Excellence review, I bought 501.8S and 851.8S to use with Z6ii at the beginning. Then I sold 501.8S to get 1.2S. After couple months, I tried Sigma 1051.4 Art and ended up sold 851.8S. Then I sold 501.2S and got 501.4Art. Yes, the new S lenses are super super sharp, well flare/ghost/CA controlled, but when taking portraits, I always feel that something are missing when I shot with the S-line. Right after I tried 1051.4 Art, I then found out that I really don’t like how they rendered the bokeh and background blur. This is personal. And yes, after I watched this review, I will definitely search for used AIS 1.2 in the market. I really love how it render the bokeh, even in the day light!
Great review, thank you!!! I think that, nowadays, the use of old lenses (like the AI, AI-s, etc) have a whole different purpose. To give personality, to have flare or a dreamy/vintage look in a photo... And new lenses, of course, to have a completely professional, clean image.
@@jls2975 Colors for sure, I really love the colors of the Df and D4. I still cannot fully perceive 3D since I understand that it depends more on the lens than the sensor, and I want to believe that the prime lenses of the Z line are more or less at the level of AIS.
@@jls2975 Thanks! I don't have Z lenses yet and I couldn't do the test, except for some Z "S" lenses with some character, most of the photos I saw even from fixed lenses just as you say, a lot of sharpness (perhaps exaggerated by software) but little tonal separation, everything looks very flat as if it were a photo taken with an iPhone.
Thank you for this very good comparison review. I have not used the new Z version of this lens, so I cannot compare. I have owned the ais version of this lens for about 15 years and it is without question my favourite lens in terms of the gorgeous images it can produce as well as how it feels in use. I can appreciate the detailed technical comparisons you make between the two versions of this lens, but I think that it fails to convey the overall aesthetic qualities of the images the ais version is capable of producing. The absolutely, deliciously beautiful images I have created with it have no peers in my portfolio. Also, some of my sharpest - razor sharp - images have been made with this lens. It's only a question of whether or not you are focusing accurately. Images I have made with this lens have garnered more 'WOW' reactions than images made with any of my professional ("gold ring") Nikon lenses. I think this lens is a perfect example of how technical tests/reviews can completely misrepresent the 'real world' performance of a lens. For anyone that can't really relate to or understand what I'm talking about, I say try this lens and experience it for yourself. Another lens I would say comes a close second for the same reasons is the Nikkor AF DC 105mm 1.2 D.
Your comment is very interesting, on the other hand if you have to increase it to 200 percent to "see" more sharpness it seems to me that it is something that does not happen in real life, one has to see the entire photo and on the other hand how can it be measured the "character" of a lens.
I've used Nikon for 12 years. I wish Nikon would have made the Z 50 1.2 with a little bit of compromise to get the size much smaller. Canon RF and Sony 50 1.2 may not be as perfect, but they are small enough to justify bringing it more often. 42mm longer than either the Canon or Sony! 312g heavier than the Sony!
Those Canon and Sony lenses are still very large and heavy for being 50mm lenses. And they are not as optically perfect as this Nikkor. I like that Nikon went all in on the 50/1.2S. If you want smaller there’s the equally great 50/1.8S.
@@tor2919 I understand that they are large and heavy for 50's. I understand that there is a 50 1.8. I do not want a 50 1.8, I want a 50 1.2 that is not gargantuan. Like Sony or Canon. Same with the 70-200. Canon made theirs internal zoom, so it is much shorter than the Nikon, and Tamron has a 70-180 2.8 which is similar length to the Canon
Why does nobody ever mention that Nikon Z lenses are horrendously bigger than their F-AIS counterparts. Why can't Nikon make "normal" sized Z lenses? Nikon Z cameras are not that much bigger than a 35mm Nikon SLR.
Very good review Richard. Interesting to see how far the optics technology has moved on in 40 years. I would like an 85mm Z f1.2 as I prefer the longer focal distance. Hope it comes soon.
Fantastic review, thanks... I still have and love my 50mm f1.2 AIS and love it, especially for dreamy head shots. however, the new technologies and engineering are in another world really. What a great time to be a photographer..
