Nikon 58mm f/1.4 G, The Most Artistic Lens Ever?

[@jorsetti]

I’ve been shooting with this lens since its release and it is one of my all time favorite lenses. It’s been to Cuba, Japan, Italy and NYC. In every country I’ve been including ours, it’s been my favorite inspiration to capture fantastic images. Recently came back from Italy workshop and used this 58mm and Z9 for fashion model work among the vineyards. I had to occasionally deal with chromatic aberration in post but so worth it in final image. I think “legend” is apt for this lens. My portfolio wouldn’t be the same without it. I hope you can get the opportunity to shoot with this lens ZWADE, you’d become a convert no doubt!

[@ZWadePhoto]

Thanks for watching my dude!

[@photographydiscourse1185]

Speaking as someone who has and still sometimes shoots with the F mount: 28mm 1.4 E , 58mm 1.4 G, and 105mm 1.4 E, I can easily compare these lenses. Additionally, as I also regularly shoot with the 50mm 1.8 S and 50mm 1.2 S for Z mount lenses I can easily compare to these as well. First, the 58mm 1.4 G is different from all the rest in that it is NOT that sharp wide open and it is not known for its sharpness unlike the 28mm 1.4 E and 105mm 1.4 E both of which were made much later in the F mount cycle and incorporated more lenses and coatings and were designed to be more like what has become 'modern' lenses (Z mount lenses). The latter two are very sharp and rival Z mount glass - although Z mount S line stuff is ultimately a hair better. But this was not the point of the 58mm 1.4 G when it released. It was intended by Nikon to be a character lens harkening back to lenses of old. It has a distinct look and is great for environmental portraiture as its slightly softer rendition at open apertures is not really a problem (and can be an asset) for portraits. The result of its 'softness' is that it creates a sort of 'painterly' look, and an almost an 'impressionist' rendition as compared to the highly technical modern lenses. That said, this is definitely a niche lens, but for its niche it is very good - this is why I still have and use it in spite of having and using (for other use cases) the 50 1.8 S and 50 1.2 S Z mount lenses. The second reason is that it is very small and light for a 1.4 and until recently Nikon did not have a 50mm option faster than 1.8 that was not massive. With the introduction of the newer 50 mm 1.4 (non-S) for Z mount, the smaller and lighter advantage of the 58 1.4 G is largely gone as it is definitely as big (if not bigger) than the 50mm 1.4 when you have the FTZ adapter on it. I do not yet have the 50mm 1.4 and may eventually get it as I can think of use cases for it that the others don't meet, but still somehow I doubt that I will be letting go of the 58 1.4 G any time soon. If it were my only 50/58mm option I would not suggest it, so if you can only have one then this is probably not your lens. However, it has a particular look that is not easily imitated by the other options, and so it still has a place in the arsenal and is recommended if you are looking for a 'softer' portrait lens with a lot of character. Yes, it does have a lot of chromatic aberration when shot in contrasty scenes most of which you can correct for in post. I bought this les refurbished from Nikon for $950 a few years ago - I think it is worth it at this price, but I would not say that it is worth it new for almost $2k. Just some thoughts from someone that has this lens and the most the others that one would be considering in its place. -PD

[@ZWadePhoto]

Thanks for watching

[@DavidComdico]

Yes, it is. The problem with this lens on D bodies was that it was difficult to calibrate and it was given the reputation that it was soft. On Z bodies it really comes into its own and is sharp wide open. It is a people lens and is very flattering.

[@garfieldirwin]

Yup, it's the only G lens I own.

[@ZWadePhoto]

I hear that a lot, G lenses performing adapted better than they ever did on F mount cameras. If I was filthy rich there's a few F mount lenses that were a lot of fun.

[@0ecka]

Beautiful lens! The 58 and 105 Nikkor F1.4G are the must-have DSLR lenses for this type of photography.

[@ZWadePhoto]

I love me a unique rendering. Thanks for watching!

