50 1.8 prime

Lesco

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Tony
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I have been adviced to buy a 50 1.8 prime lens for general everyday use, I have been looking on Amazon and they sell for as low as £80 - £100, does that make them a bit ******y for want of a better word or are some of the cheaper lenes out there just good value for money?
 
No, they're excellent value for money!
The lens is plastic, feels cheap (feels like there's not a lens attached!) and it's noisy, and a bit slow to focus....

...but the photo's are stunning!

Do a search on FlickR for 50mm f1.8, you'll prob have bought one by the end of the day! :)
 
I have to agree. Normally I use the 28-70 2.8 on my D3, but I do have a cheap and plasticky 50mm 1.8.

Sunday I was doing some walking and took the 50mm for lightness. Results were cracking!

The lens is plasticky and cheap, but does take excellent pics.
 
I have been adviced to buy a 50 1.8 prime lens for general everyday use, I have been looking on Amazon and they sell for as low as £80 - £100, does that make them a bit ******y for want of a better word or are some of the cheaper lenes out there just good value for money?

For the money they are excellent and Kerso sells them on here for about £75.00 and they often go even cheaper S/H on here.

One of the sharpest lenses around and incredible value for money!

And, yes, I do have one!

.
 
I can't comment re Nikon, but my Canon 1.8 50mm is the lens that's on my camera 90% of the time - don't let cost put you off, the image quality is great.
 
On a Canon the 50mm 1.8 is £80-ish. I have the 50mm 1.4 which is £250-ish. A bit of a price difference, but still great value. I'd go for the 1.4 if you can.
 
I got one last week and its amazing, havent really took it out properly yet but i am loving it, much better then my kit lens.
 
I've got the Canon one as well, cheap and plasticy but cracking image quality. Well worth the small outlay.
 
I've got the canon version too, i absolutely love it!

It was my first prime (like other i assume too who had a kit zoom lens) and really helped me with composition and framing shots. Actually having to move to get the shot correct was very educational.

The 1.8 makes it fantastic for nice indoor use, i found it perfect inside wedding marquees and tents.

Couldnt recommend more!!

Rich
 
I have been adviced to buy a 50 1.8 prime lens for general everyday use, I have been looking on Amazon and they sell for as low as £80 - £100, does that make them a bit ******y for want of a better word or are some of the cheaper lenes out there just good value for money?
AF-D lenses won't autofocus on your D3000 though. If you're keen on a 50mm prime, you will have to fork out for the AF-S version.
 
they are great lenses - other than the build quality the only downside is the very messy bokeh it produces. I wasn't till I upgraded to my sigma 50mm that I realised how ugly the bokeh is from the nifty.

good comparison here - the 1.8 is far right

Canon-50mm-Lens-Bokeh-Comparison.jpg
 
You will not regret buying one of these for the image quality and the benefits of low light photography due to the very wide aperture. These can be a bit soft under F2 but still great for about £80.
 
I would love to buy one 2nd hand, if i had the chance. Not got a hope in hell as powers that be have stopped me from going on MM section! :'(
 
I had the nikon 50mm 1.8 and loved it.

Used it a great deal in two years taking pictures of my daughter.

I have recently upgraded to the 1.4 which I love.

I must confess I am not clear about this bokeh stuff, but the lens does mean I can shoot in low light without increasing the iso and using the flash
 
Really interested in this lens but I already have a Sigma 18-50 2.8. Ok so it opens to 1.8 but would I see better results than my 18-50 @ 50mm?
 
Really interested in this lens but I already have a Sigma 18-50 2.8. Ok so it opens to 1.8 but would I see better results than my 18-50 @ 50mm?

yes you will. The image will be sharper than your 18-50 at 2.8.
 
So, just cause it is a cheap feeling lens doesn't mean a thing?
 
Definitely try a nifty fifty. It was the first lens I bought for my old 1000D on top of the kit lens. I've had loads of fun with it, and it is particularly good for taking photos of my little girl in low light.

