I just bought that lens after spending months reading and watching reviews and test shots of different prime lenses. It's hard to be a poor photographer.
Some vintage lenses are probably sharper than most lenses you can buy today. Take that $2300 and you can buy a whole car full of old glass that once was a small cities fortune. Glass doesnt get worse over time. It may not have fancy stabilization, but a lot of new bodies do.
@@hypercube33 Unfortunatly, body stabilization doesn't work with old lenses (at least with my olympus in micro 4/3 mount). But old lenses aren't any less good.
As a self-admitted Nikon fanboy, I won't disagree at all - in fact, I'd say this list gives the 50mm 1.8 S plenty of praise. When you're only beat out by lenses that weigh more than two punds and cost over 2000€, but you're a lens at as low as 450€ and weighing a pound, that's still a big accomplishment.
Got to handle one at my local camera shop and the only thing that kept me from buying it on the spot was the $2k price tag. I don’t use a 50mm often enough in my daily shooting to justify it. Edge to edge sharpness though, GORGEOUS rendering, and amazing color wide open. The physical size of it’s a bit offputting for what it is, given how small the Sigma Art lens is in comparison, but... it works and works amazingly. I’d wager it’d be right up there with that Canon 50 1.2 L myself.
Those RF50 and RF85 F1.2 lenses are absolute marvels of engineering. Honestly, its utterly crazy to see how sharp those lenses are wide open at F1.2. So bright and so sharp.
I’ve been playing with the Z 50mm f1.2 S and I’m blown away. A couple of reviewers are claiming that it’s better than the RF equivalent, but then it should be considering the difference in size... it’s a beast! One thing I can say is that for its size, it’s focusing is surprisingly nimble.
RF primes lens 85 and 50 is unbeatable only maybe by Leica’s summilux 50mm incredible sharpness and resolution power across the board if money is not an issue and as usual bigger size doesn’t mean better but if it works for you that’s the most important
@@slickhatter9812 - Historically, Canon has always been known for having great gear, fast production and shipping, and good user experiences. Nikon has always offered top of the line glass, though. From their rifle scopes to their lenses to even their filters, if it's got that logo on it, it will be top notch. Only recently has Canon really been putting up a fight, and it started with the 28-70 f/2. But declaring their 85 and 50mm RF lenses 'unbeatable' cannot be proven until we get a numerous and reliable comparisons out from reputable sources. Personally, I think the 50mm 1.2 offerings are ridiculously priced for what you get. But that's just me. I'm happy with my older Sigma Art 50mm and will save my pennies for Nikon's upcoming 85mm.
@@zfreek98 i wonder what will happen if it is true will you switch from Nikon to Canon hahaha get whatever you can man you honestly can’t go wrong with any camera or lens nowadays but i urge you to try for yourself; from my experience Leica, Zeiss produce amazing lens but you can’t go wrong with any professional grade lens from any manufacturer nowadays; it all boils down to the system you are using but i wonder if what stated is true will you switch I don’t think so; so enjoy whatever lens you have and create something beautiful
@@slickhatter9812 According to first tests the Z 1.2 beats the RF 1.2 in corner sharpness wide open. Differences might be more clear when first 100 MP full frame sensors will come around the corner...
Me too, was kind of surprised it wasn't in the list. But then I realized it's hardly available so probably isn't tested yet. Also really really expensive.
I have never made a comment for you sir but I have to say you are the greatest legend in reviewing lenses, you let your viewers keep coming back because your review is based on experience and knowledge of cameras. Merry Christmas brother from a Kenyan in Australia. Howdy
Used lots of lenses and I agree the 50 f2 Fuji lens is sweet. Lovely colours and very sharp. It's small lightweight with a good silent AF and best of all it's available for very little money !
Excellent video as always, Christopher! As a Nikon Z7 landscape and product photographer, one lens that "lured" me into the Z System was the stellar reviews of this Nikkor S 50 f/1.8 lens! Several reviews compared it directly and even favorably to the Zeiss Otus, which is why I was a bit surprised that it came in 3rd, behind the Otus and the Canon. That said, an impressive showing indeed. Thanks again for your detailed and meticulous work!
Another nice video Christopher--thanks. I'm looking at going with the Fujifilm X system, and their lenses look to be scary-sharp; appreciating your coverage of the 50mm. Wishing you joy in remembering His Nativity.
Sharpness is my last checkmark on a lens...I'm very very happy with the C/Y Zeiss, Leica R, Canon FD 50mm lenses for a fraction of the price when compared to modern boring and flat lenses(except for the Nikon Z 50mm f1.8, Sony 55mm f1.8). Thank you so much for all of your lens reviews and for this video Christopher, you're amazing!
All wow on your photos. If there somebody else's can say the best lens reviewer better than Mr Frost. Straight, no extra bleeps... real gem. Thank you Chris...
It does have a rather slow autofocus, but the image quality is quite lovely, regarding sharpness, colours AND bokeh. Also, it's one of the very few '50'mm lenses that focus closer than roughly 45cm (that's the reason why I have it), which makes it much more versatile.
@@Shadow81989 yep absolutely agree. If the AF was a little quicker it would be flawless. If you can work with that though it is brilliant in most all other respects
I was surprised the tamron didn't make it as well, especially considering how positive the review was. I don't think the af is really slow. Most 50mm aren't great for af, and the tamron while slightly slower than usual is still manageable.
I shoot the 50mm 1.8 ii, even though my camera bag has the 85mm 1.4L IS & 70-200mm 2.8L iii. The trick to that little bugger is to stop it down to F2.8 it performs nicely there not L nicely but good enough!.
To be fair, the 50mm f1.8 II is a decent performer from 2.8 onwards. The STM version is optically superior by a tiny margin, focuses faster and has a metal mount. Can’t go wrong with either of them.
@@kamilnowak9750 It's not useless, more like the camera body you have it connected to is trash!. iT FOCUSED FINE ON MY 80Ds, 90D, 6D mark ii. If you want accurate auto focus use live view, if you want fast auto focus use OVF.
