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Nikon is slowly winning me over at becoming my favorite full-frame camera system.
I still like the EOS R, I think it’s a more capable camera in terms of versatility, mainly because of the 30MP sensor and the flippy screen that is so nice for landscape work, but I actually enjoy using the Nikon Z6 more.
It feels more advanced, well technically it is, but it feels very capable and I can see Nikon opening up some really cool features via firmware whereas the EOS R is what it is, single-core processor, slow memory card performance, 4k video with a crop and still some annoying autofocus limitations.
After shooting with Sony full-frame mirrorless for five years, I’ve come to the conclusion they are just boring tech machines. Very good tech machines, but still boring.
The main thing that’s really got me excited about the Nikon system is the (somewhat) affordable high quality f1.8 AF glass, which is what you’re seeing with all the samples in this post. It’s all shot with the Z6 and the Nikon Z 50mm f1.8 S.
In the past, Nikon and Canon have always made the f1.8 lenses their budget lenses and their high-quality stuff was the f1.2 or f1.4 glass. You even see this when looking at Sony lenses with their 50mm f1.8, an optically decent lens with great micro-contrast but feels a little Toys“R”Us – plastic and noisy, same is true with my Nikon 50mm f1.8.
Sony at least has Zeiss working with them so they’ve made some really cool lenses like the 55mm f1.8 ZA Sonnar and those Batis Lenses that are legendary. But I could never get into those because of the insane price tags. Paying $1,200 for a massive f2 lens never seemed practical.
I have kids now, I need lighter and smaller for obvious reasons.
The Beauty Of Slower Lenses
By making high quality f1.8 lenses, you get a small package and great bokeh at those sometimes necessary slower apertures.
The thing is, I don’t always like or even want f1.2 or f1.4 lenses especially on a full-frame camera. It’s often too shallow, especially for video.
When you buy an f1.2 lens and stop down to f1.8, you always get inferior bokeh because the aperture blades when stopped down are not rounded, or as rounded. By having an f1.8 lens that you shoot at f1.8, you get better bokeh. You’ll even get better bokeh at f2 or f2.8 because you’ll still be getting less geometry in the out of focus highlights. You’ll notice this when comparing the Fujinon 56mm f1.2 to the Fujinon 60mm f2.4. At f2.4 the bokeh of the 60mm is so much nicer.
So that’s the bad thing about buying faster, sometimes more expensive lenses. If you’re not always using it wide open or close to it, you might actually be hurting your image quality, not enhancing it.
I hope Nikon keeps pumping out high-quality glass at various apertures. I actually would love to even see good quality f2.4 or f2.8 lenses as well. This way you can pick the lens based on the max aperture you need, rather than stopping down a faster lens for inferior bokeh. Because you really don’t need or want f1.2 or f1.4 when shooting street, shooting video, or especially when shooting kids that never hold still.
Who knows, maybe the Zeiss Batis lenses would come to Nikon. Wouldn’t that be cool?
Nikon Z 50mm f1.8 Overview
What makes the Nikkor Z 50mm f1.8 S so great?
It has a lot of the same magic that makes the Fujifilm 35mm f1.4 great. In terms of depth of field, they are both very similar, but because the Z is full-frame, you get nicer bokeh when shooting subjects that are further from the camera where the optical output holds together just a little bit better. That’s the key and main difference between APS-C, full-frame and medium format when it comes to optics.
The Nikkor 50mm f1.8 has the right amount of field curvature that gives the center of the image that extra illusion of depth which you can see in the first image of this post, there is a bit of swirling going on though. This lens is also very sharp with really good contrast. In terms of micro-contrast, “pop”, it’s also good, but only average compared to another high element prime, so everything looks and most importantly feels detailed, especially those black & white shots.
Compared to a lot of cheaper fast lenses, like the Meike 50mm f1.7 or even the Canon 35mm f1.8, the Nikon 50mm f1.8 S holds together really well at f1.8. This is what I’ve always loved about Fujinon glass. All Fujinon lenses perform really well at their fastest apertures and usually, this is what you’re paying for with premium lenses aside from the build quality.
