NIKON D5000- 50mm f1.8 LENS

[sabbath18]

I am looking to add a 50mm lens to my kit. i have 2 questions i need help with:
Do i have to buy AF-S?
is this the right lens or should i go for 35MM?

many thanks in advance.

[Shadowman]

I am looking to add a 50mm lens to my kit. i have 2 questions i need help with:
Do i have to buy AF-S?
is this the right lens or should i go for 35MM?

many thanks in advance.

This link will answer the lens type question.

http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answ...%2C-and-d40%3F

There is nosuch thing as a wrong lens, unless it just does not function properly or it doesn't suit your needs.

[inkista]

I am looking to add a 50mm lens to my kit. i have 2 questions i need help with:
Do i have to buy AF-S?

Only if you have to have autofocus. If you're all right with manually focusing, the AF D lenses can work for you, too.

...is this the right lens or should i go for 35MM?

Depends on how far away you shoot from your subject and how you want to frame it. Suggest you use software to analyze the EXIF of shots taken with your 18-55 kit lens, and see which focal lengths you tend to use the most often. A lot of people prefer the AF-S 35mm f/1.8G because it's AF-S and will autofocus, and on a crop it's closer to a "normal" focal length. But everybody's tastes are different.

[Black Pearl]

Don't see the point of the older AFD 50mm on the D5000 as you won't have any auto focus especially now there is an AFS version that will, is better quality and comes with a lens hood.

That said I agree Inksta - the AF-S 35mm fi.8 is a much better choice. I have both and rarely if ever use the 50mm anymore finding the 35mm (being 50mm [52.5mm if we're being exact] on a crop body) to be the perfect length for 'normal' shooting.

[Letrow]

Both lenses are fine, but the autofocus on the 50mm is a bit faster than on the 35mm. No biggie perhaps, but you do notice after a while that the 35mm is relatively slow.
Both are fast lenses (F/1.8), so it boils down to (price and) what you need most, i.e. the 50mm view or the 35mm view. The 50mm lens I have (D version) produces great photos, with lovely bokeh and for me it is like a nice short tele (I have the D7000). The 35mm is great as well, but personally I use it less.

Both lenses are AF-S, so perfect for your camera. Kathy's advice (look at what focal lengths you use most in the exif data) is most useful probably.

[Black Pearl]

The AF with the 50mm AFD is a little faster on your D7000 than with the 35mm, the OP's D5000 won't AF this lens though so its still not the one to buy. I have to say until you said that I'd never noticed a difference, having just tried both on my D300s the 50mm is a bit quicker but not by much and its a far faster camera so I'd have though the difference would be more noticeable.

I'd still recommend the 35mm as a first choice as it is closer to the classic 50mm 'standard lens and a longer (50mm or even better a 85mm) as a second lens to compliment it.

[Dave Humphries]

Of course, with a bit more money; there's the 50mm f/1.4 too - and that is AF-S, so it will work on a D5000.

I have one, but I tend to agree with Robin - it can be a bit too tight, even for a portrait across a table in a restaurant.

I may weaken and get the 35mm one day

[Letrow]

The AF with the 50mm AFD is a little faster on your D7000 than with the 35mm, the OP's D5000 won't AF this lens though so its still not the one to buy. I have to say until you said that I'd never noticed a difference, having just tried both on my D300s the 50mm is a bit quicker but not by much and its a far faster camera so I'd have though the difference would be more noticeable.

I'd still recommend the 35mm as a first choice as it is closer to the classic 50mm 'standard lens and a longer (50mm or even better a 85mm) as a second lens to compliment it.

I agree and I didn't suggest the D lens as alternative, but just talked about the lens quality, which is comparable to the AF-S lens I think.

[Sahil]

Manual focusing is a PITA. Better go for Af-S version of 50mm f/1.8
But what I like about AF version is that it has aperture ring on it. It comes handy in lens reversal technique

[Shadowman]

I think owning a manual focus lens slows you down when composing a shot and that can be a good thing.

[Black Pearl]

True but i'd rather have the choice plus manually focusing on an AF camera is a pain as the viewfinder doesn't have a split-image or fresnel ring.