Product overview
Nikon Nikkor-S 50mm f/1.4 Non-AI: What to Know
This leads because of what the seller is willing to put in writing about this specific copy. The listing states that the lens is fully functional with minimal wear, with no signs of fungus, haze, separation or oil on the blades, and that it comes with both original caps. Those four named defects are exactly what goes wrong with lenses of this age, and they are the four things most used listings avoid mentioning. A seller who rules them out individually is making a far more useful and more falsifiable claim than one who writes good condition.
The optics are the fastest here. A maximum aperture of f/1.4 against f/1.7 and f/1.8 on the others is a real difference in low light and in how shallow the focus can be made. This is the Nikkor-S Auto, manufactured by Nippon Kogaku, which is the name Nikon used on its optics before the Nikon brand took over the barrel engraving, and it is one of the most produced fast standard lenses ever made.
The mount is Nikon F, which has the longest continuous life of any SLR mount and which adapts to every current mirrorless system.
Now the serious caveat, and it is the single most important thing on this page. This listing describes three different lens generations in three different fields. The title says non-AI. The model-series field says Nikkor-S, which is consistent with non-AI. The model-number field says Ai Nikkor 50mm F1.4S, which is a later AI-S lens and a different product. Those cannot all be the same lens. The distinction is not cosmetic: a pre-AI lens can foul or damage the aperture coupling on certain Nikon SLR and DSLR bodies, which is why Nikon published compatibility lists. On a mirrorless camera with a plain adapter the question disappears entirely. If you intend to mount this on a Nikon body, confirm the generation with the seller before ordering.
The detail table is otherwise unreliable in the usual ways, giving a filter size of 5.2 centimeters, which is a 52mm thread, and a camera-lens field reading 50 month.
Key Listed Features
Condition described specifically: no fungus, haze, separation or oil on the blades, with both original caps
f/1.4 maximum aperture, the fastest lens in this guide
Nikon F mount, the longest-running SLR mount, adaptable to every current mirrorless system
Nippon Kogaku Japan barrel engraving, which dates it to before Nikon's optics renaming
Product image from current catalog data