[@johndaubney7311]

I purchased a month or two prior to the release of the 50mm f1.2 Z lens. I love it. I paid $900 and at that price it is worth it Bokeh is astoundingly good. The lens in general has a unique rendering especially in black and white. I prefer it to an 85mm as it’s more versatile for portraits. Great for skin ! It’s a special lens

[@ZWadePhoto]

Heck yea John I'm glad your got something you love.

[@kaminobatto]

I have this lens, and I can confirm that it has a soft look. It is one of the reasons why I bought it although many advised me not to as it is "not sharp". However, I am a sucker for character and this lens oozes character. A not regret purchase as long as you know what you're signing up for and intend to use it for that specific look.

[@ZWadePhoto]

Back when lenses had quirks and character

[@ronaldsand3000]

I had this lens when I owned the D850 It’s softer look didn’t appeal to me so I sold it

[@brusselssprout1]

The only autofocus F-mount lens I kept. It has magic, and, when the stars align (distance to subject to background, light) , it produces the most gorgeous images. I use it mainly for portraits where its slight glow wide open and the smooth transition to out of focus makes it much more atmospheric than the perfect razor thin focus ultrasharp 50 1.2s. Works great on Z bodies, and is compact and light enough not to feel unbalanced with the FTZ.

[@ZWadePhoto]

I look forward to digging more into some photoshoots with it 🙌🙌

[@stefan_becker]

In my opinion, the 58mm f1.4 G was the only "50ish" F-mount lens with great bokeh. However, it wasn't marketed as such. Instead, it mentioned great coma correction, which was a bit misleading. This lens also has character and produces beautiful images. The downside of this lens was focus shift. That's why it was hard to calibrate. You could calibrate the lens for f2 (e.g. with the Nikon D810), but then you would get incorrect focus at f1.4 or f2.8. I was hoping for consistently sharp images when adapting the lens to a modern mirrorless camera like the Zf, but it turned out that it wasn't critically sharp on mirrorless cameras either. But because of the artistic, beautiful rendition of this lens, I still use it from time to time today, knowing full well that the images won't be razor sharp, but just beautiful.

[@ZWadePhoto]

Nikon and their exceptional marketing lol thanks for watching!

[@DarthPrime10]

I found my 58mm f/1.4G July 2023 for a "I can't turn down price." Awesome lens with beautiful results. The lens gives a bit of a "dream sequence" look with obliterated backgrounds at 1.4 (in my opinion). The 58mm isn't on same the level of sharpness compared to the mirrorless 50mm 1.8 & 1.2 versions, but it has its own classification of awesomeness; it's great to use for night photography and is being on both my DSLR and mirrorless bodies.

[@ZWadePhoto]

Just can't shake it's "look" can you. Glad you're enjoying it!

[@Ton-x4r]

1800 bucks yeah right. Just take the Voigtlander 58mm f1.4 Nokton for around 500 bucks.

[@jamesjackson4264]

The used market is way better. You can pay $700-$800.

[@stefan_becker]

I think the bokeh of the Voigtlander 58mm f1.4 Nokton isn't as nice. If you are looking for a Voigtlander with comparable bokeh to the Nikon 58mm f1.4 G then check out the 50mm f1.2 Nokton.

[@Ton-x4r]

@@stefan_becker I use the 58 Voigt on my dslr so F mount. The 50mm is for the Z mount if I am correct.

[@ZWadePhoto]

I do love the Voigt noct. Thanks for watching.

[@theflyest203]

Best bokeh and rendering of any F mount lens and dare I might say better than S mount in bokeh and rendering.. it still has the painterly more filmic photographic look to photos with out being over digital and clinical like modern mirrorless glass.. My most used lens for weddings and my best photos come from it

[@ZWadePhoto]

I agree character is kind of harder to come by. F mount lenses were more fun to shop for. haha.

