Unlock the Magic of Vintage: The Must-Have Vintage 50mm Lenses for Your Camera in 2023
I do like a nice bit of background blur, and there are a few better ways to make it than with a 50mm f1.4 vintage lens. Why a 50mm? Because they’re small, light and portable, they’ll make blur close to your subject, and they’ll even give you some separation on the street, helping to give your shots that 3D effect! If you want to know some great advantages of 50mm, check out this Top Five Advantages of a 50mm Lens
Why a vintage lens? Because vintage lenses have character. Unlike modern lenses designed on a computer, vintage lenses were designed by human beings with slide rules and notepads, so their designs have tiny errors that give you, when you shoot them, an image with personality and vibrance, and an individual identity that modern lenses just can’t match. And the fact that they’re a lot cheaper than modern lenses is an added bonus that I can’t ignore! Nigel Crowley also recommended 5 Vintage Wide-Angle Lenses Under $300 and you can choose one of them.
I’ve brought together four of my favourite vintage 50mm f1.4 lenses for an identical shot-for-shot group test that will really put them through their paces in critical areas like sharpness, colour rendition, contrast and background blur, to help you choose the one that works best for you.
Check out the images as you read through the article and see if you can tell which is which.
So the lenses on test, in no particular order, are:
- The Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4 – an earlier Hexanon produced before the 50mm f1.4
- The Canon FD 50mm f1.4 – is one of my favourite vintage lenses
- The Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4 – black nose version, my first vintage 50mm 1.4
- The Nikon Nikkor 50mm f1.4 – a classic Nikon design with a unique look
So, let’s get started and see how each lens compares in a like-for-like identical shot group test. Study each image carefully as we go, and see which you think performs best, and at the end of the article, I’ll reveal which is which.
There are four shots, and I shot each of those four images with each lens set to f1.4 and again stopped down slightly to F2, so there are sixteen images in all. Each lens shows imperfections at F1.4 (expected in a vintage lens), but all behave rather better at F2, again, as we might expect. But which will take the crown and which will go home in shame? Let’s find out!
Table of Contents
Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4
Here’s our first shot – a shot of a church – taken by Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4. It’s reasonably sharp at f1.4, although the corners perhaps are slightly softer than the central area of the image. Overall though it’s a reasonably good image for an f1.4 50mm vintage lens shot wide open. If you look on the trees actually at the top right where they have a background against the sky you can see a little bit of chromatic aberration creeping in though, and there’s some vignetting too, so let’s close down to F2 and see what happens.
And clearly, it gives a very different image The vignetting is very much reduced, the image is much sharper, and the colour palette seems a little different as well. I did have the camera set to auto white balance, so it’s possible that may be responsible but I’ve often noticed that stopping down lenses makes them sometimes change or shift colours and hues slightly, and I think that’s what’s responsible here.
Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4
Overall, this is a far sharper image. You can see those bricks on the church very clearly, and the branches of the trees are much more clearly focussed. The chromatic aberration, although reduced, is not completely gone.
Canon FD 50mm f1.4
At f1.4, Canon FD 50mm f1.4 seems a little softer than Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4, with a generally softer feel to the image. There’s less chromatic aberration with this lens but I think there might be a bit more softness in the corners, which can be seen at the top left on the roof of the church. If we close down to F2, again we get a much sharper image.
I don’t think it’s sharper than the image from Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4 though, and they seem about equal in this respect.
Canon FD 50mm f1.4
There’s a lot less chromatic aberration with this lens. Looking at the tops of the trees at the top right there I think the branches show less of the chromatic carburation that we saw in Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4.
Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4
Moving on to Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4, well, again we get a reasonably sharp image at F 1.4 and I think that this is the sharpest yet wide open, and considering this is a vintage 50mm f1.4, it’s actually quite a surprising performance that I hadn’t expected at its widest aperture setting.
Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4
And when you close it down, of course, it gets even sharper!
At f2 I think Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4 gives the sharpest image so far. Again we get a slight colour shift – that does seem to be characteristic of certain lenses, and it’s quite common in vintage glass – didn’t I say it had character?
Nikon Nikkor 50mm f1.4
Let’s go on to Nikon Nikkor 50mm f1.4.
Again we get a reasonably sharp image fully open at f1.4. I don’t think it’s sharper than Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4 but it’s certainly comparable and in the same ballpark. However, if we stop this lens down to F2, surprisingly we don’t seem to get much of an increase in sharpness, and that really is a big surprise.