A long awaited comparison Richard, it was very interesting to hear your thoughts on the 50 S, and as always great to see your test pictures! I thought I was going to buy this lens as my main Z mount lens, but instead bought the 70-200 S to complement my 35 1.8 S and 24-70 f4 S, with the 50 1.4G keeping its place for the moment. There’s no question the quality is spectacular with this new 1.2, it seems like it gives most of the performance of the 0.95 Noct but with autofocus and a significant weight savings (not to mention a couple thousand dollars saved, too 😮). I like the look of the AIS too, although of course it has some compromises; probably I will still go for the Z mount 50 within a year or so. That is, unless I go for the 14-30mm first!
Hey Christopher, Thank you! And yes true, if you compare it with the Noct, it's a lot more practical! I can see myself buying the 50 1.2 S and would love it for my wedding/portrait work, but I will never get the Noct myself even if the price is same as the 50 1.2 S. Just way too big/heavy.
That was my original plan Vladimir. But I didn't do that in the end because : 1 I had problem borrowing the two lenses at the same time 2. There are already a few similar comparison reviews being done so I thought doing something a bit different but hopefully still interesting to some viewers
Thanks again for a great lens review. I'm sure Nikon know their market for the new 50mm F1.2S. However, i would love to see Nikon create a new, more compact F1.2 on the new wider mount. Call it the "aficionado" 😊 edition, similar to Voigtlander's "classic" series that leans into the imperfections of 7 or 8 element compact designs.
Great review that is well balanced. Although the new 50mm f1.2 lens is an awesome lens, it is still not perfect. But as you said, every lens designer has to make compromises when designing the lens.
I can't believe the size of the Z version of this lens. It is HUGE ! For that reason alone I would never get it . . . and stick with my AIS version (acquired nearly 20 years ago). Sadly, the AIS version was discontinued a couple of years ago but can still be found used of course.
Interesting while you have Nikon F2 Titian you couldnt be bothered to run a roll of film through that bad boy with the Nikkor 50 1.2 AI-s.. ? Lets some some low asa Chrome on the F2 Titian or some low ASA B+W. How about some low light with 800 asa ? Also..did you not own a lens hood for the Nikkor 50 1.2 AI-s ?
Oh i still have the F2 Titan and i did shoot a lot with the AIS 50 1.2 (mostly Ilford HP5 plus and Kodak 400tx) I love how the photos look with these combos! I didn't post any photos as mostly are family photos. And no i don't have a lens hood for the lens
@@TheRealRichardWong Thanks for taking the time to reply. The thing about these manual focus Nikkor's is while we can use them on digital. Film is where they really shine. Especially on films like Tec pan 25 in brighter light and T-Max 3200 in the dark. Film is Photography TM. And from my experience using a hood with fast aperture Nikkor like the 50 1.2 AI-s is important to get the most out of the lens. I really your video's looking forward to more of your content. If you want to check out some of my work got to Greg Rogalsky. Iv shooting with Nikkor manual focus glass for 40 years. Iv got a few good shots. :)
Oh you mean for vlogging and other kind of UA-cam video? It will work for sure.. but it's a bit too expensive and heavy, esp for handheld video shooting
50mm Ai-s costs only US$600 but 59mm S costs around US$2000. If money is not a factor one should go for S but I can't afford it I bought Ai-s. I'm happy. Monirul Islam Dhaka, Bangladesh. 26 May 2024
7.33 : we have to consider that many subjects ie people benefit from undercorrected spherical aberration and coma. The glow is beautiful and i love it. You get a dual personality lens with the ais, and less of a boat anchor to boot! I can see many liking the new lens but it leaves me cold from its output. Good review and nice points.
Nice for pro’s, when your client wants spotless image quality. I prefer the new Voigtlander lenses though (don't mind mf). They’re small, fast and built like a tank.
Thanks Richard. Beautiful lense that will capture some priceless memorable family pictures. Someday I will get one. Did you upgrade to the z62 and z72. I am sure the 85 1.2 will be equally as impressive
Hi Barry, sorry about the late reply, somehow i didn't see your message until now. No I didn't upgrade to a 6II or 7II.. I borrowed the Z7II from my friends at Nikon for this review.
