nifty fifty?

Greg Oden · Oct 16, 2008

i just bought the D90 (body only) today. i will be getting my nikon 18-200mm vr tomorrow. does that lens do what the 50mm does. i've just been reading about everyone liking the nifty fifty. i was curious to know if i should be checking into it. i am a noob. just needed to build some credit up so i put a d90 on the card.

TBAM · Oct 16, 2008

To put it as simply as possible, as it seems you are quite new to photography.

No, your 18-200 will not behave like the 50mm.

The 18-200 is a variable focal length lense (means you can zoom in and out) with a more restrictive aperture window than the 50mm (lets less light in).

The 50mm is a fixed focal length (doesn't zoom), however it has a wider aperture, meaning that it allows more light into it (enabling you to use a faster shutter speed).

In addition to this, because of the 50mm lack of internal fixtures, it will more than likely create crisper and sharper images than the 18-200.

Lastly, because of the wider aperture on the 50mm, you can create a shallower depth of field at higher shutter speeds. As with your 18-200 you would need to be zoomed in quite a bit to get the same depth of field.

Anyways, the 50mm is extremely cheap, and for those that can fit that lens, it is a "must have" for any new, amateur or even professional photographer.

Mitch1640 · Oct 16, 2008

the nifty fifty will be MUCH sharper and faster. i just got one for my d40 earlier this week and its my favorite lens.

Greg Oden · Oct 16, 2008

mitch and tbam, thanks for the advice. i am very new to the sport. i have been reserching cameras for a few months and im becoming to have an understanding of what the mechanics are all about. im tryin. and your helpin. thanks again.

Photonic Harmony · Oct 17, 2008

I recently bought a "Nifty Fifty" for my Canon. The f1.4 really kicks with letting the light in and the lens produces some fantastically sharp images on its "sweet spot".

I don't even imagine my camera bag being without a "Fifty" now, ever.

bigtwinky · Oct 17, 2008

Isn't the nifty fifty most people refer to a 1.8 and not a 1.4?
I was thinking one of the reasons it was so popular is that its cheap and gives great bang for your buck.

A4Effort · Oct 17, 2008

Yes the nifty fifty is usually the 1.8. The 1.4 is not as cheap but still decently priced. My question though is, is there a huge difference between 1.4 and 1.8?

chrisburke · Oct 17, 2008

A4Effort said:
is there a huge difference between 1.4 and 1.8?

no nikon charges 250 bucks more for nothing... (said jokingly, not rudely) yes there is difference.. the 1.4 is going to be a faster, sharper lens... but in all honesty i dont know that its faster and sharper enough for me to pay the extra money...

Dao · Oct 17, 2008

A4Effort said:
Yes the nifty fifty is usually the 1.8. The 1.4 is not as cheap but still decently priced. My question though is, is there a huge difference between 1.4 and 1.8?

For the Canon version, beside the max aperture size, I believe if set the aperture at F1.8 on both lenses, the 1.4 version may appear to be sharper (based on Photozone data).

The build quality of the 1.4 is also better and it has a metal mount vs plastic in the 50mm f/1.8 II version (the older version of 1.8 is metal).

The 1.4 has 8 aperture blades vs 1.8 has 5. And that make the 1.4 looks better in blur background photos (Bokeh). (it does make a different after I saw the pictures)

The 1.4 is a USM lens and that means it focus a lot faster than the 1.8. (fast autofocus ... great feature when taking a picture of my daugther running around in the park)

The bottomline is, I like my 50mm f1.8 a lot. But if I have more money to spent, I will choose the 1.4 instead of 1.8 just because of the build quality, USM and more creamy look in blur background photos .

andrew99 · Oct 17, 2008

The 18-200 is great for outside when there is lots of light, but for inside and low light situations, the 50mm will allow you to take sharp shots without a flash.