Twtr
Optics: 4
Price on Used Market: ~$50 USD
Value at $50 USD: 5
An old silver and black design, the Nikkor-C 50mm f/1.4 non-ai performs similarly to the current model. There is a later S·C version which added a red coating and reduced flaring.
Nikkor-S 50mm f/1.4 Non-AI
Assorted Information
| Max Aperture | f/1.4 |
| Min Aperture | f/16 |
| Aperture Blades | 7 |
| Close Focus | 0.6m/2ft |
| Filter Thread | 52mm |
| Hard Infinity Stop? | Yes |
| Built in Hood? | no |
Image Quality
The Nikkor-S like the the 50mm f/1.4 AF-D has an aperture with 7 straight blades, while the 50mm f/1.4 AF-S has 9 rounded blades.
Boke is good, but with some highlighting around edges which can make backgrounds look slightly busier. The lens also suffers from significant coma when wide-open. Otherwise it’s a bit soft at 1.4, good on DX crops for portraits, but sharpens up by f/2.8 and remains so through f/8.
Operation
The focusing ring is metal, not rubber, and turns smoothly almost 1/2 way around the barrel, which I think is a good distance for 50mm. Filters will not turn with focusing, but it’s not an IF design, so the front does move a couple millimeters from close focus at .6m/2ft to infinity. My only real complaint is the metal is colder to the touch in winter than rubber would be. Otherwise I quite like the feel of it.
Grand Central Clock — Nikon D700 (full frame) & S·C Version
Full Frame
Noticeable but correctable vignetting is present from at f/1.4 to f/2.8.
Compared to...
My bunny Thor poses for the 50mm s·c non-ai, and the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AF-D on a full frame D700.
AF-D @f/1.4
Non-AI @f/1.4
As you can see from the thumbnails here, the AF version has some, but less vignetting.
100% crops
Not too much difference, the AF-D (bottom) has slightly better contrast at f/1.4, but the difference disappears by f/2. If I have time, I’ll put up some samples. Also, Thor didn’t seem to want to keep his eyes all the way open for the non-ai lens.
Which is which? Give up? The top is the AF version, bottom is the non-ai. A couple generations didn’t really do much to image quality. The AF version does focus a bit closer, is lighter, and autofocuses, but it feels cheaper, especially the focus ring.
Taken @f/1.4
Final Word
50mm is an especially interesting focal length now, because it’s uses are fairly different on Full Frame and APS-C cropped cameras. On full frame cameras it’s the old standby normal lens, versatile, and famously all Henri Cartier-Bresson ever really needed. On a DX cropped sensor it becomes a 75mm equivalent short tele, good for portraits.
A 50mm f/1.4 is a lens everyone should probably own, and this is a great manual focus choice. It’s a complete steal for $50. The only problem is most of the copies you’ll see are not AI’D, which means they won’t work on any but the cheapest SLRs Nikon sells today without conversion. The good news is the modern version’s aren’t expensive either, and are great as well. This is a great lens to get for an old MF body that will take non-ai lenses, but there’s not much reason to skip the 50mm f/1.4 AFS.
More Photos with this Lens
All images with a DX Crop except those marked with a film type.
Taken @f/1.4
Automated Tellers — Nikon D700 (full frame) & S·C Version
Portrait @f/1.4
Taken on Nikon FE & Fuji Velvia 50
Taken on Kodak TMax 400
Taken on Nikon FE & Fuji Velvia 50
Taken @f/1.4
Taken on Nikon FE & Fuji Velvia 50
Taken on Nikon FE & Fuji Reala 100
More Photos of this Lens
This lens looks at home on my Nikon FE
note, the original version of this review erroneously state the -S designation was for aperture blade count rather than glass element count. I apologize for the error.
Tiny link: http://taii.cc/2N
