50mm or 35mm lens for a Nikon?

[funk odyssey]

I used to use a nifty 50mm lens with my old Canon SLR. It was great and suited my interests - indoor, natural light etc


I'm new to DSLRs though and would like this sort of lens again .....

presumably to get an effective 50mm I need around a 35 mm?

(I have a Nikon DSLR btw)


Anyone know any cheaper (cash is tightish for gadgets unfort!) 50mm or 35 mm lenses?

I'm guessing the 35mm will be pricey?

Jessops are selling for 80 quid - A Nikon 50mm F1.8 - this could be what I'm after?

Help!

[beano500]

funk odyssey said:

presumably to get an effective 50mm I need around a 35 mm?

(I have a Nikon DSLR btw)

Yes (unless you have a D3/D3x or D700!)

funk odyssey said:

Anyone know any cheaper (cash is tightish for gadgets unfort!) 50mm or 35 mm lenses?

It's all relative. "Cheaper" than what?

funk odyssey said:

I'm guessing the 35mm will be pricey?

I don't think the 35mm is particularly pricey - it's a great handling, well built, small lens with excellent results.

I have to say I am assuming you mean an f/2 AF-D 35mm Nikkor. Of course you might get cheaper for a manual focussing AIS. Personally I got a secondhand 35mm f/2 AF-D for about £130-ish on Fleabay and love it. Its sweet spot is anywhere from about f/2.2 to f/4 and it focuses ultra-fast because there's not much glass to move. It's perhaps a little on the soft side on a digital sensor and wants a bit more sharpening than some others in the bag.

funk odyssey said:

Jessops are selling for 80 quid - A Nikon 50mm F1.8 - this could be what I'm after?

Help!

Well, as you already point out, you think the 50mm might be on the long side. But £80 for a brand new Nikkor quality lens is a bargain. (personally, I picked up a (secondhand, again!) 50mm f/1.4 AF-D last year for about £140-ish. There should be some even better bargains out there somewhere at the moment.)

If I had a tight budget I might be tempted by a 50mm f/1.8 - but what will you use it for? 35mm - on an APS size sensor is about "normal" (can be useful for landscape, street scenes, people, groups, low-light interiors), and 50mm is about right for some portraiture. Secondhand could save a few bob / open up more possibilities.

[VxDuncan]

I've made a couple of posts to this end. I've a Nikon 50mm F1.8 and Sigma Ex 30mm F1.4. The 30mm is never used. Seems a good idea, but really the small, light 50 does everything I need for a fast prime. Whenever I try to use the 30 I end up swapping to the 50 after a couple of shots. Just prefer the tighter FOV.

[CivicMan]

+1 for the Nikon 50mm - it's a cracker.

[GravelBen]

CivicMan said:

+1 for the Nikon 50mm - it's a cracker.

[funk odyssey]

sounds conclusive then chaps!

are we looking at a big price rise for an F1.4 ?

[funk odyssey]

what ar eyou guys using the 50mm Nikon 1.8 for?

I want to take indoor natural light shots?

[Major Bloodnok]

Assuming a) your Nikon is DX format (APS-C size sensor), b) your budget is about £200, and c) you can wait a month or so; Nikon are bringing out a 35mm f1.8 soon:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0902/09020901nikon35m...

[Major Bloodnok]

I just looked a bit more closely at that page and I see that the suggested retail prices are £199, €199 and $199. Ever feel that we're being ripped off?

[Simpo Two]

Only one proviso with fast lenses (especially f1.4) - the DOF can be shallower than the AF is accurate. There's a tendency to use fast lenses wide open 'just because you can' - but unless you're ready for it, the results can be disappointing.

[furtive]

Nikon are bringing out a new 35mm DX lens:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0902/09020901nikon35m...

[Simpo Two]

Blimey, two in a morning!

[funk odyssey]

[funk odyssey]

Major Bloodnok said:

Assuming a) your Nikon is DX format (APS-C size sensor), b) your budget is about £200, and c) you can wait a month or so; Nikon are bringing out a 35mm f1.8 soon:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0902/09020901nikon35m...

I have a D70s which I believe is DX format

[funk odyssey]

I'm not entirely surely I will be able to justify the extra 100 quid or so to get the 1.4 35mm over the 1.8 50mm as I'm not sure that my skill levels are high enough!


what difference will i notice between the 2 lenses?

[CivicMan]

Probably not a lot....

[kerplunk]

I'll defo be dropping on that new 35mm as soon as it hits the shelves. Good move by Nikon, especially for D40/60 owners

[kerplunk]

funk odyssey said:

I'm not entirely surely I will be able to justify the extra 100 quid or so to get the 1.4 35mm over the 1.8 50mm as I'm not sure that my skill levels are high enough!


what difference will i notice between the 2 lenses?

The 35mm will be more like the 50mm you had on your old canon slr in terms of field of view. The 50mm is more like a 70mm on a DX.

[_dobbo_]

As Kerplunk says the field of view will be wider for the 35mm lens.

If it's shallow depth of field you are after, although the 35mm has a larger maximum aperture the depth of field on the 50mm f/1.8 will be shallower.

[VxDuncan]

Simpo Two said:

Only one proviso with fast lenses (especially f1.4) - the DOF can be shallower than the AF is accurate. There's a tendency to use fast lenses wide open 'just because you can' - but unless you're ready for it, the results can be disappointing.

Very good point, and the focus point gets ever harder to gauge acurately through the viewfinder.

Have to say with these fast primes AF fine tune (as on the D300/D700/D3/D3x) is an absolute godsend. After using it I'd be very wary of using a fast prime without knowing how good the AF accuracy was. Much under-rated function, but absolutely wonderful. Definate reason to stick with Nikon.