Site Updates
I’m working on my full review of the Nikon 50mm f1.8 and the Nikon z6, and I even have a Meike 50mm f2 in the Nikon Z mount. I’ll also be getting some of those Kipon Elegant lenses too. So, lot’s of cool reviews coming up.
But before I get too deep into those reviews, I have about three new Meike and 7Artisans lenses I’ll review and compare for the Fujifilm system which I know a lot of people are waiting for based on comments and emails.
I’m back in Japan, back working on this site after a long break working on some trailers in Los Angeles.
I’m considering doing more of these smaller posts that show a few more photos, like the family stuff that I never usually share, but we’ll see how it works out with Googles algorithms, Google likes long detailed posts, but so far everything is going well with this site so it’s time to try something new.
Expect to see an updated theme for this site at some point as well, so things might get a little crazy. The current theme is no longer supported and for security reasons I need a new one, also, I’ve never been able to fix that stupid bug where when you click out of a gallery the page returns to the top. It’s pretty much an unfixable WordPress bug and I’m hoping a different theme helps.
Nikon Z6 + Nikon Z 50mm f1.8 S Sample Images
These are all shot with the Nikon Z6, processed with Lightroom.
Like with Fujifilm and Sony, I’ll be keeping an updated list of Nikon Z lenses.
See the full review: Nikon Z 50mm f1.8s Review
22 comments
Alik, Any more thoughts on the Z6 you can share since you posted these comments last month? I’m hoping this upcoming firmware update will address the low light focus issues (eye focus would be icing on the cake), and if so, may take the leap after that. Depending, of course, on your review! 😉 Thanks, Craig
I’ve just been working on some lens reviews with it. So far I’m not having really any focus issues. Focus actually has been really good other than it’s not smart so I use zone focus that I move around mostly or manual tracking. My only complaint is that I wish they would increase the range of face detection. Fujifilm just did this with their firmware so it’s on par with Sony.
I’m kind of waiting on that firmware drop before doing another writeup on it.
I do love it though, it’s my favorite full frame camera to shoot with right now.
Ok, i appreciate your reply. Yeah, fingers crossed that upcoming firmware upgrade will tweak all those focus issues – eye detection, face detection further away, and better/quicker acquisition in low light. Hope springs eternal.
I find the AF-S behaviour faster and more accurate than any other camera I’ve used. And it behaves much nicer than for example Sony’s more jerky af-s behaviour. I understand AF-C needs some work but personally I very rarely use this mode. I feel the Z 6 af-s doesn’t get the credit it deserves.
How do you do zone focusing with the Nikon? Manual focus + back button?
When I was talking about Zone focus, I was talking about the AF Zone focus boxes that come up. That’s the Fujifilm terminology for it, I’m not sure what Nikon calls it. But it’s not the classical term Zone focusing, which I only really do with manual focus lenses where I throw it at f5.6 or f8 and sort of guess my zone based on distance. I don’t mess around with that with AF lenses. I don’t think the Z6 even remembers the focus point once you turn off the camera with their lenses right now either.
Right now I’ve set one of the two buttons next to the lens mount to toggle focus settings, you hold that button then turn one of the wheels on the top. The other button punches in for focus checking when using manual lenses.
When the first button is held down the back wheel for me cycles the different focus settings like, point, to the different zone to full with face and eye detect, and the other wheel toggles MF AF-C and AF-S. So I just bounce around those modes as I need. I’m actually using the full tracking focus mode now because it has a tracking box you can put on anything and it automatically tracks it, otherwise it will default to face or eye detect, or it just tries to guess what you’re going for. The active focus box I’m discovering is really powerful once you learn how to quickly engage it and disengage it. It took me awhile to get use to this coming over from Sony and Fujifilm and I’m actually really liking it.
What do others think about its size for walking around on the street? It seems much larger than other 50mm primes I’ve seen at f1.8.
