Nikkor 50/1.2 AIS (yet another thread on...)

[bruno]

Well, I got just today some slides from the lab with a few pics taken

with the 50 1.2... so, I learned that shooting this thing wide open

might give different results from what I see in the viewfinder.

 

Somehow a pity 'cause I know I made a lots of portraits with this

thing wide open and I didn't have a way to check the results before

going on shooting, but the depth of field at 1.2 is really small. I

had to expect it, but it's the first time I use such a fast lens.

 

On the other hand, color balance is really good. These are some scans

from Provia 100F. The original hold much more details in shadow and

highlights than the scans... and I find the bokeh pleasant.<div></div>

[bruno]

Another pic... on the background the highlights look blown out, but the original slide has a much more pleasant look than the scan.<div></div>

[bruno]

But, since the motto says "on the web nobody knows I'm a dog", this applies also for pics: on the web nobody sees that they are not in focus, due to low resolution!

 

Actually the pic is in focus, it's only the DOF that's too thin.<div></div>

[gaius1]

This sure is one popular lens, glad I got mine before the price goes through the roof! :-)

 

The only problem I have with it - and I'm sure it's just me - is that when I crank the advance on the F3hp I knock the focus off. Just a matter of practice I guess.

[bruno]

By the way, the thing should not meter in matrix mode on a F90X. If I select the matrix metering, the small simbol blinks but the reading I get seems correct... gotta try it better...

[bruno]

Anyhow, just to show how the thing is unforgiving for small focus errors.<div></div>

[bruno]

...and now a 100% crop...<div></div>

[vivek iyer]

Bruno, Nice examples. All seem to show focus errors, in my view.

 

Treat it like a Tele lens and also do not use any low shutter speeds for anything that is not stationary.

[vivek iyer]

How much did you pay for yours, Guy?

[bill a.]

Bruno,

 

Correct.... the lens will only matrix on a FA or F4... on your F90X it will over-ride to average (that's the blink).

 

Any idea what shutter speed that was? I'm having a hard time finding the focus plane in the second image... (his left eye?) almost seems like it should be sharper (could it be motion?)

 

On the 50 1.2 I force myself to use the eyelashes of my subject as the focus point. Try some critical focusing on a stationary object. A ruler will also give you an idea of how shallow you are dealing with Check the images at the end of this thread: http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00DAzK&tag=

[bruno]

Yes, unluckily all show some focus errors... maybe not the last, where I might have actually focused on the people behind the door, hoping to have enough DOF. I was wrong :)

 

I got mine for 30.000 Yen, which are roughly 230 Euros, which are roughly 300$. I never saw this lens in Europe before, so I don't know it's marketprice here as 2nd hand (new goes for 750 Euros).

 

I was in Tokyo for work and I knew that except a few times I would have had only evenings for photos. So, when I saw the lens I just coulnd't resist from buying it! I'm not a tripod guy, I like to hand hold the camera... and I thought 1.2 was perfect for low light shooting.

 

Thing is that I just did too many portraits like the first and second one, and they're all going to turn out blurred... agh! I've been shooting too long only with wide angles, where focus is almost an unnecessary option.

 

Now I learn that there are a few quirks I need to care about... I think that for a portrait distance I cannot go below f2 or maybe f4... a little of a pity... and take more care about focusing from longer distances... hmm, anyone has some rule-of-thumbs to share about this lens?

[bruno]

Bill, I guess that the shutter speed was below 1/50th. Hm, probably the guy moved a little bit after I focused and got out of the plane. I think I focused on his eyes, but I'm not sure about it now.

 

Thanks for the tips.

[gaius1]

Off the top of my head, I think I paid around 200 squids for mine, maybe a bit more. I remember that it was cheaper than the 45/2.8, but they're different lenses for different jobs.

[bruno]

I wouldn't be surprised if it was cheaper in the US. I just happen to live in Europe and photo gear has different prices... the shop where I bought the lens had everything in a very good condition and it had the same prices you can get in Europe on that famous auction website.

[vivek iyer]

I saw a beautiful example for 250 NG (about $110), 8 years ago, in Holland and passed (I was a Leica shooter then). Only recently, I bought one for 250 Euros, practically new.

 

Yes, it is possible to use this lens at f/1.2 if the focus is right and the shutter speeds are high when handheld.

 

Wide open, 1-2 meter distance is good.

 

More than 4 meters, it is down right horrible.

 

f/2 to f/4 it is very sharp at infinity or near infinity.

[bruno]

Thanks Vivek.

