{"id":59169,"date":"2024-10-27T06:30:28","date_gmt":"2024-10-27T05:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/?p=59169"},"modified":"2024-10-29T22:28:41","modified_gmt":"2024-10-29T21:28:41","slug":"review-nikon-nikkor-z-50mm-f-1-2-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-nikon-nikkor-z-50mm-f-1-2-s\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Nikon Nikkor Z 50mm f\/1.2 S"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

The Nikon Nikkor Z 50mm f\/1.2 S<\/strong>, designed primarily for demanding professionals and discerning enthusiasts, is one of the fastest autofocus lenses in the Nikkor Z lineup. While Nikon has a legacy of producing ultra-fast f\/1.2 standard lenses, this is their first f\/1.2 autofocus lens. Nikon\u2019s history with f\/1.2 lenses began in 1965 with the introduction of the Nikkor-S 55mm f\/1.2<\/a>. This was followed by the legendary Noct-Nikkor 58mm f\/1.2 in 1977 and the AI-Nikkor 50mm f\/1.2 S in 1981. However, after the 1980s, Nikon took a break from producing f\/1.2 lenses until the advent of the Z mount system in 2018.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

With the larger Z mount, Nikon aimed to overcome the limitations of their previous f\/1.2 lenses by incorporating new technology. As a result, the Nikkor Z 50mm f\/1.2 S was launched in September 2020.<\/p>\n

But did Nikon succeed in meeting these high expectations? Let\u2019s find out!<\/p>\n

\"camera-icon2\"I tested this lens on a 46 Mp Nikon Z 7II (Sample images\u00a0 taken with Nikon Zf)
\n\"\"You can see this review as a YouTube<\/a><\/span> video here<\/span><\/a>!<\/p>\n

Sample Images<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zf | Nikkor Z 50mm f\/1.2 S | f\/1.2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zf | Nikkor Z 50mm f\/1.2 S | f\/1.2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zf | Nikkor Z 50mm f\/1.2 S | f\/1.2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zf | Nikkor Z 50mm f\/1.2 S | f\/1.2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zf | Nikkor Z 50mm f\/1.2 S | f\/1.2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Nikon
Nikon Zf | Nikkor Z 50mm f\/1.2 S | f\/1.2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zf | Nikkor Z 50mm f\/1.2 S | f\/1.2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zf | Nikkor Z 50mm f\/1.2 S | f\/1.2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most of the sample images in this review and many more can be found in higher resolution here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Specifications<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Focal Length<\/td>\n50mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Angle of View<\/td>\n47\u00b0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
# of Aperture Blades<\/td>\n9 (rounded)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Max Aperture<\/td>\nf\/1.2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Min Aperture<\/td>\nf\/16<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Min Focus Distance<\/td>\n0.45 m<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Filter Size<\/td>\n82 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lens Mount<\/td>\nNikon Z<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight<\/td>\n1090 g<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Size (D x L)<\/td>\n89.5 x 150 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Elements\/Group<\/td>\n17\/15 (2 ED, 3 aspherial + Nano Crystal & ARNEO)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n
 <\/p>\n

Buy new:<\/strong> B&H, Amazon.com from $1789<\/a>\u00a0(Affiliate links)
\nBuy used: eBay.com ($1600)<\/a>, eBay.de (\u20ac1500)<\/a>\u00a0(Affiliate links)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Disclosure<\/span><\/h2>\n

One of our readers, Wolfgang, kindly loaned this lens for a couple of months for test and review purposes.<\/p>\n

Handling<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"Nikkor
Nikkor Z 50mm f\/1.2 S | Nikon Z7ii<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Well, the first thing you notice about this lens is its impressive size. When Zeiss Otus 55mm f\/1.4 came out, I thought it was unpractically large and heavy for being a standard (50-55mm) lens, this Nikon lens is somewhat larger and heavier. Although it is smaller and considerably lighter than its cousin Nikkor Z 58mm f\/0.95, which I think is ridiculously heavy, especially as it is manual focus only. Of course, 17 lens elements packed in this lens must weigh something. At least it is not front heavy, which helps in handling the lens on the camera. The lens barrel is mostly of heavy duty plastic. A weather sealing gasket is visible around the metallic mount plate and Nikon states extensive sealing to keep out dust and moisture, especially around the moving parts of the barrel.<\/p>\n

\"Nikkor
Nikkor Z 50mm f\/1.2 S |mount plate and control buttons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The lens has an Auto-Manual focus switch, a control ring, which can be set to control aperture, exposure compensation, or ISO sensitivity. The control ring rotates smoothly without any click stops, allowing for seamless aperture adjustments\u2014ideal for video work. However, I found its placement to be poorly designed, as it\u2019s located where you naturally hold the camera. This makes it easy to unintentionally rotate the ring, especially since it\u2019s so smooth. Ultimately, I found it too annoying and decided to switch it off completely. You can also disable the ring. There is also a function button, an OLED display and a huge rubberised <\/span>focusing ring.<\/p>\n

\"Nikkor
Nikkor Z 50mm f\/1.2 S OLED display | Nikon Z7ii<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The OLED display can be set to either show the working aperture value or the focused distance. When it is set to show the distance, it also has an indicator for depth of field. So you should be able to quickly confirm focus distance, depth of field and aperture when you’re shooting from a tripod or gimbal and can’t be behind the camera. I tested the distance from focused distance at 1, 2, 5, and 10 meters and compared it to the distance shown in the display. I repeated the test 10-11 times at each distance. The lens showed the correct distance 10 of 10 times at 1, 5, and 10 meters. At 5 meters distance it showed the correct distance 50 times and for the other half it should something near 1.95 meters.<\/p>\n

In front of the focusing ring is another rubberised ring, which is fixed and likely serves as an aid for better grip during attaching\/detaching the lens.<\/p>\n

\"Lens
Lens cap & lens hood with lock hatch | Nikkor Z 50mm f\/1.2 S | Nikon Z7ii<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The lens comes with a decently sized plastic lens hood that snaps into place with a click, to detach it you have to push an unlock hatch on the side of the hood, a nifty security feature not to accidentally detach the hood.<\/p>\n

The lens features internal focusing, powered by a stepping motor. The autofocus is accurate, relatively fast, and nearly silent. Overall, it appears to be excellently built.<\/p>\n

Optical Features<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"MTF
MTF | Nikkor Z 50mm f\/1.2 S<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sharpness (Infinity)<\/span><\/h3>\n

For the infinity sharpness test, we look at three areas of the image, centre, mid-frame, and corner, see highlighted areas in the image below!<\/span><\/p>\n

To be able to see the sharpness easier in the corners at wider apertures, I have compensated vignetting in the corners for the 4 widest apertures but I put up 2 charts, one for as the images came out from the camera and one for the ones with corrected vignetting.<\/p>\n

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Infinily Sharpness Points of Inspection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n