35mm or 50mm prime lens for the D5100? Which one is better?
1306207
On the D5100 the Nikon 50 mm f/1.8D will not autofocus. You will need to purchase the "G" version for autofocus on the D5100. Only lenses with the designation AFS will autofocus on the D5100 which does not have a motor in its body. With respect to 50mm vs 35 mm you may find that the 50 has too much reach for normal use on the D5100 which is not a full frame DSLR. On the other hand it will work reasonably well as a portrait lens since it will have an equivalent reach of 75 mm on the D5100. Both the 35mm and 50 mm "G" lenses will produce images of roughly equal sharpness.
350404
The autofocus is great and at the price for a prime lens you can't beat it. One thing since you are shooting with a DX sensor or cropped sensor this lens will actually be at 75mm, check out this nikon link http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Learn-And-Explore/Article/g588ouey/The-DX-and-FX-Formats.html
606473
I would recommend a 50mm lens that is faster. Say an F1.8 or so. F 3.5 is a bit slow for low light. You can ramp up the ISO sensitivity to compensate, but you increase noise too. The trade off so to speak.
101688
If you're looking for good quality and use a canon the 50mm f1.8 is a great and cheap lens. If you're looking for a macro lens I use the canon macro lens EF.S 60mm. I liked it better then the sigma macro lens.
1135873
We carried both on our European honeymoon. The 50 mm f/1.8 lens is GREAT for portraits when you want to blur the background, but it is not good for landscapes or where you need to stand pretty close to the subject but want a normal field of view. We found that it was hard to just carry the 50 mm lens without having the 18-55 lens in back-up, but the pictures with the 50 mm lens are our favorites. If you really wanted to just carry one lens, you could probably get by with the 50 mm lens plus a camera phone.
1922083
The 50 is probably more often referred to as a "standard" lens and works great. The 35 is slightly wider and often used for portraits of more than just one person (when you need to fit more people in the frame). Keep in mind that if you have a camera with an ASP-C sensor (or a "crop sensor"-- this is the Rebel line of Canon canons as well as the 7D, etc), the 50mm is closer to a (1.6 x 50 =) 80mm due to the smaller sensor and a 35 looks closer to a (35 x 1.6=) 56mm lens. What I would suggest before dropping a lot of money on the 35L or 50L is to see what range you use more or what looks better on your camera. Most Canon cameras come with an 18-55 or 24-105 lens. Zoom that lens to the 35mm mark and use that for a day and see how it works. Then do the same thing with the lens at the 50mm mark. If you find that 50 is too narrow or 35 is too wide, there is no sense in dropping $1000+ on a focal length you aren't likely to use.
1041291
I've never been a fan of zooms on DSLRs (the nice ones were always too expensive for me), so I went with the 35mm f/1.4 and the 18mm f/2. Fuji has been discounting their lenses recently, which makes these primes a bargain, and having access to both a moderate wide angle that I can throw in my jacket and a normal lens is fantastic.
1135869
Hey there.I would suggest an exercise if you have the 18-55, but want to start shooting primarily with a fixed focus prime lens. Set the 18-55 to 50, and take shots for the next week only at that length...50 serious shots should give you an idea if you like it as a walkaround. Since there is a really nice sony 35mm lens as well, try that length out also. Personally I like 24mm or 35mm as a walkaround, 50mm is a little too telescopic but it is a very personal preferance.
2072502
One thing I would add is that for most DSLRs, 50mm might not be the best first-pick lens.One of the reasons the 50mm was the standard lens for so long is because on regular film (or a full-frame digital sensor) it is thought to best mimic the perspective you get from the naked eye. If you don't have a full frame sensor (most DSLRs don't), you're better off going with the 35mm f/2, as that lens comes closest on an APS-C camera to the focal length that the 50mm gives you on film.
