Nikkor 1.8/50 AF lens - what do I give up on a non-D lens?

[daniel_iggers]

I just acquired a Nikon FM2 that came with a Nikkor 1.8 50mm AF

lens. I've decided to put the AF lens on my Nikon N55 AF body,

replacing a 35-70 zoom. (I've got a 1.8/50 Series E lens to put on

the FM2.) I'm curious to know what, if anything, I am "giving up"

because the lens is not a 1.8/50 AF-D lens. Big difference? Small? A

difference that I'm unlikely to ever notice?

[dominic_.]

Really nothing, unless you use a lot of flash on an AF body.

[EricM]

Dominic's right. You'll really start to notice how much of help d lenses are when you get into tricky lighting while under ttl flash with the newer bodies. Great to have, I wouldn't give them up. and if i was starting from scratch, i'd make a piont to get them over the non-d series.

[daniel_iggers]

Thanks. But a point of clarification: Are you talking about shooting with the integrated flash of the N55, or shooting with a separate flash, or either? Is it fair to say that flash shots taken with the on-board flash (which I assume is TTL-metered) will be noticeably better ?

[EricM]

both work ttl, and both you will notice a difference on in certain situations. the d means distance, and it relays that distance of focus to the flash for proper output. it's not much to fret about if you don't have it as nikon does a great job anyway without it.

[jbq]

Actually, I don't think that the external flash is TTL on the N55.

 

With the internal flash, there's a possibility that taking flash pictures of very bright or very dark objects would result in a better exposure with a D lens.

 

I don't recall seeing lots of comparative tests showing real-world differences, though.

[hayward]

I'm not much a flash user, but I've never noticed any difference between the D and non-D AF lenses, I've had. The difference between the clarity of the 50mm and the 35-70 zoom will be noticeable, though. You'll probably never use the 35-70 again.

[EricM]

"Actually, I don't think that the external flash is TTL on the N55."

 

uhm, what do you mean Jean? Any flash on the N models is through the lens metering.

[jbq]

N55 manual page 91 ("usable optional speedlights"):

 

"TTL Auto flash cannot be used. Set the speedlight to A (non-TTL auto flash) or M (manual flash)".

 

If you check the accessory shoe of the N55, it only has 2 contacts (like the FE), and all the TTL-capable bodies have 4 contacts (like the FE2) if I remember correctly. If I'm not mistaken the center contact is the sync (I'm sure about that one) and the rear left one is the ready signal.

[federico2]

Here's what Ken Rockwell says about your lens and the missing "D" feature:

 

"Even without the stupid "D" feature fill flash and metering work flawlessly on an F100. The

"D" feature only is for people who insist on making flash photos directly into mirrors.

Otherwise the "D" means nothing."

 

So you can see that not having D is not a big problem. Read http://www.kenrockwell.com/

nikon/5018af.htm for full review.

 

Bye, and have fun with your camera!

Federico Sartorio

[ilkka_nissila]

The D version has better build quality according to Nikon as they received complaints about the previous version and improved it in the D version. That's what it said more or less on the announcement page. Also it has newer coatings. But really the former lens is quite excellent and the only problem might be if it's worn down.

[erik_duvick]

For a side by side comparison of the d and non-d 50mm 1.8 look at this artilce at nikonians.org: http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/guides/teddy/teddy-bear-10.html

 

If you ask me, the d lens produced the better shot. The background exposure is better and the subject doesn't have the obvious "flash look."

[EricM]

Jean, thanks for that. I'm really surprised...

[jbq]

Eric: yup, it's really a surprising dent in Nikon's otherwise amazing compatibility record. The N55/F55 also doesn't auto-focus with AFS/AFI lenses and doesn't support the VR function of the relevant lenses, which even the Pronea S supported (however the Pronea S didn't have a full-manual mode with CPU lenses). Nikon definitely had to cut corners to keep the price of the N55/F55 under control.

 

On a number of points (most points except AF, actually) the N2020/F501 was a superior camera - e.g. the higher flash sync and TTL flash with external speedlights, and the ability to meter with non-CPU AI lenses).

[EricM]

You know, it probably costs them more to leave that software out of the brain then to leave it in. But they make up for it when you need to spend extra bucks to get a better body. Why wouldn't all these cameras have simple ttl flash by now? Geez, even the $200 point and shoots do.

[andrew_pike1]

D-series AF Nikkor lenses have a chip in them that enables the lens to send distance information about the subject to the camera so that it is factored into the matrix meter reading. Really a helpful feature with flash. Not sure how it affects existing-light photography, but I would venture to say that it probably "wraps" the metering area around the subject, improving the overall meter reading. I've never tried a non-D lens, so I wouldn't be able to tell you if you're missing anything.