A First Prime 50mm DX Lens: I have a Nikon D5000 and planning to upgrade to a D5200 once any problems and the pricing mature. I have an 18-105 DX, an 18-200 DX, a 70-300 FX, and a...

TomMcIn Loc: Maple Ridge BC Canada

I have a Nikon D5000 and planning to upgrade to a D5200 once any problems and the pricing mature. I have an 18-105 DX, an 18-200 DX, a 70-300 FX, and a micro 85 mm DX. I shoot general, scenes, some close ups and lots of Lab puppies.
In the meantime, I would like to add a 50mm lens and leaning toward the FX 35mm f/2D as it would function like a 50 on a DX body, uses the best portion of the lens, has an aperture ring and autofocus without SWM. Cannot find the minimum focus distance on the Nikon site.
Any comments would be appreciated.

JR1 Loc: Tavistock, Devon, UK

Can I ask why, when you have two lenses that cover 30-50mm.

TomMcIn Loc: Maple Ridge BC Canada

Bought the 18-105 with the camera and just lately, the 18-200 for its extended range which is very useful when taking pictures of pups in their kennel. The 18-200 is a great walk-around lens.

GrahamS Loc: Hertfordshire, U.K

The 35mm f1.8 G is a superb lens and of a more advanced design

http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1243/cat/12

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/10-best.htm

JR1 Loc: Tavistock, Devon, UK

But, can you honestly say 99.999% of the time you would see a difference

Db7423 Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

And I have a Nikon 35mm f1.8 G I'll sell. Bought just a couple of months before I moved from the D7000 to the full frame D600- the only DX lens that I haven't sold or traded. If you are interested shoot me a PM.

TomMcIn Loc: Maple Ridge BC Canada

I am trying to get the equivalent of 50mm images on my DX body on the assumption that 50mm somewhat matches the angle of view we humans see, to play around with the ideas in the "Nifty Fifty" articles and to get some increase lens speed with the f2 lens.
I expect a 35mmDX lens will give a wider angle of view.

wolfman

TomMcIn wrote:

I am trying to get the equivalent of 50mm images on my DX body on the assumption that 50mm somewhat matches the angle of view we humans see, to play around with the ideas in the "Nifty Fifty" articles and to get some increase lens speed with the f2 lens.
I expect a 35mmDX lens will give a wider angle of view.

You can go here to select your camera and lens to see what angle of view you will have.
http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/lens/simulator/index.htm

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

TomMcIn wrote:

I am trying to get the equivalent of 50mm images on my DX body on the assumption that 50mm somewhat matches the angle of view we humans see, to play around with the ideas in the "Nifty Fifty" articles and to get some increase lens speed with the f2 lens.

You are correct in assessing that a 35-mm lens on a APS-C sensor provides a very similar Field-of-View as a 50-mm on a full frame sensor. I suggest that you contact UHH member Db7423 about his above offered Nikon 35-mm f/1.8G.

TomMcIn Loc: Maple Ridge BC Canada

A 35 mm lens - whether it is DX or FX - gives the same angle of view on a DX camera - roughly a 44° angle of view. A 50mm FX lens on an FX body gives a similar 46° angle of view. A 35mm FX lens on an FX body will give a wider 63° angle of view because the larger sensor can record more of the scene. When an FX lens is used on a DX camera, the outer edges of the image from the lens are not recorded but the angle of view is still the same.
So will contact Db7423 to see what we can work out as I live in Canada.

TomMcIn Loc: Maple Ridge BC Canada

Contacted DB7423 and
When I run Nikon's Lens Simulator, changing between a DX lens and an FX lens does not change the angle of view for a given focal length on a DX Body. Changing the body between DX and FX for a given focal length does change the angle of view. So either a DX or FX 35 will give me the equivalent angle of view of 46° that a 50mm lens gives on an FX camera.
Cross border shopping in this case is likely not worth the trouble and I can look at both DX and FX 35 mm lens here in Canada. The 35mm f1.8 DX lens is $250 and the FX F2 is $400 - not worth the difference.

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

35-mm FX lens x 1.5 cropping factor = 52.5-mm equivalent on a Nikon DX sensor.

GrahamS Loc: Hertfordshire, U.K

TomMcIn wrote:

Contacted DB7423 and
When I run Nikon's Lens Simulator, changing between a DX lens and an FX lens does not change the angle of view for a given focal length on a DX Body. Changing the body between DX and FX for a given focal length does change the angle of view. So either a DX or FX 35 will give me the equivalent angle of view of 46° that a 50mm lens gives on an FX camera.

It's not rocket science but people still get confused about sensor size and focal length and crop factor. Crop factor is exactly what it says on the tin - a "crop".

bull drink water Loc: pontiac mi.

before you buy a new lens, take that 18-105mm out for a day and set it to 50mm.shoot everything , come home and examine all the photos with a critical eye.you may already have what you need.

TomMcIn Loc: Maple Ridge BC Canada

bull drink water wrote:

before you buy a new lens, take that 18-105mm out for a day and set it to 50mm.shoot everything , come home and examine all the photos with a critical eye.you may already have what you need.

If my goal is to take pictures that mimic or approximate the angle of view that a person sees with their eyes and assuming a 50mm FX lens on an FX body matches this angle of about 46°, I think I should be shooting at 35mm with my DX lens and camera. The Nikon Simulator indicates this has an AoV of 44°.

I am no longer sure my objective is worthwhile but this discussion and web pages at
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/forums/thread106.htm
and
http://jamesmskipper.tripod.com/jamesmskipper/perspective.html
are teaching me that mimicking the human eye is not all that simple.
A big reason for a prime lens in this range seems to be the larger aperture for low light situations and the extra sharpness of a lens that does not have to accommodate zooming.