Fixed 50mm lens

[RON_RIP]

Thank you Horoscope Fish and Sparky480 for your answer to my 35mm DX vs 50mm FX question. I'll have to read up on Perspective vs Field of View. There are times when I wish I owned fixed lenses like these, as I did in my 35mm film days. I miss them.

They are still out there just waiting for you to come and get them.

 

[hrstrat57]

Being old school and coming from cameras that had no light meter installed many, many years ago I believe a fast prime is mandatory for someone who desires to really be a photographer. Modern zooms are amazing (use em all the time ) but they produce good images requiring near zero thought on a modern Nikon. In good light conditions it is often point, wait for the beep and fire. Voila a more than instagram worthy shot. Couple that with some good software to crop and all one needs to do is get good focus and ok composition. Modern magic can do the rest.

Bokeh, lens speed, depth of field however often become accidental after thoughts when I shoot that way. Precisely why I often go out the door with only a prime lens attached, I want to keep my eyes and wits sharp - it took too much hard work to understand how to "see" what I want before I press the shutter......and everytime I go out the door with just a prime I see something differently and learn something new!

A fast prime attached to a modern Nikon is a wonderful thing! It makes you learn and think and try to use all the buttons the way the engineers at Nikon intended. The way you think about photography will be forever changed!

I recommend the AF Nikkor 50 1.4 D. after that consider some manual old school Nikkor Ai glass. No need to spend a bundle be patient and wait for the deal.

Good luck

 

[Fred Kingston_RIP]

I'm gonna add on to the above post... and even recommend the older non-AI lenses...the 50mm 1.2, and the 55mm 1.2... They're incredibly inexpensive... mint examples are in the $220 range on eBay... They won't meter correctly on current bodies, but there's a gentleman in Ann Arbor MI at aiconversions.com that converts these lenses to AI for $25 +$8 shipping...

AI lenses for 1.2s are $400+
non-ai are $220 + the cost of conversion...

The older non-AI and AI lenses are a joy to hold. If you haven't experienced an all metal/glass lens... you're missing life...

Okay!! That's a bit of hyperbole, but they really are great...

 

[Blacktop]

Being old school and coming from cameras that had no light meter installed many, many years ago I believe a fast prime is mandatory for someone who desires to really be a photographer. Modern zooms are amazing (use em all the time ) but they produce good images requiring near zero thought on a modern Nikon. In good light conditions it is often point, wait for the beep and fire. Voila a more than instagram worthy shot. Couple that with some good software to crop and all one needs to do is get good focus and ok composition. Modern magic can do the rest.

Bokeh, lens speed, depth of field however often become accidental after thoughts when I shoot that way. Precisely why I often go out the door with only a prime lens attached, I want to keep my eyes and wits sharp - it took too much hard work to understand how to "see" what I want before I press the shutter......and everytime I go out the door with just a prime I see something differently and learn something new!

A fast prime attached to a modern Nikon is a wonderful thing! It makes you learn and think and try to use all the buttons the way the engineers at Nikon intended. The way you think about photography will be forever changed!

I recommend the AF Nikkor 50 1.4 D. after that consider some manual old school Nikkor Ai glass. No need to spend a bundle be patient and wait for the deal.

Good luck

I somewhat agree, but you can do all those things without a prime lens attached. Just because one is shooting with a zoom lens, does not necessarily mean that one can't compose, pay attention to what one is shooting, look for subjects/light that are interesting or even recognize a shot worthy of taking.

We are always evolving (hopefully for the better) as time goes on. I agree 100% with you about seeing the shot. If I may add that it is also important to see the light as well.
I am more and more finding myself looking for fantastic light more than looking for fantastic subject matter.

 

[hrstrat57]

I'm gonna add on to the above post... and even recommend the older non-AI lenses...the 50mm 1.2, and the 55mm 1.2... They're incredibly inexpensive... mint examples are in the $220 range on eBay... They won't meter correctly on current bodies, but there's a gentleman in Ann Arbor MI at aiconversions.com that converts these lenses to AI for $25 +$8 shipping....

Great tip will check him out! I have a couple non Ai laying around!

 

[aroy]

I somewhat agree, but you can do all those things without a prime lens attached. Just because one is shooting with a zoom lens, does not necessarily mean that one can't compose, pay attention to what one is shooting, look for subjects/light that are interesting or even recognize a shot worthy of taking.

We are always evolving (hopefully for the better) as time goes on. I agree 100% with you about seeing the shot. If I may add that it is also important to see the light as well.
I am more and more finding myself looking for fantastic light more than looking for fantastic subject matter.

The only problem is that with zooms, you tend to stay put at one place and use the zoom for framing. The perspective is different and the OOF at high F stops not all that great. At least with primes, you move around a bit to frame the shot, and that induces you to try different perspectives and angles, which you may be too lazy to do with a zoom. That is the reason that I use both the 18-55 and the 35mm. Both have different uses.