Which lens to get?

[DGMPhotography]

I was looking at some different lenses. I'm interested in getting a Nikkor AF-S prime lens. Either 35mm, F/1.8 or 50mm, F/1.8. 35 would be better if you're inside and don't have as much space to move around, but 50 would have better dof control right? Are either of these inherently better or is it just a matter of opinion and circumstance?

 

[cgipson1]

The 50 is a great lens! The 35 is known for LOTs of CA (yes.. removable in post)... and I found my copy soft in the corners...

 

[DGMPhotography]

'CA?'

 

[Patrice]

'CA?'

Chromatic Aberration. Color fringing especially noticeable in high contrast areas of the image. Caused by the lens' failure to bring all light wavelengths in focus on the same plane.

 

[DGMPhotography]

Gotcha. So the 35 has that stuff.. are there any pros to the 35?

 

[2WheelPhoto]

Gotcha. So the 35 has that stuff.. are there any pros to the 35?

its wider the the 50?

 

[AaronLLockhart]

It depends on what kind of results you're looking for. With the crop factor being 1.5x on your D5100, a 35mm will be closer to a 50mm on a full frame body, putting you in at a focal view of 52mm. A 50mm will be a 75mm on your camera. (On any lens you buy for a camera with a 1.5x crop, multiply the focal length by 1.5 and that will give you your actual focal view of the lens on a full frame body.)

I own the 50mm f/1.8G (which is the one you would have to buy for your camera) and absolutely love it.

I'd also advise looking into the 85mm f/1.8G as well. It's much more pricey than the 35mm or the 50mm... but it's an amazing lens.

 

[MK3Brent]

I like the 35 1.8.
On DX, the 35mm is a nice angle of view. (wide enough)

 

[bc_steve]

yep I am pretty happy with the 35 1.8 too.

 

[DGMPhotography]

So I got to try my friend's 35mm today, and it wasn't too shabby! I need to find someone with a 50 to try out.

 

[CaptainNapalm]

I have the 35mm. At first I hated it because it seemed like shots were out of focus. Then I tuned it (AF fine tune option on my d7000) and now it works much better to the point where I'm actually making great use of it. I see you shoot with a d5100 which doesn't have the same AF fine tune options as my camera does, which might prove frustrating for you if you happen to bump into a 35mm which need calibration - and the problem does appear to be quite common from what I read online with these lenses. On the plus side, the 35mm will give you a wider angle of view. I tried the 50mm and it was just too narrow for me for what I shoot, only use I'd get out of it would be for portrait on my DX body. If you do end up getting the 35mm for your d5100 I strongly suggest you visit a store which will let you mount the copy on your camera first and see what the photos turn out like. Bring a laptop with you because what you see on your viewfinder might be deceiving. I know this might sound like a tedious process but it can save you lots of headaches later on.

 

[TruckerDave]

If you have a kit lens (18-55) just set it to 50 and go take some shots. Then reset to 35 and take more shots and see which one works better for you. Don't worry about image quality or anything you are just using it to see if it is wide enough or not.

 

[DGMPhotography]

Yeah that was my main point, I know how wide each were, I was just wondering if the other benefits might outweigh that in any way.

 

[JaronRH]

For a DX camera, like your 5100, I find that I really like the 85mm when shooting outdoors (portraits) where you have lots of room to work with and the 35mm when shooting indoors (low-light and close). However, the 50mm always felt either too wide or to telephoto (especially when indoors!). From the sounds of it, I think a 35mm would be better for you.

I too don't care for the Nikon 35mm 1.8G because of the CA's (purple/green fringing around high-contrast areas) but it's hard to beat the price! If you can though, I would consider the Sigma 35mm as it is an exceptional lens that blows away the Nikon 1.8G.