Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AI-s Retro Review: A Brilliant Gateway into Vintage Glass
While Gordon Laing of Cameralabs typically looks at vintage cameras as part of his incredible Retro Review series, old glass deserves love, too. Cameralabs has just published its review of the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AI-s, a lens that launched 43 years ago and is still amazing today.
In his detailed review, complete with gorgeous real-world samples and test shots, Laing lauds the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AI-s for its optical quality, rich character, and robust all-metal design. Better yet, thanks to Nikon’s venerable F-mount, introduced in 1959, the four-decade-old 50mm f/1.4 AI-s is easily adapted to nearly any modern mirrorless camera from any manufacturer — including Nikon, of course. “Mount it on a modern camera, and you’ll enjoy all manner of focusing assistance, video, and stabilization we could only dream of 40 years ago,” Laing remarks. As for Laing, he tested the nifty fifty prime lens on a Panasonic Lumix S5 II L-Mount camera.
“The 50 1.4 AI-s was introduced in 1981 and it was around that time I fell in love with it — and if I’m honest, the entire Nikkor lens catalog,” Laing recalls. “I loved the signature look and feel of these early to mid-80’s lenses, compact and superbly built, but sadly way out of reach for this teen of the time.”
The Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AI-s was the object of Laing’s 1980s desires, and he finally has one. During a recent trip to Japan for the Lumix S9 event, Laing was checking out some camera shops with Richard Wong, and found it, the holy grail, the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AI-s he has coveted for so long. Better yet, the vintage glass only set him back about $120.
While the lens was first launched in 1981, when it caught Laing’s attention, Nikon didn’t stop making it until 2005. That’s a heck of a production run, during which around three-quarters of a million units were manufactured. Based on the serial number of Laing’s lens, it was made near the end of the production run in the early 2000s.
Although camera collectors may lament that such a big production run keeps the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AI-s from being particularly valuable, for photographers who love vintage glass, it’s a boon. The lens is easy to find and won’t break the bank, which is great news since it is “an ideal choice for anyone who wants to explore vintage optics today.”
No, “it’s not as crisp as a modern lens,” as Laing notes, but the lens is exceptionally smooth in use, easy to focus on modern mirrorless cameras, built to last a lifetime — and then some — and an accessible, affordable way for today’s photographers to experience yesterday’s best lenses.
For many more details and to read Laing’s complete hands-on experience with the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AI-s prime lens, head to Cameralabs.
Image credits: © Gordon Laing / Cameralabs
