Nikon Nikkor 50 mm F/1.8 AF D Lens

In purchasing this lens, my goal was to be able to shoot in lower light without the blast of flash photography. Wow, what beautiful pictures, rich colors, and amazing "depth of field". Unfortunately today, we are not offered this kind of lens quality unless forking over large amounts of cash. Instead we get a kit zoom lens with vibration reduction which really is just compensating for lesser quality. Technology vs. Craftsmanship is another way to put it and it has changed the way we take pictures. This 1.8 aperture allows a tremendous amount of light on to the sensor compared to a 3.5 aperture kit lens of today's dslrs. With that, my shutter speed can be quick enough to capture my image without blur and without "VR". The downside? Focus. There is nothing auto on this lens. But... It makes me a think about my shot, the result is I'm taking less pictures and each picture is worth keeping. How many of us have over a gig of shots we are too lazy to delete hoarding up the hardrive. For us that remember, a 36 roll of 100 iso would not be wasted.

I love this lens and have purchased more of these prime lenses. There is this tangible sense of quality you have when holding one these. It makes you want to shoot better. Eventually I will be looking at a very wide angle lens to compensate for the crop factor of my camera. It is worth noting that, if you're not familiar with the transition to dslr, cameras have different size sensors which turn your 50mm lens into varying but mostly a higher mm. For me, shooting a Nikon D80 and Lumix GH1 (for video) the crop factor is up to 2. Meaning on the GH1, the 50mm is actually 100mm.

To wrap up, I'm grateful these lenses have been cared for by the previous generation of photographers who knew the art form and function better than most of us. They are now available for us to practice the craft, achieve fantastic results, and appreciate our shots even more.

This is very reasonably priced prime lens with exceptional picture quality. It is also very fast: aperture is 1.8. So you can shoot in low light without flash. With any Nikon DX digital SLR this lens becomes a fantastic portrait lens in ambient light. It is however a full size lens so you can use it with FX Nikons and with any Nikon film SLR. You can get a used lens in good shape under $ 100.00. It is also very lightweight and small to carry in your camera bag.

This is one of the best lenses to have. Just have to know you will manual focus for any Nikon camera under a D90. I have a D5000 and have to manual focus. This is one of the 3 must have lenses. Photos turn out very nice and look professional.

Great lens. Got it for my nikon d3100 and the lens for that camera only works in manual focus but i dont mind because when i upgrade my camera it will work in auto as well. Nice clear photos, great bokeh, worth the amount of miney i paid

I got this as a Christmas present for my girlfriend to go with her Nikon d70s camera.
I'm not a photographer, so the reason I bough it is just to have a small lens to take pictures around the house, so my girlfriend won't have to use her telescopic lens indoor.
PROS:
Small, clear sharp pictures (in my opinon, but I haven't used many other lenses)
CONS:
You have to be very steady when taking pictures, otherwise will get blurry, auto-focus doesn't work that good on my D50 or on my girlfriends D70s camera.