bbradford Loc: Wake Forest NC

Being a newbie I only have a 18x270mm lens for my d300. I need to buy a prime lens and don't know what to go with. Should I get a 35mm, 50mm or 85mm for my prime. I shoot mostly nature and landscapes. Thanks Bryan

BudsOwl Loc: Upstate NY and New England

I had an 18-270 Tamron on my 60D and used it successfully for landscapes. The primes you mention fall between the the min and max of your current lens so unless you are not happy with the IQ you are getting I don't see a need unless you are looking for a larger aperture. In that case I would opt for the 35 mm.
Bud

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

I purchased the new Sigma ART lenses in 24, 50 and 85 mm for my D610. The 50 is the one I use most. You might consider a 35mm on the D300.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

That can only ne answered by YOU. What angle of view would YOU use the most? Set your zoom at the same focal lengths as thosr primes and then decide what angle of view would be most beneficial to you to start with. Eventually you will likely want all three.
Also, take a good look at Tamrons 35, 45, and 85mm stabilized primes. GREAT lenses at very good prices!

SpyderJan Loc: New Smyrna Beach. FL

The 35mm is the standard lens for a crop sensor. When you are shooting landscapes, do you find yourself always going to the widest setting on the 18x270? If that is the case go with the 35mm. If you find yourself mostly in the mid range of your zoom, then you could opt for the 85mm. No one here can accurately assess YOUR needs, so if you have any more information on your shooting habits, then post them. The more information you submit, the better the response is likely to be.

ken_stern Loc: Yorba Linda, Ca

Do the basic math then make your decision
Since this is a crop frame camera -- First determine the equivalent focal length & its angle of view (1.5 x focal length)
That is the 35mm = 52 mm ; 50mm = 75mm ; 85mm = 127mm
Now ask yourself the question "What equivalent focal length would I find most useful" ?????

PS: Probably should have added this initially but I didn't want to write a small book -- But what the hell -----

Now consider the "speed of the prime lens" Max aperture opening --- Is it a 1.2; 1.4; 2.8; 4.0 ---- Since these values will probably be larger then the zoom your now using --- Under what situations would this be useful ?????

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

therwol Loc: USA

You should say why you need to buy a prime lens and why your zoom doesn't meet your needs. You should also say which focal length or lengths you currently use for landscapes and nature.

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

This is a very newbie statement.

I need to buy a prime lens and don't know what to go with.

Because, you probably don't need a prime or any other lens without some concept of "why" ...

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I used a program called "ExposurePlot" (http://www.vandel.nl/program/exposureplot_116.zip). If you give it a folder it will read the EXIF data from all the jpgs in that folder and present statistics. You can plot the focal length distribution and see which focal lengths are most important to you. You can also see plots of ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. It can help you decide which focal lengths you use most and you can use that in lens decisions.

Having said that, you might consider just why you want a prime lens. Modern zoom lenses are quite good and are much more flexible when it comes to composing images. While I have several prime lenses, the only one I use with regularity is the Nikkor 105 Micro, which I use for macro shots. The others sit in the drawer.

bbradford Loc: Wake Forest NC

1. Faster focus
2. Wider aperture
3. Image quality
4. Better depth of field
These are some of the reasons. Dealing with rude people is one reason I didn't ask questions for a long time. Remember, you too were once a newbie.

CO

I purchased the Tamron 45mm f/1.8 SP VC lens for my Nikons. The vibration compensation is a plus for when you're hand holding the camera. Those lenses also have a metal lens barrel and are fully weather sealed.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

If we consider each of these generic reasons as compared to your 18x270mm, we see that you're not limited to prime lenses for wider apertures, nor focus speed, nor image quality, nor depth of field (redundant to wider aperture).

I shoot mostly nature and landscapes.

You may not like the tone of the last probing question, but you still haven't answered it. Why do you think a prime is needed for "nature and landscapes"? Why do you think 35 / 50 / 85 are the best choices? Have you ever seen a great landscape image from a 35mm lens on a D300 at anything less than f/11? Your current lens covers all your candidate focal lengths at apertures typical of landscape and nature photography (f/5.6 - f/13+). There was a suggestion to analyze the focal length of your images. Have you done this?

If you're interested in artistic images, say of a flower isolated against a blurred background, do you own a tripod? Set your zoom at 100mm to 200mm and the aperture at f/5.6 to f/8 and you can achieve that look. Whether you shoot the image with a prime or a zoom, the tripod is the tool common to each. The primes available at your three candidate focal lengths are many, at many price-points. Is it possible that other equipment is more relevant to your progress than a new lens?

These are the reasons to ask "why" rather than just tossing out models, vendors, and prices.

gary8803

I would also look at the used market for your prime lens. I like shooting with prime lens for me I feel the quality of the glass is better. I also feel it makes me a better photographer because I have to think about where I want to shoot from. You can get a used 50mm for a $100.00 to try to see if you like prime lens . Some people hate not having zoom lens because they have to move around to frame their shots. you don't have to use wide angle lens for landscape pictures either its not a hard fast rule.