So I did some research on prime lenses

[Kbarredo]

I read they are cheaper, lighter and better quality pics. But how big of a difference is it really. Right now I have a18-55 kit lens for the d5000. People here tend to like prime lenses more and I wasn't sure if its worth it. Also any other advantages I missed.

 

[Aayria]

It's a matter of what you prefer. There are some amazing non-prime lenses on the market that can give the shapest primes a run for their money. The 70-200mm 2.8, (the newer version) is amazing for example.. It's also a preference thing. Do you mind having to zoom with your feet? Do you prefer to stay put in one place and adjust your view with the lens instead? What focal lengths do you need? Do you need a super fast low aperture prime? It really depends on what you shoot and how you want to shoot it.

I know personally I love primes, and my nifty fifty hardly ever leaves the camera. Next on the list would be the 85mm 1.4, and the 135mm 2.0 for me..But I know several amazing photographers who swear by their 70-200. You should rent some different lenses, play with them, and see what you prefer. =)

 

[Breaux]

One of the advantages I like is that I can buy 30-year old prime lenses very cheap! (I usually pay around $30 to $50.) I doubt if they're up to the quality of modern zooms, but I don't own any of that expensive modern stuff to compare.

 

[flea77]

They are cheaper as long as you are dealing with a single focal length, if you factor in several lenses (for example, a 24-70 2.8 vs a 24mm f2.8, 35mm f2, 50mm f1.8, 60mm f2.8) then the savings are not what you might think. I have a 24-70 2.8 which I rarely use anymore instead choosing either my 24mm 2.8, 50mm 1.4, or 85mm 1.8. The difference is just a couple of steps and although I am getting more lazy with age, I have not reached the point yet where I am too lazy to take two steps forward or backwards.....yet In my experience, primes generally focus faster, are lighter, and provide a quite noticable improvement over zooms in IQ. Now they may not provide enough benefit for you, but that is a personal decision. For me personally, they trump zooms every day and twice on Sundays.

Allan

 

[enzodm]

I read they are cheaper, lighter and better quality pics (....) Also any other advantages I missed.

all those hidden in "better quality": when comparable in price, primes are typically faster than zooms (with your lens when you shoot at 55mm you cannot go over f/5.6), with a cleaner optical schema that likely produce more sharpness and better bokeh. There are equally interesting zooms, but prices are impressive.
On the other side, they are not really cheaper or lighter, since it depends on what you compare. Your kit lens is likely made in plastic, difficult to beat in weight and price.
However, if you don't miss it, you don't need it.

 

[jake337]

You can buy cheap zooms, and you can buy cheap primes. Some have great quality, are inexpensive, and lightweight(depends on focal length).

You can buy pro zooms, and you can buy pro primes. Most likely the best quality, are expensive, and usually not light weight(depends on focal length).

I prefer heft over cheap plastic, high quality over cheap. I'm itching to switch out a few lens.

There are gems out there that will hit every catagory though....

 

[gsgary]

I have a canon 300mmF2.8L check the price out and you will find it is not cheap and check the weight

 

[jake337]

I have a canon 300mmF2.8L check the price out and you will find it is not cheap and check the weight

Then there's the nikkor 300mm f2
http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/telephotos/300mmedif20/index.htm

 

[Kbarredo]

I'm looking for a shallow dof for portraits what would you recommend.

 

[Aayria]

The 85mm 1.4 is the standard portrait prime...It's super sharp, and has beautiful bokeh. If you can stand far enough back, the 135mm 2.0 is the mother of all portrait lenses, though.

But again..it's preference...if you like the ability to zoom with your lens, the newer version of the 70-200mm 2.8 is another great choice.

Shallow DoF though can be achieved with any of these, it's just a matter of getting used to the focal lengths, your distance from your subject, and their distance from the background etc...

 

[DiskoJoe]

I would like to point out that there is a difference between fixed aperture zoom lens and prime lens. Prime lens are not adjustable. but the quality of a prime would be determined by the make of the lens and not the simple fact taht it is a prime. A crucial factor is to see how many aperture blades the lens has. this will determine how nice a bokeh the lens will give you. the more blades the better.

 

[Derrel]

The D5000 and the other what I call "The Baby Nikon" models can accept ALL NIKKOR LENSES in F-mount, with the exception of a handful of exceptionally rare, collectible "invasive" wide-angle and fisheye lenses made decades ago. So...if you want a lens that has shallow depth of field, you can easily buy something like a used Nikkor 135mm f/2.8 manual focus lens in say, the Ai or Ai-S series. Small,lightweight, and relatively long focal length, a 135mm prime lens at distances of 10 to 40 feet has a pretty narrow depth of field band. Sure, it's manual focusing, buy you have good, young eyes, and the lens has enough magnification that it's pretty easy to tell when things are "in" as opposed to "out" when manually focusing.

If you want to spend more money, something like the 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens is good. Small,light, handy.

 

[Kbarredo]

Lol so I lost 20% of my vision in an accident as a kid so auto focus is a must for me.

 

[DiskoJoe]

start with a 50mm. they are cheap. if you like that the get some more. 85mm is good too as previously mentions but much steeper in price.

 

[jake337]

Lol so I lost 20% of my vision in an accident as a kid so auto focus is a must for me.

So your stuck with AF-S lens that can autofocus with your camera. Looks like the 35mm f1.8G, 50mm F1.8G would be good choices. Or ditch the D5000 for a body that has an autofocus motor that will autofocus AF-D lens. Any other Fast, prime AF-S lens may cost an arm and a leg.