Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Lens
I just returned from Penn Camera with a sweet new lens. It’s the Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF. What a lens! I’ve only had time to snap a few frames with it, but I already love it.
The power of that wide aperture is astonishing, especially since the majority of my experience in photography has been with the stock Nikon 18-55mm lens (f/3.5-5.6) and the Nikon 55-200mm lens (f/4-5.6)—neither of which have very wide apertures, though they are great lenses. So far, I’ve had to really learn how to supplement the lighting in certain situations. That’s been great because it has forced me to study supplemental lighting techniques, like using strobes. Now, with this 50mm lens, I can open up that wide aperture and shoot most situations using only the available ambient light. (Of course, I’m still studying light—I will always study creative ways to light scenes and subjects. This lens simply prepares me for shooting in diverse situations where supplemental lighting isn’t possible.)
This is also my first experience with a prime lens. Prime (or “fixed”) lenses have only one focal length and do not offer the option to zoom to another focal length. It will be an adjustment to not rely on the zoom option. I’ll have to be even more active when composing. But I’ve already learned to compose shots first using a carefully selected focal length—and then use zoom for subtle framing adjustments. A large part of photographic composition is determining what type of perspective you want to create and using the focal length of the lens to adjust the angle. One would assume that with a fixed lens, the perspective is locked to a single variable. While I would say this is probably technically true, I already see differences in the way this lens shoots based on a number of other variables involved in photographic composition, such as subject distance, focus and, of course, aperture. I think the 50mm lens is actually quite dynamic.
Bottom line: This lens is well worth the small price tag. I say with certainty that the 50mm wide-aperture lens should be in every photographer’s bag. It’s versatile and fast.
Here are a two photographs taken with the 50mm lens. Thanks to bicycle and to Jeremy for being great subjects. If you aren’t tracking along on my photostream at Flickr, you should be.
[tags]photography, gear, nikon, 50mm, f/1.8, lens, review[/tags]
Jeremy
2007-08-17 1500hrs
I don’t really think words can capture how strange I look in that picture.
——-
David
2007-08-17 1612hrs
There is one word I know: “Straaaaange.”
Kirk Longhofer
2007-08-17 2340hrs
You know, David, back the olden days (you know 1978 when I was a sophomore in high school and bought my very first SLR, a Canon AE-1) a 50 or 55mm f1.8 lens was the “standard.” It gets pretty close to the same focal length as the human eye. If you wanted to spend some extra cash, you got the f/1.4. The really pricey lens was an f/1.2 and you could shoot in the dark with that bad boy.
The second lens I purchased was an 85mm, that I think was about an f/2. Mostly I got it for portrait work. Something about that little extra reach did something nice with people.
Then I spent some real money and got my first zoom. It was a 35 to 135 f2.8 ... and it was a honking big (large diameter) lens. Had to be to get that wide an aperature. First zoom I’d ever used, and I loved it.
Ain’t it funny how we come back full circle to find the utility of the things that used to just be standard!
Harvey Crumpet
2007-08-18 1008hrs
Zoom lenses are cheap rubbish. The 50mm f1.8 is a cheap rubbish lens too. You get what you pay for. If you want a real elns then get the 85mm f1.4.
David
2007-08-20 1345hrs
Kirk: The creative cycle. I’ve experienced it elsewhere too. And I’ve made the assessment for photography already. I opened up my dad’s old kit and he had a 50mm and some other nice prime lenses. There were even some neat filters, including a “macro” filter which is like a glorified magnifying glass. :)
I’d love something like your 35-135mm f/2.8. That sounds like a killer lens. My next lens will probably be a large diameter zoom. And then probably a really nice wide angle. At some point, I may add a telephoto, perhaps 300mm or 400mm. But right now, I’m focusing on lighting. I have a couple of strobes and I’m putting together a little portable lighting kit a la Strobist.
Harvey: Wow. I feel like you added so much to the conversation.
In case you aren’t sure, I’m being facetious.
You added nothing to the conversation, except your unsubstantiated opinion. Feel free to throw an argument in here against any lens, just be sure to support your argument with substance. I would imagine that the 85mm f/1.4 is a great lens. And it’s also pricier than the 50mm f/1.8 for obvious reasons. I agree with you and believe that you get what you pay for in life. The cool thing about the 50mm lens is that it is inexpensive and still manages to produce nice results. Yet I don’t expect a $100 lens to save the world with brilliance. I could even argue that a hundred lenses are better than the 50mm. It’s not necessarily about that. Evaluate this lens on its own merit. Don’t compare completely different lenses to it. That’s pointless. Each serves a particular purpose and fills a particular creative niche.
I’d also encourage you to steer clear of irrational generalizations like “zoom lenses are cheap rubbish”. If you are going to discount every single zoom lens as rubbish, you are going to have a long list of lenses to review and then criticize. If I had to guess, you probably haven’t spent much time with every single zoom lens so it is not something you have the credibility to generalize. And it’s a good point to avoid generalizations like that in every area of life. You’ll live better for it. That said, I am still open to hear a valid argument against zoom lenses in general. You just have to craft the argument for me and make it compelling.
djchuang
2007-08-20 2222hrs
I had gotten that lens too for my Nikon D50, love it! It’s great for some abstract photography too, as illustrated by my random twilight shots at http://flickr.com/photos/djchuang/95374373/