Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens

[DreamPhotos]

My husband bought me the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens for taking portraits of our kids. After reading through some of the posts on here, I see that many people are talking about a "big nose effect" with this lens. Can anyone elaborate? Would the 50mm f/1.8 or the 85mm f/1.8 be better choices?

 

[runnah]

Naw, you'll be fine. If you have a program like Lightroom you can take out any distortion.

 

[mikeyidaho]

With 35mm on a DX body it would only be noticeable maybe on close headshots, for those I love my 85mm 1.8g but then again I love that lens in general for portraits. The 35mm is a far better all around lens though. And the lens profile corrections in Lightroom are helpful but won't solve everything.

Sent from my Verizon Galaxy S III using Tapatalk 2

 

[Designer]

Are we talking informal portraits or formal portraits? The 35mm might be just what you want for informal portraits and candids, as well as general everyday shooting. For formal portraits I would want a short-to-medium telephoto, with 50mm being the shortest. The 85mm is pretty much in the middle of the pack, and some others might prefer even a longer lens for formal portraits if the studio is long enough to get back away from the subject.

So go ahead and use what you have for now, and begin to leave hints for that 55mm or 85mm so hubby will "surprise you" with one next occasion.

 

[KmH]

Yes the 50 f/1.8 or 85 mm f/1.8 would be better choices for making portrait type photographs.
However, the camera would need to be further from the subject when using longer focal lengths.

As mentioned in close up, or head shot type portraits, the subjects nose will likely become distorted using the AF-S 35 mm f/1.8G.

A more common issue for new photographers when using wide lens apertures is effectively controlling depth-of-field (DoF) so focus falls where the photographer wants it.
The shorter the focal length of the lens, the less effective many new photographers are at controlling the DoF when using wide apertures.

Lightroom is limited in the amount of, and kinds of distortion it can address.

Understanding Depth of Field in Photography

 

[DreamPhotos]

Do you feel that there is a big difference between the 50mm f/1.8 and f/1.4?

 

[PaulWog]

Do you feel that there is a big difference between the 50mm f/1.8 and f/1.4?

Yes. The price. Hahaha. The 50mm 1.8G is better in every way except for the fact that it can't reach f1.4. If you know you need f1.4 over f1.8, then get the 50mm 1.4G. In other words, the 50mm 1.8G is for you if you're debating between the two. It's what I got.

With that said, the 35mm 1.8G is an EXCELLENT lens. You shouldn't get rid of it. That "big nose effect" is called distortion that can be caused as you get into wider angled lenses. The 35mm 1.8G doesn't have a lot of distortion, and on a crop body camera it ends up giving you a field of view equal to 52.5mm (which is what you'll be seeing). The distortion on that is minimal.

I prefer the 85mm 1.8G over the 50mm 1.8G. It's sharper, and the bokeh is nicer. HOWEVER, I think the 50mm 1.8G is easier to use on a crop body camera: The 85mm 1.8G is pretty much impossible to use indoors and get more than a face in the frame. I actually own the 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm 1.8G lenses and I think they're all indispensable. I highly recommend you get to know your 35mm 1.8G and why it's so useful for what it does

Here's an example of why the 35mm 1.8G is useful (sort of in line with family photography). This was a candid, personal photo. I think it's just a good example for someone with a 35mm 1.8G for family shots why I like it. You couldn't capture the same sort of shot with the 50mm:

 

[KmH]

Yes. The Nikon 85 mm f/1.4 produces much smoother bokeh than the f/1.8 does.

The previous generation Nikon 85mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens is nicknamed "The Cream Machine" because of the very smooth, creamy bokeh the lens produces.

The current Nikon 85mm f/1.4G AF-S Nikkor Lens is said to get as smooth as the earlier AF-D, but it's newer and more expensive.

The AF-S 35 mm f/1.8G has some issues that disqualify it from being EXCELLENT: soft focus when used at or near wide open, low contrast when used at or near wide open, purple fringing and bokeh chromatic aberration (CA) are just a couple that pop to mind. I had the lens and sold it because I got fed up with having to fix the CA.

It's an OK lens for it's price, but it's still a consumer grade lens that has many of the typical consumer grade lens issues.

 

[DreamPhotos]

I'm hoping to train myself to photograph children and infants well enough to start a small side business.

Are we talking informal portraits or formal portraits? The 35mm might be just what you want for informal portraits and candids, as well as general everyday shooting. For formal portraits I would want a short-to-medium telephoto, with 50mm being the shortest. The 85mm is pretty much in the middle of the pack, and some others might prefer even a longer lens for formal portraits if the studio is long enough to get back away from the subject.

So go ahead and use what you have for now, and begin to leave hints for that 55mm or 85mm so hubby will "surprise you" with one next occasion.

 

[manicmike]

The 35 is a great lens. The other thing to consider is your working space. I prefer the 50 1.8D over the 35. But if you're indoors at all, the 50 seems to be a little too long unless you have a big room to work in.