Nikon 50mm f/1.8D vs 50mm f/1.8G: is distortion different enough to matter?
Asked 2/17/2012
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I’ve seen claims that the Nikon 50mm f/1.8D has less distortion than the 50mm f/1.8G. The D version is also older, cheaper, smaller, lighter, and has an aperture ring, while the G version is newer. How much real-world difference in distortion is there between these two lenses, and is it enough to be a deciding factor? Why would someone choose the 50mm f/1.8G over the 50mm f/1.8D?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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Most lenses have some amount of distortion, it just may not be measurable or significant.
Thom Hogan says of the f/1.4G:
Linear distortion is low (though slightly higher than the f/1.4G) and barrel in nature. At under 0.5% it's not something I'd bother correcting unless I had software that did automatic correction based on EXIF data, in which case I'd just let that do its thing.
slrgear say this about the 50mm f/1.8
Distortion The 50mm ƒ/1.8 shows no distortion when mounted on the sub-frame D200. On the full-frame D3x, there is a negligible (+0.1%) amount of barrel distortion apparent in the corners.
Both lenses have 7 aperture blades, but that doesn't affect distortion. The f/1.8G blades are rounded, which will make the bokeh a bit more circular.
The more expensive f/1.8G has the following advantages over the f/1.8D
- sharper in the centre at wide apertures
- much sharper in the corners at wide apertures, most apparent with FX bodies
- AF-S focusing motor
Disadvantages
- more expensive
- lack of an aperture ring
- bigger and heavier
- 58mm filter thread (unusual for a Nikon lens - f/1.8D uses more common 52mm filters
So in summary, I don't think the distortion is a deal breaker. You would buy the f/1.8G if you needed an AF-S motor built in, or if sharpness was a big issue.
Originally by user4191. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4191
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The distortion difference between these two 50mm lenses is very small and generally not a deal breaker. Community references describe distortion as negligible—around the “under 0.5%” range for one Nikon 50mm and about +0.1% barrel distortion for the 50mm f/1.8 on full frame. In normal shooting, most people won’t notice that difference.
Aperture blade count doesn’t explain distortion. Both lenses have 7 blades; the f/1.8G uses rounded blades, which affects bokeh shape, not distortion.
The main practical reason to buy the 50mm f/1.8G is autofocus compatibility: it has an AF-S motor, so it will autofocus on Nikon bodies that do not have an in-body focus motor. The older f/1.8D relies on the camera body’s screw-drive AF, so on entry-level bodies without that motor it won’t autofocus.
If distortion is critical—such as for architecture—you’d usually look beyond either of these standard 50mm primes, and in many cases distortion can be corrected easily in software. For most photographers, camera-body compatibility and handling matter more than the tiny distortion difference.
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