Nikon Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AI-s

NormalMount: Nikon F50mmf/1.4 – f/16
Introduced: 1981
Nikon Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AI-s
Image: Bubba73 (Jud McCranie) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AI-S is Nikon's fast standard prime in the AI-S manual-focus lineup — the brighter sibling of the f/1.8 standard, with a Planar-derived 7-element optical design. The 50mm/f/1.4 combination is the canonical "available-light fast standard" focal-length-and-aperture pair across all 35mm SLR systems; the AI-S version is Nikon's best implementation of it.

Key features

  • 50mm focal length on 35mm full-frame
  • f/1.4 maximum aperture — 2/3 stop faster than f/1.8 alternative
  • 52mm filter thread
  • AI-S aperture coupling
  • Distinctive bokeh — slight swirl character at f/1.4-2; smooths to circular by f/2.8

Use case + rendering

  • Standard prime for portraits, available-light, indoor/low-light work
  • Wide-open f/1.4 has slight softness + glow (sometimes desired aesthetic); sharp by f/2
  • Stops down to f/16

Compatible bodies

  • All Nikon F-mount manual-focus bodies: F through FM3a and F6

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