35mm versus 50mm prime lens?

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gaz_jameison

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Hi all,

I'm new to this site (and to photography) got a Nikon D3100 just before Christmas with the 18-55 and 55-200 kit.

I'm thinking about getting myself a f/1.8 prime lens but I'm a bit confused about which to go for, 35mm or 50mm. Is there even that much of a difference?

Also, will I be able to get a f/1.8 prime lens that will autofocus with my D3100 or will I be stuck with manual focus?

Thanks in advance for any help...
 
Dont have nikon gear myself, but I can tell you the d3100 is a crop sensor so on that camera the 35mm lens would be equivalent of the 50mm on a full frame sensor. So in your case I would think the 35mm would be the best option to get shots that perspective wise are close to what you see with the naked eye. However as with all things it depends on what you want to take pictures of. if it were for people/ portrait shots thn the 50mm on your body would effectively be a 75mm so that may be the better option. So up to you to decide what you want to use it for...general shots Id go 35, portraits then 50 prob best.

Im sure there is a lens that will do what you want, and no doubt one of the nikon bods will be able to answer the rest.
 
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Welcome to TP.

The best focal length for you depends on what you are going to use it for and where. Some people find that the 50mm is too long for portraits as they do not have enough space indoors to get as far away from the subject as they want, personally I find it great. As you have the 18-55mm you can just set that to 35mm and then to 50mm in various situations and see which focal length does what you want.

You will need AF-S lenses if you want autofocus, these are available in both 35mm and 50mm but are a bit dearer - about twice the price of a non AF-S lens when I looked ages ago.
 
A 50mm lens on a Nikon crop body gives you the same field of view (FOV) as an 80mm lens on a 35mm camera or a full frame DSLR. You multiply the focal length by 1.6 (1.5 for Canon) to get the FOV equivalent.That's not a bad choice for portraits, and gives a decent perspective, but it's a bit too long for a walkabout lens and too short to be a useful telephoto.

A 35mm lens will give you the same FOV as a 56mm lens on a 35mm camera or full frame DSLR. 50mm - or thereabouts - was the 'standard' lens most people got with their 35mm film cameras for everyday use. I think it would be a better choice for a D3100.

You may know this, but just in case you don't, the crop factor changes the FOV, not the focal length of the lens. A 35mm lens is still a 35mm lens, whether you use a crop camera or full frame. A lot of salesmen don't seem to be aware of this, and tell customers the crop body 'magnifies' more and turns a 50mm lens into an 80mm, for example.
 
I have just bought the 35mm yesterday and also have the D3100.

The way I tested to see what each would be like was to see my focal length on my 18-55mm lens to 35mm took a shot and then set it to 50mm and took the same shot. I did this multiple times and checked the photos on the iPad to see which were more my style.

I also tested both lenses when I visited Jessops.

I was not disappointed with my choice.
 
You obviously need a 'G' spec lens to AF. The new 50mm f/1.8 fits the bill, and will work on FF, while 35mm is DX only. My understanding is that both are good, but you need to decided if you need 50mm or 35mm. Both have plenty of uses.
 
The (33mm and 50mm) Nikon lenses that fully work with the D3100 are the ones that start with "AF-S". The f1.8 is around £150 - 180.
 
SThornton said:
I have just bought the 35mm yesterday and also have the D3100.

The way I tested to see what each would be like was to see my focal length on my 18-55mm lens to 35mm took a shot and then set it to 50mm and took the same shot. I did this multiple times and checked the photos on the iPad to see which were more my style.

I also tested both lenses when I visited Jessops.

I was not disappointed with my choice.
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Do this!

It's the only way you can decide. Both lenses are excellent so there is little in it in terms of IQ, build or function (other than the 35mm being DX only) so you should base your decision entirely on focal length. A day or two with your kit lens locked on each of those focal length should give you a good idea.
 
gad-westy said:
Do this!

It's the only way you can decide. Both lenses are excellent so there is little in it in terms of IQ, build or function (other than the 35mm being DX only) so you should base your decision entirely on focal length. A day or two with your kit lens locked on each of those focal length should give you a good idea.
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:plusone:

I wished I had done this before buying my first prime as I rarely used it and sold it on. I now have a prime lens that I do use and based that purchase on the method described.:):)
 
Wookee said:
:plusone:

I wished I had done this before buying my first prime as I rarely used it and sold it on. I now have a prime lens that I do use and based that purchase on the method described.:):)
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hi wookee - which one did you not use, and what did you swop it for?
 
