When would you use the 50mm f/1.8 and when would you use the D70 kit lens?


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jazzart

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Seems like everyone is going out to buy the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens. Would therefore like to know when I would need to use this lens.

* I have the D70, with the kit lens.

Please dont flame me for asking such a basic question, but am really new to photography, and am learning quite alot from here. :)
 

If you got the kit lens, the chances for you to use the 50mmF1.8 will be very slim. unless you need the f1.8 aperature to shoot during low light conditions.
 

I too use the D70 and I got this lens from Lord's last evening. Its a wonderful lens for portraits, for both in and outdoor. Bright and sharp... no regrets especially for a reasonably priced lens.

Cheers.
 

I also bought the 50mm last week. Mainly due to the superb in sharpness and good using in low light condition. plus if you like to take portrait and nice bokeh as background too. :)

Go look for those photo taken by 50mm lens and you will know what i mean.
 

Does it mean that it I were to take indoor shots, of say a family dinner, the 50mm would be a much better lens to use (without flash).

Also, would this lens be useful, if I wanted to take macro shots?
 

uncle_catz said:
I too use the D70 and I got this lens from Lord's last evening. Its a wonderful lens for portraits, for both in and outdoor. Bright and sharp... no regrets especially for a reasonably priced lens.

Cheers.

Uncle_Catz and ztsen, how much did you pay for the lens.
And, where is Lords?
 

use

50/1.8 when theres less light

kit lens when theres more light =)
 

try this. use the 50mm prime and shoot solely with it durning an outing. it will force you to walk to compose and elimate the lazziness that sometimes comes with owning a zoom lens... one will find himself thinking more and shooting better pictures. just my opinion.
 

I use 50mm when I need the setup to be light or when I do IR (cos 52mm IR filter is affordable compared to its 77mm cousin).

If all primes are as affordable as the 50mm, I will never need to buy zoom.

I know of guys who buy the 50mm but only used it once or twice - just to test the sharpness. While it is good for low light, it may not be suitable for indoor where spaces are tight as 50mm is rather tele (more if you have an APS digital sensor)

The important thing is ask yourself if you can do w/o the flexibility of zoom. Some purists think zoom limits creativity, some others think zoom is the best thing after sliced bread.

However, your mileage may vary.
 

The 50mm is much sharper with better contrast than the kit lens...IMO....

But do use the 50mm at 2.0 and up....at 1.8....i find the quality a little soft....though the bokeh is good....

:)
 

Well, last time got some people insist on learning photography with a 50mm.
There are many reasons for this, as people have pointed out above but I think it's a good all round lens for general use. I only had a 50mm for nearly a year when I switched system ( Worked my previous camera to death ). Still went shooting every chance I get, it does have its limitations but the bokeh is to die for :D
 

i bought one last week to shoot portraits. The focusing is much faster than kit lens!
 

Axion said:
i bought one last week to shoot portraits. The focusing is much faster than kit lens!
I beg your pardon, the kit lens has SWM (Silent Wave Motor) which translates faster focusing. To me the 50mm's focusing speed is fast but not faster than the 18-70.
 

FiveIronFrenzy said:
Well, last time got some people insist on learning photography with a 50mm.
There are many reasons for this, as people have pointed out above but I think it's a good all round lens for general use. I only had a 50mm for nearly a year when I switched system ( Worked my previous camera to death ). Still went shooting every chance I get, it does have its limitations but the bokeh is to die for :D

:) There's a good reason why people used to use 50mm for learning photography. In older days, most camera are manual and there's no zoom. 50mm is commonly available across all manufacturer as it is the most natural perspective (same as our eyes) and thus pleasing. Also, but using a standard lens, you learn to maximise the usage by stepping closer, shot from high angle (imagine bird photographers climbing trees) etc.

With digital photography, 50mm becomes 75-80mm and may not be so useful as the perspective is not quite right for photo-journalism etc. However, it may be a useful lens for portaits as portrait lens usually range between 85-120mm and most people owns a fixed f2.8 105mm will find it more difficult to use the lens.

Of course, i do own the 18-70mm which the 70mm is perfectly ok to use as portrait as it becomes a 105mm! there's a good reason why nikon choose 18-70 as the kit lens vs the 28-120 VR as it will not be so useful in all situations as it becomes a 35-180mm which is either not wide (35mm end) or not close up enough (180mm end). The best option for beginner will be to get a 80-200 or 70-300 to match with the kit lens and they will cover almost all situations!
 

nemesis32 said:
:) There's a good reason why people used to use 50mm for learning photography. In older days, most camera are manual and there's no zoom. 50mm is commonly available across all manufacturer as it is the most natural perspective (same as our eyes) and thus pleasing. Also, but using a standard lens, you learn to maximise the usage by stepping closer, shot from high angle (imagine bird photographers climbing trees) etc.

With digital photography, 50mm becomes 75-80mm and may not be so useful as the perspective is not quite right for photo-journalism etc. However, it may be a useful lens for portaits as portrait lens usually range between 85-120mm and most people owns a fixed f2.8 105mm will find it more difficult to use the lens.

Of course, i do own the 18-70mm which the 70mm is perfectly ok to use as portrait as it becomes a 105mm! there's a good reason why nikon choose 18-70 as the kit lens vs the 28-120 VR as it will not be so useful in all situations as it becomes a 35-180mm which is either not wide (35mm end) or not close up enough (180mm end). The best option for beginner will be to get a 80-200 or 70-300 to match with the kit lens and they will cover almost all situations!

:D Agree man. Plus a 50mm is cheap to build.
 

its good la.....fast and sharp....but portraits try taking at f/2.8....personally feel the effect is better.....zoom lens are flexible ....so if events maybe u wanna use the kit.....coz sometimes there is not so much space to move ard...
 

Hi, I bought from CP SGD180. The big aperture will help you to take photo indoor with only daylight. But the Closest focusing: 0.45m/1.5 ft not good enough for macro.
You will surely love the sharpness and result of the photo. You may want to try out, if you find it not that flexible and useful, you still can let go at around 90% of the value.
 

Witness said:
....but portraits try taking at f/2.8....personally feel the effect is better......

Why is this so ? Pls justify your suggestion.

I had this problem as well. I have a 50mmf1.8 which I thought would be collecting dust, and I have a Tokina 28-70mmf2.8Pro.

I use the Tokina less actually, perhaps only for events or occasions when I have little time to change lenses. When I have all the time in the world, I keep my Nikkor 50 on my d100. Because I'll be assured that I will get one of the sharpest image possible. The lack of weight makes taking pictures a joy too. And for indoor portraits, I use the 50mm often.... since I almost always stay below f2.8 because I light ambient lighting with fill flash.

But then again, u have the 18mm lens, which I very much envy. Ahhh.... I tell u waht. Buy a 12-24mm, and then, you'll be justified not to use the 18-70 :bsmilie:
 

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