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Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.4G

Comparison — Mosaic

This comparison is at near-infinity focus. Close-up performance can be very different, depending on lens design.For example, the Zeiss ZF 50/1.4 Planar is not optimized for close-up, and while it may be desirable for portraiture at close range, it won’t win sharpness contests there.

Caveats

It is very difficult to compare f/1.4 lenses due to the ambiguous focus at f/1.4 (smearing caused by spherical aberration), the varying focus shift, and the varying field curvature. Not to mention that peak contrast (MTF) can be different for high vs low frequency detail. Field shots are ultimately the best way to test any lens; real images integrate all factors. See the examples.

Three other A/B trials were made at closer range, but all proved disjoint because of these factors, in spite of using Live View for focus matching. The trial shown on this page is the most successful comparison, and appears to have very close match in focus at f/1.4, based on examining the foreground and top of the image (the camera was pointed slightly up, intentionally to allow detection of fore/back focus error). All focusing was done with Live View at f/1.4.

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Diglloyd DAP is DSLR-oriented, but also contains workflow and other topics. Much of the focus is on Canon and Nikon but also Pentax and Pentax medium format.

Special emphasis is placed on lens evaluation, focusing on Canon and Nikon and Sigma lenses, but with a few others like Rokinon/Samyang.

Make better images by learning how to get the best results right away.
Save money by choosing the right lens for your needs the first time, particularly some of the new Sigma Art lenses vs Nikon and Canon.
Workflow discusses image organization, raw conversion and post processing. Many examples show processing parameters for direct insight into how the image was converted.
Jaw-dropping image quality found nowhere else utilizing Retina-grade images up to full camera resolution, plus large crops [past 2 years or so].
Real world examples with insights found nowhere else. Make sharper images just by understanding lens behavior you won’t read about elsewhere.
Aperture series from wide open through stopped down, showing the full range of lens performance and bokeh.
Optical quality analysis of field curvature, focus shift, sharpness, flare, distortion, and performance in the field.

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