which lens is better?

[Kofman13]

Im leaning towards a D90 for my next camera and im thinking about lenses. i generally do portraits/headshots, people in general. not really landscapes and large scale composition.
my budget kind of covers these two lenses
35 f/1.8 AFS
or 50mm f/1.8

which one would you choose for my needs

 

[Dao]

If for portrait and especially head shots, I prefer longer focal length.

Set your lens to around 37mm on your Olympus (roughly equal to the FoV of 50mm on D90) and 26mm (roughly equal to the FoV of 35mm on D90) and see which one you like in your shooting environment .

 

[sleist]

I have both, and they are more different than you might think. If it's between just these 2, and you can only get one, and portraits are your thing, get the 50mm first. The angle of view on a DX crop is like a 75mm which is better for portraits than the 35 would be (like a 52mm on a crop)

The bokeh on the 50 is not great, but can be if you are careful about your background.

The 35mm (52 on a DX) is closer to "normal" and is better when you need to fit more in the shot, but is not the best length for portraits. I like it better for walking around than the 50, but in my opinion neither one is wide enough on a DX.

I use the 50 more than the 35 and I use the 18-105 (kit lens) more than either of them.