A controversial lens choice

[dubaiphil]

Well I've been thinking of picking up a different 50mm as 35mm is sometimes a little too wide for me with street photography in London.

There's a lot of choice out there for a Nikon shooter - Nikkor's own f1.4 and f1.8, in G and D variants. Carl Zeiss has an f1.4 and f2 (funnily enough I'm not willing to stump up the cash that an Otus requires even though it's 55mm, Sigma f1.4. Using Nikon's F mount, you can even delve a little deeper into Nikkor's back catalogue with Ai-S, Ai, E and other variants if you're not afraid of manual focus. Then there's converted Leica R mounts as well - decisions decisions...

I managed to get a great price on something a little different though - a Nikkor 50mm f1.2 Ai-S. Now this is a lens with real character - possibly not to everyone's taste - which should be fantastic to shoot. Can't wait to get it delivered and try it out...

[PhotomanJohn]

I have come close to buying one of those just for their looks and quality. It has to be a good lens since they have been making it for over 30 years. Probably not outstanding wide open but should be plenty sharp stopped down. Have fun!

John

[IzzieK]

Researching for my 100 mm macro lens, I came upon a 50 mm one that I like but not really sure if I want to add that to my collection as I am not sure whether I will prefer to have the 35 mm instead. I am in the middle of choosing too...so many pros and cons between these two lenses. So many choices, so little money is my problem at the moment..

[Shadowman]

Nice choice, I take it you only carry one lens or camera when you are out and about? Your 24-70mm for street, along with your 70-300mm would be ideal for me.

[dubaiphil]

Nice choice, I take it you only carry one lens or camera when you are out and about? Your 24-70mm for street, along with your 70-300mm would be ideal for me.

That's a bit heavy and noticeable for me! I prefer primes for street work myself

[Shadowman]

That's a bit heavy and noticeable for me! I prefer primes for street work myself

Phil,

I was suggesting the 24-70mm for street, more flexibility for when you have your back to the wall. The 70-300mm would be for anything else I might find interesting. What I really wanted to know is if you take more than one lens or camera per excursion?

[dubaiphil]

I generally take only 1 lens at a time. In Dubai this was for issues with changing lenses and dust more than security. In London it's more for security than dust.

Having 1 lens and 1 focal length only means I can get 'into the zone' of what's in range and what distance I should be at without recomposing or zooming and maybe losing this moment. Add in a DoF scale on the top of the lens and in good light I can prefocus and not even bring the camera up to shoot. So I can get into position (knowing my distance to the subject to allow for a little leeway if I need to crop if the camera's not straight), prefocus (again by looking at my acceptable DoF on my lens against my aperture setting) and shoot without bringing the camera up.

So there have been situations where I've managed to get the shot and I wouldn't have been able to do it with a 24-70. Yes, there are disadvantages to manual focusing and sometimes shooting from the hip, but they're outweighed (in my opinion and situation) by the advantages.

My gripped DSLR is not exactly stealthy, but clip a hooded 24-70 on the front and you become a lot more noticeable!