[frank]

I like my Nikkor AF-D 50mm f1.8 but there is one thing which bothers me. The focus ring rotates when you AF and often it hits my fingers holding the lens. If I put my finggers farther away from the focus ring, then it is not very comfortable to hold the camera and lens with hands and as a reasult it is difficult to hold the camera steady at low shutter speed (say, around 1/60 sec).



I have not been convinced to replace it with the AF-S 50mm f1.8G. From the reviews here, although the 1.8G has better resolution wide open, better border/corner resolutions, better CAs and bokeh, it has larger distortion, worse vegnetting, worse center resolutions at f2.8-f5.6 than the 1.8D, and of course a higher price.



If you have or had the Nokkor AF-D 50mm f1.8 lens, what is your experience and feeling about it? Does the focus ring problem bother you?



Thank you in advance,

Frank

[PuxaVida]

I had the D version and replaced it with the G version recently. I don't remember any issues with the focus ring (it's placed quite near to the front element). Actually I found it a very decent lens (both the BQ and the optics) considering the price of it. And why I've got the new version then? Because the daughter of a friend was about to buy her first DSLR and I asking for a lens for potraits... So it was a gift from me to her... But I have to admit that I was looking for a good reason to get the new G version at that time <img src='http://forum.photozone.de/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />...



The G version is bigger but feels like a toy when it comes to the weight. And after a short time, one can realize that it's not a toy. I'm not an AF freak at all but compared to the D version the AF (speed and the noise) is way much better. Optics are very decent, maybe you already know that the G version includes an aspherical element. By the way, I don't think the center lw/ph figure differences of both lenses in PZ results can be distinguished on the final image. So I personally wouldn't mind that.



The color rendition is somehow cooler than the D version but the most remarkable difference is the OOF rendering. The 1.8G shines there...



Considering the usage for close portraits and/or city scapes for example, I think the 1.8G can be seen clearly as an "improvement" of the D version. But of course improvement of the pricing is another thing <img src='http://forum.photozone.de/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />...

[frank]

Thank you for sharing with me your experiences with the 1.8D/G, PuxaVida. They are very informative and helpful.



I just found that Thom Hogan has an interesting review on the 1.8G and comparison with the 1.8D and the 1.4G: http://bythom.com/nikkor-50mm-f18-lens-review.htm



Frank