prime lens question
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Steve Castle
Well-known member
For the D90/D5000:
Wide Angle lenses:
Nikon really hasn't updated their wide-primes in awhile, compared to Canon who has excellent fast/wide primes. Nikon has been pushing telephoto lenses at this focal range, and many of their prime designs date back to the 80s, such as the Nikkor 20mm f/2.8, but they are still good lenses.
From Nikon there is the 20mm, 24mm, and 28mm f/2.8s, they will be equivalent to 30mm, 36mm, and 42mm respectively on a D90. They range in price from $300-500. You can get much faster primes from Sigma such as the 20mm, 24mm, and 28mm f/1.8 EX DG. And they are equivalently priced to the slower Nikons.
Since the Nikkors aren't any faster another option is going with telephotos at that range. The f/2.8 wide telephotos on the Nikons are excellent but very pricey, there are affordable alternatives like the Sigma 24-60mm F2.8 EX DG which can be had for around $300. Or the brand-new Sigma 10-20mm F/3.5 which will give you a 15mm-30mm focal range on the D90 (since it was announced at PMA 09' pricing hasn't been released yet). Tokina and Tamron also produce good wide glass at that range on an affordable budget.
~50mm equivalent lenses:
The brand new Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G is very good. On the D90 it'll give you around 50mm full-frame equivalent focal length. It cost around ~$200 new. There is also the Sigma 30mm f/1.4, which is around $400, but both lack an aperture ring. If you need an aperture ring there is the older Nikkor 35mm f/2D, but its more expensive and you'll probably get better image quality on the new f/1.8G.
There is also the Voigtländer Nokton 40mm f/2 pancake lens. This is a completely manual lens (no AF), and will give you a 60mm equivalent on a D90. Since this lens is a pancake lens its very light-weight and is a good walk around lens. Its cost around $380.
~75-85mm equivalent lenses:
Keep in mind, the 50mm primes will give you a 75mm full-frame equivalent focal length. If you're on a budget the 50mm f/1.8 is excellent and is around $100, the upgrade to 1.4D or 1.4G will cost you $300-500. Its worth it if you have money, but if you're on a budget its better to get the f/1.8 and use the money saved on other equipment (you can get both the 35mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.8 for a little over $300 combined).
Also consider the Voigtländer Nokton 58mm f/1.4 SL II if you want something that is completely manual. It does no AF. Its a $380 lens, and gives you a 85mm equivelent focal lenth on a D90. These lenses are the famous old Nokton designs used on the Leica bodies, nice creamy bokeh wide-open and fairly sharp stopped-down.
Another option is the new Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G macro, its not as fast as the other lenses but its an excellent portrait lens as well as a macro lens. It also has nano-crystal coating which dramatically reduces glare and hazing. On a D90 it will give you a 90mm equivalent, and it costs around $500. Keep in mind this lens has no aperture ring, but its an ultra-sharp superb lens.
Last edited:
Steve Castle
Well-known member
If its the old 50mm 1.4 AI lens you're talking about, I have it, its a very old lens. They can be cheap since they used to be standard kit lenses, and come in different degrees of condition, but I would recommend the newer 50mms. The 1.4D and the current 1.8 will give you much better image quality and is around the same price.
squig
Veteran
The 50mm ai is the way to go. It's reasonably cheap, has manual aperture control and a nice focus action and very good optics. It's not always easy to find a good specimen though. People list them as mint on ebay but they rarely are. I have 2 for sale that are less than mint but nothing that should impact optical performance, pm me if you're interested. I'm upgrading to a 50mm f/1.2 ais.
The 28mm f/2.8 or f/2 are probably the 2nd most useful lenses. I like the 105 f/2.5 35 f/2 and 24 f/2 too. you really can't go wrong with any of these ai or ai-s primes.
The 28mm f/2.8 or f/2 are probably the 2nd most useful lenses. I like the 105 f/2.5 35 f/2 and 24 f/2 too. you really can't go wrong with any of these ai or ai-s primes.
Don't get the 50mm G over the D though.
The G lens is the equivalent to what the 5000D is: an update for no apparent reason. All the reviews I've read on the 'G' say that it's not that better optically or in AF performance. With the D you get the manual controls, and save yourself money.
But as already stated, there are plenty of other good options for 50mm.
The G lens is the equivalent to what the 5000D is: an update for no apparent reason. All the reviews I've read on the 'G' say that it's not that better optically or in AF performance. With the D you get the manual controls, and save yourself money.
But as already stated, there are plenty of other good options for 50mm.