Why no inexpensive fast AF-S prime for Nikon?

[jbernie]

My wife has horses and rides dressage. We don't have discussions about my spending on my various hobbies.

Laugh! The cost of your photography hobby is almost unnoticable then Though potentially I guess you can use it as a tax break if you are taking photos of/for the wife for professional reasons.

While not quite as popular as EF 50mm f/1.8II, Canon's EF 50mm f/1.4 USM is one of the best sellers (which costs around $300).

So very true... I went with the 1.4 instead of the 1.8, long term investment, the 1.8 is probably all I need for right now but knowing that this is not just a passing fad helps me decided on the expenses alot easier.