Nikon AF-S 50mm F1.4G vs. Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8S for Nikon Z6

[iKokomo]

I just upgraded to a Nikon Z6! I also got the Nikon Mount Adapter FTZ to adapt all of my older F Glass. Here is my question. I am looking for a 50mm lens.

How does the Nikon AF-S 50mm F1.4G compare with the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S?
I can get a used 1.4G for quite a bit cheaper than the f/1.8 S.

Is the Z lens that much better even though it is slower and more expensive? Is it worth the extra cost?

 

[adamhiram]

The native Z-mount lens is better in almost every way, other than not opening up to f/1.4. The F-mount f/1.4 lens is a pretty old design, so it focuses very slow, is soft in the edges, and suffers from noticeable chromatic aberration when shooting into the light. I much preferred the f/1.8 version in F-mount simply because it was a newer design and focused much faster, so it was more useful for tracking moving subjects and faster action, not just a wide aperture portrait lens. The Z-mount version focuses very quickly and quietly, is sharper even in the edges, and handles CA much better.

I have found the Z-mount lenses to be amazing and mostly switched over from F-mount glass. My only complaints are that they cost significantly more, and they went with f/1.8 instead of f/1.4. That means instead of choosing between a $200 f/1.8 or $400 f/1.4, now you have to choose between a $600 f/1.8 and $2100 f/1.2.

On the other hand, your F-mount lenses should perform just as well as before using the FTZ adapter, so there's probably no rush to upgrade. But if you do, I think you'll be glad you did.