No wonder they say Nikon’s old masters excel at capturing landscapes—its scenery shots brim with an exhilarating vitality. Take Nikon’s 58mm f1.4 Auto lens, the first f1.4 large-aperture lens crafted for the formidable F-mount. Its lineage traces back to the rangefinder 50mm lenses, yet the reflex mirror of SLR cameras nudged it to 58mm. In truth, apart from a slightly narrower field of view compared to a 50mm, it transcends the standard in the ethereal realm of bokeh and that elusive, almost mystical quality. Heehee, here’s a little secret few know: when it comes to background blur, early standard lenses with focal lengths between 50mm and 65mm—think 58mm, 55mm, or 60mm—are truly exceptional. They share a deep kinship with that German flavor, steeped in a certain metaphysical allure.
Oh, and by the way, Leica’s 50mm lenses? They’re all ever so slightly larger than 50mm 😉—a subtle truth Leica kept quietly to itself back in the day.
