the old 50MM F1.4, AF 50MM F1.8 D or the 35MM F1.8?

[ktanady]

I want to add a new lens for my D90 but I'm very confused of what the old 50MM F1.4, AF 50MM F1.8 D or the 35MM F1.8?.. I like to take panoramas rather than portraits..

I found a good quality second hand manual focus 50MM F1.4 for about $850 is it a good deal or not?

sorry for the noob question and please help me choose on this one..

 

[Derrel]

I don't know about the $850 price and your country's monetary units, but that seems awfully high for a 50mm 1.4. The "old" 50mm 1.4 Nikkor in the AF or AF-D versions should cost somewhere in the $200-$325 price range used, I would think. It focuses rapidly and efficiently, even though it is a screwdriver lens, it focuses faster than the "new 50mm 1.4 AF-S G" series lens. The 50mm f/1.8 was introduced in the mid-1980's as an AF lens, and was updated to the AF-D designation in the early 2000's as I recall. The 50mm 1.8 AF or AF-D Nikkor has reasonably good optical quality, and is available used in the USA for $60-$90 or so, used, depending on location.

Honestly, the quality of the 50mm 1.8 AF, the ones made in the 1980's and 1990's is quite good: I own two of them, one with the older,narrow AF collar, and a much later one, which I bought for $40 at a pawn shop back in 2004 or so. It is possible to biy these older 50/1.8 AF models on junky Nikon N4004 and N6006 cameras from eBay for $40-$65...use the lens, throw away the camera... For panos, many people like the less-distorting angle of view of a 50mm with the camera used in vertical orientation, so I think a 50 would be a better lens than the 35 for panoramic-creation uses.

 

[ktanady]

I don't know about the $850 price and your country's monetary units, but that seems awfully high for a 50mm 1.4. The "old" 50mm 1.4 Nikkor in the AF or AF-D versions should cost somewhere in the $200-$325 price range used, I would think. It focuses rapidly and efficiently, even though it is a screwdriver lens, it focuses faster than the "new 50mm 1.4 AF-S G" series lens. The 50mm f/1.8 was introduced in the mid-1980's as an AF lens, and was updated to the AF-D designation in the early 2000's as I recall. The 50mm 1.8 AF or AF-D Nikkor has reasonably good optical quality, and is available used in the USA for $60-$90 or so, used, depending on location.

Honestly, the quality of the 50mm 1.8 AF, the ones made in the 1980's and 1990's is quite good: I own two of them, one with the older,narrow AF collar, and a much later one, which I bought for $40 at a pawn shop back in 2004 or so. It is possible to biy these older 50/1.8 AF models on junky Nikon N4004 and N6006 cameras from eBay for $40-$65...use the lens, throw away the camera... For panos, many people like the less-distorting angle of view of a 50mm with the camera used in vertical orientation, so I think a 50 would be a better lens than the 35 for panoramic-creation uses.

ooppss..I typed in a 0 unconciously, it cost about $85..
So, the old manual focus 50mm is better than the new one??the price differ not that much here..