Great video thanks! I want the size of the old lens with the performance of the new one lol. Seriously though, the implications of progress and "perfection" in size and cost is significant. For a big budget shoot with a few assistants helping, having several of the best modern lenses is not an issue... they are selected tools then. For an enthusiast wanting to go for a stroll and end still enjoy the day, not just the results, I have my doubts that it is all progress.
If you want the size of the AIS but with autofocus and a similar level of bokeh, you can’t go far wrong with the 50mm 1.4G. I still love that lens on my Z6, it definitely has lots of fringing but it’s so portable and I love the look it produces.
I also don't mind a bit of compromises. But creating a "perfect" lens is sometimes also a statement from the brand, a statement tells everyone they are the brand that can offer you the best.
yes i buy it brand new from a shop not long ago and use it for nature photography. sometimes you are blown away :) that haze, the softness..you can use it for the character of the pictures. The nervous bokeh character too. Very nice retro look, away from technical perfection. I sell my 85z lens after one month, because of it look. Perfect technical, but clinical too.
I love my 50mm f1.2 too. And many of my clients favourite shots are shot on it. Yes it has bags of lateral chromatic abberation and is soft wide open. But so much character. Sharpness shmarpness 😁. I like the fact that I get an effect shooting wide open. You barely need to get past 1.4 to remove the blooming softness. An autofocus version with physical manual focus would be nice.
Great review, thank you. Can imagine Nikon going to make a digital version of the F2 for all the old AIS lenses, this would be license for Nikon to mint MONEY....the F2 with the DE1 prism is the sexist camera ever made IMHO.
Would be awesome if they do that. But if they do, it would be Z mount camera instead of F mount. yes agree with your comment about the F2 with DE1 ! :D
Seriously, the size of the Z series lens could be a parody!!! My 50/1.2AIS is awesome for unobtrusive street photography. The Z lens would make this impossible!!
I am disappointed by the sheer size of this Z lens compared to their F lens. I was expecting with all that Z mount marketing, it would be somewhat similar in size to the previous lens, if not smaller. This new one is three times larger. whoosh!~ But the image quality is much higher. So it seems that they just over-engineering this new lens to throw off the corners where the image is quality really fades away.
I've owned a 50 1.2 ai and used it on a d810. It was way sharper wide open than what this video shows. Either the shots here were from a decentered lens or the user did not focus it properly. It's a bitch to focus though.
Maybe i got a bad copy. But i did shoot all the test photos multiple times (with magnification to max) to minimise any human error. And that's the best result I posted in the video.
Someone in Nikon, along with otjer executives in other camera compnies, has lost his marbles. Absolute madness on everyone's part. Just look at the size of these lenses thesedays. Has someone found a new source of free metal and glass in a third world despotic country try?
Great review, thank you! I especially like the comparisons you did with the two other lenses. I personally do not really like the bokeh all that much from the Nikon Z 50mm 1.2 S lens, I think it has to do with the fact it has so many corrective elements in it that it is an unnatural look to the bokeh. But that is just my opinion. I prefer the bokeh from a similar lens from Voigtlander (their 50mm 1.2 ASPH VM) which seems to give a more vintage look and 3D effect and prefer the bokeh as it looks very natural.
Old lens best. 1:1:2.and 1:1:4.not Digital camera normal lens veri sharp foto 1980.ferfect.Match Nikon FM 2 Flash. Vivetar. 283 or. 285 best flash 285 the top on blue mode. FOTOGRAPHER The best camera. Nikon FA.flash beter then F3. matching SB 24.and SB 25 .24.is good lens Nikon 35~~105..mm no.1 lens
.Today the best no Nikon 750.long life shuter reles testing 1 lakh 50 thousand non stop countie FX.Lens is super 24 ~~ 70mm.potreted lens Quality 105.mm.1.1.4..portedens and flash Gun Nikon SB 910 rough and tuf battery saver and Nikon 500 Dx the best Quality .FOTOGRAPHER
I'm a little confused on this comparison. It's like comparing a modern Tesla to 70's Mustang - of course the modern lens is going to destroy the 70's optic in basically every category. I don't think this review ended up being very useful because the perspective is almost exclusively about the performance of the modern optic as opposed to how close can you get to it with the vintage optic. Those 100% zooms were always going to be better on the modern lens. The vintage lens doesn't even have aspheric elements and so is known to suffer from terrible coma and other optical aberrations. I think it'd be a much more educational exercise to see how close you can work that vintage lens into getting results that when viewed at reasonable distances or media will yield results as pleasing as the modern lens. Basically, can you make a $200-300 optic from almost 50 years ago compete with a brand new $2000 monster. I'd love to see that.
