Lens Choice questions

[Artful Dodger]

Hi, well to start my lens growing needs I'm looking at the Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens. Nice price but correct me if not, $117 shipped and should be just what I was looking for as of late. With that said does anyone here have real world experience with this lens? Is this a nice lens as far as build quality and durability go? Now the last part, how about a brand of filter for protection? The local shop sold me a Promaster UV Filter for the D50 kit lens that I bought but is this a good brand for protection or are there better ones out there?
Well after reading most say buy a mid price filter, $15-$35 seems like the average price. So when would a filter become a problem to use (very bright sunlight)?
Thanks for any input/help

 

[beavo451]

Yes that price is relatively correct. Excellent lens. Must have for any SLR owner. Sharper than the 70-200mm VR. Build quality leaves something to be desired (plastic body, metal mount), but hey it's $100. I don't use filters except for polarizers, but I hear B+W, Hoya HMC, and Nikon are good.

 

[Artful Dodger]

Yes that price is relatively correct. Excellent lens. Must have for any SLR owner. Sharper than the 70-200mm VR. Build quality leaves something to be desired (plastic body, metal mount), but hey it's $100.

Thanks, local shop wants $169 can't help them out on this one as B&H is way to good of a deal and so is Amazon. They were sold out so I couldn't even think twice about checking build quality so next best thing is ask here

 

[javabear90]

I love this lens. For a tad over $100, it is a steal. It can be a little soft wide open but otherwise it is very sharp. The f/1.8 is extreemly nice for indoor an a little bit of sports (you have to get dangerously close sometimes). The focusing speed is good on a D200 and nice on a D70. It's not AF-s, but its pretty fast. I wouldn't use a protective filter becuase the glass is very recesed in the front element and the lens is so cheap that a good filter will be 75% of the cost of the lens.

-Ted

 

[Abstract]

Yeah, I was going to say the same thing about the filter. If you're buying a filter to protect the lens, don't bother. It's such a cheap lens that a filter is really unnecessary, as the chances of damaging your lens is very small, and even if you did, it's around $100.

If you're buying it to get better photos, it may not actually result in better photos. Lenses already have good UV filtering anyway, from what I read in another thread here.

 

[Artful Dodger]

Yeah, I was going to say the same thing about the filter. If you're buying a filter to protect the lens, don't bother. It's such a cheap lens that a filter is really unnecessary, as the chances of damaging your lens is very small, and even if you did, it's around $100.

If you're buying it to get better photos, it may not actually result in better photos. Lenses already have good UV filtering anyway, from what I read in another thread here.

Thanks, I ordered it without the filter and it should be here tomorrow or Monday am. I'm very carful anyway with my stuff so I don't for-see any problems by not having any filter for protection with this lens and as said a "good filter" would be almost or at least half the cost of the lens.
Thanks again for the replies

 

[wilburdl]

50mm samples. I had that lens back when I had a D70. Mine had some focusing issues but when it was on--the pictures looked great. I learned a lot about using shallow depth of field with that thing. It is cheap--but for the price it's more than worth it. Just be sure to focus, shot, refocus and take another shot--just in case.

 

[Artful Dodger]

Nice pics

Hi, thanks for those pictures, very nice. I like the two girls the best as that's the type of use this lens will get from me. Also it will be used for some landscaping design photos, before and after. Just wish it would have come today, email invoice claims it will be here on Monday
Anyway...thanks, can't wait and I'll keep my eye on the focus issue and see what happens.

 

[Silentwave]

Congrats!

Congratulations!

 

[Silentwave]

Congrats!

Congratulations! The 50/1.8 is a wonderful little lens. The front element is so recessed you definitely don't need the filter. I have one I can use whenever I need to from school so that's the only reason I don't have one of my own

Here's one I took with it recently.

see a larger version here.

That was with my D2Hs, f/2.5 ISO 500 1/125

 

[ChrisA]

Hi, well to start my lens growing needs I'm looking at the Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens. Nice price but correct me if not, $117 shipped and should be just what I was looking for as of late. With that said does anyone here have real world experience with this lens? Is this a nice lens as far as build quality and durability go? Now the last part, how about a brand of filter for protection? The local shop sold me a Promaster UV Filter for the D50 kit lens that I bought but is this a good brand for protection or are there better ones out there?
Well after reading most say buy a mid price filter, $15-$35 seems like the average price. So when would a filter become a problem to use (very bright sunlight)?
Thanks for any input/help

I have several Nikon 50mm lenses. One is an 1970's vintage f/1.4 the new AF lenses are well made especially if you get away from the low=priced "kit" lenses. to current 50mm has a metal mount and should last "forever". But none of the current lenses match the build quality of those 20 year old manual focus lenses that were made of sold brass and glass but still the 50mmis bettr then your 18-55 in term of quality

Filter brands? Any "Multi-coated" filter is fine. Hoya, B+W are top brands but watch it. Each brand makes a line of low-priced filtrs, mid-price and high-end. In the Hoya line their top end is "SMC" for "super multi coated" Look at more than just the brand name.

Filters can be removed if flair is a problem

I have the 50mm f/1.4 Don't know if the 1/2 stop difference matters much