The RF 50mm f1,2 is money. It was the reason I went back to Canon from Fuji. I wanted to use that lens and I´ve been very happy. That said the new Fuji 33mm f1,4 is pretty darn good as well. But side by side the Canon combo wins every single time...not taking size, weight and price into consideration, that is :)
The 50mm focal length lens on a full-frame camera has never been a favorite of mine. I prefer using a 35mm as my general-purpose lens for general subjects. However, here are the best (resolution and contrast) 50mm and/or normal lenses I have ever used: 1. Asahi 50mm f/1.4 Super Takumar (8-element) (49mm filter) - the best 50mm I have ever used. Used it on an Asahi Pentax 35mm Spotmatic. 2. Nikkor 55mm micro f/3.5 AI converted (52mm filter) - outstanding image quality and especially good for close-ups and micro work. 3. Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 (46mm filter) - this micro 4/3 lens is equivalent to a 40mm normal lens on a full-frame camera. 4. Mamiya-Sekor C 50mm f/4.5 (77mm filter) - this is not a normal lens but a wide-angle lens on a 6x7cm medium format camera. 5. Fujinon 56mm f/1.2 X mount (62mm filter) - this is not a normal lens but a slight telephoto lens on an APS-C camera. Over the decades, here are the other normal lenses I have used: 55mm f/1.8 Fujinon M42 on Fuji ST705 35mm SLR 50mm f/1.4 Fujinon M42 on Fuji ST705 35mm SLR 50mm f/3.5 Coated Cintar on Argus C3 35mm rangefinder 50mm f/1.4 Super Takumar (7-element) used on Asahi Pentax Spotmatic 35mm SLR 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor AI on Nikon F-mount SLR bodies 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor AF-D on Nikon F-mount SLR bodies 50mm f/1.8 Nikon Series E on Nikon F-mount SLR bodies 50mm f/1.8 Miranda on Sensorex 35mm SLR 45mm f/2.8 Nikkor GN on Nikon F-mount SLR bodies 45mm f/2 Zeiss Planar for Contax G1 35mm rangefinder 45mm f/1.7 Minolta fixed lens on Hi-Matic 9 35mm rangefinder 40mm f/1.7 Canon fixed lens on Canonet QL17 G-III 35mm rangefinder They all produced great images but the five I listed produced outstanding images.
I used to have the Sony Zeiss 55 F:1.8 90% of the time on my A7RIII and it was the best 50mm I ever had. Better than my Leica Summilux 50mm. And unlike many F/1.4 or F/1.2 it's small and discreet. Unfortunately the body was not as photographer friendly as the lens... Thanks for all Christopher. Your reviews are always so pleasant and professional.
Hello Chistopher. Thank you very much for your great lens comparisons. Unfortunately, one brand is missing from your test portfolio: Voigtländer. If you ever get the chance to test the Voigtländer 50mm f/2 APO Lanthar for SONY E-Mount, I would be very interested in your opinion. For me by far the sharpest 50mm on my A7RIV without any chromatic aberrations or LoCa's. Thanks again for your great work for us photographers. Kind regards Marco.
I feel that Zeiss tax really gets you something special, and the 2nd best look to me comes from the Nikon, the Nikon colour is just beautiful. Not paying attention to sharpness at all.
The tiny mighty Nikon 50mm 1.8G is also a highly regarded 50mm lens. It’s small, compact and sturdy, it never misses focus even with the FTZ2 adapter and it’s a great option for Nikon DSLR 35mm and APSC cameras. It was tested to be on par with the Zeiss Otus back in the days !
It's not the sharpest but my favorite 50mm lens so far is the Minolta MD Rokkor 50mm f/1.4 It handles very nicely and it's inexpensive. The colors are also lovely.
Had both the sigma 50 1.4 and Sony 55 1.8. Awesome lenses! But sold them both for zooms. For what I do it just made more sense then changing lenses from 35 to 50/55 to 85 primes.
Christopher, I adore your channel. Thank you for this compilation and for ranking these lenses! I do want to say that I find the blur effect near the bottom of the frame (where you have overlaid text) to be distracting, especially when it comes to assessing image quality, since the blur resembles bokeh. Otherwise, lovely video. Have a wonderful Christmas!
The RF 50mm f/1.2 was the first RF lens I purchased, and I really like it, but I really wish Canon had some mid-range lens, in line with the Nikon S 50mm f/1.8 or Sony 55mm f/1.8. An update to the 27 years old 50mm f/1.4, with better optics, weather sealing but still maintaining the compact size would be perfect.
Thanks for this video Chris. I purchased the Tokina Opera 50mm f1.4 per your recommendation, and love it. I now own the: Old Sigma 50mm f1.4, Canon EF 50 STM, EF 50mm f1.2L, Rokinon SP 50mm f1.2, a host of vintage M42 50's and now this Tokina Opera. The old 50mm L and the Opera are my favorite on my 5dsr and 5d Classic. The Opera is my go-to lately. It seems to blend the sharpness of modern lenses, with the character and smoothness of vintage glass.
I like the idea of this video, and would love to see for example best zoom trinities or best portrait primes (maybe in two sets, one closer to 70mm and one closer or over 100mm). It is quite sobering to see that the most expensive lenses, while not blindly following the brand and price alone, still beat the more affordable options without any questions. Another similar video might be highlighting best performers for given price range, again. I believe you did such videos past years, but it would be interesting to see what has changed this year, in the realm of more affordable lenses.
At the end of the day, one of my favorite fifties is the SMC Pentax-M 50mm f1.4 on my A7iii. It would be nice for some reviews of vintage lenses now and again, I could loan you one of my Super-Taks if you'd like!
Nice reviews but I was thinking-if you have ever thought to test any Pentax lenses (both vintage and modern ones)exept for that 55mm f2. Thanks and keep it up!
I know many people including you prefer the 35s but for me 50 is the perfect allround focal length, I'm just used to it from my film cameras, my little Sony Zeiss 55 1.8 lives on my camera and gives the perfect balance of size, sharpness and fast aperture for me
Fuji shooter here, and from the examples I would have to say the Nikon and Canon out perform all with a slight nod to the Nikon at wide open sharpness and color, and CA, yes I know the 2/3rd stop difference but at almost I/5th of the price the Nikon is the way to go.
