New to Nikon's 50mm f1.2 manual focus lens

[smd]

I just recently bought the Nikon 50mm f1.2 manual focus lens and I'm having a hard time learning how to use it! I use a D90 and it seems like even though my aperture is set at f1.2, it won't let a whole lot of light in. I keep my shutter speed low and set ISO around 400 but still get a very dark photo. Also, when I am using a faster shutter speed outside in lots of light, if I don't hold very still, my subject is pretty blurry. If I bump up the ISO its gets very grainy! Any suggestions would help!

 

[KmH]

Digital photos don't have grain. They have image noise and there are different kinds of image noise.

Something doesn't compute - f/1.2 lets in a lot of light.

What shooting mode are you using? Manual (M), Program (P), Aperture Priority (A), Shutter Priority (S)?
Have you checked to see if you may have inadvertently set some minus exposure compensation?

At f/1.2 with a 50 mm lens the depth-of-field has the potential to be very shallow if the point of focus distance is relatively close to the camera - say 10 feet or less.
At f/1.2 and 10 feet the total DoF will only be 6 inches deep. at f/1.2 and 5 feet the total DoF is only 3 inches deep.
Understanding Depth of Field in Photography

 

[brian_f2.8]

Can you post a pic with the exif info?

 

[smd]

With this lens my camera will only let me use Manual mode.
The dog picture was shot at f1.2 1/250 ISO 200 right in front of a window with natural light. The owl statue was shot at f1.4 1/250 ISO 200 in the same room.

 

[daggah]

How are you metering and what exposure mode are you in?

 

[yioties]

Your shutter at 250 is too high. Try one at 60 or 80 and the image will be brighter

 

[brian_f2.8]

Your camera should have a built in light meter, even in M mode. Use that and then tweak if need be.

 

[Braineack]

both pictures posted are also backlit. The lens itself seems to be rendering images very lovely.

drop you shutter to 1/100 and increase the ISO until you're properly exposed on the subject.

 

[brian_f2.8]

Are you hand holding or using a tripod?

 

[smd]

I was using center-weighted metering in manual mode. I get confused with metering sometimes so maybe that is whats throwing me off.

 

[smd]

I was holding it but one image would be blurry and another would be more in focus...

 

[Braineack]

both images you posted are in focus, one just happens to have the focus on the subect, the other was missed.

AT f/1.2 your DOF is VERY narrow, especially when focusing on objects that are closer to the lens.

 

[Derrel]

The owl is "back-focused" by a few inches. f/1.4 at 1/250 INDOORS at ISO 200 is still not enough of an exposure except near large windows or in very bright climates (Hawaii, southern California,etc). The dark images are simply underexposed...you need to elevate the ISO a bit, and/or slow the shutter speed down.

 

[memento]

You're not lighting your 'subjects' correctly. They are backlit, which causes more of a silhouette.
Turn them around and use the light coming from the window to get a better exposure.
or use a flash or reflector.

 

[smd]

Ok I think I understand now what I need to do to improve.. thanks everyone for your help!