First Impressions: AF 50mm f/1.8 D

Finally, FINALLY! It’s been five years, and I’ve finally scored one of the best values in NIKKOR lenses.

I’ve been pining over this since I first started on my DSLR journey in 2010. There was no point in buying this since I already had the AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4. But now, with the full-frame D610, it makes sense. It’s the smallest, lightest, autofocus 50mm lens, with a direct-coupled, windowless focus ring, and an aperture ring which allows for macro lens reversal. 

It took me a while to get used to its silver markings; I had forgotten that at some point Nikon had switched over to silver from the more traditional white. This is not the same caliber as the other D lenses, like the 20mm D, which has some heft. By contrast, this is light as a feather, and that's a bit disconcerting at first. It feels like it would be right at home on a Holga. But one turn of its direct-coupled focus ring, and it grows on you quickly. With only a filter thread for mounting a hood, it harkens back to the more traditional MF 50mm lenses. But its silver markings give a nod to the now. It’s in a class of its own, and a world apart from the AF-S 50mm f/1.4 G.