Nikon D5100 with 50mm f/1.8D lens

[britneyt83]

First of all, I'm new to the DSLR world... I ordered my first "big girl" camera yesterday; the Nikon D5100 with the 18-55mm lens. I have heard/read great things about the 50mm 1.8 lens so I ordered it as well, but I ordered the 1.8D. From my understanding, this lens will not auto-focus with the 5100 though, right? If so, how big of a deal will that be to overcome considering the learning curve that I will have to adjust to anyway. Is it worth the extra 100+ to get the 1.8G for the autofocus, or are there other pros/cons between the two?

 

[manicmike]

If you're not shooting moving things like running kids, the lack of autofocus isn't an issue. It's nice to have autofocus but it's not like it's a deal breaker.

 

[gardy]

agreed, it will add a tad to the learning curve if your shooting anything moving, but learning manual focus real well isn't something i think a lot of people take the time to do, i could be wrong though. either way i think you will be pleased with your setup! i still love the using old manual focus lenses on an old all manual 35mm

 

[britneyt83]

Great! Thank you for your replies

 

[orb9220]

Would upgrade the D version for the G which will auto focus on the D5100.

Manual focus on moving subject is hit and miss and with the smaller and darker.
Pentamirror viewfinder makes for more difficult in keeping the keeper rate up.

As to mastering autofocus depends on person and subjects shooting. And also would consider the 35mm f1.8G also AF on that camera. And is tad wider for indoor and tight situations and found more useful for street shooting then the 50mm f1.8D. Which I found too tight for many situations when I used it.
.

 

[KmH]

Or better yet, upgrade from the D5100 to the D90 and get: in the camera focus motor so any Nikon AF/D lens will AF, top LCD, flash Commander mode, a second Command wheel, and more.

 

[britneyt83]

Or better yet, upgrade from the D5100 to the D90 and get: in the camera focus motor so any Nikon AF/D lens will AF, top LCD, flash Commander mode, a second Command wheel, and more.

Maybe if I had an extra $500 laying around...

 

[Heitz]

The 50mm 1.8D is not really that much cheaper than the 50mm 1.8G. The added benefit of autofocus for about $100 is worth it, in my opinion

 

[tomso]

If you're not shooting moving things like running kids, the lack of autofocus isn't an issue. It's nice to have autofocus but it's not like it's a deal breaker.

I would have to agree. I'm still relatively new to photography so take what I say with a grain of salt, but when shooting still life I find myself constantly switching from autofocus to manual out of preference. You probably won't be shooting a lot of sports, etc. with a 50mm so it's unlikely you'll even miss the AF. Save the $100 and put it towards the next lens you want, because trust me you will want more.

 

[coastalconn]

Well everyone has their own opinion. I think mine makes the most sense for anyone starting out (especially on a limited budget) Start with a kit lens, learn how to use your camera... Then spend one day only shooting at 35mm, spend the next day only shooting at 50mm. You might like one length better than the other, you might hate both and find you only shoot at 18mm, or you never have enough reach so you might want a tele? Who knows, everyone is different, that is why there are so many lens options. Kit lenses are not easy to manually focus with but try it... I personally like auto focus myself, but don't always use it. Just my humble opinion....

 

[tomso]

Well everyone has their own opinion. I think mine makes the most sense for anyone starting out (especially on a limited budget) Start with a kit lens, learn how to use your camera... Then spend one day only shooting at 35mm, spend the next day only shooting at 50mm. You might like one length better than the other, you might hate both and find you only shoot at 18mm, or you never have enough reach so you might want a tele? Who knows, everyone is different, that is why there are so many lens options. Kit lenses are not easy to manually focus with but try it... I personally like auto focus myself, but don't always use it. Just my humble opinion....

I take back my original post. This is better advice. I actually ended up buying a telephoto zoom before I bought my 50mm.

 

[Posta]

Well everyone has their own opinion. I think mine makes the most sense for anyone starting out (especially on a limited budget) Start with a kit lens, learn how to use your camera... Then spend one day only shooting at 35mm, spend the next day only shooting at 50mm. You might like one length better than the other, you might hate both and find you only shoot at 18mm, or you never have enough reach so you might want a tele? Who knows, everyone is different, that is why there are so many lens options. Kit lenses are not easy to manually focus with but try it... I personally like auto focus myself, but don't always use it. Just my humble opinion....

this is absolutely right, it depands on what kinda object do you want to shoot, I think 35 1.8G is a little bit better on a DX camera for the view angle reason.

 

[AlexanderB]

There's a great chance that you will not be using without AF after all. This lens is universal for FX, but not so on DX.

 

[KmH]

Or better yet, upgrade from the D5100 to the D90 and get: in the camera focus motor so any Nikon AF/D lens will AF, top LCD, flash Commander mode, a second Command wheel, and more.

Maybe if I had an extra $500 laying around...

The D90 is more like $306 more (body only), even buying new. The D90 can also be bought as an even lower priced factory refurbished unit, and many D90's are available on the used market and can be gotten from highly reputable sellers of used photography gear. Refurbished Cameras | Discount Digital Cameras | Cameta Camera

$782.99 - Nikon D90 12.3MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only)
$476.95 - Nikon D5100 16.2MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch Vari-Angle LCD Monitor (Body Only)

Nikon gives a 90 day warranty with gear they have refurbished. Plus, Nikon authorized refurbished gear sellers often tack on their own additional warranty to cover the gear for a full year.

 

[britneyt83]

Or better yet, upgrade from the D5100 to the D90 and get: in the camera focus motor so any Nikon AF/D lens will AF, top LCD, flash Commander mode, a second Command wheel, and more.

Maybe if I had an extra $500 laying around...

The D90 is more like $306 more (body only), even buying new. The D90 can also be bought as an even lower priced factory refurbished unit, and many D90's are available on the used market and can be gotten from highly reputable sellers of used photography gear. Refurbished Cameras | Discount Digital Cameras | Cameta Camera

$782.99 - Nikon D90 12.3MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only)
$476.95 - Nikon D5100 16.2MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch Vari-Angle LCD Monitor (Body Only)

Nikon gives a 90 day warranty with gear they have refurbished. Plus, Nikon authorized refurbished gear sellers often tack on their own additional warranty to cover the gear for a full year.

Thanks for your input. However, I still don't have the extra $ to spend on that camera. For the extra money, I could buy more lenses for the 5100. I'm not planning on making a career out of my photography interest, however if it were to evolve into such, I will take your input into consideration. The 5100 is on it's way, anyway.

Well everyone has their own opinion. I think mine makes the most sense for anyone starting out (especially on a limited budget) Start with a kit lens, learn how to use your camera... Then spend one day only shooting at 35mm, spend the next day only shooting at 50mm. You might like one length better than the other, you might hate both and find you only shoot at 18mm, or you never have enough reach so you might want a tele? Who knows, everyone is different, that is why there are so many lens options. Kit lenses are not easy to manually focus with but try it... I personally like auto focus myself, but don't always use it. Just my humble opinion....

Thank you for your advise. After reading this I cancelled the order for the 50mm lens. Smart advise and much appreciated.