I'm saving for a prime lens for Nikon D5100 - Any reccomendations please

amuseboucheUK

amuseboucheUK

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Matt
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I've had my D5100 for a year now and have both standard DX zoom lenses: 18 - 55 mm and 55 - 200 mm, I also have a Holga pinhole and a Diana+ 20mm fish eye.

Neither of the zooms are particularly fast and the other two lenses are what one would expect for a price tag of <£10 each, that said I have enjoyed the constraints of a fixed lens and I want to get back to my roots (My 1st camera, in the 80s, was the Pentax ME Super with the 50mm prime ... I delivered a LOT of newspapers to get that!) and get a good fixed lens at about the 50mm focal length.

The type of photos I take can be seen here at 500px.com/amuseboucheUK

Am I right in thinking that a 35mm full frame lens will give me 50mm ish? WHat lenses are there (within a reasonable budget) are worth looking at in combination with the D5100.

Many thanks

Matt
 
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I've got the 35mm 1.8 on my D3100 and for the moey its great. Not been off my camera since i bought it.
 
amuseboucheUK said:
Am I right in thinking that a 35mm full frame lens will give me 50mm ish? WHat lenses are there (within a reasonable budget) are worth looking at in combination with the D5100.
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If I had an APS-C camera and was looking to get my first prime a 30-35mm f1.4-f1.8 would be pretty near the top of my list.
 
Nikon 35mm f1.8 is great but also consider the 28mm f1.8 if you want to go a bit wider. It is more expensive than the 35mm f1.8 but still an excellent one
 
amuseboucheUK said:
Am I right in thinking that a 35mm full frame lens will give me 50mm ish?
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It doesn't mater if it's a full frame (FX) lens of a crop (DX) lens the focal lengths are the same.

Oh and another vote for the Nikkor 35 f1.8.
 
KC Leblanc said:
It doesn't mater if it's a full frame (FX) lens of a crop (DX) lens the focal lengths are the same.

Oh and another vote for the Nikkor 35 f1.8.
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But most are talking about field of view when comparing length on different sized sensors ;)
 
Another vote here for the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G - it's a cracker and so incredibly cheap. Very pleased with mine.
 
amuseboucheUK said:
Thanks for info and have been looking at the Sigma 30mm f1.4 EX DC HSM ... this, I think gives the equivalent field of view (thank you Colt) to a 45 mm focal length on full frame ... and it's that bit faster than the f1.8...
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The Nikon 35mm f/1.8 really is a must have lens for a DX camera. You get a lot of performance for minimal cost.

I personally haven't used the Sigma, but I've seen some mixed reviews for it. Given Sigma's reputation for poor QC and the increased costs over the tried-and-tested Nikon, I think you really need to think long and hard before opting for the Sigma.

That said, lens choice is a very personal decision, so that extra 2/3 of a stop might be worth the additional cost (and/or risks) for you, but only you can decide that.
 
amuseboucheUK said:
Thank you all for your thoughts ... When I've saved up £150 I will go and look at the Nikon lens :)
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Don't dismiss picking one up 2nd hand. Then if you don't get on with or its not exactly what you wanted you should be able to get your money back. (y)
 
My first prime lens for the D5100 was the 50mm f1.4. Once I bought it the lens never came off and I regretted not buying the D5100 body only because the kit lens went back in the box and hasnt seen the light of day since.
 
Took some snaps of the kids with my 35mm 1.8 this morning. First time I've used it for a while, but the sharpness always astounds me for the price.

Although I do find it too long sometimes when the kids come hurtling towards you and you've got no room to reverse into, usually indoors.

There is no way I could contemplate 50mm for those situations. Thankfully I've got the 17-50 2.8 Tamron for general use.
 
IF auto focus is important for the OP, don't forget that you'll need AF-S (or HSM) lenses on the entry level Nikon bodies.
 
Nod said:
IF auto focus is important for the OP, don't forget that you'll need AF-S (or HSM) lenses on the entry level Nikon bodies.
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Yes, thank you ... I will be going for an auto focus just so I can use it for general photos (or indeed my daughter uses it too, under strict supervision) although I often switch to manual focus when composing ... Cheers M
 
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