Nikon AF NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8D Lens

Having never owned a digital SLR until the purchase of my D70 body, I wanted a good cheap lens that would give me a range of shooting options in both low and normal light. Since I didn't have a kit lens, I figured I had an opportunity to pick something out on my own. I started looking at the prime lenses such as the 1.4D and the 1.8D and found that both got great reviews, one outshining the other in certain areas and vice versa. As an amateur photographer who was just getting into digital, I was less concerned with sharpness at particular F-stops and more with overall value for the money. The 50mm 1.8d delivers in this aspect extremely well and is a bit cheaper than the 1.4. Both are great lenses and I'm sure you would be happy with either.

For a little background on the lens, the 50mm 1.8 is a set focal length, which basically means it has no zoom. On a digital camera, 50mm is more in the range of 60 or 70mm due to the small CCD area. In fact when buying any lens for a digital camera, one must be careful to understand how focal length changes on a digital SLR body. The lens is autofocus and has the D moniker which I believe brings a few upgrades from the old 50mm 1.8 available for decades now, although some still prefer the old. I believe you can find the non-D for around $60 and the D for about $100.

What you're really getting in the case of the 50mm 1.8d is a fast lens, one capable of shooting at F1.8. This gives you more range of shooting in low light and in portraiture where you can bring the subject out of the surroundings. I have only had this lens for about a month and have used it for both, as well as in scenery. I have really enjoyed this lens because it takes great shots and allows you to experiment in low light situations. As well, I find the lens to be great in just about any shooting situation except for where a zoom lens is called for, even though the lens is a slight zoom on a digital. If a majority of your shots are scenery/portrait etc, you can't go wrong with this lens and it makes a great travel companion as it adds little weight to the camera.

The one complaint I keep hearing about this lens other than gripes about sharpness at certain stops is its build construction. Made mostly of plastic, some feel this lens doesn't feel or look professional. I can't say I disagree but in reality, I don't bounce the lens around in a pelican case on top of an off road vehicle, nor do I pose for dramatic photographer shots so this is of little concern to me. Like everyone says, if you are thinking of getting one, get one. It's cheap, light, diminutive, with great saturation and sharpness. Paired with a decent zoom lens, you can't go wrong.

If you dont have this lens you should.
100 bucks for one of the best lense you will use.
Its small enough for even the smallest bags or pocket.
You wont ever leave it at home.
You spend $1000 or more on most lens
well heres THE BEST BARGIN in photography

This is my third lens for my Nikon Cameras. I own an N70 and a D70. This lens functions perfectly with both cameras. On the D70 which is now my primary camera I have started using this lens exclusively. This lens allows me to take pictures without a flash indoors with very little light. The lens also allows you to adjust depth of field which you can not do at all with the 18-70 which came with the D70 kit. For the money I think anyone would be very satisfied with this lens!

Lou

After a couple years of hankering for this lens, I was finally able to get it after I purchased a D70s.(coming from a d40)

Great low light lens as most know. Able to take great pics of a get together inside an apartment. The one thing that blows me away about this lens is the shallow DOF(depth of field). I'm no pro by any means so I suppose I am quite easily wowed having never working with higher quality lenses. But having the eyes in focus but the nose out of focus is amazing.

I havent yet worked in the "sweet spot" as most say is about 4.0 but playing around in 1.8 is a lot of fun. Really gets the creative juices flowing. You find yourself looking for another shot that showcases the shallow DOF.

If you shoot Nikon, there is no good reason not to have this lens.

It's a simple design, super-sharp with low distortion and CA, and inexpensive. You can shoot in low light with excellent results. It's not a tele lens, so that means you might actually have to use your feet to compose your shots, but it's worth it.

I don't even know where to start. This lens produces sharp pictures and great color and contrast. And for its price (which seems to climb recently), it is worth more than 5 stars rating. I initially get this lens for low light action and sport photography (as this lens is famous for being one of the fastest lens together with its brother 50mm f/1.4), but I also found out that this lens is also perfect for portrait and other general purposes (macro etc). This is definitely a very versatile lens.

As much as I want to encourage everyone to buy this lens right away, let me mention some of the limitation that you would see (which I think will be helpful to go over before deciding to buy this lens):

First, being a prime lens, you will need to move your feet a lot to compose your picture. If you are used to zoom lens, don't underestimate this limitation. It takes me a while to get used to it, and sometime I still find people looking at me wondering why I am moving forward and backwards. the good news is that most of the time, they don't think I'm weird, but they are actually wondering if I'm a professional photographer.

Secondly, the focal range of 50mm, which is considered the normal lens and great for portrait lens. but on a DSLR (which I assume most of you use nowadays), this lens become a 75mm equivalent which is in the border of a short tele lens. I actually like the 75mm equivalent though I often have to move backwards when taking picture of a group of people.

Third, in some situation the autofocus might not able to focus (which is common for many other lens too). It is hard for the autofocus to lock when aiming at a wall that is one color (usually black or white), or on a clear sky (day or night). This kind of makes sense to me actually. IN these situations the AF assist light doesn't help either so you can opt for manual focus or set the focus to infinity when you can't find focus lock on scenic/landscape or sky photography. So far I don't have many problems with the autofocus.

Sharpness increases as you stop down to f/2.2 or f/2.5. I actually use f/1.8 most of the time and the results are still nice. Personally, I'd rather use f/1.8 aperture settings than stopped down (e.g to f/2.8) and compensate with higher ISO setting which often gives me grainy picture. But if your object is not moving (static) then it is better to stop down to f/2.8 or more.