The bricks on the church are not as sharp as they are in the shots from the other lenses, and that’s very surprising.
Nikon Nikkor 50mm f1.4
The second shot in this test is closer than the first; I chose a tree with some ivy snaking around it, to reveal more of these lenses’ subtleties.
And again in the wide open shot from Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4, we can see some chromatic aberration on the left there on the edges of those vertically running branches – not necessarily a bad thing but it is there, and there’s a little bloom from the little pink flowers on the left on side of the shot. The background blur is pretty nice – it’s a little bit harsh but it’s nice enough.
Let’s close it down to F2 and things do sharpen up quite a lot.
Those little flowers that had a little bloom on them well the blooms pretty much disappeared and the image really sharpens up quite a lot. Vignetting has disappeared and we get a rather nicer image overall.
The same shot from Canon FD 50mm f1.4 is again reasonably sharp and wide open.
There’s a pretty good chromatic aberration performance – there’s certainly less of it than from Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4. Background blur is very similar and seems very much comparable – I don’t think it’s any less pleasant but I don’t think it’s any more pleasant either.
Closing the lens down to f2 gives us a very much sharper image.
Things have really sharpened up quite significantly here. I’m not sure whether it’s sharper than the image from Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4, but it’s certainly comparable, although not quite as pleasant to my eye. I think it might be just a bit harsher, but what do you think?
So, the same shot, this time is taken through the glass of Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4.
Wide open at f1.4 I think it’s slightly sharper than Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4 and pretty much comparable in sharpness to Canon FD 50mm f1.4. If we stop though, it gets much sharper, and I think this might be the sharpest image so far – but again, what do you think?
I’m not sure the background blur is quite as nice from this lens as it was from Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4 – somehow it’s just not as engaging, and just a little harsher too. I don’t think the blur is quite as nice when the lens is stopped down to F2 either – this one does seem to have an inherently slightly harsher blur.
So let’s look at Nikon Nikkor 50mm f1.4.
And if we look at the wide-open shot I think that’s probably the nicest of the lot. The image has much more body than those from the other lenses, it has better contrast, it’s equally as sharp as the images from the Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4 and the Canon FD 50mm f1.4 and I think it beats Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4 pretty comprehensively.
Background blur is nice but not particularly nice in places (check out the top right of the shot) and there’s a little chromatic aberration on the left top left of the shot.
If we close it down to f2, my goodness, the image gets even nicer.
It’s extremely sharp with lovely contrast, lots of resonance, lots of body and thump. I think it’s rather nicer than the image from Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4 at f2 because there’s a lot more contrast. It shouts at you more, it draws the eye in more, it’s just a nicer image, and I think lens number four takes the Crown for this shot.
The third shot is of a wall and the focus point is on the smaller of the two pillars you can see there.
Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4 gives us a nice image here – it’s got plenty of contrast and I do like the tones and colours it gives – I particularly love the browns and greens that come through in the shot. It’s giving plenty of contrast and plenty of body, and this image feels – substantial.
The background blur is nice – a little sketch-like perhaps but I like that look. And look at the right-hand side of the shot and you’ll see that blur in the foreground is nice too. If we close it down to f2 we get a really lovely shot that’s full of resonance and full of body.
It’s very sharp too – check out the sharpness on that first pillar and you’ll see what I mean. I love the colours this lens can make – the green of the ivy, the green of the bush and the trees in the background, and the browns and greens on the wall. Personally, I think that’s a really nice shot.
The image from Canon FD 50mm f1.4 is full of body, and it’s very sharp, with loads of detail evident on the first pillar.
I like the colours but they’re not so strong nor so resonant as those from Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4, and there’s a slight greenish cast on this shot which if I’m honest I’m not particularly keen on. Closing down to f2 gives us better sharpness, and I think the colours are a bit nicer too.
The green of the ivy on the lower left is nicer, the green of the trees and the bush is nicer, and the tones on the wall are coming through a bit more nicely too. I don’t think this shot is as sharp as the shot from Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4 and I don’t think it’s as sharp as that from Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4.
Wide open Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4 gives a very sharp image, sharper to my eye than the Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4, but I don’t like the colours quite as much, nor the overall feel.
Contrast is reduced and everything just seems a little muted from this lens on this particular shot. Tones and colours seem to lack energy and generally, the image feels a little flat.
Close it down to f2 and it sharpens up very considerably.
I’m not sure it’s sharper than Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4 though – it seems about equivalent, or possibly just a little bit softer to me – but see what you think!