@@linghang78 I watched it because there could have been interesting points to draw past "the new lens is better." As is the only real reason to bring out the vintage 50mm is to show it off. It could have been left off entirely and the video wouldn't have changed. It's a missed opportunity imho to do more and that's a little disappointing. I'm not knocking Richard's assessment or his photos - they're both spot on and awesome. I'm critical of the framing of the review and suggesting how more could be done.
Hi Truepoindexter, the reason of the comparison is not really to show the new lens is better. It's more to find out what is the biggest difference between the two lenses, what has improved, and what I actually like the old lens more and let you determine if you feel the increase in size, weight and also price is justified. Some people may still love the 70 Mustang more but you may want to know what the Tesla offers you and how the car design has changed compared to half a century ago
@@TheRealRichardWong I really the old vs new lens comparison. But I liked the fact that you put the Sigma 50mm Art up against the Z 50mm 1.2 lens! I really liked your video!!
Excellence review, I bought 501.8S and 851.8S to use with Z6ii at the beginning. Then I sold 501.8S to get 1.2S. After couple months, I tried Sigma 1051.4 Art and ended up sold 851.8S. Then I sold 501.2S and got 501.4Art.
Yes, the new S lenses are super super sharp, well flare/ghost/CA controlled, but when taking portraits, I always feel that something are missing when I shot with the S-line. Right after I tried 1051.4 Art, I then found out that I really don’t like how they rendered the bokeh and background blur. This is personal. And yes, after I watched this review, I will definitely search for used AIS 1.2 in the market. I really love how it render the bokeh, even in the day light!
The 50/1.2S looks incredible. What a dream lens. I’d guess a lot of the R&D that went into the 58mm f0.95 Noct carried over to this lens.
I’ve had the Z 50mm f1.2 S since release. I haven’t touched any of my other lenses ever since. Stunning image quality.
If you dont mind the weight, it's hard to not love this lens!
How's the bokeh for full-body shots?
sterile rendering, but sharpness is god nowadays
Most reviews about AIS 50mm f1.2 performance at wide open aperature is biased, because the reviewer DID not focus precisely manually.
Great review, thank you!!! I think that, nowadays, the use of old lenses (like the AI, AI-s, etc) have a whole different purpose. To give personality, to have flare or a dreamy/vintage look in a photo... And new lenses, of course, to have a completely professional, clean image.
I use my Nikkor 50mm 1.2 AiS with my Nikon Fm2 and it gives me a great results even @1.2.
yes it gives me great result on my F2 and F3 too!
I 'm building a system around the Nikkor AIS lenses. I'm considering Nikon Df with my AIS 50mm 1.2. Will be adding the 28mm and the 85mm soon.
Buy the Zf you don't already have the Df. And then you can use the ftz adapter and stick any f lenses on it.
Df has much more 3D pop and beautiful colors
@@jls2975 Colors for sure, I really love the colors of the Df and D4. I still cannot fully perceive 3D since I understand that it depends more on the lens than the sensor, and I want to believe that the prime lenses of the Z line are more or less at the level of AIS.
@@mistergiovanni7183 many sensors are 3D killers. New ultra sharp lenses like Z ones destroy tonal separation which is basics of 3D perception
@@jls2975 Thanks! I don't have Z lenses yet and I couldn't do the test, except for some Z "S" lenses with some character, most of the photos I saw even from fixed lenses just as you say, a lot of sharpness (perhaps exaggerated by software) but little tonal separation, everything looks very flat as if it were a photo taken with an iPhone.
Amazing optics ... great video comparison and review
Thank you very much Damith!
