New and need lens suggestion

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wesleyheard

New member
OK so I just got a d90, and I have the 18-55 kit lens, but am interested in low key and high contrast portraiture. Im also doing this on a little bit of a budget...

I think I'll be shooting in some tight spaces, so should I get the 50mm 1.8 dx (which will look like the 85 on the dx body?) or get the 35mm 1.8 (which will emulate a 50mm on the dx body?)

Thanks for any responses, and sorry if this is covered elsewhere; I'm still getting the hang of navigating the forum.

-Wes

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paul04

Senior Member
Welcome to the website.

As you already have the 18-55mm lens, try it on 35mm for a few days, then on 50mm. See which one you like best.

Having used the 50mm prime, which is a very good lens, I would pick the 35mm as it will allow you get a little more into the shot.
 
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wesleyheard

New member
paul04 said:
Welcome to the website.

As you already have the 18-55mm lens, try it on 35mm for a few days, then on 50mm. See which one you like best.

Having used the 50mm prime, which is a very good lens, I would pick the 35mm as it will allow you get a little more into the shot.
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Thanks, I'll have to do that.
But I'm reading that the 35 acts like a 52.5 on dx frames, so should I look at 50 and 85 on my kit instead?

And do you think paying extra for a vr model is worth it, or is a tripod fine?

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10 Gauge

Senior Member
Welcome to the forum!

I'd check out the 50mm f1.8. For the price, it's about the best purchase you can make as a Nikon owner, on any platform. As you said, the 50mm will give you a crop equivalent of 75mm, which is close to what a lot of portrait photographers prefer (85mm). I believe the D90 has a 1.5x crop.
 
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Fortkentdad

Senior Member
I'll add my voice to the chorus singing the praises of the 'niffty fifty' 1.8. I have both of those lenses and both are grand but a) you already have the 35mm focal length covered in your zoom and b) the 50mm 1.8 will serve you well in a multitude of situations for less.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
I would point out that neither focal length is technically appropriate for head and shoulder portraiture; there are reasons many pro's use 70-200mm zooms for this type of shooting. One reason is working distance and another is compression; you want both for portrait work. Another is distortion. At head and shoulder shooting range both the 35 and 50mm will distort facial features in unflattering ways. Now if you're talking about more, say, environmental portraits (wider, full body shots taken with contextual backgrounds for instance) then a 50mm would be okay. It sill wouldn't be my first choice, but I could work with it. For portraits my go-to lenses are my 70-200mm f/2.8 and my 85mm f/1.8G.

Good video:The 50mm Prime is NOT a Portrait Lens

....
 
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Zarovich

Senior Member
Hahaha, just as I suspected...
YMMV, and I get just as many responses as people.

Guess I'll just have to see what I can do with the kit lens and go from there..
I'm desperately trying to avoid NAD!

Hmm... Tapatalk has me under a new name; I'm not very savvy for a millennial.

Thanks everyone,
-Wes

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Fortkentdad

Senior Member
The D90 apparently has a built in motor which means you have access to all of the older (call them legacy or vintage if you prefer) lenses so don't overlook the used market. it is very much a buyer beware world and always best to try before you buy as a used vendor or privately if you can deal in person. Or deal with an on-line company with a good return policy. I've bought several of my lenses used and some are rather vintage. Many were in the $100-200 range. Of the half dozen I've bought one did fail within a week but I was able to recover my investment from the store so all is good.

But I'd still start with a new 50mm 1.8.
 
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Zarovich

Senior Member
Well as I know I'll end up getting a zoom eventually, my choice seemed to be between the 35 and 50.
Pkaying with the kit a little bit I found I really liked being closer. So nifty 50 it is!
As my d90 has the af motor, I went with a new AF. On Amazon it was only a little more expensive new than a used "excellent" one on keh, b/h, and l/a.
Thanks for all the suggestions, I'm stoked.

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Fortkentdad

Senior Member
Zarovich said:
Well as I know I'll end up getting a zoom eventually, my choice seemed to be between the 35 and 50.
Pkaying with the kit a little bit I found I really liked being closer. So nifty 50 it is!
As my d90 has the af motor, I went with a new AF. On Amazon it was only a little more expensive new than a used "excellent" one on keh, b/h, and l/a.
Thanks for all the suggestions, I'm stoked.

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Click to expand...

Good choice.


I once read somewhere that in the ancient of days (1980's) that when teaching photography students were provided with a camera and the 50mm. They learned all their basic skills on the "normal" lens as it is sometimes called. No idea if that is true but sounds plausible.
 
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Zarovich

Senior Member
Oh yeah, this lens is awesome. Thanks again for the suggestion. I'm having a lot of fun so far.

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J-see

Senior Member
Fortkentdad said:
Good choice.


I once read somewhere that in the ancient of days (1980's) that when teaching photography students were provided with a camera and the 50mm. They learned all their basic skills on the "normal" lens as it is sometimes called. No idea if that is true but sounds plausible.
Click to expand...

When I was at school in the 80ies we started with an SLR + 35mm lens and that was it. Oh yeah and a manual light meter.
 
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aroy

Senior Member
I have a D3300, 18-55, 35mm and 50mm. Most of the time when there is enough light and I do need sharp images all round (F8 or more) I use the kit lens. It is only when the light is low or you need to isolate the subject from background that the F1.8 lenses come into play. Both the 35mm F1.8DX and the 50mm F1.8 D are relatively inexpensive lenses, around 100-150 dollars each, so there is no justification in having both. Both the primes are sharper than the kit zoom, though that will not matter much if you are not printing beyond 8x10.

So as suggested, use your kit lens at both 35mm and at 50mm and evaluate the images and then decide.
 
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