If you only had one SLR 50

[BillBingham2]

As it is a communist state and all I would have to say a Nikkor. A 28mm f2.8 Ai-S Nikkor comrade.

Was that a knock on my door???????

B2 %->

 

[Roger Hicks]

There's no point in holding back when it comes to lunatic counterfactual conditionals.

Our hypothetical communist dictator (or billionaire buyer of capitalist governments) offers to castrate and blind anyone who uses anything except Holgas.

How do people feel about that?

Cheers,

R.

 

[Peter_Jones]

Must've been a student - they love those Holgas !

 

[johannielscom]

Guess I'll have to vote for the Nikon AF 50/1.4 G.
Though I did just pick up that old 58/1.4 that I'm having AI'd. Can't wait to see it in action.

Tim,

I feel less alone here now...

🙂

Here's hopin' you like it!

 

[BTMarcais]

SMC Takumar 50mm f/1.4

My problem is simply picking ONE 50.
I feel I'm not alone here...

-Brian

 

[ColinW]

Definitely my Zuiko 50mm f1.4; I'll take it my grave.

It seems that Zuiko lenses are a little cheaper when you get them with the 'large' rear cap! 😀

Yes, they are. My best deal was a $10 Zuiko 50/1.8 MIJ... with a 'large rear cap' OM-4..😀

My best was a GBP35.00 Tamron SP 35-80mm macro with a 'large rear cap' OM-3 😱

 

[Peter_Jones]

Either a Leitaxed summicron-r , or Nikkor 50/1.4 AI.

(The Nikkor would probably edge it based on ease of use)

 

[HoodedOne]

Zeiss Planar 1.4/50 ZE

 

[nikon_sam]

There's no point in holding back when it comes to lunatic counterfactual conditionals.

Our hypothetical communist dictator (or billionaire buyer of capitalist governments) offers to castrate and blind anyone who uses anything except Holgas.

How do people feel about that?

Cheers,

R.

Which one do they do first...I just need to know which line to stand in...I'm not using a Holga...:bang:

 

[Harry Lime]

Summilux-R 1.4/50

There are two versions of this lens. Type 1 is very similar to the pre-ASPH Lux-M.
The last version performs as good or better than the Summicron-R.

I love the smoothness of the tonality and bokeh you get with the type 1. A truly great lens in b/w. Salgado shot a lot with this lens. There is a book of children's portraits that he did and I think a lot of those shots were made with this lens. He could have taken those shots with a coke bottle and they would still be brilliant, but I've seen some of them as real prints and they are truly beautiful.

The only problem is that of all the R bodies I really only like the R8/R9 and they are somewhat bulky for daily use (and my R8 sucks down batteries at an alarming rate)


But given that I mostly shoot Nikon SLR bodies I would have to say it's a toss up between the Zeiss ZF 1.4/50 and the old Nikkor-H.C 2/50. I shoot the Zeiss in low light, but the Nikkor during the day, because I like it's smoother, vintage look in sunlight.

But if I had to choose one of the two it would be the Zeiss, which I think is the best 50 out there for Nikon. Overall I rate the Zeiss only second to the Summilux.

 

[peterm1]

Any Nikkor 50mm f1.4 is pretty darn good and would satisfy me. This is the first version AF lens

 

[Ronald M]

Last version of 50 1.4 `Lux if I did film or 50 1.8 Nikkor G for digi Nikons.

I would also donate a camera to each of my kids and grand kids so they also could have lenses.

 

[hxpham]

I'd also vouch for the Sigma 50mm f/1.4; I prefer it over most 50s.

 

[The Meaness]

nikkor 50/1.2 ai or ais

 

[mfogiel]

For me, the best all round 50mm SLR lens ever made is the Zeiss Makro Planar 50/2. A pity it is somewhat big.

 

[shadowfox]

Summicron 50/2

* More cream, anyone?

 

[dave lackey]

Summicron-R 50/2:

 

[MiChAeLsIo]

I have tried so many 50s that I can't count them. For color film maybe the best ones were contax 1,4 MM and pentax FA 1,4. BUT for black and white film nothing beats my old SMC takumar 1,4 with radioactive rear element which now has become yellowish due to the age. actually now it's somewhere near f/1,7. couple it with ilford hp5plus and you will see the magic...

 

[cary]

Nikkor 50mm f2, just a simple, inexpensive and excellent lens.

 

[jarski]

nikkor 50/1.2 ai or ais

same here. perhaps Siggy 1.4 too, but havent used.

those who proposed anything but exactly 50 should watch out 😛