Ultimately me the higher light intensity (2 thirds aperture are in the worst case can not be underestimated) and the higher weight (I like what in the hand) persuaded to buy the AF-S 50 / 1.4 G.
A purchase that I absolutely do not regret. For details on the individual aspects:
PRODUCTION:
"Made in China". Why Nikon a lens from which you want to accept that it to the "better" (please do not get me wrong) should include, can produce in China, where they all "high quality" lenses have been made yet until recently in Japan, white not me. Possibly can be explained by the highly contrasting reviews. After the earthquake, the production facilities have been outsourced for cameras and lenses to Malaysia. But only at the margins, eventually you go here to the 50s.
DELIVERY:
Golden Nikon cardboard in - for as a lens - a considerable size, warranty card, instruction manual, lens hood, storage bag, front and back cap, the usual for Nikon accessories.
HAPTICS / production quality:
Since there is nothing to complain about from my side. The lens is comfortable and "tired" in his hand. Nothing wobbles because rattles nothing, the lens hood snaps cleanly and can be easily removed as well. For transportation you can these runs without problems attached attach to the lens and store it in the bag together selbiger.
If the inside of the lens you look closer, you should not be alarmed. The aperture blades in the newer Nikon lenses look as if something had broken. Seriously - when I inspected the first time my AF-S 35 / 1.8G accurate, I thought it was a manufacturing error. "Ask" The slats in the shutter is closed, so to speak "on" and overlap. In older Nikkor lenses, this was not the case. Apparently, by design, to obtain the "circular" apertures.
Unusually, this Nikon lens has a filter diameter of 58 mm (as the new AF-S 50 / 1.8G and the older AF-S VR DX 55-300 / 4.5-5.6 ED). For photographers, this means alteingessene Niko possibly new filter or filter reduction rings buy.
Autofocus:
Autofocus can be described neither on my D300, still on my D700 as extremely slow. Is correct, that it in terms of speed with the AF-S 24-70 / 2.8, the AF-S 70-200 / 2.8 but also for example my older AF 85 / 1.8 D, the rod autofocus drive nor a has, can not keep up. But it was good enough to take pictures and faster than during the manual focus I am thus.
I also think that the areas of application will be limited, where will make a knock-out criterion out this small shortcoming of the objective.
When the AF speed takes priority, then please stay away from this lens can be.
My copy has a front focus error in the close range. The focus is at maximum aperture a few mm before the point has been focused on and the image is sharp in the viewfinder. However, this is not unusual and can be performed after the D300, as well as in the D700 (as with many other Nikon DSLR's) can be set and stored for each lens.
The theme of the back or front-focusing is so far should not be underestimated as it is precisely in high-speed lenses, such as the 50s with Aperture 1.4 the depth of field is at maximum aperture in Naheinstellungsbereich few mm. If then at a portrait the eye of the photographed is blurred and the sharpness starts in the temporal area and ends at the hairline (exaggerated) expressed, should not the same as the lens passing the buck, but also attract the aforementioned FF or BF error into consideration ,
Optical performance:
There is now already a lot about the image quality of this lens has been written. From "crisp sharpness and high contrast" can be with Aperture 1.4 no question. On the one hand strange because my previously mentioned AF 85 / 1.8 D has to offer at maximum aperture sharper and higher contrast images.
On the other hand, sharpness and contrast are adequate and rise when stopping down sharply and at quite satisfactory levels.
On my D700, which uses the full image circle of the lens, when shooting in the fall full aperture area in the border area in an easy point errors that disappear on screen 4 when stopping down. On the D300, this is not the case, which is due to the fact that the APS-C sensor a much smaller area of the image circle, the center will be used to a certain extent.
This point errors are not uncommon in high-speed lenses and fall most actually on even if you explicitly looking after or created relevant test shots. (Mainly occur in high-intensity wide-angle and normal lenses on).
The chromatic aberration is at maximum aperture - if you look for it - to see, but do not bother. Of course, here the shoring of an ED lens element would have resulted in better image quality, but then would the price (see 24 / 1.4; 35 / 1.4 and 85 / 1.4) more than a thousand euros and the lens would continue a preferred candidate of me remained.
What I think would not be need, is clearly visible barrel distortion. Of course you can software-fix, but I represent the conservative view that distortion at a fixed focal length in normal to telephoto range need not be.
CONCLUSION:
For the price an absolute dream lens with a vulnerability comes to distortion and relatively soft recording results in shooting with open aperture. To isolate a scene - especially at full-format cameras - ideally suited to cameras with half-format sensors a wonderful, fast aperture portrait lens.
Four and a half star does not exist and because the distortion - in my case - may be unattainable within five stars, there's a well-deserved four stars.