Which one would you choose? the new Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S? or the classic Nikon AIS 50mm f/1.2?
Thank you for this very good comparison review. I have not used the new Z version of this lens, so I cannot compare. I have owned the ais version of this lens for about 15 years and it is without question my favourite lens in terms of the gorgeous images it can produce as well as how it feels in use. I can appreciate the detailed technical comparisons you make between the two versions of this lens, but I think that it fails to convey the overall aesthetic qualities of the images the ais version is capable of producing. The absolutely, deliciously beautiful images I have created with it have no peers in my portfolio. Also, some of my sharpest - razor sharp - images have been made with this lens. It's only a question of whether or not you are focusing accurately. Images I have made with this lens have garnered more 'WOW' reactions than images made with any of my professional ("gold ring") Nikon lenses. I think this lens is a perfect example of how technical tests/reviews can completely misrepresent the 'real world' performance of a lens. For anyone that can't really relate to or understand what I'm talking about, I say try this lens and experience it for yourself. Another lens I would say comes a close second for the same reasons is the Nikkor AF DC 105mm 1.2 D.
The AIS 50 1.2 and AF 135 f/2 DC are two of my favourite Nikon lenses.
Your comment is very interesting, on the other hand if you have to increase it to 200 percent to "see" more sharpness it seems to me that it is something that does not happen in real life, one has to see the entire photo and on the other hand how can it be measured the "character" of a lens.
Nice video like always and I’m so surprised not that much viewers in your channel 🤔 you definitely deserve more!!!
Malamadre, really appreciate that! :)
I've used Nikon for 12 years. I wish Nikon would have made the Z 50 1.2 with a little bit of compromise to get the size much smaller. Canon RF and Sony 50 1.2 may not be as perfect, but they are small enough to justify bringing it more often. 42mm longer than either the Canon or Sony! 312g heavier than the Sony!
Those Canon and Sony lenses are still very large and heavy for being 50mm lenses. And they are not as optically perfect as this Nikkor.
I like that Nikon went all in on the 50/1.2S.
If you want smaller there’s the equally great 50/1.8S.
@@tor2919 I understand that they are large and heavy for 50's. I understand that there is a 50 1.8. I do not want a 50 1.8, I want a 50 1.2 that is not gargantuan. Like Sony or Canon. Same with the 70-200. Canon made theirs internal zoom, so it is much shorter than the Nikon, and Tamron has a 70-180 2.8 which is similar length to the Canon
Why does nobody ever mention that Nikon Z lenses are horrendously bigger than their F-AIS counterparts. Why can't Nikon make "normal" sized Z lenses? Nikon Z cameras are not that much bigger than a 35mm Nikon SLR.
Hello, Richard, what grip do you have attached to the bottom of your camera, is it a smallrig L plate?
That is the grip from Meike ua-cam.com/video/dRAOZ0FCHao/v-deo.html
Very good review Richard. Interesting to see how far the optics technology has moved on in 40 years. I would like an 85mm Z f1.2 as I prefer the longer focal distance. Hope it comes soon.
Thanks for watching and yes I am sure more 1.2 lenses will come soon!!
Wow that old 50 is sooooo tiny! haha. Awesome video Richard!
Thanks Piotr!!
An absolutely excellent presentation !! I have both lenses. Thank you very much. RS Canada
Fantastic review, thanks... I still have and love my 50mm f1.2 AIS and love it, especially for dreamy head shots. however, the new technologies and engineering are in another world really. What a great time to be a photographer..
it's amazing lens what replacement available for lower budget... i may buy it but it's expensive even in hong kong
definitely NOT cheap at all!
The Sigma in comparison offers very pleasing color rendering. Very interesting results.
Not a Nikon shooter but I have used my Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AIS on both Canon and Sony mirrorless bodies and love it. Great review.
I prefer character ouver super sharpness. I keep my old lovely 1.2 ais
A long awaited comparison Richard, it was very interesting to hear your thoughts on the 50 S, and as always great to see your test pictures! I thought I was going to buy this lens as my main Z mount lens, but instead bought the 70-200 S to complement my 35 1.8 S and 24-70 f4 S, with the 50 1.4G keeping its place for the moment.
