Nikon 50mm E Series is it Sharp ????

[jay_huse]

I bought a EM nikon and it has a 50mm lens F1.8.

 

I am curious if this is as sharp as the current 50mm lenses as far as resolution test ect ?

 

 

Not sure it is a manual very small pancake lenses type with a serial number of 1431766?

 

How would you say is the Color and Constrast compared to newer ones ?

 

Thanks

 

Jay

[leicaglow]

I know the build quality was suspect, but I can't recall how it performed optically.

[cliff_k__cny_]

My 50mm Series E is very sharp on a D200. Theoretically, the other modern 50s have better coatings, but I've seldom been troubled by it. The color might show different on slides; not a problem on digital. IMO, build quality is as good as most modern plastic auto focus primes. It would still be in my bag except for the 55mm f/2.8 AIS micro that took its place.

 

For lots of serial number info see:

 

http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html#50slow

 

Try it. you might just like it.

[gary_watson]

Mine's pin-sharp. Got it "free" with an "almost free" mint FG this past summer. Build-wise, it's positively robust compared to the current 50/1.8 AFD. Not sure about test performance but my sample is nice. It seems to give its best with a lens hood.

[photo5]

I was pretty amazed by the quality of my 50mm 1.8 series E when I tested it with a D40. It's a Nikon lens, you can't deny that. What it doesn't seem to have is the same coatings as a normal Nikkor 50mm. In any case, it's a very good inexpensive lens.

 

We had another small discussion here

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Nlwt

[michael_pye]

It's a good lens for the price. I did compare it against my Nikkor 50mm F1.8. The Nikkor is noticeably sharper, but there is isn't much in it.

[tony bell]

The first thing you always hear about the E Series lenses is suspect build quality. Hogwash. Mine is built as well as any lens I have. And yes it is sharp, perhaps not the sharpest you would ever find but plenty sharp to take wonderful photos.

[Michael R Freeman]

<i>"The first thing you always hear about the E Series lenses is suspect build quality. Hogwash."

</i><P>

Couldn't agree more! I currently have a chrome ring Series E 28mm f/2.8 sitting on my desk (I also own the 75~150E). The build quality is equal to, or SUPERIOR to, many current autofocus lenses, including most of Nikon's short primes like the 50/1.8D. The focus is as smooth and tight as any of my "real" manual focus Nikkors. Stack any of the chrome ring Series E lenses up against the current (and past) autofocus "kit zooms" and it's no contest. The Series E build quality will blow them away. Having said that, some of the early Series E lenses with the plastic mounting ring and all-plastic non-rubberized focusing grips appeared to me to be very cheaply made. The "chrome ring" upgrade to AIS Nikkor cosmetics was a significant improvement.<P>

 

The one thing going against the 50/1.8E (and 100/2.8E) is that it doesn't have full NIC multicoatings (all the other Series E lenses have full NIC). So it might not have the same contrast or resistance to flare and ghosting as more modern lenses in some conditions. As to sharpness, I'll leave that assessment to those that have made comparative tests, but Nikon must have felt the optical formula was pretty good. The last version of the manual focus AIS 50/1.8 ("pancake" version) is for all intents and purposes a chrome ring Series E with full NIC/SIC multicoating.

[david_carlisle1]

I have a couple of these, and their optical performance is just fine as far as I can tell. One of the lenses does have an annoying habit of drifting from the aperture that I had set, (to a wider aperture). While their small size is great for portability, it does make it a bit fiddle to operate compared to the equivalent Nikkor.

 

Dave Carlisle, Perth WA.

[fraczekp]

<is it Sharp ????>

 

Oh ya.

[jim_devlin]

My Series E 50mm lens is very sharp. As for build quality, both the lens and the body are still going strong after 26 years.

[bwcombs]

I'll hop on this bandwagon. The E Series I used were terrific. Small, lightweight, sharp and

cheap. My only regret is eventually letting them all go. I still have a 50mm E that I picked up

for $19. It sits on an old F301.