[oswegophoto]

Vivek's pretty right on with his recommendation to treat it as you would a telephoto. Just

one that doesn't magnify. The ultra-shallow DOF is challenging, but it can be dealt with,

once you know about it. Remember actual DOF is proportional to subject distance, too, so

either don't get too close or stop down. I do recommend owning the 50mm f/1.8 AF as

well, since they're so cheap and so much easier to get good results with. But the 1.2 has

earned both sides of its reputation, and can give you good shots with an unusual look.

Using tools with personalities can lead to changes in your thinking, which can be a good

thing.<p>

Bill's mostly right about the F90X - according to my manual, an F90X makes the following

changes when you put on an AI or AI-S lens: 1) metering switches to center-weighted (70/

30), 2) AF drive is cancelled, though the electronic rangefinder is still on, and 3) the

exposure mode switches to Aperture Priority (and of course, you lose aperture info in the

viewfinder). So, if it was set to a mode other than Aperture Priority, with matrix metering,

the mode indicator and the matrix symbols will blink, alerting you that they've been

overridden. I love these older manual primes, so I use an F3HP and a N90S (US version of

the F90X).

[michaelging]

I can remember shooting photos with nikkor 300mm F2, and a 200mm F2 lenses. You had to decide which part of the eyeball you wanted sharp,as there was so little DOF.You went for eather the edge of the pupil , or the highlight.

[ebogaerts]

@ f/1.2, you want to be fairly careful and discriminating with this lens. If you stray too far out of the optimal range of 5-15 feet wide open, you will see a fair degree of softness. At or around infinity there is a great degree of softness and light falloff at the edges. There is a pleasent effect that I have recieved with this lens when I have done the so-called "enviornmental portraits", and those focusing distances have always been at or around 10-12 feet. But I think this lens was originally designed with photojournalists in mind in bad lighting conditions, hence the optimal range. And of course you have to be fairly careful with focusing. The low depth of field can make accurate focusing difficult if the subject and/or photographer move a bit.

[flaviosganzerla]

I like mine too, it is my favorite lens right now, bought for US$ 100.00 equivalent (with my girlfriend�s $).

 

There are many pictures in my portfolio taken with this lens.

In close distances, I found that if I am not careful while breathing, the focus goes off at maximum aperture.

[harvey_edelstein1]

Last week the MTF for some of the fastest normal lenses were posted here on PN. I studied the chart, and as a user I was pleasantly suprised that the lens held up against even Leica lenses.

 

A lot of your posted photos were in daylight. You could have gotten better results by stopping down to F2.0 where the tradeoff of speed to quality of image makes this lens top at F2.0 of all the lenses tested.

Best MTF at F2 still good OOF and less likely to show flair effects then f1.2. I use F1.2 in low light where it is last resort. Try the same shots at f2 and see the difference.

[briany]

Michael Ging: What gig had you using a 300mm 2.0? That's quite a lens!

[michaelging]

We had one at the paper that was bought for night sports. The lens is so big and heavy that no one ever used it. We ended up selling it to a motion picture company to use with panavision cameras.It was very sharp wide open , but because so little was in focus it looked funny. I used it several times in court when light was a problem.

[bruno]

Hmmm, the first one was in daylight, kind of... it was raining hard and me and the guy were protected where it was quite dark. In this case I could have shot also at f2.8 but I thought "let's shoot wide open to get more bokeh"... eh!

 

The second one was an interior. The background is quite lit but inside it was darkish, infact you see the tungsten cast on the face. Probably f1.8 would have been feasible.

 

The third one... also quite dark alley, but I could have stopped down a little bit.

 

Just one thing I don't understand about Vivek's statements: why should I pay attention to shutter speeds more than I would do with another 50/1.8 lens?

 

By the way, I already own the AF 50/1.8 and it has been in my travel kit with the AF28/2.8D... but I've been using only the latter for years. Recently I added the AF20/2.8D, AF85/1.8D and the 50/1.2. It is true that it is not worth selling the 50/1.8D, but I like to travel light (camera + one extra lens), so owning much glass only complicates the choice of what's going to come with me today.

 

Environmental portraits are cool, usually... until now I always did them with wide angle lenses, since more remains of the background because of longer DOF. I will try with the 50 1.2 and see what comes... looks like the thing is difficult to use, I'll take the challenge.

[vivek iyer]

"why should I pay attention to shutter speeds more than I would do with another 50/1.8 lens?"

 

Bruno, As I mentioned and others have pointed out, it the the shallow DOF that warrants the fast shutter speeds. Also, a better camera with a lower shutter lag would be more suited for a lens like the 50/1.2.