Thanks to Ken's friends, I was alerted to some fantastic price available for the AF-S Nikkor 50mm 1.4G lens around Feb 2009, just before Nikon Australia changed the price in line with the drop in Australian dollar. I managed to get it for $585 including shipping, and this has to be one my of best buys ever!The Lens
This is not meant to be a formal review as there are already so many professional reviews out there. Below is what I like / dislike as an amateur Nikon shooter who owns a number of quality lens:
- Me Likey: f1.4, bokeh, price (that I got it for), weather seal, af-s
- Me Not-so-Likey: size (especially the hood), filter size, price (why can't it be similar to Canon pricing?!), made in China (sorry) plastic, no protective 'glass' - easy for dust etc to get in
Immediate Thoughts
- Love the bokeh - nice and creamy! But then again this is my first f1.4 lens. I just couldn't resist taking random stuff.... (not sure how Blogger processes the images... it looks a lot blurry than the actual photo....)
Would love VR as it's effectively 75mm on DX and can benefit from some form of VR - especially given the size of the thing!- Colour looks more natural than my 35/f2 (however I like velvia and high-contrast....). I'd be interested to compare it to 50/1.8 (which I don't have)
- Is the premium over f1.8 or the f1.4D worth it? I guess it's a yes (just) as there will be times where that extra little stop helps (for f1.8), and the AFS is a lot quieter, though only slightly faster I suspect. The main benefit of AF-S for me is that if I can also use lens if I get a smaller and cheaper non-motorised Nikon in the future, e.g. D5000.
A quick "thank you" for Ken's friends (Ken & James) for letting me know the great deal.
Ian from the Camera Store who was willing to give me a great deal including shipping even though my friend's orders have already been dispatched.
No comments:
Post a Comment