50mm AF-S G f1.4
Pros
- Supposedly sharper at wide open aperture ( debateable )
- quiet auto-focus
- nice bokeh due to 9 rounded aperture blades
Cons
- Slow auto-focus
- Bulkier than the af-d
- no aperture ring so not backward compatible with some nikon slr.
50mm f1.4 af-d
Pros
- Optical formula remain unchanged for many years attesting to its legendary status
- small and compact despite its f1.4 aperture
- reasonable price compared to the G
- slightly faster auto-focus
- has aperture ring so backward compatible with older SLR.
Cons
- requires screw-drive autofocus so not useable on lower end basic DSLR
- noisy auto focus
- Bokeh is not so nice when closed down due to 7 aperture blades
If I were to buy a 50mm lens, I will choose the Sigma 50mm f1.4. It has the best performance(centre to corner resolution and bokeh) at wide open so far compared to Nikon and Canon 50mm f1.4. Of course good things always come at a higher price. The marginal difference has to be valuated by your own need and preference. Everyone is different.
btw, rumours said that Nikon will come up with a 50mm f1.2 AF-S soon to complete the lineup of the new prime lenses(24mm, 35mm, 85mm f1.4G). If that's the case, I'll no doubt choose this over the Sigma, provided I have the budget :bsmilie:
So if based on technical terms, which will be a better buy? :|
BTW, the rounded 9-blade diaphragm of 1.4G is supposed to improve bokeh but like I said, there is NOT much difference in bokeh compared to 1.8D, so I was quite disappointed.
Got over it and now very pleased with 85mm f/1.4D's bokeh.
Yes bokeh and resolution sigma edge out better. But it is interesting to note that some sigma lenses exhibit "focus shift" in some camera bodies when focusing at different distances. Usually it shows up as front focusing at close focusing distances, but focusing is spot on at distances further away. So need to adjust accordingly. This happens mostly in the wide Sigma primes 20, 24, 28, 30 and 50. That said, the sigma has been making excellent primes that exceed Nikon in certain areas. Just look at the 85/1.4 HSM, which IMHO performs much better than the Nikon 85/1.4 D or G.
And I really think the 50/1.2 will be offered at such an exorbitant price that makes it impractical to many people (myself included). And the ultra thin DoF will be hard to manage for many.
DoF of 50/1.2 ais @ F1.2
Really? The Sigma 85mm f1.4 HSM is much better than the Nikon 85mm f1.4G? Any link to see the side-by-side comparison?
It is widely reported. I have tried both. The Sigma is a much sweeter lens. You should be able to find reviews in Google.