NIKON Z 8 (50mm, f/2.8, 1/250 sec, ISO360)

Originally I had no plans to get this lens but I couldn’t resist a good second hand deal. I’m glad I got it.

What it is: This is a 50mm lens with an aperture of f1.8 which in the old days meant small, light, cheap and mediocre at best. This is isn’t small, light or cheap and it is not mediocre at all. I owned 50mm lenses in the past because those lenses were the cheapest option to get a fast lens. My last 50mm was the f1.4 from Canon and judging by today’s standard it was really bad. To shoot it below f2.8 resulted in super soft images where nothing in the image seemed sharp and there was no contrast. Not the case here. It’s more like a good portrait lens only that its focal length is 50mm instead of 85.

Mechanical quality: I think I could copy what I wrote about the Nikon Z 20 F 1.8 S here. It is practically the same lens. Not quite as long and heavy but almost. Too big and heavy for a 50mm F1.8 but it seems that’s the way it is now. Better optical performance means more glass which means bigger and heavier. Only one focus/function ring which means it’s  awkward to mount and unmount. Its make is solid but I’m not a fan of the design.

AF performance: The lens focuses quiet and fast. There is nothing else to say really except that for someone coming from Fuji this is a revelation. I started my Fuji journey with the X-Pro1 and the XF 35/1.4R. Maybe the slowest focusing combo in modern camera history. The Nikon Z8 with the Z 50 F 1.8 S is a very different animal. It feels like cheating.

Optical quality: In short: excellent! This is a true performer. It is sharp wide open and even contrast is good. Stopped down sharpness and contrast increase slightly. Bokeh is good but not special. I wonder if the Nikon Z 50 F 1.4 is the better lens if your main concern is subject isolation and Bokeh but I have no experience with that lens. I only know that even though it is technically a better lens than the Fuji XF 35 F 1,4 R I still prefer the rendering of the Fuji. I guess magic requires imperfection.

wish list: I understand that Nikon went for a clean design with its new lenses but I think on a lens that big there is plenty of room for an aperture ring. Nikon please bring aperture rings back.

summary: a 50mm f1.8 lens that isn’t anything like the 50mm f1.8 we used to have in the past.