Nikon Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AIS Manual
Focus Standard Lens. Near Mint. Tested. See Test Images
This is a superb
example of one of Nikon's high quality AIS lenses from the 1980's and 1990's
when Nikon didn't make anything except high quality pro lenses. This one is the
last and best 50mm f/1.2 AIS variant. It was still in production until last
year. This one, number 304944, was number 54,940 in a total manufacturing run
of just 141,168 units of the 50mm f1.2 AIS made by Nikon Japan between June
1981 and 2005. It was made just over a third of the way through the production
run, so we can be pretty confident that it was made around August 1990.
There are
two excellent photographic reasons to get this lens.
1. It's a
very, very fast lens wide open. It's also noticeably better at f/1.4 than the
Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 lens
2. It's the
sharpest lens in production when used at f/2. See test images
Key features
See Hi-res
images taken with this lens on Youtube:
It has
fantastic optical and mechanical performance (see the pictures attached and at
the Dropbox link further down) in a light, compact package. It weighs around
371g. This 50mm is extremely well made, having far better optical and
mechanical properties than the more modern AF lenses Nikon makes today.
See full
review of this lens on Ken Rockwell's lens review page
Lens
compatibility
Use on Digital
Cameras
It works on
all digital cameras with varying ease.
On the D810,
D800, D800E, D750, D700, D610, D600, D500, D300s,D300, D200,D7200, D7100,D7000
series cameras, it can give full matrix metering and aperture-preferred auto
(A) and manual (M) modes, and encodes the shooting aperture and focal length in
the EXIF.
The lens
works on the lesser cameras like the D80, D70 and D40, but without any metering
- you'll have to use an external meter or guess using the LCD.
Use on Film
Cameras
The lens is ideal
for manual focus cameras like the FA, FE, FM and F2AS.
The F100 and
most film cameras offer centre-weighted metering with this lens, while the F4,
F6 and FA are unique among film cameras in offering matrix metering with it.
For further
reading on the subject, please visit Ken Rockwell's most instructive website on
the subject
Overall Lens
Condition: Near Mint
Mechanical /
Cosmetic: Exc++++
The lens is
in superb mechanical and cosmetic condition, although there are some slight
rubs on the top edge of the focus ring and some fine marking on the focus scale
itself. There is also some tiny paint loss from some of the knurling on the
aperture ring and from the top edge of the filter ring. The thread is perfect
though. The focus ring action itself is buttery smooth with no play at all in
the action. The painted lettering is bright and completely intact. The aperture
ring is free moving and the iris blades are nice and snappy. The iris is in
perfect condition and free of oil. The bayonet mount is also in pristine
condition.
Optical: Mint
Not a great
deal to say here. There is no detectable dust in the lens. The optics are in
fact flawless as can be seen from the test images. This lens produces punchy,
colourful and contrasty images as can be seen from the test pictures. The front
and rear elements are pristine.
Image
quality
Image
quality is superb. The Ken Rockwell review explains the characteristics of this
lens in some detail. The images attached attest to the quality he sees. I took
the images on a Sony A7R II 42.4MP Mirrorless camera using this lens. It also
works flawlessly on my Nikon D7200, but I wanted to show off the astounding
resolution the lens is capable of and also to show its full-frame capability.
The 100% crop (when viewed on your PC screen at about 10" across would be
equivalent to a full-size print of about 8 feet by 5 feet.
The Ebay
Upload Images
I shot the
Ebay upload images in and around the St Pauls area in central Birmingham, UK.
The first image is of the southbound tunnel entrance of the Queensway shot at
f/1.2 like crazy lens tester types do in broad daylight. The next two images
are 100% centre and edge crops of the first. It's dead sharp in the centre, but
notice the Veiling and Coma on the green traffic light typical of this lens at
maximum aperture in broad daylight although it's very well controlled. It’s
very good at the edges as well. The next image is of the same scene, but this
time it’s a 100% crop at f/2. This lens is unbeatable at f/2. There is no
Chromatic Aberration at all. The next image is of the same scene, but this time
we have 100% centre and edge crops shot at f/5.6. Both are perfect. The next two
images of the road sign were shot wide open at f/1.2 and at f/2. Both show the
superb Bokeh and DOF that this lens generates. The next image of the railings
was also shot wide open. The final image of the Ludgate Loft Apartments was
shot at f/2. There is no trace of CA on the brightly lit window frames.
The Youtube
Images
On Youtube,
I have uploaded a series of images taken of the tunnel entrance from f/1.2 all
the way through to f/16. Note that it's dead sharp wide open, but there's a bit
of Veiling and Spherical Aberration on the areas of high contrast, and some
Coma on the traffic lights although all are well controlled. The image is much
better by f/1.4 and is gone by f/2. It's also completely contrasty by f/2, and
razor sharp all the way to f/16. I've taken a 100% edge crop at f/2.8. It's
very good at f/2.8 at the edges, but by f/4 it's just as good there as it is in
the centre. It's still great at f/16 at the edges.
I've taken
some other shots mainly to show you how good the lens is at f/1.4 and f/2, but
as I've mentioned, it's a good deal better from a sharpness and Chromatic
Aberration perspective shot at f/1.4 than is the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AIS lens
itself.
What's in
the box?
Lens, front
and rear Nikon lens caps.