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Hi. I’m going to buy the Nikon D7000 but I’m not sure about the lens. My budget is limited so getting one lens is the only thing I can do now. I’m not sure if I should go with the kit lens, the 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 ED VR or the 50mm f/1.8G.
I’m not a beginner but I’m not sure if I should go with a prime fast lens and forget about going wide and telephoto or go with the zoom kit lens and give up on a wide aperture. I’m shooting indoors and outdoors this is why I’m confused. I mostly shoot portraits (I’m not a professional photographer, I take photos with friends and classmates) so I think a fast lens is great for a shallow DoF.
Could you help me out?
By the way, this is my Flickr page:
Thanks guys.
If you mostly shooting portraits, I would go with 50mm f/1.8G. This is my favorite lens for portraits. You will definitely get better results in terms of shallow DOF and sharpness. But sometimes it would be a chalenge for indoors, since ofter there is not enough space.
It’s nice to finally have a forum section after watching all your videos I found during a search on youtube. But I have just noticed your answer here in the very first post I looked at. This answer seems to be the same as every forum I have belong to which is a lot. I am always looking and searching for for someone to show us how to take portraits with this lens. To say it is a great lens is great but can someone show us samples. I have watch your videos and they are the best I have seen for explaining things to a beginner and I have sent links to others I know in the same sinking boat I am in. I would like to see someone like you make a video taking portraits with the 50mm 1.8g indoors and out, low light and sunshine without the use of the off camera flash, studio lights, reflectors etc etc. Pretend to be a beginner using the kit lens say, 18-55, 55-200 and because a lot of us starting out can afford the 50mm as the first lens over the kit lenses. Or if you have a video of this pass it a long I would love to see it. I posed this question or request to others and some have relied saying they would make something like this for beginners but I still have never seen them post one for us.
Any way thanks for listening and I will keep searching for the beginner that makes a video of how they learned how to take great pictures with the lower end gear we all seem to purchase when starting out.
Thank you
You can see many samples on the Internet. Just check these links out:
http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/50mm-f18-g.htm
There are tons of reviews of the 50mm f/1.8G on Youtube. Just search “Nikon 50mm f/1.8G” and you will see the videos 
I think I’m going to start with the nifty fifty and then get a good zoom lens.
Thanks for the links but they are what I have said all ready, They are reviews, this one verses this one etc etc.
I was talking about learning how to use the lens to take portraits not a review or a test against other lenses which there are 1000’s of on the net. Then you find the really great videos of someone unboxing the lens now that really teaches someone a lot…lol
What I was looking for is someone using the 50mm 1.8g to take portraits in and out low light sunshine without the use of all the lighting. What I mean is like a beginner. I have the lens I know it is great and the kit lenses are also good but just looking for the videos showing someone using them to do what they say can be done. I found videos all over the net similar to this but they are always showing you how to take portraits with the best lens and the best lights…
But that for the reply and maybe someday a Pro will make videos for the beginner with the so called entry level gear, maybe..
Thanks
Don’t worry greenlights. You might find this video soon on my YouTube Channel. But for now if you have this lens, just go and try different things. If you don’t have it, try different thing with any lens you have. Try to shoot with different apertures. See that is the difference in DoF. Try to shoot in different light: in the bright sun and in the open shade. In the mid day and before sunset. Try to turn your model around – back lit, side lit, front lit… Watch the light, quality of it and how it is falling on your model, where it creates shadows and highlight, are they soft or sharp. The best way to learn is to try things out and see that you like. Think why you like it. The more you try things by yourself the more you learn.
You don’t have to have the best gear to take a good portrait. 50mm 1.8g does a pretty good job and it is not too expensive. Also to add some light to your subject you can use a reflector. You can get a small reflector for under $20 online. I will make a video on how to use it.
As I said I have watched all your videos and I like the way you explain everything to us. I know if you make one using the 50mm 1.8 that it will show us first hand how to get the best out of the lens. Anyway thanks for taking the time to make great videos that help a lot of us out. It is great to see someone take the time to help others without charging them an arm and leg for the best information. I understand this first hand as a Volunteer Fire Fighter and Hockey Coach which I don’t receive any money for doing but am paid back a 1000 times over with the out come of kids learning the game of Hockey and life lessons and when someone still has a house to live in or is removed from a car they are in.
Once again thank you for your time……..
