Shallow DOF lens?

With a prime lens, you zoom in and out with your feet :) But in MOST cases, a good prime lens will have better IQ than a zoom. Here is a shot with my SMC-M 50MM F1.4 Pentax prime, nice bokeh and shallow DOF at F1.4

497136941_9c5b350f6c_o.jpg
 
excellent picture. Exactly what I am talking about. I guess a prime is what I need to start looking into. Any ideas?
 
I know nothing about Nikons, but I am sure there are 50MM f1.4 primes available out there for them. Do you mind manual focusing? Maybe you can find an older lens cheap, that will still have good IQ. The one I used in that pic came with a K1000 I bought on eBay. I paid $70.00 including shipping, traded the K1000 for a used Manfrotto tripod, and made out like a bandit !! lens was almost Free !!!

here is a page at KEH.com with some Nikon 50's, not sure if the mount is compatible with your camera though. http://www.keh.com/OnLineStore/Prod...ID=&BC=NK&BCC=1&CC=6&CCC=2&BCL=&GBC=&GCC=&KW=
 
They do have a nikon 50 f/1.8 and a nikon 50 f/1.4.
 
I think I might just have to try a prime lens and see what I think about it.

I was in the same boat. Although I'm a canon shooter the question is always the same. I was used to a lens with at least some zoom, but I found a 50mm f/1.8 for dirt cheap so I bought it since it wasn't that big of a loss if I didn't like it.

Now to tell you the truth I have only had it 1 week but it hasn't left my camera. When you can't zoom you just find a different way to get the shot. I have even got better shots since I had to go out of my way to get the shot, so I got it from a different angle. I love the lens and may give some other primes a chance now that I have used one.

Also keep in mind since it doesn't zoom it seems like it has more focusing ability. Like you can take a picture 2 feet away or 10 feet away and each picture is in focus, you just have to do the "zoom" with your body.
 
I've heard that prime lens have a tendency to be sharper than zooms.
 
OK OK OK!!!:lol: I'm sold. Now I need to choose between the 50mm f/1.8 and the f/1.4. Maybe one of the others. So many to choose from.
 
Once you go prime, you'll never go back.

1.4 if you can afford it - you'll never regret it, you'll never sell that lens.

Zoom with your feet, go old school. Need a wider angle? Walk backwards!
 
heck, even the 1.4 isn't terrible in price. BHPhoto has it for $259. For a quality lens, that's hard to beat.
 

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