I recently swapped 50mm lenses with my friend Jackie - he took my Nikon 50mm F1.8 D, and I took his Nikon 50mm F1.4 D. When I saw the 50mm F1.4, I was actually surprised at how small it was, the size was about the same as the F1.8 version. If they can make such small lenses back then, why are the newer 50mm lenses on modern mirrorless cameras, such as Panasonic S 50mm F1.8 and Nikon Z 50mm F1.8 so monstrous in size? I thought they could have been at least half in size and weight! Some may argue that we need better, sharper optics for modern image sensor higher demands, but that is just crazy, 50mm is supposed to be a small and fun lens to carry around! Anyways, I went to Pudu, KL with the 50mm F1.4 on my Nikon D600 and did some POV street shooting. This was the last POV video I recorded on my DJI Action 2, before I sold it off. Any future POV videos will be shot on my new DJI Pocket 3. You can check out the POV video here (click). In this blog, I am just sharing some fun street images from the Nikon 50mm F1.4, which I think is the right size for a 50mm lens!
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| Nikon 50mm F1.4D on D600 with a camo-pattern silicone jacket |
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They are larger, heavier, and more expensive than vintage 50mm lenses because they are designed to provide much better image quality at full aperture, especially when used on a high MP FF camera. Read the DPreview analysis of the Nikon Z 50mm f1.8 for reference.
ReplyDeleteNot denying the new lenses are definitely better optically. But do they have to be THAT big? We are talking about 3 times the size, or more.
DeleteIt is certainly big for a 50mm f1.8 lens. I first thought that the lens was designed for a DSLR, with an empty tube at the end of the lens when redesigned for the Z, but the schematic shows lens elements throughout. Not a lens for everyone.
Delete1- Big autofocus motor for "fast subject tracking"
ReplyDelete2- Wider illumination from edge to edge (spreading the aperture across the frame rather than just being bright at the center)
3- Higher optical correction for a near-apochromatic max aperture usage.
The AF motor is tiny, trust me, for prime lenses, only ONE glass element is being moved. Zooms on the other hand, different story. So the AF should not take much space in the 50mm lens a all.
DeleteThe telecentric optical design to cover light from edge to edge of the frame can be done by moving the lens closer to the sensor, which was the main change moving to mirrorless. You don't need to make the lens that much bigger, as the lens is nearer to the sensor, it covers the sensor much better, and light hits the sensor more perpendicularly.
Yes, the optical correction, but do we need to make the lens so much bigger?
Have you tried making a lens for Z mount?
Delete