Well now after using the 50mm 1.8g lens during the weekend for some very important events I attended which one was a wedding as a guest I think this lens will only make a great paper weight. As a guest at a wedding you have to stay in your seat and not allowed to move around and there is no room to set up a tripod. 50 some photos in a church of the wedding which never came out and everyone that took photos with the point and shoot have some great photos to look at. I have a funny feeling the next time I drive my the harbour I just might see if the fish want to play with it. What a complete waste of money and time. The only thing you can find on the net to help you with this lens is reviews, tests against another lens. Well at least it takes great photos in the perfect light.
I don’t know who told you that 50mm is great for shooting a wedding, greenlights, especially if it is your first time using this lens. It is logical that with prime lens you have to move, because lens doesn’t move for you as zoom does. If you are not allowed to move, if the space is too tight, so you can’t step back, if your subject is too far and you can’t get to it, you will have a problem.
It is wonderful lens for portraits and for a lot of other things, if you are able to move.
The following picture was taken with 50mm lens. As you can see the lightening conditions were not perfect. The stage light was changing on and off plus the subjects were moving.
My settings were:
f/2.5
1/125
ISO 1250
If I would have a kit lens (with smaller aperture) I would have to use a higher ISO (which means more grain). Also I would not get my DoF as shallow as I have here, unless I have much longer focal length (which means I need to be further from the subject and my shutter speed need to be higher, which again means higher ISO). As you can see it is all give and take. Unfortunately nobody come up with all purpose perfect lens yet.
Wow your lucky to photos like that and I really didn’t need to move I guess as I was sitting next to where they were walking down so they came to me. lol Even the ones where they were right in front of me didn’t come out. I guess some can use it and some can’t but I seem to get a lot more photos not turn out with this lens then turn out good. I have only had one photo turn out in low light and that’s it. As I said great photos when the light is perfect but down hill once your in low light. I have had it sense Jan. and have tried over and over in low light without success.
Oh well what do you do….
Don’t get discouraged. If it was a first time for you using this lens, it is totally ok, that something could have went wrong.
Can you maybe post some of your pics here and share the settings you used with us?
7:15 pm
July 25, 2012
Offline
What ISO do you use in low light situations? I shoot in RAW and use a D7000 that allows great ISO without too much noise. I put my ISO on 2000 to 4000 and sometimes more than that, it deppends if I have light and then in Lightroom apply noise redution to 50% or more. In weedings I always see photographers with powerfull flashes, because the internal camera flash only solves 3m distante subjects, for more light of course is necessary a good flash with external battery, or the photo intervals bethween shots will be very slow and the camera could not handle.
5:56 pm
July 25, 2012
Offline
Some of my photographer friends experimented the 50mm 1.8 and the 1.4 and compared it, and they say that the 1.8 is more sharp. Sometimes when in low light situation, without having any tripod or something to put the camera , and without using the flash is really necessary to bump the ISO to 1000 and 1200 or even more greenlights. With a 1.8 lens or with 2.8 lens it shoudn’t be a problem…..but of course if our settings are at ISO100 or 200 with a aperture of F11 of course it’s almost impossible to get a valid shot…in my opinion.
I hear about that too, Daniele. I have 50mm f1.4 and happy with its sharpness. This was a main lens I used for portraits for a longest and love it. I never got a chance to compare 50mm f1.8 and 50mm f1.4 side by side. But it could be a good idea for a new video. But in general, I almost never use my lens at f1.4, because DoF is way too narrow for most situations and it is very easy to miss the focus too. Conclusion, 50mm f1.8 is probably a good choose for a price.
2:40 pm
VIP Student
December 2, 2012
Offline
Oksana
Would you do a video on lenses one day? Camera bodies change so often
but the right lens(es) can be the purchase of a lifetime.
I would love to get your take on what you personally consider important in choosing
the right lens(es) as they can be very expensive but can also make a difference in the
final result of our efforts.
Your videos are always very informative and I have learned so much from watching them.
Thank you and I hope you will take into consideration a video on how to choose the right
lenses for different shooting environments.
Dale
6:14 pm
VIP Student
September 15, 2012
Offline
I think the kit Nikor 18-55 and 55-300 are really all that is needed.
While they are not fast lenses, I’ve never had a problem with excessive noise.
Also… noise can easily be eliminated in post processing.
Having JUST the 50mm is a bad idea as it would limit what you can do.
It is not all that expensive, so as a third lens, it would be my choice.
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