Conclusion

A fast 50mm lens should be in every DSLR shooter's camera bag, and the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G is an inexpensive standard prime that delivers very appealing image quality. You do need to stop-down to f/2.8 to obtain really sharp results in the center and f/5.6 at the edges, but given the overall cost of the lens, we can live with this.

The Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G delivers some nice bokeh effects when shot wide-open, with the fast lens' ability to separate the subject from the background very good for a standard focal-length optic. In all other regards the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G is also an excellent performer. Lateral chromatic aberrations are kept to a minimum and vignetting isn't too much of a problem, even at f/1.8.

Mechanical quality is great for a modern lens and it is quite compact and light compared to Nikon's other 50mm lenses. Auto-focus was fast and quiet on the Df body that we tested it with, and there's a certain level of weather-proofing built-in too.

Whether you purchase the standard gold version or the special retro silver version that ships with the Nikon Df, the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G is something of an essential purchase for Nikon DSLR owners who have outgrown the image quality and slow apertures offered by their standard kit zoom lens.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	5
Features	4
Ease-of-use	5
Image quality	5
Value for money	4.5