There’s no question the quality is spectacular with this new 1.2, it seems like it gives most of the performance of the 0.95 Noct but with autofocus and a significant weight savings (not to mention a couple thousand dollars saved, too 😮). I like the look of the AIS too, although of course it has some compromises; probably I will still go for the Z mount 50 within a year or so. That is, unless I go for the 14-30mm first!
Hey Christopher, Thank you! And yes true, if you compare it with the Noct, it's a lot more practical! I can see myself buying the 50 1.2 S and would love it for my wedding/portrait work, but I will never get the Noct myself even if the price is same as the 50 1.2 S. Just way too big/heavy.
Can you make comparison between NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S and Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S?
That was my original plan Vladimir. But I didn't do that in the end because : 1 I had problem borrowing the two lenses at the same time 2. There are already a few similar comparison reviews being done so I thought doing something a bit different but hopefully still interesting to some viewers
Thanks Richard. Any idea how Nikon 50mm f1.2 S compares to Otus Zeiss 50mm f1.4 (manual) in terms of performance? With Z9
no sorry i haven't done side by side test. The Otus is definitely amazing.
however not having autofocus, the Nikon maybe more versatile
@@TheRealRichardWong Fully understood. Thanks
Thanks again for a great lens review. I'm sure Nikon know their market for the new 50mm F1.2S. However, i would love to see Nikon create a new, more compact F1.2 on the new wider mount. Call it the "aficionado" 😊 edition, similar to Voigtlander's "classic" series that leans into the imperfections of 7 or 8 element compact designs.
Great video Mr Wong! From Dallas, Texas
Thank you very much Dean!
Great review that is well balanced. Although the new 50mm f1.2 lens is an awesome lens, it is still not perfect. But as you said, every lens designer has to make compromises when designing the lens.
sadly but true, sony GM 50 f 1.2 is almost perfect optic quality compared to Z 50 1.2S... but i still love nikon's jpg more than sony's jpg 😁👍
Fantastic and comprehensive review👍
Thank you
I can't believe the size of the Z version of this lens. It is HUGE ! For that reason alone I would never get it . . . and stick with my AIS version (acquired nearly 20 years ago). Sadly, the AIS version was discontinued a couple of years ago but can still be found used of course.
Great review! The 50 1.2 S looks like the Noct’s little sibling. Subscribed.
Thanks for the sub :)
lol i have my grandpa's 50mm f/1.2 AIS lens, and yeah its quite soft wide open but it does have a dreamy quality to it
Thank you. This is nice and apprecited.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Interesting while you have Nikon F2 Titian you couldnt be bothered to run a roll of film through that bad boy with the Nikkor 50 1.2 AI-s.. ? Lets some some low asa Chrome on the F2 Titian or some low ASA B+W. How about some low light with 800 asa ? Also..did you not own a lens hood for the Nikkor 50 1.2 AI-s ?
Oh i still have the F2 Titan and i did shoot a lot with the AIS 50 1.2 (mostly Ilford HP5 plus and Kodak 400tx) I love how the photos look with these combos! I didn't post any photos as mostly are family photos.
And no i don't have a lens hood for the lens
@@TheRealRichardWong Thanks for taking the time to reply. The thing about these manual focus Nikkor's is while we can use them on digital. Film is where they really shine. Especially on films like Tec pan 25 in brighter light and T-Max 3200 in the dark. Film is Photography TM. And from my experience using a hood with fast aperture Nikkor like the 50 1.2 AI-s is important to get the most out of the lens. I really your video's looking forward to more of your content. If you want to check out some of my work got to Greg Rogalsky. Iv shooting with Nikkor manual focus glass for 40 years. Iv got a few good shots. :)
minute 4:47 the video is so cinematic and nice ... you not consider it as youtube lens? it's different level
Oh you mean for vlogging and other kind of UA-cam video? It will work for sure.. but it's a bit too expensive and heavy, esp for handheld video shooting
50mm Ai-s costs only US$600 but 59mm S costs around US$2000. If money is not a factor one should go for S but I can't afford it I bought Ai-s. I'm happy.