I have both the 35mm and 50mm and find I use them equally. If I had to say one id go 35mm as I tend to use it more indoors with limited space. I'm also using a cropped sensor :)
 
Rapscallion said:
hi wookee - which one did you not use, and what did you swop it for?
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I had a 35mm, but it just wasn't what I needed. I have an 85mm that I use a lot for indoor sports mainly as well as some portraits. I only decided on this one after I had been using a 70-200 for a while that showed me that 85mm was a good length for me.
 
I have a 50mm on my canon (was the 1.8, just bumped up to the 1.4). Does do great portraits on a crop, IMHO, but I do find I run out of room indoors. Toying with making the bank manager cry and getting a 35mm as well (plus a set of earplugs, from what I read about it) - personally I wouldn't be able to gauge which one would be best for me from a quick tryout in a shop (function of my distinct lack of ability, I'm sure!) so would like to give both a good tryout at home and sell one IF I was forced to, to help pay mr goodwins pension)
 
Thanks a million for all the helpful replies. I did take one picture in my bedroom at 35mm and another at 50mm but I didnt see much of a difference, I suppose I'll have to take a few more to get a better idea! :lol:

Being new to of the world photography, can I ask what FF and DX are? Sorry if it's a dumb question... :oops:
 
They are the size of the sensor compare to 35mm film. FX means the size of the sensor is about the same as a 35mm negative used in film camera. DX is about 75% size of the FX sensor. Or to put it another way , Fx sensor is about 1.5 times bigger then Dx sensor. A 50mm on DX have the same angle of view as 75mm on FX.
 
having used both on a crop sensor I would definitely recommend the 35mm over the 50mm, just a cracking lens.
 
I love my (newly acquired) AF-S 35mm :) I need to get out with it though! I also love my AF-S 55-300mm but in a different way!
 
Sorry, just want to clear this up...

I've been searching online and the only 50mm prime I can find that will be suitable on my D3100 is the Nikkor AF-S 50mm f/1.8G type lens, and for 35mm it's the same only a DX lens.

So, does this mean (because of my cropped sensor) that if I buy the 35mm DX lens I will be shooting at 35mm, and if I buy the 50mm (not DX lens) lens I will be shooting at around 75mm or so?

This is still all a bit confusing to me at the minute!
 
No the focal length number stated, 35mm or 50mm, is the actual focal length, no matter if its got DX written on it or not.

So the 35 on your crop will still offer a field of view similar to 50mm on full frame.
And the 50mm a similar decrease in FoV to 80mm ish, as you said.

If you put the 35mm dx on the full frame your field of view would still be the actual focal length (35mm) ...but the sensor would also see and record fringing from the outer edges of the lens, because its designed for smaller cropped sensors only.
 
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Does this mean that on a cropped sensor such as a D3100, there's no real difference if the lens is DX or not, as I'm still going to get a diminished FoV either way?

Thanks again for all your help and patience, complete newbie here! :amstupid:
 
Yes, you will get a narrower field of view.

A lens will form an image covering the sensor in the camera. In a full frame camera the sensor is large enough to capture most of this focussed image. A 'crop sensor' camera has a smaller sensor so can only record a smaller area of this same image. If you think of a cropped sensor as doing exactly that, cropping the full sized image.
As the image is cropped, the field of view will be equivilent to the FoV from a (1.5x) longer lens on a full frame camera. The focal length and perspective will remain the same and there is no actual magnification it is just cutting the bit out the middle of a full image.

To get the same framing of the subject, from the same distance, a shorter focal length lens would be needed. Using a wider lens will give different depth of field characteristics. (And possibly perspective, I can't remember at the moment if that's only affected by camera/subject distance.)

Have a look at: http://thephotojunkies.com/2011/03/24/crop-sensor-vs-full-frame/
It shows with pics what I've tried to write :)
 
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Ricardodaforce said:
I have the 35mm and love it. I'd say it's my most used lens and I think it's well priced. Here's the type of thing I use it for. All taken on a Nikon D3000, so married to your camera you'd get better quality images.
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I've got the 35mm "G" and 50mm "D", and the 50mm almost never gets used. Your mileage may vary, but I find the 50mm gets me too close for most of the pics I take. The suggestion of using your kit lens to experiment with the two focal lengths is a good 'un tho :thumbs:
 
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