Beginner Prime Lens

R

robgooch

Messages
17
Edit My Images
Yes
I'm looking for some advice on a prime lens. My wife has just given birth to a little boy and i am looking to take some natural images as he grows up.

Now i am a complete amateur and generally read up a little and then practice what I've read up on. I have a Nikon D3100 with the standard 18-55mm kit lens and a 55-300mm telephoto lens.

Upon reading about a prime lens predominately used indoors I have come up with either a 35mm or 50mm f1.8 Nikon lens, unless i can be convinced by a Tamron or Sigma equivalent.

My question is which would be the better all rounder and perhaps some of you could post photographs as examples of what I may expect from such a lens.

Many thanks.
 
Depends how "in their face" you want to be. I used a 35mm ONLY on a trip to India. See image. I love primes, pain if you want to change to another lens. I always decide what I want to achieve before I go snapping.

India and Nepal-8419-2.jpg
 
If you don't have a nifty50 in your kit bag, you should have. However.....

The 35mm will help in tight situations, and given that its a crop sensor camera, multiply the effective focal length by 1.5 to get an equivalent. (So the 35 will be the equivalent of 50mm at FF, and the 50mm will be the equivalent of a 75mm). You can replicate the distances on your existing set up, although you will find the prime better in lower light.

I am a big fan of the 35mm length in general.
 
Last edited:
The 35mm 1.8g is a stonking lens for the price on your camera. I bought one for my D40x and still use it a lot on my D7100.

The focal length is ideal for use indoors on the crop sensor (I think a 50mm would be too long tbh) and I used it for every single shot of our newborn last year.
 
Get a 35mm 1.8! Enough said
 
As suggested get the 35mm f1.8, if you had camera with a motor like the D90/D7000 etc I would have said go for the Tamron 17-50 non vc. F2.8.
 
sep9001 said:
As suggested get the 35mm f1.8, if you had camera with a motor like the D90/D7000 etc I would have said go for the Tamron 17-50 non vc. F2.8.
Click to expand...

Why?

The OP is looking for a prime and states the camera he is using it on is D3100.
 
shreds said:
Why?

The OP is looking for a prime and states the camera he is using it on is D3100.
Click to expand...

Because I went through the same process, had the 35mm and the 50mm when my children were born, but as soon as I got the Tamron the primes just sat in the bag. Maybe I am just not a primes man.
 
Primes are better!

If you think you'd use them!
 
Being only 11 days old there isn't much that needs to be captured, but what i hope to achieve is to have my camera sit at the ready to capture those special unplanned moments. I didn't realise the x1.5 thing so i will have a play with my 18-55mm at 50mm to get an idea of what a 35mm prime would be like and i guess the prime would then just be a better image than the kit lens.
 
robgooch said:
I'm looking for some advice on a prime lens. My wife has just given birth to a little boy and i am looking to take some natural images as he grows up. I have a Nikon D3100 with the standard 18-55mm kit lens and a 55-300mm telephoto lens.

Upon reading about a prime lens predominately used indoors I have come up with either a 35mm or 50mm f1.8 Nikon lens, unless i can be convinced by a Tamron or Sigma equivalent.

Many thanks.
Click to expand...

Hi Rob

For indoor shots and using a cropped body, I'd recommend the 35mm from these 2, I think you'd struggle with the 50mm inside - unless you live in a mansion that is :)

There are some very good small zoom lenses about - have you thought about maybe upgrading your 18-55 lens to one ??
 
Thank you very much andyred.

I hadn't thought about upgrading my kit lens, i did think that perhaps it would be a bit wasteful to replace something which seems to do the job ok. My budget isn't huge and i don't mind spending £150 on a lens i just figured that the widest aperture for the money would be my best option therefore pointing towards a prime lens for cost effectiveness.
 
andyred said:
Hi Rob

For indoor shots and using a cropped body, I'd recommend the 35mm from these 2, I think you'd struggle with the 50mm inside - unless you live in a mansion that is :)

There are some very good small zoom lenses about - have you thought about maybe upgrading your 18-55 lens to one ??
Click to expand...
I've never understood this point of view, I've been shooting people indoors with 85mm on a crop for years, I only need to be a few feet away for a head shot, brilliant for de cluttering backgrounds.

