Nikon 35mm f/1.8D AF-S or Nikon 50mm f/1.8

maddybear

So, my boyfriend told me I should get more involved in chatting up other photographers. He told me to join a forum and here I am.

I was hoping someone could give me a little guidance in a dilemma I am having. I can't decided which lens I would like to get for my Nikon D40x. It's between the Nikon 35mm f/1.8D AF-S or Nikon 50mm f/1.8. Price doesn't really matter since there's only a $50 difference. I've been reading up on these two lenses for the past week and I still can't choose, mind offering a little input?

Tim Kamppinen

maddybear wrote:

So, my boyfriend told me I should get more involved in chatting up other photographers. He told me to join a forum and here I am.

I was hoping someone could give me a little guidance in a dilemma I am having. I can't decided which lens I would like to get for my Nikon D40x. It's between the Nikon 35mm f/1.8D AF-S or Nikon 50mm f/1.8. Price doesn't really matter since there's only a $50 difference. I've been reading up on these two lenses for the past week and I still can't choose, mind offering a little input?

Well, the 50 1.8 won't autofocus on your camera, so I'd definitely get the 35mm. However it's not in stock anywhere so you'll have to wait for it. If you don't want to wait and don't mind manual focusing, you could get the 50... it will work just fine and take great photos, but it can be frustrating for shooting people as they have an annoying tendency to move slightly just when you think you have the focus nailed.

maddybear

Tim Kamppinen wrote:

Well, the 50 1.8 won't autofocus on your camera, so I'd definitely get the 35mm. However it's not in stock anywhere so you'll have to wait for it. If you don't want to wait and don't mind manual focusing, you could get the 50... it will work just fine and take great photos, but it can be frustrating for shooting people as they have an annoying tendency to move slightly just when you think you have the focus nailed.

Thanks a lot for the input very helpful. I rarely use auto focus, buuut it is a nice thing to have. I've been leaning toward the 35mm anyway.

thedude

Hi there, I've owned the Nikon 1.8/50 and I currently own the AF-S 1.8/35. I can highly recommend both. But they're very different animals. Tim has already pointed out that only the 35 will autofocus but you've said that you'd also be happy focusing manually. So then it comes down to the focal length.

The 35 is great as a multi-purpose carry-around lens with a "normal" field of view. It shoots well in low light because it's fast and the Bokeh (out-of-focus blur) is quite pleasing too. The 50mm on the other hand becomes a great portrait and close-up lens on your D40x... and at an equivalent focal length of 70mm the Bokeh is even nicer (in my opinion).

Having looked at your gallery and with the caveat that you would need to manually focus all the time I'd say go for the 50mm. Or get both if you can afford it. They complement eachother well.

Tim Kamppinen

The 35 is back in stock at Ritz if you decide you want it.

maddybear

thedude wrote:

Hi there, I've owned the Nikon 1.8/50 and I currently own the AF-S 1.8/35. I can highly recommend both. But they're very different animals. Tim has already pointed out that only the 35 will autofocus but you've said that you'd also be happy focusing manually. So then it comes down to the focal length.

The 35 is great as a multi-purpose carry-around lens with a "normal" field of view. It shoots well in low light because it's fast and the Bokeh (out-of-focus blur) is quite pleasing too. The 50mm on the other hand becomes a great portrait and close-up lens on your D40x... and at an equivalent focal length of 70mm the Bokeh is even nicer (in my opinion).

Having looked at your gallery and with the caveat that you would need to manually focus all the time I'd say go for the 50mm. Or get both if you can afford it. They complement eachother well.

Thank you so much, I have definitely taken this into consideration and continued looking into both. I think right now I am going to get the 50mm. Then, maybe in a couple of months I will get the 35mm.