suggestions for a better first lens?

[binarylegit]

I'm planning on buying a d7000 in the near future and am wanting to save the money on the kit lens by getting the body only. Problem is I'm not sure what a good alternative is.

Overall I want to get a decent general purpose lens for around to under $400. I plan on shooting from closer to wide landscapes so I have been focusing on 35mm to 50mm prime lenses.

This lens is what I keep arriving at: AF-S 35mm DX f1.8G (AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G from Nikon)

But it doesn't have an aperture ring or have a window that shows the 'infinity' (I'm a newb to lenses so no idea what that's called), are these important things to have?

Basically I'd just rather buy a decent prime lens up front instead of wasting money on the kit lens.

Can anyone give me some pointers/suggestions?

 

[2WheelPhoto]

The 18-105 kit lens with the D7000 is actually a great deal for what it is, if you buy it bundled together you save a fortune. In my case, i bought body only and a 24-70 f2.8 and spent a bundle.

I sold my 35mm f1.8G because of aberations. I couldn't figure out what was going on with some of my pics (i used that lens a LOT on my old D5000), and KMH pointed it out to me about that known issue with those lenses.

 

[JenniferHynes]

When I got my first Nikon it had a 50mm 1.8 lens and I loved the versatility it gave me. Over 15 years and 5 camera bodies later it is still my main lens, the one always on my current body. Of course I use other primes and zooms for certain situations but the 50 is never left at home. The 35 is nice, especially if you want something slightly wider for landscapes. It would be a solid first choice. Also if money is tight, buying used from a reputable dealer (B&H or Adorama in NY) is also an option.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

I'd suggest the 50mm such as the lady above has over the 35mm 1.8. Just sayn....

The 35mm F1.8G features an optical design of 8 elements in 6 groups, including an aspherical element for the correction of aberrations usually associated with large aperture prime lenses. However unlike the typical 50mm standard prime for the full frame (FX) format, this lens's focal length is rather shorter than the flange distance from the lens mount to the imager. This necessitates the use of a so-called 'retrofocal' design, which is more usually associated with wideangle lenses; unfortunately this often results in increased aberrations relative to traditional near-symmetric 50mm designs.

Nikon AF-S 35mm F1.8G DX Lens Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review

 

[binarylegit]

So originally I was thinking of getting this lens:

50mm 1.4G AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G from Nikon

But since it is a FX format lens (there are no DX format 50mm), I was concerned that it would not be very good with landscape photography. Would it be good enough? (maybe I can get a 10-24 down the road)

Thoughts?

 

[clou]

If you aren't opposed to 3rd party lenses, I've been extremely happy with my Tamron 17-50 2.8 paired with my D90. The sharpness of this lens is extremely good considering the price (under $400). In fact, I like it so much I'm strongly considering selling my Nikon 35mm 1.8G.

 

[analog.universe]

So originally I was thinking of getting this lens:

50mm 1.4G AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G from Nikon

But since it is a FX format lens (there are no DX format 50mm), I was concerned that it would not be very good with landscape photography. Would it be good enough? (maybe I can get a 10-24 down the road)

Thoughts?

A 50 is a 50, whether it's FX or DX. FX means you can use it on full frame and crop bodies, DX means it's just for crop, but they're both the same focal length. On a crop body, 50 gives you the same field of view as 75 on a full frame, but it's still a 50. 50, and even 35 are not really ideal for landscapes.. I've shot landscapes with a 35, it works for certain scenes, but something like the 10-24 you mentioned is much better suited. 50 and 35 are both nice for walkarounds though, and I would much rather have a nice fast prime than the kit lens, but some folks would disagree. To me having the low light ability is more important than having zoom.