My choices of focal length on a crop for the OP would be 85mm 35mm then 24mm

I always hated the 50mm on crop, just getting used to remembering it's useful now I have a FF body to attach it to
 
Phil V said:
I've never understood this point of view
Click to expand...

Just from my experience, that's all. I've tried a 50mm on a crop body and really struggled to get the shot I wanted indoors cos I couldn't get far enough away - hence my suggestion for 35mm.

Sorry if you didn't like my little silly comment about a mansion...
 
andyred said:
Just from my experience, that's all. I've tried a 50mm on a crop body and really struggled to get the shot I wanted indoors cos I couldn't get far enough away - hence my suggestion for 35mm.

Sorry if you didn't like my little silly comment about a mansion...
Click to expand...
I didn't take it personally, but I've got thousands of images shot indoors with the 85mm on crop. Shooting bridal prep it's a go to lens, and I wouldn't use anything wider for close up shots, it's flattering and anything wider leads to distortion close up (actually the 55mm end of my std zoom with a 1.6 crop is probably as wide as I'd go)
 
For indoor shots of a baby get rid of the kit lens and buy the 18-35 1.8 sigma art lens second hand! It's the best lens I've owned!
 
robgooch said:
Being only 11 days old there isn't much that needs to be captured, but what i hope to achieve is to have my camera sit at the ready to capture those special unplanned moments. I didn't realise the x1.5 thing so i will have a play with my 18-55mm at 50mm to get an idea of what a 35mm prime would be like and i guess the prime would then just be a better image than the kit lens.
Click to expand...

No. You need to set the kit lens to 35mm to see what a 35mm lens will be like.
 
shreds said:
If you don't have a nifty50 in your kit bag, you should have. However.....

The 35mm will help in tight situations, and given that its a crop sensor camera, multiply the effective focal length by 1.5 to get an equivalent. (So the 35 will be the equivalent of 50mm at FF, and the 50mm will be the equivalent of a 75mm). You can replicate the distances on your existing set up, although you will find the prime better in lower light.

I am a big fan of the 35mm length in general.
Click to expand...


Please could this be explained in laymans terms? I think i have misunderstood.
 
robgooch said:
Thanks for the suggestion but I'm not spending more than the camera is worth on one lens.
Click to expand...

Of course it's up to you what you spend on what.

But as a newbie lesson in photography, you should realise that spending more on cameras than lenses is 'the right way round'.

But your original assumption is correct, a cheap prime is the right choice.
 
Can I just say my findings...... For what it's worth


Cheap body with quality glass is better than a d4 with a milk bottle on the front!

Get a cheaper 35mm 1.8 ! It's a great lens
 
Before spending anything at all, read up the tutorials.

It will benefit you and help your understanding.
 
Cool, I'm keeping an eye on eBay for a decent second hand 35mm 1.8 lens just in case I can pick up a bargain. I can't look on the for sale section on here as in still new.
 
You have plenty of options looking at second hand lenses.
Upgrading the kit lens is one option. You can get a Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 for about £150. I have one and it's a great general purpose lens and f2.8 is wide enough in most situations. The Tamron equivalent, 17-50 f2.8 is pretty similar. Either option will be better than the kit lens.
As for a prime, some people really like the 35mm on a crop sensor camera like yours, personally I like the 50mm on a crop sensor and haven't had any problems with getting enough space.
I don't have a 35mm (Canon don't make a cheap enough one) but my Sigma 18-50mm covers that nicely.

There's another option though for crop sensor cameras, Sigma's 30mm f1.4 EX DC. The older version (not the Art series) can be had for less than £180 and it's very good, especially in low light. Though as it's quite wide, you will get unflattering distortion if you get too close to your subject.

I would always recommend getting the best lenses you can, no matter what camera body you have. Good glass on a cheaper body will produce better images than cheap glass on an expensive body.
Here's an amusing comparison to explain:
View: https://youtu.be/hk5IMmEDWH4
 
Since you asked for examples:

Here's an example of a baby shot taken with the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 (zoomed in at 50mm)
little hand [Explored!] by Alistair Beavis, on Flickr

This was taken with a 50mm (Canon f1.4)
Happy by Alistair Beavis, on Flickr

When babies are little, they don't move much, so a prime lens works well. When they start moving about, start walking, etc, then using a zoom can be helpful because you can quickly frame your shot. If you have a wider prime like the 35mm, it's easier to frame your shot (than with a 50mm) when in smaller spaces, but that's not to say it's impossible. I'm happy with a 50mm indoors most of the time.
 
