is NIKKOR AF-S 50mm f/1.8 an option?

N

NikonGirl

Senior Member
I'm new to my 5100, and Nikon in general - bare with me, I just came over to the "dark side" :p

I know there are some restrictions due to the inability to Auto Focus with some lenses... this doesn't matter much to me as I prefer to Manually focus anyway.... but is this lense compatible with my D5100?

Thanks in advance :D
 
W

westmill

Banned
Yes ! AFS lenses are compatible with all Nikon cameras as they have a motor in the lens.
The older D series needs to be used with cameras that are able to drive the lens since they do not have a built in motor.
 
N

NikonGirl

Senior Member
westmill said:
Yes ! AFS lenses are compatible with all Nikon cameras as they have a motor in the lens.
The older D series needs to be used with cameras that are able to drive the lens since they do not have a built in motor.
Click to expand...

That explains my question .. the only Nikon I've used prior to my D5100 is the D60
 
M

Mike150

Senior Member
The D5100 should be able to use any AF-S lens. Look in your manual's index and find Lenses. You will find a chart showing the types of lenses that are compatible.
 
N

NikonGirl

Senior Member
I've toyed with a friends 5100 a couple of times - mine, admittedly, is still sitting behind a desk at Best Buy - I can't get to the city until Friday night to pick it up.

I was just curious. I primarily shoot portrait and action (horses in motion) so i'd like to eventually buy a prime lens for Portraits.

This doesn't really pertain to the OP, but what lens would you guys suggest for action shots such as horses in motion? I'm sticking with the standard 18 - 55mm ... just for future reference :)
 
W

westmill

Banned
NikonGirl said:
I've toyed with a friends 5100 a couple of times - mine, admittedly, is still sitting behind a desk at Best Buy - I can't get to the city until Friday night to pick it up.

I was just curious. I primarily shoot portrait and action (horses in motion) so i'd like to eventually buy a prime lens for Portraits.

This doesn't really pertain to the OP, but what lens would you guys suggest for action shots such as horses in motion? I'm sticking with the standard 18 - 55mm ... just for future reference :)
Click to expand...
Thats a huge question with an awful lot variables that makes it a hard question to answer in simple terms.
Its a question that will also generate a milion different suggestions lol and its late an time for beddy byes lol :D
 
P

pedroj

Senior Member
The 50 mentioned should be good for portraits and something like the AF-S 70-300mm should be good for horses..

As Westmill says there are many options, 70-200mm F2.8
 
N

NikonGirl

Senior Member
Basically I want something that will present decent photo's without sending a fortune. With hooves and legs moving a lot, dirt and dust flying, etc. Essentially, I just want minimal leg blur.

I'll try a bunch with the standard lens and then go from there :)
 
E

Eye-level

Banned
Nikon users are pretty lucky right now because in addition to a slew of new bodies they have a handful of relatively new lenses on the market that are all excellent performers - namely the g series of lenses...there is a 28, 35, 50, and 85 they are all afs and they all rock! I would almost go as far as saying that would be the ultimate kit of primes right now....
 
bluenoser

bluenoser

Banned
NikonGirl said:
Basically I want something that will present decent photo's without sending a fortune. With hooves and legs moving a lot, dirt and dust flying, etc. Essentially, I just want minimal leg blur.
Click to expand...

I'm going to assume for now that you are most likely going to need some extra reach in a lens as I'm guessing you might be a bit far removed from the horse action? As such, the most practical solution would be a telephoto, zoom lens.

On that basis, to freeze the action to give you "minimal leg blur", you need a high shutter speed. If you've got lots of available light then the slower variable aperture lenses can accomplish this freeze action. However when your available light starts to drop, then you need a faster, constant aperture lens (which can be quite expensive - you pay for fast glass). Your D5100 can shoot at higher ISOs which will let you "cheat" a bit more and enable you to climb up the ISO ladder as the light falls off in order to keep your shutter speeds up. Of course with most entry level DSLRs, once you start going too high up the ISO ladder, the more noise you tend to introduce into your image.

Bottom line: If you have lots of good available light then your options are wide open in terms of good, economical lens choices. If your lighting is not optimal, then your options narrow and get more expensive.
 
Last edited:
N

NikonGirl

Senior Member
bluenoser said:
To freeze the action to give you "minimal leg blur", you need a high shutter speed. If you've got lots of available light then the slower variable aperture lenses can accomplish this freeze action. However when your available light starts to drop, then you need a faster, constant aperture lens (which can be quite expensive - you pay for fast glass). Your D5100 can shoot at higher ISOs which will let you "cheat" a bit more and enable you to climb up the ISO ladder as the light falls off in order to keep your shutter speeds up. Of course with most entry level DSLRs, once you start going too high up the ISO ladder, the more noise you tend to introduce into your image.

Bottom line: If you have lots of good available light then your options are wide open in terms of good, economical lens choices. If your lighting is not optimal, then your options narrow and get more expensive.
Click to expand...

That really helps :)

I love outdoor shooting, so 9 times out of 10 there should be sufficient lighting.. I do plan to buy an external flash in the future, though.

This is a picture from my old Fujifilm S3400 (non DSLR, but of decent quality despite the price)
541110_2749820484137_642757505_n.jpg

It's not "bad", but I want better - hence the new Nikon! :p
Thanks so much :)
 
Last edited:
E

eurotrash

Senior Member
A good zoom would likely get you what you need. Look for something in the 4-5.6 range if you have a lot of daytime shooting going on. I'd say the Nikon 70-200mm, but that's about $400US and we don't know your budget other than, "not bank-breaking". To me, $400 is pennies compared to the amount of shots I'll get with it, amount of money I could potentially make with it, and let's not forget that good glass is an investment, not an expenditure. Especially if it's a name brand lens and not a third-parties.

And I can honestly say that my 35mm 1.8 has been heaven. I'm sure that the new 85mm 1.8 would be amazing for portraits, given the price! Oh, and you should check out the 50mm 1.8D lens if you don't mind autofocusing. It's one of Nikon's sharpest lenses ever and it's only around $100US.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
P

pedroj

Senior Member
NikonGirl said:
Basically I want something that will present decent photo's without sending a fortune. With hooves and legs moving a lot, dirt and dust flying, etc. Essentially, I just want minimal leg blur.

I'll try a bunch with the standard lens and then go from there :)
Click to expand...

No sense in suggesting something if it's outside your dollars, give us a number and we'll go from there....
 
W

westmill

Banned
Sometimes you find lenses too long as the horses come in close. Then you are unable to fit the whole horse on.
I cover a lot of horse racing. My horse are on a race course though. With this, the 18-135 would work nicely for most.
For show jumping etc I doubt this would be so much of a problem so the 50-200 would prob work for you very well.
Both of these lenses are incredably sharp and very affordable :D
 
Top