Nice review, thanks. I too love the Fujinon 50mm f2 on my x-pro3, and it's weather resistant. On Sony, I'm currently using the Zeiss Loxia series, in particular, the 50mm f/2 is very nice, compact, amazing colors, and decent sharpness.
1. Outstanding video. 2. Would love to see you test the Sony Zeiss 55mm F/1.8 3. Incidentally, the Fujifilm 35mm F2 is the 50mm equivalent (you already know that) and it's one of the sharpest lenses I've ever used. Fantastic set of primes, by Fuji.
Panasonic S-Pro 50 is definitely sharper than the Canon RF 50mm (I know this as I tested multiple copies of each). It also has basically no CA at all while the RF definitely does. They're both stunning lenses though.
That is what I'm still using until I switch up lenses and bodies. Other than slow focus, and the need to turn off correction for some bodies for the price it is very sweet. I have never liked the nifty fifty>
I have grown to prefer mechanically coupled manual focus lenses which I can use 95% of the time in my shooting. One of my favourite modern 50mm lenses is Voigtländer’s 50mm f1.2 on Sony FE, having a dual character of having a vintage quality from f1.2 up to f2 where the lens swiftly sharpens up. Importantly, I love the beautiful colours it brings out as well as beautiful black and white. Admittedly, having tried the 35mm APO-Lanthar, I’m curious about it’s 50mm sibling. I also enjoy the Sony/Zeiss 55mm f1.8. It’s the lens which convinced me to go with Sony. It has beautiful colours, is sharp but with some character and wonderfully compact. Aside from price, my only criticisms relate to CA wide open and I have found it occasionally unreliable with Eye-AF. That final point may be sample variation though. Three of my favourite vintage 50mm lenses are the Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4 (m42), the Takumar 55mm f2 (m42) and the Pentacon 50mm f1.8 (also m42). I wouldn’t part with any of these three whether on film or digital. They are a joy to use and have great character.
I’ve had 2 50’ish lenses that stood out to me. Not purely for the sharpness or over all optical quality, but I loved them anyway. My current one is the Fujinon 56mm APD lens. I love this lens. If I want to carry only the camera and one lens this is the one I choose. In the past I’ve owned several 50mm lenses and one that stood out was the 7Artisans 55mm 1.4. I loved that lens because it was so small and light and because it was very fun to just take photos with. It was far from perfect, but not unusable. And for the price, I never regretted buying it. I only switched to the Fujinon because I wanted auto focus and because the corners on the 7Artisans was not sharp enough for landscapes I thought.
Hi Christopher, Long time follower of your channel here! I know you don’t review any Panasonic gear, but with the release of the S5II I’m curious how the Lumix S 50 1.8 would fare against these lenses. It’s hard to find any good reviews of this lens and your format is just the golden standard for me :)
I liked the look of the Jarod setup! I managed to get a s/h Sony 1.4 Planar SSM Zeiss lens (A-mount) for £350, which I thought was a real bargain. Excellent results and probably much the same as the FE lens.
Really great review. Thank you! Also, it'd be interesting to watch a review of the best vlogging lenses. The idea of the review is not about a particular focal length, but a job to be done.
Hello prchise. I believe that another reviewer (Ricci) did a comparison of the Nikkor S 1.8 and the 1.2 and found that while the 1.8 equals the 1.2 in center sharpness, the 1.2 has somewhat better edge sharpness. Overall, a great testament to the very high-quality of the much less expensive Nikkor S 50 f/1.8.
Sharpness is not everything. Well said. We are living in a parallel world. In one world, we are chasing the vintage look. The film look. The unsharp Fuji , kodak color with Muted saturation. In another World, we are heavily using even AI to make things extra sharp, crispy and colorful. The future of Photography will be interesting.
I love my Nikkor 50mms (I have almost all of them, from Pre-Ai to Ai, Ai-S, Series E, AF, AF-S and Z, as well as the 55mm f/2.8 Micro Ai-S and AF-S 58mm f/1.4G) and the Z 50/1.8 S is just fantastic! It is one of my three favorite Nikkor standards, along with the 50mm f/1.2 Ai-S and AF-S 58mm f/1.4G. The Z mount 50/1.8 S is for sharpness, and the other two are for the qualities other than sharpness... :-)
It is time to review the Nikon Z 50mm 1.2S ... in the meanwhile the Noct could be an honor guest here It is still in 50s (little over 55mm limit)... Your channel is excellent and it keeps improving ... keeping comparisons updated might be the next step
Great news about the fuji, I recently moved from Sony a-mount to fuji. Well, half move. My favorite 50mm is my minolta 50mm f1.7 and it's not sharp at all lol... I just happen to love it. I'm buying the 50mm f2 for my fuji in future, though.
@@returntohome330 I've heard that. No interest on 18mm focal lengh as I already have the 16mm f2.8 - I prefer having those extra 2mm. Waiting for a 50mm f2 xc
Quite an interesting result in your placement. To be honest in all these lenses are phenominal compared to earlier generations and thankyou for taking the time to put together such a good informative video. I find it quite intriguing how much time and emphasis we spent literally splitting hairs between them (myself included). I now the Canon Rf was critisized for not resolving as much information as expected by Dxo, giving it only 22mpix in sharpness on the R6 (72 percent resolved). Whereas the Nikon 50mm 1.8 resolved 37mpix on the Z7 (82 percent resolved). Overall the Canon 50mm 1.2 Rf came 10th and the Nikon came 3rd in their findings. Owning both the Nikon 50mm 1.8s and the Sigma I don't dispute their findings. However, art and optical engineering will always remain subjective and I'm sure many will always find a way to dispute any claim.
Thanks for the interesting review! My only nit, is the distracting background music! I usually watch these videos wearing headphones. The music is much too prominent. I want to hear what you have to say, and not listen to dinner/elevator music. :-) Personally, sharpness is important, but overall rendering is more so. I prefer Zeiss rendering, but that is my personal taste.