If you are wondering whether you should get a fast lens or a lens with VR (Vibration Reduction), here's my take: In overall, VR does help a lot (as it will reduce camera shake) and will produce better/sharper picture than equivalent lens without VR (especially if the object is static). If the object is moving (sports/action) then VR feature alone might not be enough (depending on how fast the object is moving and how much light is available), and a fast lens could end up being a far better solution, even without VR feature as it will allow much faster shutter speed to freeze motion. Using tripod (and a remote) will substitute for the need of VR feature. In general I would recommend getting a fast lens with VR feature (and usually it is expensive) such as the 70-200 f/2.8 VR, but if one can only get for one or the other, then find out what do you want to use the lens for and then use the guideline mentioned here.

If you are wondering whether you will get the benefit of buying f/1.4 lens over a f/1.8 lens, just remember that the f/1.4 lens is about 60% faster than f/

This little lens is an excellent yet rather cheap piece of equipement for any Nikon D camera.
It is sharp (sharper than a zoom) and delivers well detailed pix.

I'm a fairly new Nikon D40 owner and this is the third lens I have in my collection, including the 18-55mm kit lens, and the 55-20mm VR.

I bought this lens after reading so many reviews on the various camera forums stating what a value this lens was and that it's one of the sharpest lenses one can acquire for their camera. It's been stated it's a good portrait lens when used on most DSLR bodies, as the 1.5x focal length multiplier makes this a 75mm lens.

In the short time that I've had the lens, I haven't had a lot of opportunities to shoot with it, but I used it for some shots of the Chicago Skyline. When stopped down to F/4 I took some of the sharpest pictures I've ever taken. I've taken a few portraits informally and the ability to use the wide aperture to bring the subject out from the background is awesome. This lens allows you to make pictures that just aren't possible with the kit lens.

The ONLY downside is that the lens will not auto-focus on the newer lower-end consumer / prosumer DSLR bodies (D40, D40x, D60). However, don't let this discourage you from giving this lens a try. Manual focus isn't that difficult, and the AF dot in the viewfinder will still give you a guide as to when you are in focus. Focusing at the wider aperatures can be a little tricky though as the depth of field is SO thin. Take a few shots and adjust your focus slightly if you want to be sure you have sharpness in the areas you want it. One other minor downside, which isn't at all for me, is others have expressed dislike at the plastic construction. It's built fairly well, but other pro-grade lenses are seemingly made out of metal.



Overall, I love this lens. Lately I just look for excuses to pull this out of my bag and use it. I'd bet you will as well. If you're on the fence about the lens, my reccommendation is to get it and give it a try. This lens seems to be in high demand as of right now and should you decide it's not for you, it shouldn't be hard to get at least 90% of your investment back on eBay.

This is a fast and sharp lens. For a full review and example images visit:

http://obscurelogic.com/2007/02/nikon-50mm-f18.html

Zoom lenses are too slow for some uses, even with high speed film or digital cameras set to high ISOs. For not a lot of money this lens extends your range into the realm of low light. On a digital camera it is particularly useful as a portrait lens since you can limit the depth of field. It is also very useful for stage photography.

For a film camera this lens was the standard for years, and for good reason (performance for the price).

It is sharp, well made, and cheap.

It is wonderful how quick this lens is to focus and I love the pics I've taken indoors and at dusk without a flash.

This lens is probably the sharpest lens you can get at this price point. Very cheap, affordable, fast lens that is compact and light and best of all, very sharp. Though not a dedicated macro lens, you could use it for macro applications in a pinch. This lens is best for portraitures and even night shots. Just try it when you are at Disneyland for the Electrical Parade!

This lense was just what was advertised on ebay. Shipment was fast, packaging was good. I am very satisfied with this transaction

Nice 50mm lens to put in the pocket for low light or a quick portrait.
Most 99% of the photos I take is with an excellent Nikon 18-200mm VR mounted on a D70/D90. But this just tops off a nice small package to allow very low light photography without the flash, or a beautiful portrait. I can highly recommend it bacause of the low price/high performance factor of traditional simple fixed lens, if the user has any kind of need for one. It may not impress anyone with a high-end, high-dollar fetish, but the specifications and performance is all that matters to me and this one just works!

If you intend on making money as a picture taker, then by all means, spend another $400 for the same thing that does it in even lower light, the 1.4f 50mm lens. I don't so this is good enough. :)

Quick shipment. Good transaction. A fine lens as described. Good to be able to buy from someone who no longer needs it at a savings. Thanks for a being a conscientious seller!

as advertised, speedy delivery, no complaints-would do business with them again without concern. Was very surprised about how fast I recieved product, considering the distance.

I bought this lens looking to expand my LENs options for the variuos shoots I do.

This lens is of great quailty, it works well with my Nikon D50, its light and super fast focus.
I would recomend it to anyone.

This is a tack sharp lens that does nikon proud! Don't be scared by its simplicity, and its lack of autofocus for the D40/D40X/D60/D3000/D5000. This is a great lens and there's no other like it.

Everything I read about this lens is true super sharp, very fast at a super price. Compared it to the 1.4 and although the 1.4 has a rep. of being the creme puff due to the wonderful background fade out the cost difference could not be justified.

The product is a wonderful condition. It is look like new or never use. The shipping is so fast. This is a good seller. Thank you

A new seller to E-Bay, he went above and beyond the call of duty in every way, going so far as to ship the item via Federal Express (at his expense), and to include a lens cleaner as a bonus gift. The lens arrived in like new condition. AAA+.

I bought this becase of the price. I haven't tried it as yet.Other nikon products I have are excellent.

it's definitely a excellent lens with an unbelievable low price.

i strongly recommend it to new DSLR users!