2017
Canon nFD 50 f1.4 - Maybe the best bang for your buck
I found this lens in exactly the same place as its older sibling, the Canon FD 50mm f1.4 SSC, abandoned capless in a junk bin at Tokyo's Fujiya Camera. I liked the SSC lens, especially its sharpness, but found its size and weight a bit much for what it offered optically. The two 50s have similarly high scores on Canon Classics, so I was interested to see how the newer version performed in the field. Here goes.
The Canon nFD 50/1.4 specs:
Build quality/handling (Good/Very good)
The nFD 50mm f1.4 has decent build quality, but it really isn't in the same league as something like a Super-Takumar. The lens is a mixture of plastic and metal. The focusing is smooth, but the aperture ring feel/action isn't great (which is the case with all nFD lenses).
All that plastic does make the lens nice and light, though. It's also significantly more compact than the older version. Consequently, the nFD 50mm f1.4 is a great fit for the Sony A7s (or a6000, or other mirrorless cameras).
Image Quality (Mostly excellent)
As I said, I was impressed with the SSC version's sharpness. It is probably the sharpest fast 50 I've tested so far. However, the lens had fairly harsh bokeh and heavy vignetting. Is the new version any better?
To start off, a few shots on the A7s at f1.4 (click for full resolution).
The Canon nFD 50/1.4 specs:
- 7 elements in 6 groups
- Weight - 235 grams
- Length - 41 mm (66 mm with adapter)
- Filter size - 52 mm
- Min. focus distance - 0.45 m
- Aperture - 8 blades, f1.4 to f22 in half stops
Build quality/handling (Good/Very good)
The nFD 50mm f1.4 has decent build quality, but it really isn't in the same league as something like a Super-Takumar. The lens is a mixture of plastic and metal. The focusing is smooth, but the aperture ring feel/action isn't great (which is the case with all nFD lenses).
All that plastic does make the lens nice and light, though. It's also significantly more compact than the older version. Consequently, the nFD 50mm f1.4 is a great fit for the Sony A7s (or a6000, or other mirrorless cameras).
Image Quality (Mostly excellent)
As I said, I was impressed with the SSC version's sharpness. It is probably the sharpest fast 50 I've tested so far. However, the lens had fairly harsh bokeh and heavy vignetting. Is the new version any better?
To start off, a few shots on the A7s at f1.4 (click for full resolution).
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The nFD lens shows impressive central sharpness at f1.4 on the A7s. There's plenty of detail in the eye in both of the shots above. But how does it perform on the more dense and demanding 24mp sensor of the Sony a6000?
f1.4
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f2.8
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f5.6
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100% center crops @ f1.4 - f2 - f2.8 - f4
Wide open sharpness isn't as impressive on the a6000, but things do improve drastically stopped down. At f1.4 there's a soft glow, reduced contrast, and lots of CA. By f2 the sharpness becomes very good with a great increase in contrast, and improvement in CA performance. Things improve further from there. I would say that sharpness is comparable to the older SSC version.
Interestingly, CA really isn't an issue on the A7s, and I found this to be the case with several lenses (which show much worse purple fringing on the a6000 than they do on the A7s).
Bokeh is generally pretty smooth and compares favourably to other vintage 50s I've shot with. It looks better than the bokeh produced by my copy of the FD 50mm F1.4 SSC.
Interestingly, CA really isn't an issue on the A7s, and I found this to be the case with several lenses (which show much worse purple fringing on the a6000 than they do on the A7s).
Bokeh is generally pretty smooth and compares favourably to other vintage 50s I've shot with. It looks better than the bokeh produced by my copy of the FD 50mm F1.4 SSC.
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To my eyes, even challenging backgrounds (like foliage far behind the subject) are rendered fairly smoothly, but specular highlights do sometimes have the soap-bubble outlining which not everyone is into.
Vignetting is pronounced at f1.4 and f2 but isn't really an issue by f4. This performance here is similar to the SSC version but not as good as some other fast 50s I've tried.
Vignetting is pronounced at f1.4 and f2 but isn't really an issue by f4. This performance here is similar to the SSC version but not as good as some other fast 50s I've tried.
f1.4
f2.8
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f2
f4
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Flare resistance is about average for this class of lens. Canon's SSC coatings do alright in some situations, but ghosting and veiling flare can pop up when shooting into bright light sources.
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Conclusion
The Canon nFD 50mm f1.4 represents great value, and I'm not just saying that because I got mine for 30 bucks in a junk shop. At its current rate on ebay (about 50-80 USD), it's a steal for the kind of performance you get. It's certainly better than any other vintage fast fifty I've tried so far (not quite as good as the Carl Zeiss 50mm f1.7 though). Inevitably, I can't help but compare it to the older FD 50mm f1.4 SSC, and though I'd like to do a direct comparison, I can't because I already sold the SSC. However, looking at images I have from both lenses, I prefer the look given by the nFD version. The photos look just as sharp, the bokeh is smoother and the lens gives a cleaner, more contrasty, more modern look. Finally, though its build quality isn't as good, it is much smaller and should be a perfect fit for most mirrorless cameras.
I won't be selling this one anytime soon.
But if you're looking to buy one, you can help me create more lens reviews by purchasing through this link. Thanks!
Related reviews
Sample Images
The Canon nFD 50mm f1.4 represents great value, and I'm not just saying that because I got mine for 30 bucks in a junk shop. At its current rate on ebay (about 50-80 USD), it's a steal for the kind of performance you get. It's certainly better than any other vintage fast fifty I've tried so far (not quite as good as the Carl Zeiss 50mm f1.7 though). Inevitably, I can't help but compare it to the older FD 50mm f1.4 SSC, and though I'd like to do a direct comparison, I can't because I already sold the SSC. However, looking at images I have from both lenses, I prefer the look given by the nFD version. The photos look just as sharp, the bokeh is smoother and the lens gives a cleaner, more contrasty, more modern look. Finally, though its build quality isn't as good, it is much smaller and should be a perfect fit for most mirrorless cameras.
I won't be selling this one anytime soon.
But if you're looking to buy one, you can help me create more lens reviews by purchasing through this link. Thanks!
Related reviews
- Canon FD 50mm f1.4 SSC
- Canon FL 55mm f1.2
- Carl Zeiss 50mm f1.7 Planar T
- Jupiter 3
- Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AI-S
- Pentax-M 50mm f1.4 SMC
- Super-Takumar 50mm f1.4
Sample Images
