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AF-S Nikkor 58mm F1.4 Announced


Nikon has just officially announced the AF-S Nikkor 58mm F1.4, the newest member of the Nikon DSLR lens family!

At first sight, this lens may seem like nothing special, as its focal length and aperture specification is somewhat ordinary. The 58mm focal length corresponds to a normal field of view on FX and acts as a short tele on DX, very much like the current 50mm F1.4 and F1.8 primes.

What you might not know is that this lens is designed primarily with night photography in mind. Nikon claims that in addition to delivering a distortion-free image that's sharp from corner to corner, the new 58mm lens will exhibit virtually no sagittal coma flare (commonly known as lens flare) or vignetting (dark corners), even when wide-open. If what Nikon says is true, then moonscapes taken with this lens won't be plagued by ghosting: something that even their best prime lenses, such as the 35mm F1.4, aren't immune to. This also means that the 58mm will be enjoyed by demanding photographers who don't want to deal with aberrations or vignetting in post.

This lens may well be the answer for FX-format users who have been enjoying the 85mm F1.4G but who want something a bit wider for added versatility. On DX-format cameras, the 58mm will undoubtedly make for an excellent premium portrait lens. It will be interesting to see how well this lens will perform on the D800, and we of course plan on bringing you a review once the lens becomes available!

Attached Image: AFS_58_1.4G.jpg


High performance comes at a price, of course, as the new 58mm isn't cheap: it's US price tag is a mammoth $1699, which puts it in the same league as Nikon's other fast nano-coated primes. The new 58mm thus costs considerably more than the $439 we have to part with to get Nikon's 50mm F1.4G.

For the full specifications of this lens, visit its entry in our lens database.

Want to get the 58mm? Click here to pre-order it B&H Photo. We expect it to start shipping at the very end of October.


8 Comments

Looks like a great lens, bit pricey though. Will wait and see how much it's going for in the UK.

This will probably be a very good focal length on DX bodies for portraits.  I have a USSR made 58mm lens (using an M42 adapter) and have often thought that this works better than 50mm in terms of distortion of features.  The f1.4 is going to be amazing.

Interesting lens.  I see a lot of people are suggesting it for portraits on a DX body -- I thought that a 35mm lens would give an approximate "as seen by the human eye" shot on the DX body?  Am I wrong?

Interesting lens.  I see a lot of people are suggesting it for portraits on a DX body -- I thought that a 35mm lens would give an approximate "as seen by the human eye" shot on the DX body?  Am I wrong?

A 35mm isn't quite distortion-free, though.  The problem with wider lenses is that you need to be closer to your subject in order to blur the background, which introduce perspective distortion.  You want a short tele for portraiture, ideally, or at least a 50mm on DX (IMO).

A 35mm isn't quite distortion-free, though.  The problem with wider lenses is that you need to be closer to your subject in order to blur the background, which introduce perspective distortion.  You want a short tele for portraiture, ideally, or at least a 50mm on DX (IMO).


Interesting. I was told to go for a 35 mm lens at my beginner photo class. I don't have a 50mm prime, but I do have an 85mm "micro" that is prime. Would that be better?

Interesting. I was told to go for a 35 mm lens at my beginner photo class. I don't have a 50mm prime, but I do have an 85mm "micro" that is prime. Would that be better?

I think what they might have been trying to say is that a 35mm on FX is roughly equivalent to your eyes' magnification, which makes it a good all-around lens.

 

Macro lenses don't always have the best bokeh for portraits, but you should definitely still give your 85mm a go.  I've gotten great portraits with a 85mm on DX :)

Thanks, I will give it a go.

Most of my portraits are of dolls that are 1/3 scale of humans, so I think the 35 mm might be better than for a 1/1 portrait.
Just don't know if it's performance will warrant being $1250 more than the 50mm f1.4. It's a focal length I don't really use on FX. I've had 50mm lenses and usually end up selling them as I find they just sit in my bag. I'll go 28mm or 85mm and don't find myself in many situations where I need to be in the middle of those two lengths.