[@alphajam1]

If you had 3 lenses (105, 85mm, 135 Plena, which one would you buy to do photograph images like the mushroom and portraits? I would love to do more of your style of photos. I'm an action, sports photographer and you probably know that I'm most familiar with the other lenses (longer zooms and primes).

[@ZWadePhoto]

@@alphajam1 oooooo.good question. Actually….for my specific style of the mushroom, mixed with my love of portraits. None of them. I’d use the 50mm f/1.2 S because I find myself shooting “shallow depth of field” photography even when I have the 105 macro. I almost never shoot it at macro apertures haha. I would pick the 85 every day if I sometimes didn’t need to escape KZbin and people and do my own. The 85 for Shallow Depth of field, as I define it, I haven’t quite worked out the working distance. Also, you want image that look more like my style, consider my preset pack on my website. Zwadephoto.com In digital products. Specifically “portrait swag”.

[@roybixby6135]

For some reason the 58 and 55mm lenses were better than the 50mm lenses. I carried the old Noct or the 55 f1.2 for a long time - not for image quality but for low light. The 58 G was a bit too FArtistic - at least the lens is small compared to the 50 1.2 Z lens...🦘

[@ZWadePhoto]

I bet you still have one don’t you Roy haha

[@nicholaskh]

This lens is one of the very few F mount lenses that I kept after I moved to the Z mount cameras and lens. It is one of Nikon best kept secrets. The images that it renders are 3-D like and feel. I am glad that you discovered it, join this selective club.

[@ZWadePhoto]

I have one f mount lens left. 105 f/2.5 Thanks for watching!

[@DSG0805]

My art lenses are the zeiss makro planar f2 and now the voightlander 50 f1. Outstanding lenses

[@ZWadePhoto]

Have done the Voigt f/1 yet. Adorama, send me one!

[@volante8657]

you know, in the good old days, people inherently hate digital camera because of how film photos are always have the subject floats above the background, in which digital can never replicate this effect as I do portrait most of the time, this is the #1 lens I would use to prove the above statement wrong

[@ZWadePhoto]

@@volante8657 I appreciate the viewership my friend

[@volante8657]

@ZWadePhoto I bought it 2nd hand when I saw it listed much loser price than new This is probably because of the bad reputation this lens had, I would say this lens has mood, and you cannot rely on it for mission critical stuff. But when you get this lens right, the result is always there, and it is definitely not the resolution

[@rodneyodell8959]

I had this lens before I went mirrorless. Sadly I sold it but I went back and looked at what I shot with it. It was my favorite lens of all time. I hope Nikon makes a Z version (not $8000)

[@ZWadePhoto]

I doubt it. They'll make you stick with the .95 hahaha tha is not watching

[@LMoProVisualComm]

extremely difficult to calibrate but on my mirrorless it's pretty darn good... got mine for $750

[@stefan_becker]

It has focus shift. Therefore it can be calibrated only for one aperture value. I calibrated mine for f2 and got great results af f2. At other aopertures it needs to be calibrated differently because of the focus shift.

[@ZWadePhoto]

Nice!

[@Capcity44]

It’s not flat. Except for wide open sharpness, it shoots nearly identical to the 70-200 FL & the 105mm F1.4E

[@ZWadePhoto]

Thanks for watching

[@MMPAspergerian]

Nikon F is a film camera. Wade, you mean 5.8cm, that's how they were before doing mm.

[@ZWadePhoto]

@@MMPAspergerian oh sure

[@WilsonGomez]

This lens has a Medium Format look, and not the GFX im talking Film because this lens is SOFT. When it came out this lens was a misunderstood and that the $180 Nikon 50mm 1.8G was better and shaper. Nikon fucked up in the price, way overprice.

[@ZWadePhoto]

I hated the 50 f /1.8, but I never used this one so 🤷‍♂️

[@kaczynski2333]

No. Helios comes to mind, as do several others. Go away.

[@ZWadePhoto]

You want me to go away from my own channel?