I've just gotten myself a Nikon 55mm f/1.2 Ai lens

[molested_cow]

I have and used the AI-S F1.2 50mm for about 9 years. Great lens, great GREAT lens! I switched to AF-D F1.4 50mm when I switched to digital because D700 allowed me to take photos in much darker situations where it's hard to focus manually. So AF is good.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

That DoF is so thin, it might not even exist!

I'm already in the hunt for an f/1 lens. As soon as I find it, I'll sell the f/1.2 to Sparky.

The one on the far left is the one you want then..

The Four 50's | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[invisible]

That DoF is so thin, it might not even exist!

I'm already in the hunt for an f/1 lens. As soon as I find it, I'll sell the f/1.2 to Sparky.

The one on the far left is the one you want then..

The Four 50's | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

A Canon lens???

 

[Rick58]

Us poor folk can only afford the 50/2
I've had it for, probably, 30-35 years and for what I do,it's always been fast enough.

 

[greybeard]

Some seriously shallow DoF. Where are the pics of the lens????????

 

[MK3Brent]

CA looks poopy.

Gonna shoot some low light high ISO action with it?

 

[invisible]

Us poor folk can only afford the 50/2
I've had it for, probably, 30-35 years and for what I do,it's always been fast enough.

This is an old lens that can be had for a reasonable amount if you look long enough

Some seriously shallow DoF. Where are the pics of the lens????????

I'm feeling lazy at the moment (i.e., this week) but will post some photos of it when I snap out of it

CA looks poopy.

Well, it's a 35-year old lens – my guess is that there wasn't much pixel-peeping back then. "Poopy" sounds a bit extreme to me, but you must be used to shooting with top-shelf glass only so what do I know?

Gonna shoot some low light high ISO action with it?

Bokeh tends to look poopy when you shoot at high ISOs with any ultra-fast lens wide open. Plus, with such a razor-thin DOF, a tripod is basically a must so it makes absolutely no sense to shoot at high ISOs.

 

[MK3Brent]

I think you'll be surprised! Get some shots, and post them up.

I too have a bunch of old lenses like this one that are fun to take out.

 

[invisible]

Plus, with such a razor-thin DOF, a tripod is basically a must so it makes absolutely no sense to shoot at high ISOs.

I guess I should clarify that this actually depends on what one is shooting. If you shoot, say, a band in a club, then by all means shoot wide open and at high ISOs. If your subject is static though, then low shutter speed + tripod it is.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

Bokeh tends to look poopy when you shoot at high ISOs with any ultra-fast lens wide open. Plus, with such a razor-thin DOF, a tripod is basically a must so it makes absolutely no sense to shoot at high ISOs.

Generally, with such a crazy aperture, you woulnd't need to shoot at high ISO's unless you're in a REALLY dark space...That's why it's f/1.2....and even then, ISO sensitivity has zero effect on bokeh...

 

[djacobox372]

Generally, with such a crazy aperture, you woulnd't need to shoot at high ISO's unless you're in a REALLY dark space...That's why it's f/1.2....and even then, ISO sensitivity has zero effect on bokeh...

Noise and/or noise reduction has a huge impact on bokeh! Out of focus look horrible if they're noisy or been chewed up by noise reduction

 

[invisible]

Today I took the lens for a ride for the first time. I've added the very first photo I snapped with it to the first post on this thread.

Quick findings: some bokeh fringe (typical for a very fast prime). Acceptable sharpness at f/1.2 (see the photo I've added to the first post), good sharpness at f/1.4, very good at f/2, f/2.8 and f/4, and excellent at f/5.6 and f/8 (sweet spot seems to be f/8); at f/11 diffraction seems to start affecting quality. Vignetting is very noticeable at f/1.2 and f/1.4, calms down at f/2 and is completely gone at f/2.8. I was surprised to see some barrel distortion.

I might write a blog entry on this lens. I also got a Nikon 55mm f/3.5 Ai micro Nikkor that I played with today. Fun stuff.