AF Nikkor 50 mm 1:1.8D

In 2010, when I bought my first DSLR, I didn't have a nifty fifty. Along with the kit 18-105, I got a 35 mm f/1.8 G-series lens for crop sensors. The camera was the Nikon D90, a semi-professional DX body. For twelve years, the 35 was my only prime lens.

Then I bought a used AF Nikkor 50 mm 1:1.8D. The D90 was, naturally, made well in the era of G lenses, which included an inbuilt focusing motor. The first shock was how incredibly loud the focus on the newly acquired lens was.

The D-series lenses didn't include a motor. Instead, they relied on the camera's internal focus motor, which interacted with the lens via a screw drive located on the bayonet. As far as I know, more basic DSLRs of the time didn't have it. My D90 did.

However, the FTZ adapter lacks such a screw drive. That's why my first mirrorless camera, the Nikon Z50, limited the lens functionality to focusing manually. There's still focus confirmation, so it's not all that bad. But it's a step down in functionality. However, I never sold the lens. Instead, I started using it for all genres of photography.

Some Specs

The lens was introduced in 2002 and as of today, in January 2025, it appears to have been discontinued recently. I recall seeing it available brand new on Nikon's website last year, despite having been superseded by the newer G-series and later on, the vastly superior Z mount version. This is a testament to its quality. Here are some specs:

• 6 elements in 5 groups (modified double Gauss design)
• all plastic body except a metal mount
• rubberised focusing ring
• 45 cm MFD
• 7 straight aperture blades
• 1.8-22 aperture range
• no weather sealing
• the barrel extends when focusing

Even to this day, the lens boasts a very high optical quality, with great resolving power and low distortion. Wide open, it's not sharp corner to corner but stopped down, it's practically indistinguishable from modern lenses.

In terms of build quality, one might complain about the amount of plastic in it. It certainly feels cheap. Well, given its modest price, it was cheap. But it's about price to quality ratio that matters and optically, this lens is shockingly good.

One feature of the lens' construction that I find particularly worth mentioning is the deeply recessed front element. The lens barrel effectively acts as a permanently attached hood. This makes the lens more resistant to flares than many competing ones.

Uses

When I wrote "all genres of photography" a few paragraphs earlier, I meant it. I've shot beautiful portraits with this lens. I've used it for shooting still life. I've done focus-stacked macro images with it. I've repeatedly taken it on my urban exploration photowalks. I've even shot woodland landscapes with it. It's really that versatile.

As I've already mentioned, this lens uses a screw drive focusing mechanism. On an SLR like my Nikon F100 and or most DSLRs, it works like a charm. However, adapting it to a mirrorless camera will render it a manual-focus lens, so its versatility will be severely reduced.

Macro

The way I used this Nikkor for macro work was via extension tubes. These can be picked up cheap, even with electrical contacts. At macro distances, focusing is usually done by moving the camera back and forth, so the lack of autofocus wasn't an issue.

The extension tubes' total length controls the magnification. The focus ring can shift the focus plane a bit, but not enough to effectively change the reproduction ratio. It's enough for most focus stacks though.

Closeups and Still Life

Shooting at or near the MFD renders deeply out-of-focus backgrounds. When the lens is stopped down, point light sources take a heptagonal shape. Otherwise, the backgrounds are rather smooth. Wide open, the plane of focus at MFD is paper thin.

The MFD of 45 cm is perhaps a bit shorter than average but not uncommon. I think the only non-macro fifties that I've shot that have a shorter MFD were the Meyer Optik Görlitz Oreston along with its rebranded Pentacon twin, the Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar (all with a 33 cm minimum focusing distance) and the Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar (35 cm).

Urban Photography

I don't shoot architecture much, but this lens is a good choice when I find a pretty door or some architectural detail. The distortion on the AF Nikkor 50 mm 1:1.8 D is negligible. It exists, but there's a correction profile in the Lensfun database. I've applied it a few times but the change was barely perceptible. Nowadays, I don't use the correction at all.

For street photographs, it's as good as any other nifty fifty.

Landscapes and Woodlands

When photographing landscapes, I find that the flexibility of a zoom is more important than a wide aperture or extreme sharpness. I usually photograph at f/8 anyway and that's where most lenses are the sharpest. I've used this Nikkor in a forest a few times and while I managed to come back with some keepers, most of them were close-ups.

As far as optical flaws go, woodland scenes are where I've noticed them the most. Colour fringing on contrasting edges is non-existent. There's some coma aberration so it's a good idea to avoid having a sunny day's sky peeking through the foliage in the image corners. Shooting straight into the sun can also be an issue. This lens is prone to severe contrast loss when a strong light source is in the frame. In most other situations, the recessed front element is enough to prevent this problem.

If I were to name a weakness of this Nikkor, it would be woodland photography. It's a somewhat tricky lens to shoot in a forest.

Closing Words

I've always regarded this lens as ridiculously sharp. It's useful in so many genres, I can't imagine I could ever get rid of it. Plus, I can mount it on either my F100 or Z7. It's my most frequent companion during urban photowalks. It has very few optical flaws (some coma and contrast loss when shooting into a bright light source), it's sharp, and it's got a 3D pop no modern design can dream of. It's a modest lens, but easily my favourite, full stop.

Finally, thanks to its low price, it's perfect as the first lens for anyone who gets a Nikon SLR or DSLR. I can't recommend it enough.