Nikon 35mm or 50mm f1/8

juancarlos66

juancarlos66

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Christian
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New to all this so I got a D50 to learn with. It came with a 18-55mm kit lens but have noticed that when taking pics of the kids or the cats (the best model by far) the result isn't very sharp and the background isn't blurred.
Which of 35mm or 50mm would give me the best results for portrait type photos ?
 
Hi Christian.
I replaced my kit lens on my D40 with a 35mm 1.8 after I fell over and broke it. The 35 is a super little lens and I haven't had any problems with it.
 
this is a purely biased view as i own the 50mm f1.8G af-s - butt he 50mm is a superb little lens, good BOKEH if you want it, superb in lowish light and very sharp pictures.
for portrait i'd say the perfect choice
 
Grrr I can't afford them both. Maybe if I sell the kids lol.
 
wouldnt be without my 35, great lens!
 
I have both.

Use the 35mm a lot, the 50mm almost never. Nothing wrong with the 50mm, it's a great lens.

It just seems, I don't know, an awkward length.
 
I wish I had an awkward length:nuts:
 
taken with the 50mm
i know the focus isnt great but puppies move in unpredictable directions and move fast LOL

Lila7weeks2.jpg
 
The 50 will be equivalent to a 75 on a FF camera... not very wide. I'd get the 35 as that's a standard lens for your camera. The Nikkor 35mm 1.8G DX is killer lens too.


This was taken using the little 35 1.8G DX. Great lens.

Click for full size.

 
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Thanks to you all. I have got £55.00 in Amazon vouchers so may go have a look at both on there (with a bit more cash as well).

This forum is great. :thumbs:
 
I was in exactly the same boat having bought a D3100 with kit lens seeing the great shots people were getting with these primes. Best advice I got was to use the kit for a day at 35mm and then a day at 50mm, don't use the zoom at all, and see which length suits the pictures you want to take better.

I opted for the 35mm as I felt a bit more limited being fixed at 50mm, in doors I was often finding myself a little too close to the subject. At least with the 35 you can crop if needed.

My lens arrived this morning so not had chance to play yet, but looking forward to seeing what I can produce with it :)
 
Thanks for that Jonjay. Will you post up some pics when you are ready please.

Ta
 
jonjay3012 said:
I was in exactly the same boat having bought a D3100 with kit lens seeing the great shots people were getting with these primes. Best advice I got was to use the kit for a day at 35mm and then a day at 50mm, don't use the zoom at all, and see which length suits the pictures you want to take better.

I opted for the 35mm as I felt a bit more limited being fixed at 50mm, in doors I was often finding myself a little too close to the subject. At least with the 35 you can crop if needed.

My lens arrived this morning so not had chance to play yet, but looking forward to seeing what I can produce with it :)
Click to expand...

Same here

Depends on whether you are using an FF camera of course, but 35mm seemed more useful to me personally. Both are of equal quality. Bokeh is generally accepted as being a bit nicer on the 50mm it seems

I am doing my 52 this year, with the aim to use my 35mm lens for them all!
 
Hi, thought I'd pass on the information I was told bu Park Cameras.

For portraits you want +85mm fast, sharp prime. This due to distortion from even 50mm.

Both 35 & 50 1.8 are both excellent, the 50 being available quite cheap. Even the 50mm 1.4 won't kill you at £185 on ebay.

If you have the 18-55 try fixing it at 35mm and try taking some pictures, then at 50mm. As both are equalish in quality I'd say it's down to personal preferance. The 35mm will have very slightly more distortion then the 50mm but with the crop effect I think you'll find it will suit your needs better.

I'm ordering the 35mm 1.8 or the Sigma 30mm 1.4 if I can find one at the right price.
 
Pritty new to photography, but im loving my 50mm. People are correct saying the bonus of the extra width is great, me personally, with hindsight, i would still buy the 50mm, and by a wide angle later on
 
I'm now leaning towards the 50mm after looking at the group on Flickr. There are some great photos, and for £70 it won't break the bank. I would rather buy one from someone on this forum but I guess nobody takes Amazon vouchers :-)
 
I bought a 50mm f/1.8D when asked to take a few pics at a friends wedding at a venue that didn't allow flash photography. It's a wonderful little thing, but I find it too close on the D90 and frequently wish I'd bought the 35mm.
 
What do you mean Rob when you say it was "too close" ? Sorry for my ignorance.
 
Shooting at home you may not have the space to shoot anything more than head and shoulder shots.
 
Thanks, I see what you mean with that.
 
Sorry, that was a fairly crap description. Yes, I meant the 50mm's got a restricted field of view, perfect for head shots but too zoomed-in for general use on a crop sensor.
 
I can understand what people mean, sometimes mes its nice to have the extra width, but you get some great shots with the 50mm without having to get too close.
Just remember the 500mm D doesn't auto focus on Nikon models without an internal focus motor, not sure if a D90 falls into that category.
Here's another with my nifty fifty



Blue8Weeks6_zpsbf06f74d.jpg
 
I ended up getting the 50mm. There are some nice pics taken with it on the Flickr group. Thanks for your input.
 
Plus it will autofocus on my D50.
 
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