Monirul Islam
Dhaka, Bangladesh.
26 May 2024
7.33 : we have to consider that many subjects ie people benefit from undercorrected spherical aberration and coma. The glow is beautiful and i love it. You get a dual personality lens with the ais, and less of a boat anchor to boot! I can see many liking the new lens but it leaves me cold from its output. Good review and nice points.
Nice for pro’s, when your client wants spotless image quality. I prefer the new Voigtlander lenses though (don't mind mf). They’re small, fast and built like a tank.
Thanks Richard. Beautiful lense that will capture some priceless memorable family pictures. Someday I will get one. Did you upgrade to the z62 and z72. I am sure the 85 1.2 will be equally as impressive
Hi Barry, sorry about the late reply, somehow i didn't see your message until now.
No I didn't upgrade to a 6II or 7II.. I borrowed the Z7II from my friends at Nikon for this review.
Great video thanks! I want the size of the old lens with the performance of the new one lol. Seriously though, the implications of progress and "perfection" in size and cost is significant. For a big budget shoot with a few assistants helping, having several of the best modern lenses is not an issue... they are selected tools then. For an enthusiast wanting to go for a stroll and end still enjoy the day, not just the results, I have my doubts that it is all progress.
If you want the size of the AIS but with autofocus and a similar level of bokeh, you can’t go far wrong with the 50mm 1.4G. I still love that lens on my Z6, it definitely has lots of fringing but it’s so portable and I love the look it produces.
I also don't mind a bit of compromises. But creating a "perfect" lens is sometimes also a statement from the brand, a statement tells everyone they are the brand that can offer you the best.
@@TheRealRichardWong agreed... although I thought their f0.95 58mm was that statement!
Hey sometimes You need more than 1 statement!!!
The new 50mm is brilliant nothing comes close. But I am thinking I might get the AIS lens for the imperfection character.
yeah i still love my AIS a lot!
yes i buy it brand new from a shop not long ago and use it for nature photography. sometimes you are blown away :) that haze, the softness..you can use it for the character of the pictures. The nervous bokeh character too. Very nice retro look, away from technical perfection. I sell my 85z lens after one month, because of it look. Perfect technical, but clinical too.
ih sorry i got the 50mm ais 1.4 not 1.2.
Overboringsharpness
Superb review. Thank you. Subscribed.
Thanks for the sub
Richard, your English & Photography
👏 ✅️
Thank you very much!
The sharpness looks very good, but the overall look with that much nicer, retro bokeh looks for me more pleasant.
Great comparison
Thanks NlkCan
Are you saying Z or zet i cannot tell
AIS micro contrast still better than the new s 🤔🤭
I love my 50mm f1.2 too. And many of my clients favourite shots are shot on it. Yes it has bags of lateral chromatic abberation and is soft wide open. But so much character. Sharpness shmarpness 😁. I like the fact that I get an effect shooting wide open. You barely need to get past 1.4 to remove the blooming softness. An autofocus version with physical manual focus would be nice.
My 1.2 goes in my bumbag for every shoot. Sigma 35mm goes in there too. I'd need a bigger bum if I swapped to these s lenses 😁
The AIS definitely has lots of character!!! I love it too 💕
in my opinion, when a thing goes without any shortcomings, it means it's not a good thing. that's what happened in today's imaging products market.
Great review, thank you. Can imagine Nikon going to make a digital version of the F2 for all the old AIS lenses, this would be license for Nikon to mint MONEY....the F2 with the DE1 prism is the sexist camera ever made IMHO.
Would be awesome if they do that. But if they do, it would be Z mount camera instead of F mount. yes agree with your comment about the F2 with DE1 ! :D
it's huge but man, what a lens...
yeah indeed
good review ! keep it ! love you
Andrejs, thanks for watching! :)
Seriously, the size of the Z series lens could be a parody!!! My 50/1.2AIS is awesome for unobtrusive street photography. The Z lens would make this impossible!!
I am disappointed by the sheer size of this Z lens compared to their F lens. I was expecting with all that Z mount marketing, it would be somewhat similar in size to the previous lens, if not smaller. This new one is three times larger. whoosh!~
But the image quality is much higher. So it seems that they just over-engineering this new lens to throw off the corners where the image is quality really fades away.
