Question About Prime Lenses

bryanwstai · Jan 30, 2017

Hey photographers, I've been playing around with my kit lens on my crop sensor D3000 for a year now and find that I enjoy taking portraits.
I've been looking at the 50mm prime lenses as I've heard they're good for portraits, but I hope to clarify a few things I'm not sure of, please bear with this beginner.

1) Since my camera is a crop sensor, is 50mm a good focal length for portraits? I heard that it'll be a 75mm since it's on crop sensor.
I usually like taking portraits like these (If i'm violating any rule by posting links, please remove):
http://i.imgur.com/yApMXcq.jpg or http://i.imgur.com/7WmX4gL.jpg

2) I'm on a relatively tight student budget as I'm still in uni. Should I opt for the f/1.8 instead of the f/1.4? The price of the f/1.4is almost double the f/1.8, understandably though.

Models that are compatible with my D3000 that I'm looking at are:
1. Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G @ AUD235 (or should I get the f/1.8D since it's cheaper?)
2. Nikkon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G @ AUD504 (pricey for my budget)

Thanks a lot in advance,
Bryan.

Frank F. · Jan 30, 2017

The first portait I would shoot with a 35mm FX or eqivalent ... 24mm on DX

The second portrait I would shoot with a 60mm to 105mm FX or equivalent. So 40mm or 70mm on DX.

If you want to shoot both with the same lens a 24-70 or 24-85 would be nice for you.

For the first shot a larger DOF is required anyway, for the second the piczure could profit from a wider opening. A 1.8/85 would be nice on FX or the 1.4/105. Both are out of your budget.

Question. Does it have to be Autofocus?

Is manual focus an option?

bryanwstai · Jan 30, 2017

Frank F. said:
is manual focus an option

Hi Frank,
Thanks for the quick and detailed answer!

Yes I am open toward manual focus options

Frank F. · Jan 30, 2017

I only use primes and use them on DX and FX as well.

As you need two lenses and you already seem to have some kind of wider Zoom lens I would recommend you look into the longer option. I took a lot of portraits with the old 1.8/50 "D" type. The "G" type is much better.

I do not recommend the 1.4/50G. In fact I had it and sold it to buy the 1.8/50G. Now I also got the 1.4/58G which was 900 Euros used so way out of your budget.

If a longer lens is an option there are a lot of great 80mm 85mm and 105mm manual lenses within your budget. But these are good for outdoors or big rooms on the DX crop format.

astroNikon · Jan 30, 2017

When looking at lenses you will have to also know which ones are fully compatible with your camera.

Your D3000 is a entry level consumer camera. It's missing a feature called an "in-body focus motor" which allows it to AutoFocus on lenses designated as "AF" or "AF-D"

Your D3000 can only autofocus on "AF-S" lenses, as these lenses have a focus motor built into the lens it self and thus does not need an in-body focus motor.

The D3x00 and D5x00 are the modern cameras that require AF-S lenses.
The d7x00, d500 and all the FullFrames have the in-body focus motor and can AF on the older lense (though not the MF lenses of course).

jcdeboever · Jan 30, 2017

I love my 35mm 1.8g. it's more versatile than the 50mm on crop sensor. Excellent in tight spaces. Wide enough to get more into frame for street and landscape. Just have to watch out for getting in too close, minimum focus distance is just short of 12". Get in that close, you fatten up faces, so stay back a little.

table1349 · Jan 30, 2017

bryanwstai said:
1) Since my camera is a crop sensor, is 50mm a good focal length for portraits? I heard that it'll be a 75mm since it's on crop sensor.

You heard one of the common myths. Focal length is Focal length period. Sensor size does not change focal length. A 50mm is a 50 mm. What you are getting on a crop sensor is the field of view that falls on the sensor is approximately equivalent to what a 75mm lens would produce.

Personally I prefer the 85 to 100mm range for portraits on either a FF or a crop for the particular characteristics of that range.

Various focal lengths shooting the same subject filling the frame as close to the same as possible.

As for which 50mm, since I don't shoot Nikon these days others would be better suited to answer whether to spend the extra on the f1.4 vs the f1.8. If you were shooting Canon then the choice is easy, the f1.4 is far better.