433203
On the D5100 the Nikon 50 mm f/1.8D will not autofocus. You will need to purchase the "G" version for autofocus on the D5100. Only lenses with the designation AFS will autofocus on the D5100 which does not have a motor in its body. With respect to 50mm vs 35 mm you may find that the 50 has too much reach for normal use on the D5100 which is not a full frame DSLR. On the other hand it will work reasonably well as a portrait lens since it will have an equivalent reach of 75 mm on the D5100. Both the 35mm and 50 mm "G" lenses will produce images of roughly equal sharpness. On the D5100 the Nikon 50 mm f/1.8D will not autofocus. You will need to purchase the "G" version for autofocus on the D5100. Only lenses with the designation AFS will autofocus on the D5100 which does not have a motor in its body. With respect to 50mm vs 35 mm you may find that the 50 has too much reach for normal use on the D5100 which is not a full frame DSLR. On the other hand it will work reasonably well as a portrait lens since it will have an equivalent reach of 75 mm on the D5100. Both the 35mm and 50 mm "G" lenses will produce images of roughly equal sharpness.
873452
Another option is getting the 50mm 1.8 for about a hundred bucks. Takes great shots and you can still buy the 28-135. I bought my 28-135 used and love having both lenses.
433205
If you want to shoot indoors at all you should absolutely get the 35mm as the field of view of the 50mm on an APS-C sensor is too long to be very useful in tight spaces. If you're more concerned about outdoors I would find someone else that has a DSLR and try shooting at both focal lengths and see which one comes more natural to you (they don't need to have both primes, with just the 18-55mm kit lens you can try leaving it on one focal length for a while and then moving to the other one for a bit.) If you decide you like the 50mm focal length, like others have said, get the G lens so it will autofocus. Personally I have the 35mm f/1.8 and love that lens. If you want to shoot indoors at all you should absolutely get the 35mm as the field of view of the 50mm on an APS-C sensor is too long to be very useful in tight spaces. If you're more concerned about outdoors I would find someone else that has a DSLR and try shooting at both focal lengths and see which one comes more natural to you (they don't need to have both primes, with just the 18-55mm kit lens you can try leaving it on one focal length for a while and then moving to the other one for a bit.) If you decide you like the 50mm focal length, like others have said, get the G lens so it... » Read More If you want to shoot indoors at all you should absolutely get the 35mm as the field of view of the 50mm on an APS-C sensor is too long to be very useful in tight spaces. If you're more concerned about outdoors I would find someone else that has a DSLR and try shooting at both focal lengths and see which one comes more natural to you (they don't need to have both primes, with just the 18-55mm kit lens you can try leaving it on one focal length for a while and then moving to the other one for a bit.) If you decide you like the 50mm focal length, like others have said, get the G lens so it will autofocus. Personally I have the 35mm f/1.8 and love that lens. « Show Less
382375
Hi Vanessa, For amazing bokeh / background defocus, we would recommend the 50mm. -Anthony
1456961
I've owned both lenses and the 50 1.4 has a better build quality, the larger aperture will also give you shallower DOF which might help with portraits, and it should focus faster. Unless you plan on doing a lot of macro photography with your lens I'd go with the 50 1.4.
155654
I'm 50/50 on it. There are a lot of plusses for the 35 (1.3 stops faster, shallower DOF, phase detect autofocus points on the entire frame, image stabilization), but one big negative (twice the price). It's also less sharp, but it's not soft by a long shot. If you shoot in very low light, fast subjects, or video, the 35 is the better choice. Otherwise, the 30 is an excellent deal.
693088
I have the D5100 with the AF-S NIKKOR 18-55m 1:3.5-5.6G lens. I find it to be a little tight going on/off but it fits well.
382374
I have both lenses and they are both pretty good. I probably like the 50mm a bit more than the 35mm. The real question for you to answer is what will I be my primary use for the lens ? Remember, we're shooting with a crop-sensor camera, so the lenses convert from a 35mm to a 52mm, and the 50mm converts to a 75mm lens. My recommendation for General Purpose Shooting would be to go with the 50mm ! A great bang for the buck and terrific bokeh !