Nikon 35mm f1.8 ?

Johnny Thunder

Johnny Thunder

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Hi everyone. I am looking for a little advice if that is OK.

I am going to be visiting Madrid in September and I am thinking about adding another lens to my collection before this visit.
As well as the usual tapas and drinking venues, we will probably be visiting a selection of tourist sites and museums etc.
I am assuming that some places will have restrictions on flash photography therefore I would like advice on a suitable lens for the occasion. I have had a browse around the site and I am confused to say the least.

Budget wise, I will probably be spending £200 - £300. I may be able to stretch more if I think it will benefit me in other photography situations.

Thank you.


John.
 
You could look at the nifty fifty at £90 from Argos then still have £200 left for something wider a second hand 20, 24 or 28 would be a nice addition. Or an AF-S 50mm f/1.4
 
Sorry, I should have stated in my first post. My only lens at the moment is the 16-85 f3.5-5.6
 
You can pick up a 2nd hand 80-200 for about £100 plus a 50mm f1.8 for another £200 then
 
Thank you for your reply.
I am goint to hold off on buying a lens in that range for now because I hope to add the 80-200 f2.8 to my collection at Christmas.

Is the 50mm a recommended lens because of image quality, or price because it does get mentioned quite a lot?

Would a prime of say 35-50mm with a large aperture be suitable for other situations ie. landscape/portrait etc?

Sorry for all the questions but this is the circle I keep going in when I try to research it myself.


John.
 
The 50mm f1.8 is a superb lens irrespective of price. It is FAST, it is CHEAP and the quality is there. You can get shots using the f1.8 that you would otherwise need a flash. It is great for portraits especially on a crop body where is is the equivalent of about 80.
 
Johnny Thunder said:
Is the 50mm a recommended lens because of image quality, or price because it does get mentioned quite a lot?

Would a prime of say 35-50mm with a large aperture be suitable for other situations ie. landscape/portrait etc?

John.
Click to expand...

the 50mm lens is cheap and very good IQ, but i think on a crop frame sensor like your D300 you may find the 50mm a bit to long for what you want to photograph, i think the 35mm (f/2 i think you mean) would work better imho
 
Would this restrict me with how much I could capture inside a building like a church, and should I look for something wider?
I am willing to consider other manufactures like Sigma/Tamron.
 
you have a 16-85mm now so why dont you set the focal length at the various primes you can get and walk around not touching the zoom and see what rocks your boat?
 
Johnny Thunder said:
Would this restrict me with how much I could capture inside a building like a church, and should I look for something wider?
I am willing to consider other manufactures like Sigma/Tamron.
Click to expand...

If you click QUOTE it allows you to quote someone else in your reply like I have done here. That way everyone knows who that part of your reply is too.

I love the AF50mm f1.8 and use it more than ANY other lens. It is SO good that I actually have TWO of them and keep one with my spare camera. You will find that on occasion it will be too long but you can set your current lens to either 35 or 50 mm then DON'T TOUCH THE ZOOM and walk round to see just whether one is better than the other. £300 is enough for a really good lens. You can pick up a new 50mm from Argos for £90 and STILL have enough for another lens. You can pick up a whole host of other lenses for about £100 especially if you are happy with manual focus. Just one quick look on ebay could get you a 28mm for £80 and a 80-200 for about £100 that would give you 4 lenses to start with and you can then upgrade them as you see fit without losing anything when you sell them.
 
I have had the 50m f1.8 and now the 35 mf1.8. The 35m f1.8 is both sharper and a more useful focal length on a crop body. Well worth the extra £100 . You will get your cash back when you sell both of them. 50mm on a crop body is such a frustrating focal length , you end up walking backwards blindly more often than not.
 
Thanks for all your advice so far guys. I will have a walk around today with my current lens and see how it feels.
 
I've got the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 and the DoF at 1.4 is just too shallow for most situations. After a few months use I shoot mostly at f/2 and up.

It is a bit tight on a crop sensor (75mm). I've not tried the 35mm but would think it's more useful. If you want a 50mm get the f/1.8 - you're not missing much!
 
Yep, I've got the 50mm f/1.8, and it's just too long for most situations.
The 35mm f/1.8 is on the wish-list...!
 
Thanks for all your help guys.

The 35mm is definitely the one I prefer. I had a test at both settings suggested in my young lads 5-a-side hall and although 35-50 doesn't sound like much difference, there was quite a noticeable width variation.
But, with the price of the 50mm so cheap, I might just buy that one too.
 
The 35mm is a good lens. Don't forget if you are talking about taking shots inside Churches etc, that you will have a very shallow depth of field at f1.8 - not a lot of use for architectural shots for most people ;)
 
Munchkinn said:
The 35mm is a good lens. Don't forget if you are talking about taking shots inside Churches etc, that you will have a very shallow depth of field at f1.8 - not a lot of use for architectural shots for most people ;)
Click to expand...

How do I work out how much 'in focus' I will have for an aperture setting at a certain distance? Are there any charts/guidelines kicking around anywhere?
 
There are DoF calculators on the web and you can get them for mobile phones too. I think there is a free one called "The Photographers screwdriver"?
 
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