I would suggest that when the budget allows, if you still want a 50mm in your arsenal of lenses look at the Sigma Art 50mm f.14: Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Nikon F 311306 B&H Photo

dunfly · Jan 30, 2017

If I was looking for a general walk around Prime, I would (and did) go with the 35mm/1.8, but if portraits are your main concern, I would go with the 50mm/1.8. At the longer effective field of view of a 75mm, you are less likely to get to close and get facial distortion (big nose syndrome). The 1.8 will give you good bokeh and should be plenty of aperture for most applications. IMHO the 1.4 is not worth the price unless you are really interested in low light situations.

gryphonslair99 is correct, the crop sensor does not make a 50mm lens a 75mm lens, it just gives you the same field of view as a 75mm lens on an FX camera. You will not get the exact same picture taking the same image with a 50mm on a crop sensor as 75mm on a full frame sensor. As he illustrated, it is more like cropping the image down after it is shot.

greybeard · Jan 30, 2017

You have part of the answer already with your kit zoom. Experiment with it set to 50mm or 35mm and see what works best for you.

Be sure to get an AF-S model with the focusing motor built into the lens as your camera body won't auto focus with AF or AF-D lenses. You can of course, focus manually with AF or AF-D lenses.

You won't SEE a pixels difference in a 50mm f/1.8 and the 50mm f/1.4 so go for the f/1.8 if it fits your budget better.

petrochemist · Jan 30, 2017

On full frame 50mm is really too short for head & shoulder portraits. On your crop camera the 75mm equivalent FOV is OK for portraits, though still slightly on the short side of the recommended optimum (85-105mm FF equivalent is quoted in several sources). If on a tight budget an older manual 50/1.8 should be a reasonable compromise, as these can be very cheap and are close to the ideal FOV.

If you're doing full length portraits you can get away with wider lenses than the standard portrait lengths. The important thing is how close you are to the subject, with a wide lens you need to get rather close to fill the frame, and this gives unnatural perspective.

greybeard · Jan 30, 2017

gryphonslair99 said:
bryanwstai said:

1) Since my camera is a crop sensor, is 50mm a good focal length for portraits? I heard that it'll be a 75mm since it's on crop sensor.

Click to expand...

You heard one of the common myths. Focal length is Focal length period. Sensor size does not change focal length. A 50mm is a 50 mm. What you are getting on a crop sensor is the field of view that falls on the sensor is approximately equivalent to what a 75mm lens would produce.

Personally I prefer the 85 to 100mm range for portraits on either a FF or a crop for the particular characteristics of that range.

Various focal lengths shooting the same subject filling the frame as close to the same as possible.

As for which 50mm, since I don't shoot Nikon these days others would be better suited to answer whether to spend the extra on the f1.4 vs the f1.8. If you were shooting Canon then the choice is easy, the f1.4 is far better.

I would suggest that when the budget allows, if you still want a 50mm in your arsenal of lenses look at the Sigma Art 50mm f.14: Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Nikon F 311306 B&H Photo

This is a really nice and informative set.

Frank F. · Jan 30, 2017

gryphonslair99 said:

Very nice example of how perspective changes distortion, independent of the lens used.

The shown efffect is only dependent on the distance between subject and camera, not upon the lens used.

That said: A longer focal length means of course a wider subject distance to fill the frame

table1349 · Jan 30, 2017

Frank F. said:
gryphonslair99 said:

Click to expand...

Very nice example of how perspective changes distortion, independent of the lens used. The shown efffect is only dependent on the distance between subject and camera, not upon the lens used.

Actually the effect remains constant, the ability of the observer to detect the difference is dependent on the distance between subject and camera.

chuasam · Jan 30, 2017

get the 50mm f/1.8G
the Nikon 50mm f/1.4G is a horrible lens for the money.
I have one (it was a gift) and it's neither sharp nor cheap.

Derrel · Jan 30, 2017

Since you shoot the D3000, I would go for the 50mm f/1.8 AF-S G lens instead of the D-series. I own both 1.8 versions, and the optics of the newer G-series are a little bit better; not by huge margins, but the G-series lens will autofocus with your camera, and that is important for action work, and for getting the exact, right focus set, whiich is very important at portrait ranges with a 50mm lens.

I see little reason to go for an f/1.4 lens in your situation. The f/1.8 G-series and its f/1.4 counterpart are close overall, and many people would call it a virtual toss-up, so, save the extra money, and buy the less-costly 1.8-G model. I really do NOT advocate shooting wide-open with a 50mm for portraits, but more around f/2.8 to f/3.5, and down to f/5.6 most of the time, so the issue of lens "speed" in a 50mm lens is for me, a theoretical consideration mostly.

It is no longer the 1960's or 1970's: the f/1.4 50mm or f/1.4 85mm lenses in the new G-series are really not noticeably better than the f/1.8 versions.