Advice wanted, which prime lens for D40x

T

tango

Messages
48
Edit My Images
Yes
Hello, i've spent alot of time lurking on these forums, they're great.
I've had my D40x about 6 months or so and use it mainly for portraits of my kids,friends kids etc.
I've got the 18-55mm kit lens, the 55-200mm VR both which i'm pleased with.
I'd like a prime lens, sometimes i find that the pictures arent as sharp as i'd like. What length prime do people find most useful for portraits? I'm looking at the 50 mm 1.8 which is about £75 or do do think i'd regret that and be better with forking out for the 50 mm 1.4 which is about £200 ?
i've never cleaned the sensor, i guess that should be a different post, but i wonder if thats why pics arent sharp.
your thoughts much appreciated
 
The 85mm f/1.8 is also an excellent portrait lens but maybe a tad too long on a cropped sensor - depends on your working distance.
The 50mm's are much of a muchness imho - both are excellent. The f/1.4 has slightly better bokeh & the 1.4 aperture advantage but costs a lot more than the nifty. If you shoot a lot in low light & can justify the 1.4 then that'd be the one to go for - if on the other hand you want 90% of the quality at a much cheaper price then the nifty is an excellent lens (I have one)

With regards to sharpness, make sure you are following the 1:1 rule & that your lens handholding techniques are up to scratch. Some focus tests may be a good idea (make sure to use a tripod) so as people here have a better idea in order to help. I can't see the problem being a dirty sensor though tbh (y)
 
the 1.8 is a very good lens for the money . but i believe most people who have the 1.4 would buy it again over the slower one . just a matter of how much you want to spend. on film the standard portrait focal lenth seems to be around the 80mm mark , so with the 1.5 crop factor giving almost the same angle of view , 50 on the d40 is about right .
 
Thanks guys. I would certainly prefer the 1.4, but then the more i spend on that, the less there is for other kit.
85mm is worth a thought too, Anyone else agree?
i personally dont like being too close to people for portraits.
thanks
 
Seeing as you have a D40x and have to MF anyway why not go for a Voigtlander 58mm F1.4? Much nicer build quality than the Nikon equivalent, sharper and with better bokeh too. Although you will probably (not sure about this, check about) need to import it its about the same price and you'll have something a bit special then. Also 58mm on your cropped sensor looks like an 85mm on full frame which is meant to be the sweet spot but then I understand what you mean about being further away for portraits.

It's my favourite lens I own and I'm enjoying it more than the 70-200mm F2.8 VR which I ended up selling, although I'll probably buy another at some point... shame they cost so much or I'd say go with that :)

Check out a review at photozone.de and look at some pics on flickr ;)

EDIT - Just did a search for google and the first result shows it available for £205 http://www.robertwhite.co.uk/product.asp?P_ID=1819&P=Voigtlander-58/1.4-Nokton-SL-II

Here's an unedited example of it btw... F2.8/ISO640 using a D80 (which I think is actually a bit noisier than the D40x).

58mm_800w.jpg
 
oh my goodness, thats a scary picture. you've almost put me off that lens!!
good dof ***.
just kidding, i've never heard of them, sounds like some sort of 4x4 vehicle.

would i have to manual focus with the 50mm then, or is there an AF version?
ta
tango
 
the Nikkor 50mm is an AF lens, but because the D40X has no inbuilt AF motor you would need to use the Nikkor AF-S lenses to get AF (the AF-S has a built-in AF motor). I think the shortest AF-S prime lens Nikkor do is a 105mm f2.8.

I used to have the D40X and because I couldn't make use of the AF Nikkor (therefore having to focus manually), I bought an older 50mm AIS nikkor lens off ebay for a fraction of the price :)
 
haha sorry about the subject, its one of my workmates but while its sharp (check photozone.de for reviews and MTF charts) it's real strength is the way it blurs stuff so nicely.

As anti-hero says, go for a manual focus lens (nikon 50mm or the voigtlander) as it will be built with focusing manually in mind, and as such it makes it a pleasure to use. MF'ing with an AF lens never feels that nice, and you're forced to as your camera doesn't have the AF drive.
 
Np's fella, do you live anywhere near twickenham? if you do you're welcome to try out my 58mm lens on your camera to see if you like it?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top