Also, this versus the 35mm?
It’s not too bad to walk around with, but it’s definitely the biggest 50mm f1.8 I’ve seen. I walk around a lot with it and haven’t felt that it’s massive or anything. Nothing like when I walk around with a zoom lens.
Here is a comparison. Rokinon 35mm f1.2 APS-C on the left, Nikon, then Sony 50mm f1.8, then Nikon 50mm f1.8 D with adapter.
This is a high quality f1.8 lens like those Zeiss Batis lenses so Nikon had to make it bigger. It’s really in a different league compared to the other 50mm f1.8 lenses out there.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/23483b92ef172f8d2151511da108ffcf3eb4b49c00fd0529e1a2ca856516170d.jpg
I don’t have the 35mm f1.8 yet, kind of waiting for a sale since that lens is a lot more money.
Do you use the lens hood when you shoot with it?
Wow yeah it’s significantly bigger than the Sony lens!
I usually do with this lens just because I don’t have a UV filter, but I probably shoot without hoods more often than with them. Depends on the lens. Like I don’t like using the hood with the Sony because it feels so much more compact without it. Makes it some how more fun to shoot with.
+1 on hoping Zeiss somehow find a way to make the Batis lenses for Z-mount. I really like the design decisions and optical performance of Zeiss Batis lenses. Only thing that would make me consider an A7.
The Nikkor S lenses are very similar though. It seems where Nikon is using dual independent focus groups, in the Nikkor 35/1.8S, Zeiss instead are doing some automatic aperture stop down trick to maintain close range performance on the Batis 40mm F2.
The dual focusing groups probably have a lot to do with why the 35S is more expensive than the 50S. The only other S-lens to have it so far is the 24-70/2.8S.
I hope that Nikon 35mm goes on sale at some point. This 50mm S is one of my favorite lenses and I can’t wait to try the 35.
I’ll look into that dual focusing. Sounds like interesting tech. I’ll do my 50mm f1.8 review soon as well. I got a lot of cool content coming with the Nikon.
This lens is just £329 in the UK, equivalent of around $430, I may just pull the trigger. Great review.
I don’t suppose you’ll be reviewing the 35mm 1.8 S any time soon?
I’ve been shooting with it, but not sure when I can do a review though. Not for at least a month or two. It does have my favorite rendering of the three I own by far.
Wow really, more than the 50 and the 85?
Yeah, the 35mm has this tonal depth to it that you don’t see with the 50mm and especially 85mm.
How does it compare to say an x100f and Fuji 23mm f2? I thought I’d ask as I’m familiar with them as primes and so are you!
It’s a totally different look because it would be an APS-C f1.2 equivalent. And the bokeh is a little softer, a little less rich. Those Fuji lenses always have such nice rich high contrast bokeh.
I think the Nikons are using polycarbonate aspherical elements too, I think, this is what I’ve heard, so I haven’t seen the same flaws in the bokeh like onion rings like you do with the Fujifilm lenses. It’s overall a much more corrected lens, everything is just cleaner, but nothing really punches you in the face hard like the 23mm f2 which has a ton of contrast and color.
That’s quite interesting. The bokeh seems pleasent in the uploads, thanks for sharing them! I imagine it will be a good lens for family photos.
I asked about the Fuji as I often take my X100F on vacation along with my Nikon Z. Normally for street photos or when we go out for dinner and I want something small. I’m torn if to get a Z 35mm lens too, either for travel or for family shots like this.
Yeah, I see it as an amazing wedding photography lens. Still super fun for street but kind of big, so it depends on the your shooting style. It’s not super easy to get in peoples faces with it, but great for camp spots.
Here are a few Samples.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7d39fda444cc6bf8b9c46955137667c6e87ef56f0d85b7c425bb6584fdbef04a.png
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1cefcb66a7a986e60956b06411cbaca126e51eaa0366058aebcd2ed2ff4e9a9f.png
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/fc980476cba25beb381946d124b9d6137d355ccb36188ca137b5e321b8ee7670.png