Although canon my old 50mm 1.8 was the first prime i ever used and got plenty of great shots with it. Not sure if Nikon do one as cheap as the canon but if they do its worth picking up just to get a feel for them.
 
studioworks said:
Although canon my old 50mm 1.8 was the first prime i ever used and got plenty of great shots with it. Not sure if Nikon do one as cheap as the canon but if they do its worth picking up just to get a feel for them.
Click to expand...
Nikon do a 50mm f1.8d which is cheaper but cannot be used with the OPs camera with AF only manual focus. It works well on bodies with in built motors.
 
sep9001 said:
Nikon do a 50mm f1.8d which is cheaper but cannot be used with the OPs camera with AF only manual focus. It works well on bodies with in built motors.
Click to expand...

That's a shame as it's always the perfect beginners prime on Canon.

Still learning about what does and doesn't work on Nikon as thinking of switching.
 
studioworks said:
That's a shame as it's always the perfect beginners prime on Canon.

Still learning about what does and doesn't work on Nikon as thinking of switching.
Click to expand...

There is an updated version of that lens with an inbuilt focus motor so will AF on all cameras. Its also far better in a studio.

Generally, with the exception of one of two fairly unusual lens all the old Nikon lenses that required an inbuilt motor in the body to focus have been superseded. Although they are the cheapest option second hand. Its only the very base Nikon bodies that can't use the AF with these older lenses anyway
 
Last edited:
boyfalldown said:
There is an updated version of that lens with an inbuilt focus motor so will AF on all cameras. Its also far better in a studio.

Generally, with the exception of one of two fairly unusual lens all the old Nikon lenses that required an inbuilt motor in the body to focus have been superseded. Although they are the cheapest option second hand. Its only the very base Nikon bodies that can't use the AF with these older lenses anyway
Click to expand...

There is the 50mm F1.8G but is a bit more expensive.
 
I went down a similar route to you. I started with a 18-55 (on a D80) when my youngest was a baby but wanted something a bit faster for indoors when he started moving around. I went with the 50mm 1.8 which was much better than the 18-55 and I did get some nice shots but I started to struggle as he moved around more (and had a habit of heading towards the camera) as I could not get far enough away from him for the shots I wanted. I have since got a 35mm 1.8 which is probably on my camera 80-90% of the time.

As you asked, here are a couple of examples of the nikon 35mm 1.8g (taken off my facebook so quality may be a bit lower than normal):

4.jpg 3.jpg 1.jpg

The middle shot in particular I would not have been able to get on a 50mm as I was as far back against the wall as I could get.

The choice of lens probably also depends on what style of shot you are looking for, if you mainly want head shots then a 50mm or 85mm would probably be more suitable.
 
Hmmm... Thanks for the advice guys. I'm now thinking perhaps I would be better off getting a zoom lens so that when he does move about I can frame the shot better.

However, I have always been under the impression not to get either tamrob or sigma but I guess for a faster lens then this is a much cheaper option over the Nikon version. I guess the quality would still be good?
 
robgooch said:
However, I have always been under the impression not to get either tamrob or sigma but I guess for a faster lens then this is a much cheaper option over the Nikon version. I guess the quality would still be good?
Click to expand...

I can't speak forTamron but certainly over the last few years sigma have really upped their game and produce some great lenses. Their art range is as good as anything Nikon make
 
The Nikon 50mm is still one of my favourites. It's nice an small and great quality. I often brought it with me to restaurants as well and no issue photographing the person sitting next to me. Nor in my house. I would not class it as too long at all. I prefer it indoors over my 30mm f1.4 or my 35mm. However I do like the 35mm ish range for street.

It all depends but I would start with the very cheap 50mm as it is a great lens to have and keep.

Next to me.
image.jpeg

And across the table
image.jpeg
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top