Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras by Nikon
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Digital camera reviews of Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
Digital camera Review: A good lens, for a reasonable price
Summary: 4 Stars
A necessary lens for a day to day use of the Nikon D90 DSLR camera. Probably the most useful one.Digital camera Review: A great value lens with great features and awesome image quality
Summary: 5 Stars
This lens was purchased for the Nikon D7000. Some of the features and usability change on different camera types, so what I wrote about specifically applies to the D7000 and may be different or similar on other camera bodies.
I purchased this fixed focus 50mm lens because it allows for much broader aperture control from f/1.8 to 22 versus my 18-200mm zoom lens which has an aperture range from f/3.5 to 5.6 . One can take images at lower light without flash due to the 1.8 aperture (faster shutter speeds at lower light). But it also allows desired blur of the background when focusing on a specific feature of something as close as 1.5 ft, for example a blossom or a person's face in a portrait or close up in the house of somebody sitting at a table. Otherwise I would not use the lens indoors. It really is a great creative lens for portrait and other applications, but mainly for outdoors. I prefer the 18mm of my zoom lens for indoor pictures (need the wide angle functionality). It is a fine versatile lens for travel and outside pics if one does not want/need a much bulkier zoom lens. The lens has a diameter of only 52mm versus the 72mm of the zoom lens, so it appears small. This is not a VR image stabilization lens, which for the pictures I took has not been an issue, but I have a steady hand. We'll see if that ever becomes an issue. Image stabilization is definitely an awesome feature, but this lens costs 'only' about $140.
The D7000 can control the autofocus of this lens and apertures via the camera automatically-note that the aperture is also controlled manually through the camera, not the aperture ring. The lens needs to be locked at f/22 with the lock switch on the ring in the locked position on the lens. Otherwise the D7000 will display a control error on the top control panel flashing 'F EE'. One can control the aperture manually through the sub-command dial (at the front of the camera) with the program mode to 'A' or 'M'. In other words, on the D7000 you will never use the aperture ring manually by moving it physically; it's done through the sub-command dial only. So one can concentrate on manual focus or simply use the autofocus. However, I like the manual focus on non-moving objects and an open aperture (like f/1.8) to get just the right effect of blur (bokeh) of the background. It's a fun lens.
I also purchased the 52mm screw in NC filter to protect the lens. The lens was purchased through Amazon and was supplied with a snap on type front cover. I had ordered one along with the lens, but that wasn't necessary, so you can save ~$10 there by not ordering the snap-on type front cover in addition.
The lens is great quality and the pictures are awesome. It's a valuable lens, especially for being relatively inexpensive compared to the other lenses from Nikon. It's a good purchase.
Thomas
nikond7000dslr.org
Digital camera Review: A great value!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras is fantastic. You will not be disappointed. I have taken some fabulous shots with this lense. The subject is crisp, the lense is great for portraits. I am extremly happy with this purchase.Digital camera Review: A hundred bucks for F1.8? Sounds too good to be true, but it's not!
Summary: 5 Stars
Awesome lens. The build quality seems perfectly fine to me, and the bokeh is nice too. I've got a D40 with the 18-55 and 55-200 VR, so this lens perfectly fills the low-light gap of these slower lenses. The 1.5 conversion to 75mm doesn't bother me. When shooting with a prime, image quality is the most important thing, so you learn to be more creative and less lazy. It's not always about getting as much into the frame as possible. Also, it becomes a nice, natural light portrait lens. A hundred bucks? I hope Nikon makes more lenses like this, although I don't really need anymore. Maybe a cheap, sharp ultra-wide prime, between 10 and 14mm (15-21mm effective). That's what everyone with an APS-C sensor probably wants. Maybe mass production can make it happen. Are you listening Nikon?Digital camera Review: A must have for any collection
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this lens to supplement my kit 18-55 which I found wasn't fast enough to capture indoor shots of my two little girls without flash. I have to say that EVERYONE should buy this lens. As one of the first additional lenses I purchased for my Nikon D40, I was absolutely stunned and blown away by the tack sharp images and speed of this tiny little gem. While it is manual focus only with the D40, everything else works just fine. It even tells you when the image is in focus via the green focus light found inside the viewfinder. Keep in mind that at 1.8 its easy for your main subject to slip out of focus. For portrait shots, 2.8 is usually plenty to get a fast shutter speed with plenty of bokeh. For those split between this and the 1.4, if the price difference wasn't so big, I'd say go for it. But at 1.8 you're getting an extremely fast and capable lens at a price that just cannot be beat. I'm filling up my hard drive every day with pics that I simply could not have captured with my kit lens. There are some shortcomings like the manual zoom, manual focus with the D40 and that it's small plastic casing probably won't survive a fall (my 70-300 VR is MASSIVE next to it) but it more than makes up for its shortcomings with the amazing shots it takes. I promise you, you'll be hard pressed to find any other quality glass in this price range.