Almost no Focus Breathing during the Video. Amazing...
Yes I was quite surprised as well
Amazing, no focus breathing on video
This lens is also good for vedio
I've owned a 50 1.2 ai and used it on a d810. It was way sharper wide open than what this video shows. Either the shots here were from a decentered lens or the user did not focus it properly. It's a bitch to focus though.
Maybe i got a bad copy. But i did shoot all the test photos multiple times (with magnification to max) to minimise any human error. And that's the best result I posted in the video.
Cameras become smaller but lenses become bigger 🙄
Someone in Nikon, along with otjer executives in other camera compnies, has lost his marbles. Absolute madness on everyone's part. Just look at the size of these lenses thesedays. Has someone found a new source of free metal and glass in a third world despotic country try?
jesus... zoom-sized!
Great review, thank you! I especially like the comparisons you did with the two other lenses. I personally do not really like the bokeh all that much from the Nikon Z 50mm 1.2 S lens, I think it has to do with the fact it has so many corrective elements in it that it is an unnatural look to the bokeh. But that is just my opinion. I prefer the bokeh from a similar lens from Voigtlander (their 50mm 1.2 ASPH VM) which seems to give a more vintage look and 3D effect and prefer the bokeh as it looks very natural.
Hey Curtis What do you think about the bokeh from the AIS 50 1.2?
The older lenses definitely have more character. So I guess it really depends on what you want
Old lens best. 1:1:2.and 1:1:4.not Digital camera normal lens veri sharp foto 1980.ferfect.Match Nikon FM 2 Flash. Vivetar. 283 or. 285 best flash 285 the top on blue mode. FOTOGRAPHER The best camera. Nikon FA.flash beter then F3. matching SB 24.and SB 25 .24.is good lens Nikon 35~~105..mm no.1 lens
Difficult to shoot 1.2. Rather get the 1.4 ai-s.
First!! Comment then watch.
Thanks for the support 💖
.Today the best no Nikon 750.long life shuter reles testing 1 lakh 50 thousand non stop countie FX.Lens is super 24 ~~ 70mm.potreted lens Quality 105.mm.1.1.4..portedens and flash Gun Nikon SB 910 rough and tuf battery saver and Nikon 500 Dx the best Quality .FOTOGRAPHER
I'm a little confused on this comparison. It's like comparing a modern Tesla to 70's Mustang - of course the modern lens is going to destroy the 70's optic in basically every category. I don't think this review ended up being very useful because the perspective is almost exclusively about the performance of the modern optic as opposed to how close can you get to it with the vintage optic. Those 100% zooms were always going to be better on the modern lens. The vintage lens doesn't even have aspheric elements and so is known to suffer from terrible coma and other optical aberrations.
I think it'd be a much more educational exercise to see how close you can work that vintage lens into getting results that when viewed at reasonable distances or media will yield results as pleasing as the modern lens. Basically, can you make a $200-300 optic from almost 50 years ago compete with a brand new $2000 monster. I'd love to see that.
Then why watch the video if you already knew the answer? He did exactly what the title of the video said.
@@linghang78 I watched it because there could have been interesting points to draw past "the new lens is better." As is the only real reason to bring out the vintage 50mm is to show it off. It could have been left off entirely and the video wouldn't have changed. It's a missed opportunity imho to do more and that's a little disappointing. I'm not knocking Richard's assessment or his photos - they're both spot on and awesome. I'm critical of the framing of the review and suggesting how more could be done.
Hi Truepoindexter, the reason of the comparison is not really to show the new lens is better. It's more to find out what is the biggest difference between the two lenses, what has improved, and what I actually like the old lens more and let you determine if you feel the increase in size, weight and also price is justified. Some people may still love the 70 Mustang more but you may want to know what the Tesla offers you and how the car design has changed compared to half a century ago
@@TheRealRichardWong I really the old vs new lens comparison. But I liked the fact that you put the Sigma 50mm Art up against the Z 50mm 1.2 lens! I really liked your video!!
Thank you very much Scott