Debating New Lens for D7100

HeldInTheMoment

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Should I get a 35mm f/1.8 DX Lens or the 50mm f/1.8 FX Lens?

I hope to upgrade to FX in the future so the FX would be great, but I would prefer the 35 focal length. Advice?
 

jaomul

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Buy what you want for the camera you have now
 

MRnats

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It really depends on your needs, but I have the DX versions of both the 35 and 50 and the 50 is my favorite lens out of the 2. Actually it's my favorite out of all my lenses (the kit and the 85 included).
 
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HeldInTheMoment

HeldInTheMoment

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It really depends on your needs, but I have the DX versions of both the 35 and 50 and the 50 is my favorite lens out of the 2. Actually it's my favorite out of all my lenses (the kit and the 85 included).

Can you share why the 50mm is your favorite? I am looking to expand my glass collection for some weddings I have coming up. I need the larger aperture, but afraid 50mm might be too much for closer indoor shots.
 

jaomul

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There is no 50dx, sure it works on dx but it's a full frame lens.

With the 1.5 crop a 35mm is better for indoor portraits where space is limited, the 50 is slightly telephoto and is a more flattering portrait length for headshots, close ups etc
 

astroNikon

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It really depends on your needs, but I have the DX versions of both the 35 and 50 and the 50 is my favorite lens out of the 2. Actually it's my favorite out of all my lenses (the kit and the 85 included).
There's no Nikon 50mm DX lens, all FX lenses.


the 50mm will provide a Field of View of a 85mm lens approximately
whereas the 35 will be about 50mm on a Nikon 1.5x crop d7100 body.

it all depends upon how much space you work in. If there's very limited space then the 35, if there's more then the 50. Perspective distortion comes into play though if too close.
 

MRnats

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It really depends on your needs, but I have the DX versions of both the 35 and 50 and the 50 is my favorite lens out of the 2. Actually it's my favorite out of all my lenses (the kit and the 85 included).

Can you share why the 50mm is your favorite? I am looking to expand my glass collection for some weddings I have coming up. I need the larger aperture, but afraid 50mm might be too much for closer indoor shots.
Sorry about the misinformation of calling the 50 a dx lens. I was typing in between things and not thinking straight. But anyway, the 50 is my fave for a few reasons that are specific to me. I like to shoot portraits that capture most of, if not all of the body and some surrounding elements. It's a comfortable focal length for me to do that while still giving good background blur at the distances I need to stand and not having too much distortion. Also has this natural swirl look to the bokeh that I really like.

My 35 comes in handy though. Specifically for photographing my constantly in motion 22 month old identical twins indoors...
 

jaomul

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A 35 and a 50 are both worth having in my opinion
 
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HeldInTheMoment

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I like the idea of FX lens with the 50mm, but I think with a DX Sensor the 35mm will work better for indoor photos...like at a wedding reception due to the limited space and the crop sensor effects with DX
 

jaomul

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Just so you know the fact that a lens is fx or dx makes no difference to it's actual focal length. A35 dx or fx is the same length, but a dx one may not cover the full fx sensor.

The 50 on a d7100 gives a field of view similar to 75mm on a full frame, a 35 on a d7100 gives fov similar to 50 (52.5 to be more accurate).

This may confuse things, looking at these numbers on your kit lens gives a good idea of what your getting


Edited as I initially mixed up the figures
 
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Derrel

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Nikon has an older 35mm f/2 AF-D lens that's available affordably, as well as a NEW 35mm f/1.8 lens that covers FX, and there's the old and not-all-that-great 35mm f/1.8 DX-Nikkor, which is okay, and which will cover "most" of the 24x36mm frame...it will work in 5:4 crop mode (also commonly called 8x10 crop mode) on FX cameras that offer that option in-camera. So, there are actually three 35mm Nikkor lenses on the market right now. Depends on how much money you feel like spending I suppose. Your D7100 can handle any of the three 35mm lenses.
 

Mr.Photo

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Drop me a line so we can meet up sometime and you can try mine. I own both the 35mm 1.8 and 50mm 1.8 G lenses.
 

Auslese

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Should I get a 35mm f/1.8 DX Lens or the 50mm f/1.8 FX Lens?

I hope to upgrade to FX in the future so the FX would be great, but I would prefer the 35 focal length. Advice?
Never buy DX if you have a choice, even for a DX camera, always go FX.
 

Dillard

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Pick up a copy of each. They both can be found cheap on the used market. I picked up a 50 1.4 about a year ago for $150.
 

Dillard

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Should I get a 35mm f/1.8 DX Lens or the 50mm f/1.8 FX Lens?

I hope to upgrade to FX in the future so the FX would be great, but I would prefer the 35 focal length. Advice?
Never buy DX if you have a choice, even for a DX camera, always go FX.

While I know what you're getting at, I would have to disagree. There are focal lengths that just aren't as attractive on dx bodies, which leads manufacturers to create their DX equivalents. The 24-70 was not an attractive option when I had a D7000, but the 17-50 was perfect. One FX, one DX.
 

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