability to have your subject in sharp focus while the background just melts away into a gooey creamy blur. This lens is the “King Of Character” when shooting wide open (which is how I shoot it 99.8% of the time). The 50 Summilux ASPH does not have the same look of the cron, but it has its own special look. Once you use this lens on a full frame M, it’s tough to go back to anything else. I would say the Summicron is more of a flatter/sharper kind of look and the Summilux is more of a 3D/creamy kind of look."

Jeff7id also can say
"It’s NOT all about Sharpness with the Nikon 58mm f/1.4 G! This lens is the “King Of Character” !"

Image taken with Leica M 240 and Leica Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH, shooting at f/1.4. Image courtesy to Tom Grill.
ti01632491bl.jpg


Do you see that the bokeh of this Summilux lens also not round, but in elliptical shape similar to Nikon 58mm f/1.4 G ?
 

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Hi NazgulKing,
do you please mind sharing some portrait shots with this 58mm 1.4G? I believe it should be able to produce near Summilux 3D effect...but just want to confirm as my shot at NSC was out of focus.
many thanks in advance,
Akuma
 

akuma said:
Hi NazgulKing,
do you please mind sharing some portrait shots with this 58mm 1.4G? I believe it should be able to produce near Summilux 3D effect...but just want to confirm as my shot at NSC was out of focus.
many thanks in advance,
Akuma
Click to expand...
Sadly, I don't. Well, not anything that can be published in public. But if you want a good idea, I think this shot might do the trick. Note that because the MTF is on the low side, you aren't going to get Zeiss 3D pop, but more the Leica style where the transition is smoother.


_DSC2299_20131208_4 by NazgulKing, on Flickr
 

Hi NazgulKing,
noted. no worries.
 

Similar bokeh shots (not mine though) for the Voigtlander Nokton 58mm f/1.4 for comparison.

3110535938_707384c5ea_b.jpg


3862049388_211ac42bc1_b.jpg
 

tomcat said:
Similar bokeh shots (not mine though) for the Voigtlander Nokton 58mm f/1.4 for comparison.

3862049388_211ac42bc1_b.jpg
Click to expand...

The aperture blades not rounded ma?... how come the bokeh balls abit hexagonished??..
 

blurboiboi said:
The aperture blades not rounded ma?... how come the bokeh balls abit hexagonished??..
Click to expand...
I think the image was zoomed in too much. The bokeh balls looked very big. They would probably look rounder at their normal size.
So do you prefer round bokeh or 'cat's eye' bokeh?
 

tomcat said:
I think the image was zoomed in too much. The bokeh balls looked very big. They would probably look rounder at their normal size. So do you prefer round bokeh or 'cat's eye' bokeh?
Click to expand...

Hexagonal Bokeh definitely not appealing. Haha
 

The image was taken probably stopped down.
 

Not to discredit the above but any close shot ( close being the subject ) taken with any 1.4 - 2 lens will show good to great Bokeh... just saying.

Post some photos with subject ay 5 - 12m to see real results. :)
 

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