I was lucky enough to pick up a used RF 50mm f1.2 lens for a good price. I agree that it is remarkably sharp, even wide open. Due to its size and weight I don't use it as much as my lighter lenses and so whenever I do use it, the quality is very obvious. One lens that is dear to me that just escaped your limit of "5mm either side of 50" is the Sigma 56mm f1.4. Since its an APSC lens it presents as a 75mm in FF terms, but it is still a lens that stands out from the rest in my opinion, both in sharpness and bokeh, and it deserves heaps of praise, especially at its relatively low price.
I personally love the look of the older Sigma 50mm 1.4 HSM. I shot several photos wide to F4 open with it and it’s a brilliant lens even on 24mp cameras. I also own the later Art version but the older HSM has more character (less clinical) and Sigma will still update it for free to make it work with recent cameras.
A first generation 50mm Summicron which combined seemingly endless resolution with a gentle, monochrome friendly rendering. The fourth generation Summicron which replaced it was excellent, but there was magic in that older glass.
Hello there Chris! You reviewed the Samyang 50mm 1.2 for Canon EF-M mount some years ago, and I purchased it based on your review. Honestly, it’s been my favorite lens ever! In times before plague I’ve taken it to Iceland and London, and all over the United States and it is such a staple in my bag. I love it so much! Thanks for informing me!
So, I feel you should do a value proposition video as well with the 50mm. The best value for money 50mm lenses are the first thing a new photographer looks at and it's the first thing I wanted to know which is why I started to watch your channel.
Great video, Father Chris! I would love your being able to review the Zeiss Batis lenses, particularly the 40mm F2, as that one appears to be so versatile. Merry Christmas to you, Katie and your son./Warren
Me: what is the sharpest 50mm?
My wallet: The yong nuo 50mm f1.8
Yeaaa it is,
@@foxtrotcharlie6 autofocus is annoying but usable
lolled a lot
Soft at 1.8 sharp at 3.2
I just bought that lens after spending months reading and watching reviews and test shots of different prime lenses. It's hard to be a poor photographer.
When he said "Sharpness isn't everything", I stared at my vintage lens collection and smiled.
Some vintage lenses are probably sharper than most lenses you can buy today. Take that $2300 and you can buy a whole car full of old glass that once was a small cities fortune. Glass doesnt get worse over time. It may not have fancy stabilization, but a lot of new bodies do.
@@hypercube33 Unfortunatly, body stabilization doesn't work with old lenses (at least with my olympus in micro 4/3 mount). But old lenses aren't any less good.
As someone who has the Canon Dream Lens, I can say sharpness truly isn't everything. And smile.
These vintage lenses will outlast modern lens too when their electronics eventually die.
that’s just facts, my leicas from the 80s are still going strong while old sony e mount lenses are starting to show their age!
As a self-admitted Nikon fanboy, I won't disagree at all - in fact, I'd say this list gives the 50mm 1.8 S plenty of praise. When you're only beat out by lenses that weigh more than two punds and cost over 2000€, but you're a lens at as low as 450€ and weighing a pound, that's still a big accomplishment.
But why does DXOMark gives Nikon 1.8s more number on paper than canon 1.2 L ?
@phenomdark27 cause dxo mark is all technical they dont represent real world use
Gotta get that nikon 50 1.2 z in there when its available cant wait for that one.
Looks to be sharper than the incredible 1.8. I wonder where it would go on this list? Maybe #1.
Got to handle one at my local camera shop and the only thing that kept me from buying it on the spot was the $2k price tag. I don’t use a 50mm often enough in my daily shooting to justify it. Edge to edge sharpness though, GORGEOUS rendering, and amazing color wide open. The physical size of it’s a bit offputting for what it is, given how small the Sigma Art lens is in comparison, but... it works and works amazingly. I’d wager it’d be right up there with that Canon 50 1.2 L myself.
@@MikeHunt4hire well looks like you were right about one thing. Except the Sony seems to come in #1 over the canon and Nikon.
Those RF50 and RF85 F1.2 lenses are absolute marvels of engineering. Honestly, its utterly crazy to see how sharp those lenses are wide open at F1.2. So bright and so sharp.
I’ve been playing with the Z 50mm f1.2 S and I’m blown away. A couple of reviewers are claiming that it’s better than the RF equivalent, but then it should be considering the difference in size... it’s a beast!
One thing I can say is that for its size, it’s focusing is surprisingly nimble.
RF primes lens 85 and 50 is unbeatable only maybe by Leica’s summilux 50mm incredible sharpness and resolution power across the board if money is not an issue and as usual bigger size doesn’t mean better but if it works for you that’s the most important
@@slickhatter9812 - Historically, Canon has always been known for having great gear, fast production and shipping, and good user experiences. Nikon has always offered top of the line glass, though. From their rifle scopes to their lenses to even their filters, if it's got that logo on it, it will be top notch. Only recently has Canon really been putting up a fight, and it started with the 28-70 f/2. But declaring their 85 and 50mm RF lenses 'unbeatable' cannot be proven until we get a numerous and reliable comparisons out from reputable sources.
Personally, I think the 50mm 1.2 offerings are ridiculously priced for what you get. But that's just me. I'm happy with my older Sigma Art 50mm and will save my pennies for Nikon's upcoming 85mm.
@@zfreek98 i wonder what will happen if it is true will you switch from Nikon to Canon hahaha get whatever you can man you honestly can’t go wrong with any camera or lens nowadays but i urge you to try for yourself; from my experience Leica, Zeiss produce amazing lens but you can’t go wrong with any professional grade lens from any manufacturer nowadays; it all boils down to the system you are using but i wonder if what stated is true will you switch I don’t think so; so enjoy whatever lens you have and create something beautiful
@@slickhatter9812 According to first tests the Z 1.2 beats the RF 1.2 in corner sharpness wide open. Differences might be more clear when first 100 MP full frame sensors will come around the corner...