Yes the Canon one does feel cheap, but the sharpness compared to the kit lens was a revelation
 
I love my Nifty Fifty!

I was photographing a Boxing Show at the weekend and the lighting was worse than it normally is (and it's usually bad enough!)

Anyway - my 20-40 2.8 was giving me nothing so I pulled the Nifty Fifty out of the bag and got some cracking results.

Best value for money lens you'll buy, pal. Give it a go - you won't regret it.
 
I'm currently using one while my 24-70 is away being fixed, and I'm really quite impressed! The build quality isn't terrible, it's not like it feels as if it'll fall apart in your hand, more like there's nothing in your hand in the first place :D

The optics are spot on though, really quite impressed, used it for a cover shoot and it still looks sharp at bordering on A3 sizes. If it was a long-term thing, then I'd be looking at a 1.4 probably, not so much for the speed, but for build quality, but mine is a stop-gap till I get the 24-70 back, then I'll be selling it on ........probably........ maybe ;)
 
Just curious, but why, when the op has a Nikon, are so many Canon users commenting on the build quality/price of the lens they have?

It's not as if it's going to fit the op's camera......;)
 
I tried out this lens but didn't go for it due to the lack of auto focus on my D3000. I've bought the 1.4 instead and it really is a great lens and I'm enjoying concentrating on composition.

It was a lot more expensive though and had the 1.8 been AF compatible with my camera (or had I been more comfortable with manual focus) I definitely would have gone for that as it seemed like a good lens when I had a play with it.
 
Just curious, but why, when the op has a Nikon, are so many Canon users commenting on the build quality/price of the lens they have?

It's not as if it's going to fit the op's camera......;)

Same to those Nikon users recommending a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8. AFAIK, there isn't an AF-S version of the f/1.8, so the OP is "stuck" with the much more expensive f/1.4 AF-S or the Sigma equivalent (HSM). It's sometimes at this point that the reason for the relatively low cost of the lower end Nikon bodies becomes clear.
 
Same to those Nikon users recommending a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8. AFAIK, there isn't an AF-S version of the f/1.8, so the OP is "stuck" with the much more expensive f/1.4 AF-S or the Sigma equivalent (HSM). It's sometimes at this point that the reason for the relatively low cost of the lower end Nikon bodies becomes clear.

Personally, I'd buy the 35mmf/1.8, it will af on the op's camera and it's a more usable focal length on a crop body.
 
So just as a point of intrest why is the 35 1.8 around double the price?? :help:
 
Personally, I'd buy the 35mmf/1.8, it will af on the op's camera and it's a more usable focal length on a crop body.

I have taken your advice sir, and put a bid on one on flee bay, its just on a hundred quid at the moment, they sell brand new for around £150 - £180, so Ive put in a max bid of £120 odd as its nearly new.

Thanks for that
 
So just as a point of intrest why is the 35 1.8 around double the price?? :help:

Are you comparing the AF to AF-S? The AF-S has an autofocus motor whereas the AF doesn't, you need in body autofocus for AF lenses.
 
It's sometimes at this point that the reason for the relatively low cost of the lower end Nikon bodies becomes clear.

One of the reason's I moved from the D40 to the D300, that and the auto bracketing really.
 
One of the reason's I moved from the D40 to the D300, that and the auto bracketing really.


Yes I want to upgrade to the d300 or even the d300s, I was even thinking about the d700 full frame but I dont want to have to sell my DX lenes and have to buy the more expensive FX ones
 
I had a 50mm 1.8, now have the 1.4, and the 1.8 was superb value, you really can't go wrong with the nifty fifty!
 
You'd be surprised what a good indoor sports lens it is as well! Shot some indoor equine stuff with it at the w/end as the light was so poor (so poor I couldnt use my 55-250) and got some cracking results!! *

(*Canon version but I should imagine all 50mm are pretty simliar)
 
If anyone does decide to sell thiers then let me know as i can't check the for sale area. Cheers
 
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