Nikon H 50mm f/2 Auto. If you’re looking to purchase this lens I always check Adorama and Ebay for good deals. It helps me if you purchase it through one of these links here in this review. When you purchase through these links it financially enables me to devote time to develop this site further. Thanks for the help! -Todd
Barrel
Metal.
Weight
7.3 oz (207g)
Focus Ring
Metal.
Close Focus
2 feet (0.6 meters).
Filter Threads
52mm, Metal.
Aperture Ring
Metal.
Diaphragm
6 blades stopping down to f/16.
Mount
Nikon Non Ai Metal Mount.
Made in
Japan
Corner at f/2
Closest Focus at f/4
Sharpness
f/2: Fairly soft with a fair bit of contrast and a bit of chromatic aberration.
f/2.8: Very sharp with good contrast and a bit of chromatic aberration.
f/3.5: Really sharp with great contrast and very little chromatic aberration.
f/4: Really sharp with great contrast and color.
f/8: Super sharp with great contrast and color.
Vignetting
The vignette is not too bad and immediately begins to leave and is basically almost gone by f/3.5. A really great feature of this oldy.
Bokeh
Fairly distracting but not horrible.
Flare and Ghosting
Flare is not too bad but takes a while to get rid of. The ghosts are big purple blobs at larger apertures and become more annoying at smaller apertures.
Distortion
Has a bit of Barrel Distortion but isn’t too bad.
Recommendations
On AF Camera
Optics: ★ ★ ★
Mechanics: ★ ★
Ergonomics: ★ ★ ★
Usefulness: ★ ★
Availability: ★ ★ ★
Overall: ★ ★
On MF Camera
Ergonomics: ★ ★ ★ ★
Overall: ★ ★ ★
Out of 5
This lens is a decent lens but has a couple limitations. The main one is that this is a Non Ai lens which means the aperture ring is not notched out to couple up with newer Nikon bodies. What this means is that if you try to put the lens on your body it may mash up your metering coupler and can even get stuck on your camera. However they can be modified with a little work and then the lens will work perfectly on even the new DSLR’s. I have done quite a few Ai conversions over the years and have actually done one of these 50mm f/2 H lenses before. There are people who properly Ai convert these lenses for about $25 and can be found on google.
Two other things I have noticed about these lenses over the years is that the aperture ring can get dry and stiff but is a fairly easy fix. Also they tend to be found with a lot of paint missing. Not a big deal but they are hard to find mint if you collect. They soon after changed the body style with the newer Ai mount with a nice new paint job.
Ok ok functionality… The lens produces some really sharp photos stopped down just a tiny bit and has very little vignette which is really nice. Distortion is not too bad actually. Flare is not too bad but I don’t like the ghosting of this lens but the color is not too bad being purple blobs. The bokeh is not too bad but a bit distracting. Overall this lens is not the greatest lens ever but not too bad either. If you shooting older Non Ai Nikon cameras then they are a steal of a deal but if you are wanting to put it on a Nikon Digital I would skip this and go for the newer Nikon 50mm f/2 Ai lens instead for almost the same price.
However you can get adapters on Ebay that will allow you to use this lens on many other DSLR cameras even without having to Ai Convert the lens. You just stick it on the adapter and shoot. I would check Ebay
to see if your camera can have a split focus screen installed because they really help focusing with this lens.
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My hopes are to take the time to continue developing this website with more test photo based reviews. If you are ever interested in purchasing this lens or other photography equipment please do so through these links here in this review. I always check Adorama and Ebay for good deals. This helps support my family and allows me to take more time for the site. The best part is this site is free for you and I link good deals I find!
Sometimes these links will actually give you better deals then typical retail prices! I personally buy from the links I have listed whether looking for new gear or fun old stuff. I can personally attest to their good & safe service from years of experience. Thanks again to you, our readers, for supporting us! -Todd