@@slickhatter9812 well now that a couple years have past we now know Nikon has surpassed canon with the two equivalent lenses
Love the Fuji 50mm f2 - one of my favorite lenses!
The z system is starting to look mighty enticing with those reasonably priced lens.
I just got the 1.8. I got some pretty nice glass but this one is special. It’s kinda strange to say that your 50mm 1.8 is your ‘best’ lens in the bag
My Nikon S 50mm f1.8 Z Mount is a stunningly sharp lens
Agreed, I have moved on from the Z series for a number of reasons but that lens is my favourite lens I have owned to date across all systems.
Totally agree! It’s an insane piece of glas. Never had anything like that before. I had a lot. 👌
Unbelievable lens, totally agree, it's the only reason I can not leave Nikon despite moving on to an R5 :)
Be interested to know how the new Nikon Z 50mm 1.2 does in your test. When you get round to it 😀
Me too, was kind of surprised it wasn't in the list. But then I realized it's hardly available so probably isn't tested yet. Also really really expensive.
I can't wait to test it either! (and the Noct 0.95 ;-)
@@christopherfrost czcams.com/video/DFxoEX2UFgc/video.html
I have never made a comment for you sir but I have to say you are the greatest legend in reviewing lenses, you let your viewers keep coming back because your review is based on experience and knowledge of cameras. Merry Christmas brother from a Kenyan in Australia. Howdy
Thanks! :-)
It would be so amazing to watch, this kind of video, for vintage manual lenses too.
Used lots of lenses and I agree the 50 f2 Fuji lens is sweet. Lovely colours and very sharp. It's small lightweight with a good silent AF and best of all it's available for very little money !
Excellent video as always, Christopher! As a Nikon Z7 landscape and product photographer, one lens that "lured" me into the Z System was the stellar reviews of this Nikkor S 50 f/1.8 lens! Several reviews compared it directly and even favorably to the Zeiss Otus, which is why I was a bit surprised that it came in 3rd, behind the Otus and the Canon. That said, an impressive showing indeed. Thanks again for your detailed and meticulous work!
The next episode: the sharpest standard zoom lens
If for most systems, then Sigma 17-50/2.8 ;)
@@xmeda I meant for full frame sensor. I would vote Panasonic 10-25 if not restricted to sensor size
That's easy: Canon RF 28-70 f/2 (probably)
@@christopherfrost Canon fanboy again 🤖
Ps. This is a joke
@@christopherfrost did you find the corners soft like this review did? www.digitalcameraworld.com/reviews/canon-rf-28-70mm-f2l-usm-review
As a Canon shooter I thought the Nikkor 58 0.95 Noct would the number one. The rendering of that lens is jawdropping.
Guessing he never had access to one.
@@logitech4873 I think you're right.
Another nice video Christopher--thanks. I'm looking at going with the Fujifilm X system, and their lenses look to be scary-sharp; appreciating your coverage of the 50mm. Wishing you joy in remembering His Nativity.
3:30
Nikon Colours ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Love my Zeiss 55. It's not perfect but I'll forgive it's flaws for the character it has
Chris I'm so glad seeing your sharpness comparison.
Thanks and God bless
My favorite 50 mm is my canon 50 1.8 stm :))
Sharpness is my last checkmark on a lens...I'm very very happy with the C/Y Zeiss, Leica R, Canon FD 50mm lenses for a fraction of the price when compared to modern boring and flat lenses(except for the Nikon Z 50mm f1.8, Sony 55mm f1.8).
Thank you so much for all of your lens reviews and for this video Christopher, you're amazing!
Love my Zeiss Loxia 50mm f2 😍
If I want to get a vintage film look I'll use my pentax 50 f1.4
All wow on your photos. If there somebody else's can say the best lens reviewer better than Mr Frost. Straight, no extra bleeps... real gem. Thank you Chris...
"Honorable mention for APS-C cameras"
Hehe... Love you sire 😁
I have the Zeiss 55mm Otus and its my favourite lens, I don't mind the manual focus, most of my lenses are manual focus anyway
I'd love to see how the new Sony 50mm 1.2 GM compares.
The Tamron 45mm SP f/1.8 VC does it for me and is by far the best '50' that I have ever used
It does have a rather slow autofocus, but the image quality is quite lovely, regarding sharpness, colours AND bokeh.
Also, it's one of the very few '50'mm lenses that focus closer than roughly 45cm (that's the reason why I have it), which makes it much more versatile.
@@Shadow81989 yep absolutely agree. If the AF was a little quicker it would be flawless. If you can work with that though it is brilliant in most all other respects
I was surprised the tamron didn't make it as well, especially considering how positive the review was. I don't think the af is really slow. Most 50mm aren't great for af, and the tamron while slightly slower than usual is still manageable.
And here I am with the cheapest Canon 50mm 1.8 II
I shoot the 50mm 1.8 ii, even though my camera bag has the 85mm 1.4L IS & 70-200mm 2.8L iii. The trick to that little bugger is to stop it down to F2.8 it performs nicely there not L nicely but good enough!.
To be fair, the 50mm f1.8 II is a decent performer from 2.8 onwards.
The STM version is optically superior by a tiny margin, focuses faster and has a metal mount.
Can’t go wrong with either of them.
It's useless, af is terrible
@@kamilnowak9750 It's not useless, more like the camera body you have it connected to is trash!. iT FOCUSED FINE ON MY 80Ds, 90D, 6D mark ii. If you want accurate auto focus use live view, if you want fast auto focus use OVF.
@@returntohome330 i have never used live view
The RF 50mm f1,2 is money. It was the reason I went back to Canon from Fuji. I wanted to use that lens and I´ve been very happy. That said the new Fuji 33mm f1,4 is pretty darn good as well. But side by side the Canon combo wins every single time...not taking size, weight and price into consideration, that is :)
Another wonderfully informative video. Thanks so much for the thoughtful work you put in.
I'd love to see this list updated. Many new 50mm primes out since this was done.
I've noticed that your editing and production values are going up over time!
The 50mm focal length lens on a full-frame camera has never been a favorite of mine. I prefer using a 35mm as my general-purpose lens for general subjects.
