Nikon lenses

[celtic20]

Looking to buy a new one, Would like to know the difference between a 35mm and a 50mm. I read that the 50 mm actually is a 75 mm. I have a Nikon D60. I'm no pro but would like to expand my capabilities. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[wdwmagic]

What do you already have?

The NIkon D60 is a crop sensor camera, meaning that it is roughly 1.5x. So a 50mm lens on that body will be equivalent to a 75mm.

A 35mm lens will have a wider field of view than a 50mm lens.

 

[CP_alum08]

On a crop body a 50mm will "shoot like" a 75mm lens on a full frame body. Essentially the camera is cropping the photo before it even takes the shot. Other than focal range the two lenses are very similar, I assume you're looking at the f/1.8 versions. I own the 35mm f/1.8 and use it quite a bit at WDW. In certain situations it can be a little too much zoom, but for an inexpensive lens its actually pretty nice.

 

[thomas998]

Looking to buy a new one, Would like to know the difference between a 35mm and a 50mm. I read that the 50 mm actually is a 75 mm. I have a Nikon D60. I'm no pro but would like to expand my capabilities. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

If you want meaningful suggestion you really need to give a bit more information on what you currently own, and what you want to be able to take photos of.... otherwise any suggestion you get is going to be slanted by the posters assumptions about what you need and they will likely be completely wrong.

 

[NowInc]

I personally own the 35mm 1.8 and cant recommend it enough. Its a fantastic (and cheap) piece of glass.

 

[celtic20]

If you want meaningful suggestion you really need to give a bit more information on what you currently own, and what you want to be able to take photos of....

I own the D60 and the lens that came with it. 18-55mm I believe. I would like to take better low light pictures at WDW. I also take a lot of pictures of architectural details.

 

[NowInc]

Ah...well...the 35mm and 50mm lenses are both prime...so you won't be able to zoom..so "details" of things may be a bit rough. (at least close ups). BUT...the 1.8 aperture really does help for low light shots. Both of these lenses are "wide" I would say...so they're great for landscape type of shots...or portraits.

 

[Joshua&CalebDad]

Ah...well...the 35mm and 50mm lenses are both prime...so you won't be able to zoom..so "details" of things may be a bit rough. (at least close ups). BUT...the 1.8 aperture really does help for low light shots. Both of these lenses are "wide" I would say...so they're great for landscape type of shots...or portraits.

I alos have the 35 mm lense and was curious to know how it did on dark rides such as POTC. I haven't had the chance to use it at Disney. First chance will be in about two weeks.

 

[NowInc]

Not to self promote here..but its honestly the only way I can show you how it performs. This is a gallery of images I took on my last trip to WDW...ALL pictures were taken using the 35mm 1.8..using a D3100 (not ideal for low light). You'll see that overall..the 35mm did a great job.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dreggs/sets/72157631783412692/

 

[Joshua&CalebDad]

Not to self promote here..but its honestly the only way I can show you how it performs. This is a gallery of images I took on my last trip to WDW...ALL pictures were taken using the 35mm 1.8..using a D3100 (not ideal for low light). You'll see that overall..the 35mm did a great job.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dreggs/sets/72157631783412692/

Thanks. I did take a look. I know that you mentioned that using the D3100 wasn't ideal for low light, was this due to the highest ISO setting not being high enough, which therefore led to a lot of background noise in dark settings, or was it another issue altogether? I just purchased the D5100 and haven't had a chance to really try it out in a dark setting yet.

 

[CP_alum08]

I alos have the 35 mm lense and was curious to know how it did on dark rides such as POTC. I haven't had the chance to use it at Disney. First chance will be in about two weeks.

I use the 35mm on a D90 and it does fine on Pirates. HM is hit or miss and not a chance on Peter Pan with a 1.8. As long as you're willing to crank your ISO 1.8 should be fine on most dark rides.

 

[thomas998]

I own the D60 and the lens that came with it. 18-55mm I believe. I would like to take better low light pictures at WDW. I also take a lot of pictures of architectural details.

Well if you have the kit lens then I would start by putting it on the camera and setting it at 35 and looking around at things I might photograph, then doing it at 50 and doing the same thing... That is the easiest way to get an idea of whether the 35 or 50mm lens is going to be of any value to you. As some have suggest a 1.8 would be much better for getting photo in dark rides... but that may not be the best next lens for you to get... If I were looking for an additional lens I might look for a wider angle lens... although I've taken zoom lenses to Disney I've found that they aren't used very often and that I prefer wider lenses for travel pictures.

 

[NowInc]

Thanks. I did take a look. I know that you mentioned that using the D3100 wasn't ideal for low light, was this due to the highest ISO setting not being high enough, which therefore led to a lot of background noise in dark settings, or was it another issue altogether? I just purchased the D5100 and haven't had a chance to really try it out in a dark setting yet.

The D3100 has poor low light performance. (poor compared to the D5100/D7000 or a full frame).

 

[ddbowdoin]

to put this pretty plainly... the 35 and 50 primes are really the only "best bang for your buck" glass. The rest of the line up gets expensive pretty fast or the lenses suck.