Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm F1.8G Announced

Link: Full Review

Nikon released the AF-S 50mm F1.8G last week, as a replacement for the aging AF 50mm F1.8D. The 50mm F1.8D was released less than 10 years ago, but the optical design can be traced back to the early 1980s in the form of the 50mm F1.8 AI. The AF-S model has a new optical design and based upon the technical data Nikon released, it should have superior optical performance. There will be no way for us to know for sure until it lands int the hands of actual users, because some modern lenses look better on paper than in practice, due to manufacturing variances.

50mm F1.8 lenses have always been inexpensive, and the AF-S 50mm F1.8G is following that tradition, at least to some degree, with an MSRP of $249.95 Cdn / $219.95 USD. That is more expensive than the competing Canon 50mm F1.8 MkII, but that lens was released back in 1990, and has not been updated since. Street prices, for pre-orders, of the AF-S 50mm F1.8G are already lower than MSRP at some dealers, so that shouldn't be an issue. That said, if you are on a tight budget and have a camera with a built in focusing motor the older AF-D model still might be the right choice.

I will be testing a copy of the new AF-S Nikkor 50mm F1.8G, head to head against the AF-D model on the Nikon D700 once it arrives. Nikon is saying that the lens will be shipping sometime between late May to Mid June, so we'll have to wait a little while before any reviews are available.

Link: AF-S 50mm F1.8G vs 50mm F1.8D Comparison


For more info see the Nikon website.
http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/lens/singlefocal/normal/af-s_50mmf_18g/index.htm


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