However, here are the best (resolution and contrast) 50mm and/or normal lenses I have ever used:
1. Asahi 50mm f/1.4 Super Takumar (8-element) (49mm filter) - the best 50mm I have ever used. Used it on an Asahi Pentax 35mm Spotmatic.
2. Nikkor 55mm micro f/3.5 AI converted (52mm filter) - outstanding image quality and especially good for close-ups and micro work.
3. Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 (46mm filter) - this micro 4/3 lens is equivalent to a 40mm normal lens on a full-frame camera.
4. Mamiya-Sekor C 50mm f/4.5 (77mm filter) - this is not a normal lens but a wide-angle lens on a 6x7cm medium format camera.
5. Fujinon 56mm f/1.2 X mount (62mm filter) - this is not a normal lens but a slight telephoto lens on an APS-C camera.
Over the decades, here are the other normal lenses I have used:
55mm f/1.8 Fujinon M42 on Fuji ST705 35mm SLR
50mm f/1.4 Fujinon M42 on Fuji ST705 35mm SLR
50mm f/3.5 Coated Cintar on Argus C3 35mm rangefinder
50mm f/1.4 Super Takumar (7-element) used on Asahi Pentax Spotmatic 35mm SLR
50mm f/1.4 Nikkor AI on Nikon F-mount SLR bodies
50mm f/1.4 Nikkor AF-D on Nikon F-mount SLR bodies
50mm f/1.8 Nikon Series E on Nikon F-mount SLR bodies
50mm f/1.8 Miranda on Sensorex 35mm SLR
45mm f/2.8 Nikkor GN on Nikon F-mount SLR bodies
45mm f/2 Zeiss Planar for Contax G1 35mm rangefinder
45mm f/1.7 Minolta fixed lens on Hi-Matic 9 35mm rangefinder
40mm f/1.7 Canon fixed lens on Canonet QL17 G-III 35mm rangefinder
They all produced great images but the five I listed produced outstanding images.
I used to have the Sony Zeiss 55 F:1.8 90% of the time on my A7RIII and it was the best 50mm I ever had. Better than my Leica Summilux 50mm. And unlike many F/1.4 or F/1.2 it's small and discreet. Unfortunately the body was not as photographer friendly as the lens...
Thanks for all Christopher. Your reviews are always so pleasant and professional.
Thanks for this and I wonder if the top spot might change after you've had a chance to test the new Z-mount Nikkor 50mm f1.2 S.
A new challenger enters the ring:
Nikon 50 1.2 S
Curious are you testing RAW or JPEG?
I'm with you, Marc. Really interested to see how this chunky monkey if a lens stacks up.
My favorite 50mm is a Light Lens Lab 50mm elcan. Love how it highlights the lighter colors and contrasts them with the darker colors
Hello Chistopher. Thank you very much for your great lens comparisons. Unfortunately, one brand is missing from your test portfolio: Voigtländer. If you ever get the chance to test the Voigtländer 50mm f/2 APO Lanthar for SONY E-Mount, I would be very interested in your opinion. For me by far the sharpest 50mm on my A7RIV without any chromatic aberrations or LoCa's. Thanks again for your great work for us photographers. Kind regards Marco.
Love my 50mm 1.4 MD minolta
I feel that Zeiss tax really gets you something special, and the 2nd best look to me comes from the Nikon, the Nikon colour is just beautiful. Not paying attention to sharpness at all.
I love my Sigma 50mm f/1.4 art!
But the RF 50 & 85 f1.2 lenses are a monster of resolution...
I can't wait to become a RF system user...
Amazing video! Would love more of these for every focal length and zoom lens
The tiny mighty Nikon 50mm 1.8G is also a highly regarded 50mm lens. It’s small, compact and sturdy, it never misses focus even with the FTZ2 adapter and it’s a great option for Nikon DSLR 35mm and APSC cameras. It was tested to be on par with the Zeiss Otus back in the days !
WARNING: This video contains graphic lens pornography and may cause some viewers to blow loads of money.
😂 Yes, I think that everyone should buy the top two lenses and use both just to be able to call him/herself a photographer! 💀🙃
@@tkermi my next lens will be the Sigma 50 Art lens, the only one that I can afford.
@@jamesmcneil800 That's a great lens. I can't wait Sigma to release their lenses for Canon RF mount!
It's not the sharpest but my favorite 50mm lens so far is the Minolta MD Rokkor 50mm f/1.4 It handles very nicely and it's inexpensive. The colors are also lovely.
Nikon Z lens is by far the best value for money.
I did not test any other lens on this list, but my Zeiss 55 is incredible. Almost all the photos are magical.
"The Canon 50mm 1.2 makes your images fly" 😅😅👌
Christopher, have you had the opportunity to test the voightlander 50mm f2 APO Lanthar;
@@AR-vf7vg My bank manager would kill me LOL!
Had both the sigma 50 1.4 and Sony 55 1.8. Awesome lenses! But sold them both for zooms. For what I do it just made more sense then changing lenses from 35 to 50/55 to 85 primes.
The elephant in the room: which of these turns you into an artist rather than snapshooter?
Love my Samyang 50mm 1.2 XP. God bless you my brother in Christ. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
@DANIEL NORMAN I have the 85mm 1.2 XP as well. i love that lens. Crazy great.
I have 85mm F1.2 XP. Amazing
@@BLEEJazz my favorite lens.
Voigtlander APO-LANTHAR 50mm f/2 Aspherical
I just bought the "Nikon Z 50mm f 1.8 S" as a christmas present to myself. It's no.3 on your list, so I'm very happy right now! :-)
Canon makes cameras for RF lenses while other companies make lenses for their cameras.
Canon dead companie. Slow af. Bad colours lol.
@@backfilms1953 Canon lenses are way overrated IMO.
this is the way
Christopher, I adore your channel. Thank you for this compilation and for ranking these lenses! I do want to say that I find the blur effect near the bottom of the frame (where you have overlaid text) to be distracting, especially when it comes to assessing image quality, since the blur resembles bokeh. Otherwise, lovely video. Have a wonderful Christmas!
