Nikon 50mm lenses

[AndrewCanon6D]

I am a Canon shooter but recently a friend asked me which lens she should get after her kit lens. I think a nifty fifty lens is always a good choice as someone's second lens, but I'm not familiar with the Nikons.

What's the difference between the 1.8G and 1.8D? Which one would be a better buy for a casual person that mostly would just want to take better photos of her kids?

TIA!

 

[Dave442]

With Nikon, you need to know the camera body the lens will be used on if you are looking at the D and G versions. All the lenses are F-mount so they will all mount on the camera, but may not have some features available.

The D version does not have an internal focus motor and relies on the camera body having the focus drive. The G versions include the D "Distance" feature, but more important the G models include the internal focus motor in the lens. As your friend is asking for advise there is a good chance she has one of the two entry level camera bodies that do not include the focus motor in the body so she would have to use a G lens (or any lens with an internal focus motor) or would have to manually focus.

Also, if shooting with a DX (crop sensor) body then I would go with the 35mm f/1.8G DX lens, if she has an FX (full frame) body then the 50mm f/1.8G would be fine.

 

[Designer]

If her camera has the focusing motor in the body (or if she wants to focus manually) the 1.4 D is probably the better of the two, although the AF-S 1.8 G is pretty good.

Lots of comparative reviews online.

Nikon 50mm 1.8 G vs 1.4 D: Nikon SLR Lens Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

 

[robbins.photo]

If your friend is using any of the D3xxx or D5xxx series cameras, she will need the G version with the motor built into the lens. So if she has a D3100/3200/3300 or D5100/D5200/D5300 - those will all require the G version for AF to work properly. Otherwise it would be a manual focus lens.

If your friend has a camera body with the motor built in, the D7xxx series or any of the full frame models, then the D version will work and AF on the camera. I'd probably recommend the G version regardless, it's a great lens and budget wise they sell used for not much more than the D version does.

 

[KmH]

Nikon's 'compact', entry-level DSLRs do not have the auto focus motor/screw-drive system in the camera - to keep the camera body small.
Nikon made the camera bodies smaller mainly for women buyers.
Nikon's 'compact', entry-level DSLRs - D40, D40x, D60, D3x00, D5x00.

I too would recommend Nikon's AF-S 50 mm f/1.8G, regardless which Nikon model your friend has.

 

[AndrewCanon6D]

I asked her what kind of camera she had and she said 'I don't know... D something'

I recommended the 1.8G.

Thanks for the responses!

 

[Designer]

I asked her what kind of camera she had and she said 'I don't know... D something'

Well, there you go!

Those are quite popular!

 

[Frank F.]

The 1.8/50G is currently the best bang for the buck.

I used and loved the 1.8/50D but the 1.8G is MUCH better. It is even significantly better than the 1.4/50G

Only thing that really beats it is the expensive 1.4/58G and some very old super expensive specialist glass ...

Buy it new and immediately check it for decentering which sometimes occurs and Nikon fixes that for free if you complain.

*

 

[Braineack]

yeah i sold my 50mm 1.8g for the 58mm 1.4g

the 50mm beats it hands down for sharpness [it's actually really sharp even wide open], but that's not why i bought the 58mm...