Buying a new lens

Guys , I recently joined the family as you guys know and I wanted your advice as Im in need of buying a new lens for my Nikon D3200 because my 18-55mm kit lens does not perform very well in low light as I always need a tripod to shoot still objects in low light. I need a new lens , probably a prime lens with a large aperture or a Constant aperture zoom and budget is what Im a BIT tight on as I buy my photography equipment through my savings. What Im currently considering is a Nikkor 50mm F/1.8G , hows my consideration ?l


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The Nikon 50mm f/1.8G is a very popular choice and an excellent lens. It's also about dirt cheap.

Some more detail about what and how you shoot, though, might help us suggest some options you may not have considered.

Considering the fact that I just took up photography as my first priority in my free time I mostly shoot objects such as birds or my pet birds and other than that I try to get shadow effects like the ones you get with a cold light and a black back-drop in spotlight photography. So low light performance of the lens is must and I prioritize it over having a zoom range so a prime lens would do ! Here is the shadow effect which I was talking about and please correct me if Im wrong as I dont know the correct term for this effect


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Keep your 18-55 @35 then @50 first see which focal length you prefer..

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But the 50mm F1.8G is FX format sensor based lens which means it will give me a focal length of about 75mm ?


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Any lens will do that.
That effect if called effective focal length MoabMan has a page with the details, Will see if i can get it from my history.
BTW take any lens you have and multiply the focal length by 1.5 for Nikon DX cameras will give you the equivalent FX focal length.

HTH

Any lens will do that.
That effect if called effective focal length MoabMan has a page with the details, Will see if i can get it from my history.
BTW take any lens you have and multiply the focal length by 1.5 for Nikon DX cameras will give you the equivalent FX focal length.

HTH

-Edit-
DX-FX photo explanation of crop zoom

chum867 said:

But the 50mm F1.8G is FX format sensor based lens which means it will give me a focal length of about 75mm ?


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Click to expand...

Right in that area, yes. Another good low light lenses is the AF-S Nikkor 35mm 1:1.8G. This will get you around 50mm in DX.

Ok so my decision will either side with the Nikkor 50mm F/1.8G or the 35mm F/1.8G DX as you guys have suggested. What should I really get ? A 35mm or a 50mm (75mm equivalent DX) F/1.8G lens ?


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As already mentioned, try shooting at 35mm and then 50mm with your 18-55. And decide for yourself. Some people like the 50 more, some like the 35mm, like myself.

If you are going to be shooting upclose like that, I would suggest trying out the Nikon 40mm F2.8 Macro. Will yield better results and enable you to crop further into the picture without much distortion. Also the lens is better adapted to isolate the subject at a closer focusing distance (6") in comparison to the 35mm or 50mm. Both of those lenses will need more distance between you and your subject.

Or if you want a bit more length, you can look into the 85mm F3.5 macro or 105mm F2.8 macro. I think any of those macro lenses will be more appropriate to the style of shooting you prefer.

I find the 35mm on a DX body a better choice for general photography but for closer shooting like what the OP is asking about I think the 50mm would be the better choice. I think it mainly depends on what you plan on doing with your photography, both are excellent lenses, the 50mm just means you'll have a little more working distance between you and your subject. With the 35mm, to get the same shot, you'll need to crop in post or get closer to your subject.

And since you'll get the 1.5 crop factor with either of these lenses, the crop factor, really, is a moot point.
....

After reading all your suggestions I have decided to go for the 50mm f/1.8G and Ill stock the 85mm f/3.5 later as I feel I need the 50mm f/1.8G more and without spending any more time on deciding between which lens to buy. Thanks for taking the time for providing me your suggestions and they've been all really helpful and finally made me reach a decision making point Thanks Again Guys !


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