The RF 50mm f/1.2 was the first RF lens I purchased, and I really like it, but I really wish Canon had some mid-range lens, in line with the Nikon S 50mm f/1.8 or Sony 55mm f/1.8. An update to the 27 years old 50mm f/1.4, with better optics, weather sealing but still maintaining the compact size would be perfect.
Manuel...I agree 110%!!!
Your wish is about to come true, but price-wise, not much different to the f/1.2.
My fav nikon 50 1.8 s lens. Cant beat the price, quality and size of this lens.
Thanks for this video Chris. I purchased the Tokina Opera 50mm f1.4 per your recommendation, and love it. I now own the: Old Sigma 50mm f1.4, Canon EF 50 STM, EF 50mm f1.2L, Rokinon SP 50mm f1.2, a host of vintage M42 50's and now this Tokina Opera. The old 50mm L and the Opera are my favorite on my 5dsr and 5d Classic. The Opera is my go-to lately. It seems to blend the sharpness of modern lenses, with the character and smoothness of vintage glass.
I like the idea of this video, and would love to see for example best zoom trinities or best portrait primes (maybe in two sets, one closer to 70mm and one closer or over 100mm).
It is quite sobering to see that the most expensive lenses, while not blindly following the brand and price alone, still beat the more affordable options without any questions.
Another similar video might be highlighting best performers for given price range, again. I believe you did such videos past years, but it would be interesting to see what has changed this year, in the realm of more affordable lenses.
Love the content as always! Merry Christmas to you and the family 😊
And of course now you can test the 50 1.2 S
which is even sharper than 1.8, as Ricci showed on his channel
I have to say I am quite surprised that the RF has overtaken the Otus in these tests
At the end of the day, one of my favorite fifties is the SMC Pentax-M 50mm f1.4 on my A7iii. It would be nice for some reviews of vintage lenses now and again, I could loan you one of my Super-Taks if you'd like!
Use a Pentax SMC 50mm 1.4 on Z6, I know what you mean. Such beautiful and sharp lens!
Nice reviews but I was thinking-if you have ever thought to test any Pentax lenses (both vintage and modern ones)exept for that 55mm f2. Thanks and keep it up!
I know many people including you prefer the 35s but for me 50 is the perfect allround focal length, I'm just used to it from my film cameras, my little Sony Zeiss 55 1.8 lives on my camera and gives the perfect balance of size, sharpness and fast aperture for me
Fuji shooter here, and from the examples I would have to say the Nikon and Canon out perform all with a slight nod to the Nikon at wide open sharpness and color, and CA, yes I know the 2/3rd stop difference but at almost I/5th of the price the Nikon is the way to go.
Nice review, thanks. I too love the Fujinon 50mm f2 on my x-pro3, and it's weather resistant. On Sony, I'm currently using the Zeiss Loxia series, in particular, the 50mm f/2 is very nice, compact, amazing colors, and decent sharpness.
1. Outstanding video.
2. Would love to see you test the Sony Zeiss 55mm F/1.8
3. Incidentally, the Fujifilm 35mm F2 is the 50mm equivalent (you already know that) and it's one of the sharpest lenses I've ever used. Fantastic set of primes, by Fuji.
Panasonic S-Pro 50 is definitely sharper than the Canon RF 50mm (I know this as I tested multiple copies of each). It also has basically no CA at all while the RF definitely does. They're both stunning lenses though.
Agreed.
I like a lot the sharpness I get from the Tamron 45mm /1.8 IS and it doesn't break the bank.
That is what I'm still using until I switch up lenses and bodies. Other than slow focus, and the need to turn off correction for some bodies for the price it is very sweet. I have never liked the nifty fifty>
I have grown to prefer mechanically coupled manual focus lenses which I can use 95% of the time in my shooting. One of my favourite modern 50mm lenses is Voigtländer’s 50mm f1.2 on Sony FE, having a dual character of having a vintage quality from f1.2 up to f2 where the lens swiftly sharpens up. Importantly, I love the beautiful colours it brings out as well as beautiful black and white. Admittedly, having tried the 35mm APO-Lanthar, I’m curious about it’s 50mm sibling.
I also enjoy the Sony/Zeiss 55mm f1.8. It’s the lens which convinced me to go with Sony. It has beautiful colours, is sharp but with some character and wonderfully compact. Aside from price, my only criticisms relate to CA wide open and I have found it occasionally unreliable with Eye-AF. That final point may be sample variation though.
Three of my favourite vintage 50mm lenses are the Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4 (m42), the Takumar 55mm f2 (m42) and the Pentacon 50mm f1.8 (also m42). I wouldn’t part with any of these three whether on film or digital. They are a joy to use and have great character.
I’ve had 2 50’ish lenses that stood out to me. Not purely for the sharpness or over all optical quality, but I loved them anyway. My current one is the Fujinon 56mm APD lens. I love this lens. If I want to carry only the camera and one lens this is the one I choose.
In the past I’ve owned several 50mm lenses and one that stood out was the 7Artisans 55mm 1.4. I loved that lens because it was so small and light and because it was very fun to just take photos with. It was far from perfect, but not unusable. And for the price, I never regretted buying it.
I only switched to the Fujinon because I wanted auto focus and because the corners on the 7Artisans was not sharp enough for landscapes I thought.
Why was the voigtländer 50mm f2 left out =( not even mentioned in the missed out lenses.
Haven't tested it
@@christopherfrost yea that's fine, but atleast mention it since it's considered the sharpest for sony e by some reviewers.
Hi Christopher,
Long time follower of your channel here! I know you don’t review any Panasonic gear, but with the release of the S5II I’m curious how the Lumix S 50 1.8 would fare against these lenses.
It’s hard to find any good reviews of this lens and your format is just the golden standard for me :)
I liked the look of the Jarod setup!
I managed to get a s/h Sony 1.4 Planar SSM Zeiss lens (A-mount) for £350, which I thought was a real bargain. Excellent results and probably much the same as the FE lens.
