35mm vs 50mm
- Thread starter Don Kuykendall_RIP
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Don Kuykendall_RIP
RIP :(
With my eyesight AF is the only way to go. Also the MF on the D7100 or any of the new Nikons is not as easy. I really miss the old style split focus screen of the 35mm film days.
I voted earlier, but didn't have a chance to reply due to where I was 
.
I did a bit of research when I was faced with the same question, I ended up buying the 35 and don't regret it. I always thought I would get the 50 later on but haven't really felt that I need to have both. The 35 is a great little lens, but often when I use it, I find myself wishing for a bit wider.
I Use my old 55D f2.8 for my pen photos, I tried using the 35, it does the job OK, but I like the perspective of the 55 better, I have thought about replacing the 55 with a new 50, but I really don't think I would get any better photos, so have stuck with what I have got.
.I did a bit of research when I was faced with the same question, I ended up buying the 35 and don't regret it. I always thought I would get the 50 later on but haven't really felt that I need to have both. The 35 is a great little lens, but often when I use it, I find myself wishing for a bit wider.
I Use my old 55D f2.8 for my pen photos, I tried using the 35, it does the job OK, but I like the perspective of the 55 better, I have thought about replacing the 55 with a new 50, but I really don't think I would get any better photos, so have stuck with what I have got.
SkvLTD
Senior Member
Can get a chinese/katzeye/focusingscreen.com split, but else I agree with you - DX eyepiece is just waaaaay too small even for good eyes. Dark too.
Bob Blaylock
Senior Member
You do know, don't you, that there are third-party focus screens you can get and install, that work much better with manual-focus lenses than the stock focus screen? I might have thought that a higher-end model, like the D7?00, would have such a focus screen standard, but I guess not.
With the D3?00 series, at least, I think Nikon assumed that no one would ever use anything but AF-S lenses on it, and never want to focus manually, so they included a focus screen that was optimized to give the brightest, clearest display, but which is pretty much worthless as far as helping you focus a manual lens.
Go to eBay, and enter this as a search: nikon d7100 focus screen
I've got the D3?00 version of this in my D3200. It's a huge improvement over the stock focus screen, especially if you want to focus manually.
rocketman122
Senior Member
I like tight perspective. it wows people more than the regular 28-50mm (FF) focal lengths. its more personal because it isolates and gets up close. better isolation, better perspective. more flattering. a 28-50mm just looks like a smartphone pic if the compositions dont stand out. its just more of meh that most shoot.
when you do a tight shot of faces and it fills the frame people enjoy that more. people are narcissists so whats bad about giving them more of that. I even prefer to shoot full body group shots (family formals in weddings) from far and get the flat perspective than be in their faces and have perspective issues with people who stand at the edges and look heavier than they are. I shoot full body of 10+ people at 70mm all the time.
75mm+ is more of a wow focal length for people.
when you do a tight shot of faces and it fills the frame people enjoy that more. people are narcissists so whats bad about giving them more of that. I even prefer to shoot full body group shots (family formals in weddings) from far and get the flat perspective than be in their faces and have perspective issues with people who stand at the edges and look heavier than they are. I shoot full body of 10+ people at 70mm all the time.
75mm+ is more of a wow focal length for people.
Since you seem to be leaning towards the 35mm (good choice IMHO), do you think you might move to FX at some point? If so, it will cost a bit more but you might want to consider the AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G ED. Excellent FX lens. I briefly had the AF Nikkor 35mm f/2D about 5-6 years ago but didn't like it - not sharp enough.
If you decide you want to add a 50mm later on, you might want to consider the AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D. Used versions can be found for around US$100 and it is an absolute steal. I took the pano of Prague Castle which is the header on my website with it.
If you decide you want to add a 50mm later on, you might want to consider the AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D. Used versions can be found for around US$100 and it is an absolute steal. I took the pano of Prague Castle which is the header on my website with it.
Don - each prime lens have their own specialty or purpose. For indoors, the 35mm f1.8G DX might provide more use especially for group shots of four perhaps. 50mm f1.8G will be more of a portrait lens and will work best for outdoor or if you have more space to work around. These lenses will definitely gather more light compared to the kit lens.
To date, I am still entertaining the idea of getting the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 AFC lens. Still useable on FX cameras and works well for indoors.
The last two images of the series I just posted of la Sagrada Família were taken with the AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G on my old D300.
Don Kuykendall_RIP
RIP :(
I really doubt I will ever move up to FX. I am very happy with my DX
I keep saying that to myself as well, but then why am I always looking at D610's for sale?
Don Kuykendall_RIP
RIP :(
I keep saying that to myself as well, but then why am I always looking at D610's for sale?
I shot for a living a long time ago and then was in photofinishing for many years and really got burned out with photography. This time around I don't need the money from shooting and just want to shoot what I want to shoot. If I were to go pro then yes I would go FX BUT....
The one thing I have thought about shooting is children but then only on a very limited basis.
I've not had a chance to shoot with the 35mm yet, but I've always heard magnificent things re: the "nifty fifty", and a lot of seasoned photog's recommended it to me at the time even knowing that I was shooting DX (D3100 at the time). I have never regretted the purchase.
When I do get a 35mm, it will be the full frame version, as SOME day... I'll probably step up. Not soon, but some day.
When I do get a 35mm, it will be the full frame version, as SOME day... I'll probably step up. Not soon, but some day.
While this is true as it pertains to FOV, overall, a wider FOV lens can never deliver the same shot overall as a narrower FOV lens, no matter what body it's attached to. First, the 35mm can never give the same perspective compression as a 50, and that aspect of a lens is constant whether using DX or FX. It also can never deliver depth of field as shallow as the 50, provided you're comparing lenses of the same max aperture. As stated earlier, this question depends entirely on your photographic interests/preferences. If you're more into tight landscapes, a 35 might be the better choice for the reasons mentioned. However, if portraits are on the menu, the 35mm isn't as flattering to your subject as a 50, nor can it deliver the same DOF. If you want objects in the frame to have closer to the same proportional perspective as human vision, the 50mm will come closer to delivering it. It's not just a FOV issue.
True but DoF can be adjusted by playing with your aperture until you're at the max. You can get fairly close to a 50mm with a 35mm if you do some effort but even with all the effort in the world, you can't make your 50mm take a 35mm shot.
Unless you start stitching shots together.
And vice-versa. No matter how close to your subject you get, the 35mm will always have a more exaggerated perspective than the 50mm. Objects in the background will always appear a bit further from objects in the foreground with the 35. That may be what you're looking for, in which case the 35mm will be the better choice. They're 2 different tools for somewhat different purposes (having some overlap), no matter whether you use DX or FX. Which is why there's no correct answer to the OP question. It's all dependent on your individual preference in subject matter and look you wish to achieve.
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