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Premium 50mm Lenses Compared
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September 2014   Nikon   Canon   LEICA   Zeiss   Sigma   All Reviews

See also Canon 50mm Lenses Compared, Nikon 50mm lens comparison and LEICA 50mm SUMMICRON guide.

 

Here are the hottest current 50mm DSLR lenses. I also included the inexpensive f/1.8 lenses, as well as the classic Nikon 58mm NOCT and the Canon EF 50mm f/1.0 super lenses just for fun.

 

ikon 58mm f/1.4 GNikon 58/1.4G

ikon 58mm f/1.4 GNikon 58/1.2 NOCT

Fits
Autofocus?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
NO
NO
Yes
NO
Yes
Yes
Yes
Filter size
72mm
58mm
72mm
72mm
52mm
77mm
77mm
46mm
58mm
52mm
52mm
Filter ring
plastic
plastic
plastic
Metal
Metal
Metal?
plastic
Metal
plastic
plastic
plastic
Close focus

2'

0.6m

1.5'

0.45m

1.5'

0.45m

2'

0.6m

1.7'

0.5m

1.1'

0.33m

1.3'

0.4m

2.5'

0.7m

1.5'

0.45m

1.5'

0.45m

1.5'

0.45m

Max Repro
1:7.7
1:6.7
1:6.7
1:9.1
1:6.7
1:6.8
1:5.6
1:11.3
1:6.7
1:6.6
1:6.7
Sharpness, overall
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
VG
E
E
E
Sharpness, corners wide open
E
E
E
G
E
E+
E+
Fair
VG
G
G
Distortion
+2.5
+2.0
+1.4
+1.4
+2.0
0.0
-0.5
+1.7
+0.2
+1.4
Diaphragm
9 rounded
9 rounded
8 rounded
8 conventional
7 or 9 conventional
9 rounded
9 conventional
7 rounded
7 conventional
5 conventional
Sunstars
few
few
few
8 points
14 or 18 points
18 weak points
18 points
14 soft, weak points
14 points
10 points
Bokeh
Excellent
Excellent
Fair
Fair
Very good
fair-good
Excellent
Very good
fair-good
Cote d'amour*
Fair
Good
Excellent
Very good
Very good
Good
Fair
Fair-good
Very good
Very good
Very good
Cachet**
Very good
Good
Excellent
Excellent +
Excellent
Excellent
Good
Excellent
fair
fair
fair
See also***

more comparisons and bokeh comparison

more comparisons and bokeh comparison

more comparisons and bokeh comparison

more comparisons and Nikon 50mm comparison

Weight

13.5 oz.

382 g.

9.8 oz.

278 g.

20.9 oz.

592 g.

35.9 oz.

1,018 g.

16.6 oz.

470 g.

36.3 oz.

1,030 g.

28.5 oz.

809 g.

11.8 - 16.2oz.

335 - 460g

6.6 oz.

185 g.

5.5 oz.

157 g.

4.3 oz.

122 g.

Price, 9/2014

$4,000 (used)

$3,000 (used)

$4,000 - $4,250

$3,000 used

*Cote d'amour: How much I love it when I'm carrying it.

**Cachet: How cool it seems when someone else is carrying it.

***These are links to even more comparisons of similar lenses.

 

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Mr. & Mrs. Ken Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.

 

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