I have the same lens with an la-ea5 ….sharp from f1.4 and better bokeh than the 55mm which I also own
Hopefully you'll soon get a chance to check out the new Sony 50mm f1.2 GM and see how it compares.
Really great review. Thank you! Also, it'd be interesting to watch a review of the best vlogging lenses. The idea of the review is not about a particular focal length, but a job to be done.
I still love both my Canon 50mm 1.4 and 1.2L lenses.
Looking fwd to seeing you test the new Nikon 50 1.2 S. Should be razor sharp!
Hello prchise. I believe that another reviewer (Ricci) did a comparison of the Nikkor S 1.8 and the 1.2 and found that while the 1.8 equals the 1.2 in center sharpness, the 1.2 has somewhat better edge sharpness. Overall, a great testament to the very high-quality of the much less expensive Nikkor S 50 f/1.8.
@@stevelink3 cheerz, Steve. There are several reviews of the glass in question and one could say that 50 1.8 is the best bang for the buck.
Sharpness is not everything. Well said.
We are living in a parallel world. In one world, we are chasing the vintage look. The film look. The unsharp Fuji , kodak color with Muted saturation.
In another World, we are heavily using even AI to make things extra sharp, crispy and colorful.
The future of Photography will be interesting.
I love my Nikkor 50mms (I have almost all of them, from Pre-Ai to Ai, Ai-S, Series E, AF, AF-S and Z, as well as the 55mm f/2.8 Micro Ai-S and AF-S 58mm f/1.4G) and the Z 50/1.8 S is just fantastic! It is one of my three favorite Nikkor standards, along with the 50mm f/1.2 Ai-S and AF-S 58mm f/1.4G. The Z mount 50/1.8 S is for sharpness, and the other two are for the qualities other than sharpness... :-)
Gave a like even before watching... The effort had to be appreciated 👌👍🤝
Great video. I do wish you included the voigtlander 50mm f2 apo. Pretty sure its sharper than both Sony zeiss 50mm lenses
It is time to review the Nikon Z 50mm 1.2S ... in the meanwhile the Noct could be an honor guest here It is still in 50s (little over 55mm limit)...
Your channel is excellent and it keeps improving ... keeping comparisons updated might be the next step
Great video...Looking forward to a canon 50 1.2 vs new nikon 50 1.2
Yesss..it is a spectacular lens! Canon RF lenses..The Beast in price, Outstanding Performance!
Great news about the fuji, I recently moved from Sony a-mount to fuji. Well, half move. My favorite 50mm is my minolta 50mm f1.7 and it's not sharp at all lol... I just happen to love it. I'm buying the 50mm f2 for my fuji in future, though.
It's hard to find bad lenses in the Fuji lineup the 18mm is the only one that comes to mind but the 16mm 1.4 is exquisite!.
@@returntohome330 I've heard that. No interest on 18mm focal lengh as I already have the 16mm f2.8 - I prefer having those extra 2mm. Waiting for a 50mm f2 xc
@@timgomes4810 The Fujifilm 50mm F2 is a fantastic lens too.
Quite an interesting result in your placement. To be honest in all these lenses are phenominal compared to earlier generations and thankyou for taking the time to put together such a good informative video. I find it quite intriguing how much time and emphasis we spent literally splitting hairs between them (myself included). I now the Canon Rf was critisized for not resolving as much information as expected by Dxo, giving it only 22mpix in sharpness on the R6 (72 percent resolved). Whereas the Nikon 50mm 1.8 resolved 37mpix on the Z7 (82 percent resolved). Overall the Canon 50mm 1.2 Rf came 10th and the Nikon came 3rd in their findings. Owning both the Nikon 50mm 1.8s and the Sigma I don't dispute their findings. However, art and optical engineering will always remain subjective and I'm sure many will always find a way to dispute any claim.
Thanks for the interesting review! My only nit, is the distracting background music! I usually watch these videos wearing headphones. The music is much too prominent. I want to hear what you have to say, and not listen to dinner/elevator music. :-)
Personally, sharpness is important, but overall rendering is more so. I prefer Zeiss rendering, but that is my personal taste.
I was lucky enough to pick up a used RF 50mm f1.2 lens for a good price. I agree that it is remarkably sharp, even wide open. Due to its size and weight I don't use it as much as my lighter lenses and so whenever I do use it, the quality is very obvious.
One lens that is dear to me that just escaped your limit of "5mm either side of 50" is the Sigma 56mm f1.4. Since its an APSC lens it presents as a 75mm in FF terms, but it is still a lens that stands out from the rest in my opinion, both in sharpness and bokeh, and it deserves heaps of praise, especially at its relatively low price.
Thanks Chris
I personally love the look of the older Sigma 50mm 1.4 HSM. I shot several photos wide to F4 open with it and it’s a brilliant lens even on 24mp cameras. I also own the later Art version but the older HSM has more character (less clinical) and Sigma will still update it for free to make it work with recent cameras.
A first generation 50mm Summicron which combined seemingly endless resolution with a gentle, monochrome friendly rendering. The fourth generation Summicron which replaced it was excellent, but there was magic in that older glass.
Hello there Chris! You reviewed the Samyang 50mm 1.2 for Canon EF-M mount some years ago, and I purchased it based on your review. Honestly, it’s been my favorite lens ever! In times before plague I’ve taken it to Iceland and London, and all over the United States and it is such a staple in my bag. I love it so much! Thanks for informing me!
Leica Summilux 50mm f1.4 and Noctilux 50mm f1. Havent tried the 50mm f0.95, but these summillux and noctilux sharpness and bokeh are gorgeous.
So, I feel you should do a value proposition video as well with the 50mm. The best value for money 50mm lenses are the first thing a new photographer looks at and it's the first thing I wanted to know which is why I started to watch your channel.
thank you for your reviews
I still love my minolta 50mm f1.7
Great video, Father Chris! I would love your being able to review the Zeiss Batis lenses, particularly the 40mm F2, as that one appears to be so versatile. Merry Christmas to you, Katie and your son./Warren