The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G Special Edition ($279.95) is a dressed up version of the standard AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G($216.95 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) that features cosmetics that better match the retro Nikon Df. If you’re paying the $150 premium to get the lens bundled with the camera it’s a great value, but unless you’re in love with its style you’re better off saving some money and going with the standard 50mm f/1.8G.

Very light at 6.7 ounces, the lens($396.95 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) measures just 2 by 2.8 inches (HD). Its filter thread supports 58mm filters, and a lens hood is included. Close focus is limited to just under 1.5 feet—you’ll be able to frame subjects tightly and open up the aperture to blur the background, but don’t expect this to perform double duty as a macro lens. The lens doesn’t have any sort of image stabilization, as Nikon only puts that technology into zooms and telephoto prime lenses—it’s rare that you’ll see it in a 50mm lens from any manufacturer. There is an internal focus motor, so you can get the most out of the lens even if your Nikon D-SLR doesn’t have a screw-drive focus system, but there isn’t an aperture ring. This isn’t a concern to digital Nikon shooters, but if you’re a die hard with an old F-series manual focus SLR that stills sees the occasional roll of film, you won’t be able to use the lens with that camera—it will only fire photos at its minimum f/16 aperture.

I used Imatest(Opens in a new window) to check the sharpness of the lens with the Nikon Df, the camera with which it’s most likely to be paired. At f/1.8 it scored 1,817 lines per picture height on a center-weighted sharpness test, with good performance (1,790 lines) even at the edges of the frame. We consider an image sharp if it scores 1,800 lines on the center-weighted test. Stopping the lens down to f/2.8 boosts the sharpness to 2,204 lines, and it hits 2,368 lines at f/4. Peak resolution is 2,517 lines at f/5.6. At f/8 it drops off a little bit—2,392 lines—as diffraction starts to set in. There’s a modest amount of barrel distortion, about 1.2 percent, which is just barely noticeable in real world conditions.

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If you’re in the market for a 50mm prime for your Nikon SLR, the standard version of the 50mm f/1.8G is a solid choice; we awarded it a four-star rating. This lens is the same product at a higher price, so we’re rating it just a bit lower. If you buy it along with the Df it’s a bargain, but on its own, you should save some money—unless the silver ring that adorns this lens is worth $60 to you. There are a couple of Editors’ Choice winners for standard-angle prime lenses available for Nikon, but both are more expensive. The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G($446.95 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) is sharper and has a wider aperture, but it comes with a $385 asking price. And, if money, size, and autofocus are no objects, the giant, ultra-sharp, manual focus, $3,990 Zeiss Otus 1.4/55($3,316.32 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) is a nearly perfect optic, but one that’s priced accordingly.