Nikon Nikkor 50mm f1.4 gives a rather nice shot wide open – in a similar way to Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4we’re getting those nice strong tones pouring through the glass and I think it’s quite similar in its colours and contrast.
It’s not quite as contrasty as Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4, and nor is it quite as resonant or in your face but it does have a very engaging quality – I love the way that greens and browns are rendered, for example. The background blur is nice and is comparable to the other lenses here. I don’t think any of them shows a particular talent for blur in this shot but none is what I’d call unpleasant either.
Close Nikon Nikkor 50mm f1.4 down to F2 and my oh my, we see another very sharp shot, but is it as nice as the shot from Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4?
They’re very similar images but to my eye, the image from Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4 has that little bit more resonance about it, that little bit more sparkle, and just that bit more dynamism.
Our final shot is a churchyard gate, and wide open, Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4 seems a little soft, and this, I think, is about as sharp an image as we’re going to get from this lens.
There’s quite a bit of chromatic aberration too, evident at the top centre of the shot, in the leaves and branches of the silver tree.
If we stop it down, wow, what a difference, really quite astonishing!
Stopped down the image really shapes up and it’s now sharp right across the frame. There are some beautifully rich tones on the right where the ivy snakes its way around the tree, and on the leaves on the left, and the chromatic aberration is gone.
Canon FD 50mm f1.4 is again pretty soft and wide open at f1.4, although I don’t think it’s any softer than Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4.
There’s some chromatic aberration just visible, but far less than Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4.
Stop the lens down to f2 and again there’s a very significant improvement; the image really sharpens up and the colours are much richer and fuller, though not quite so nice, I don’t think, as Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4.
Let’s turn to Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4 then, and wide open I think it’s a little sharper than both Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4 and Canon FD 50mm f1.4 – the detail on the bars of the gate for example is more clearly visible.
There’s a little chromatic aberration present, although less than Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4 shows us. Overall this seems a pretty good image from a vintage 50mm f1.4 shot wide open.
Stop the lens down to f2 and the image improves considerably.
Vignetting seems to have completely disappeared and the image is now very sharp indeed. It compares very well to Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4, although I don’t think the colours are quite as nice, feeling that little bit flatter and less vibrant.
Nikon Nikkor 50mm f1.4 gives a good performance wide open, it’s sharper than lens Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4 though less sharp than Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4.
There’s very little chromatic aberration and the colours are pretty nice too – not a bad shot at all.
Stopping down unlocks a much sharper image, although it’s not as sharp as Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4 or Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4.
Stopped down to f2, I think Konica Hexanon AR 57mm f1.4 and Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4 tie for the sharpest image, and in this shot at least I can’t really put a hair between them. Nikon Nikkor 50mm f1.4 isn’t far behind, but it’s not quite as sharp in the final analysis.
So are we ready for the big reveal? The Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4 (the later, black nose version) is a favourite of mine over the years.
This test has given me some real surprises, the biggest one of which was that my lovely Canon FD 50mm f1.4 that I’ve been using and enjoying for some years now, the 50 1.4 I’d always assumed was the sharpest in my collection – is not the sharpest in my collection!
That prize clearly goes to the Olympus Zuiko lens. I don’t think the Canon has the nicest colours either; although it does give pretty good colour I think it comes second in this contest to the Nikon glass. The Canon is a late vintage lens, probably from the penultimate generation of vintage glass so I’d expected it to outperform all the lenses here, some of which are much older – but clearly very capable – designs.
So which is best? Well in this test, the Olympus Zuiko lens is the sharpest, delivering consistently sharp results across all four shots. As the latest of these lenses, I’d expected the Canon to be the sharpest, but I don’t think it’s quite as sharp as the older Olympus Zuiko design.
Despite this though, I don’t think the Olympus makes the nicest images. They’re a little bit flat, a little lacking in character compared to some of the others, certainly compared to the Canon, and the Nikon too.
Overall I think the Nikon lens emerges as the nicest overall. I think it gives the nicest colours by quite some margin, it gives consistently the best contrast and images just seem to have the most fullness, vibrance and resonance.
It’s not always the sharpest lens, in fact sometimes it’s the softest but I’ll forgive it that because all things considered, overall, when stopped down to f2, this lens makes the most pleasing images of any in this group. First prize then, to the Nikon!
Of course, each of these lenses has strengths and weaknesses, and each will shine in particular circumstances and specific conditions. My pick from this group is the Nikon, but each of these lenses has its own character and not all will suit every photographer in the same way, so check out the images carefully and choose a lens that’s right for your needs.
