A fast 50mm prime can cost $100 or $3,000, and both will take a photo. The real question is what that price gap actually gives you when you’re shooting in the real world.
Coming to you from Luke Cleland, this candid video breaks down the difference between the Nikon AF NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8D and the Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S. Cleland starts with aperture, and the numbers are more dramatic than most expect. The jump from f/1.2 to f/1.8 is not small. Each full stop doubles the light, so when you look at it on a chart instead of just memorizing numbers, the cost of a fast lens starts to make sense. If low-light work is part of your life, that difference is hard to ignore.
Cleland also points out something that may surprise you. The difference between f/1.2 and f/1.8 is one stop, the same light difference as f/2.8 to f/4. Yet the price gap between those 50mm options is massive. You pay a steep premium to go from f/1.8 to f/1.2, even though the light difference is not as extreme as people assume. Then there is f/1.4, which sits closer to f/1.2 than many think. If you have ever lumped f/1.4 and f/1.8 into the same mental category, you may want to rethink that. These small numeric steps are not equal in impact, and seeing them laid out changes how you evaluate a lens.
Price is not just about aperture. Cleland talks about what he calls the “vibe” of a lens. Cheaper lenses often have more grit and character. They can flare in interesting ways. The rendering may be imperfect, but sometimes that imperfection gives the image personality. More expensive lenses tend to look smoother and more polished. Contrast is cleaner. Transitions are softer. You may prefer one over the other, and the higher price does not automatically mean you will like the look more.
Then there is build quality and focus performance. The difference in materials is obvious the moment you pick them up. The 50mm f/1.8D is lighter and built with more plastic. The 50mm f/1.2 S feels dense and solid, built for constant use. Autofocus tells a similar story. The cheaper lens is louder and slower. The premium lens locks focus quickly and with far less noise. If you work in quiet environments or fast-paced situations, that gap becomes practical, not theoretical.
Sharpness enters the conversation as well, especially around the edges of the frame. Expensive lenses often control softness and aberrations better, particularly at wide apertures. The difference is visible, but Cleland does not obsess over test charts. He keeps the focus on how those differences play out in actual images.
Cleland also shares how he used affordable gear for years, including a Nikon D7000, and made it work before upgrading. Experience and technique carried more weight than price. The expensive lens expanded options. It did not create skill. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Cleland.
2 Comments
Please stop using the word "Cheap" why a lens for its time is the somewhat the best at the time it was made! Low cost is better!
This person is a portrait photographer but he has left out something very important! At 1.2 and focusing on a persons eyes with Eye AF the tip of ones noise and ears will be out of focus!!!! So maybe a f/8 capture with all in focus is better AND remember it is software that can save a lot of $'s for most have blur function where you can select a whole subject but that around you can get the bokeh you want even the swirl kind.
Most want the f/0.9 or 1.2, 1.8 or 2.8 for a faster SS in dim light times and getting less noise! Again check your camera it may have ISO Invariance meaning you can capture at a lower ISO and in SW just increasing the exposure in post up to 5EV more you get less noise and a very bright image and if it helps you can do it again in another image edit, believe me I played with a 10mm f/5.6 prime at night doing Astro Milky Way image doing two time edit with Sony A7M3, has ISO Invariance, and went from almost dark foreground and lit like day with stars sky to a foreground that was bright as day with sharpness foreground.
It is really not known by the many MW photographers that you can get all the eye can not see and colors at night a foreground bright and colorful with daytime bright sky with colors.
Most times also no flash needed!
If you want inexpensive fast glass look a film camera glass yes no auto focus but MF help on the camera with color cover the focus area. They are fast glass for back in the days they were made for hand holding captures.
Remember if there is just a little light you can capture it even in a dark closet with even a f/4.
Many years ago I proudly bought my first professional-level camera, a Nikkormat with a 50mm f/1.4 lens. Then I added a Nikon FTN that came with another 50mm f/2, 135mm telephoto, and a 24mm lens. But even as a 20-something, that was a lot to carry around. I eventually ditched the heavier Nikon and the f/1.4, even though I shot plenty of low-light photos (I learned to push Tri-X quite a bit) and 50 years later...I have no back problems!