4 replies to this topic

[george.kastanas83]

Hi everyone

I am new into the photography scene I have a d3200 with the kit lens 18mm-55mm but I have been told to get a Nikon AF-S 35mm f1.8G DX because it is a good lens for potraits. I am going to Bali soon so I just want to know if it any good for taking pics of scenery? And what else can you do with it? Thank you in advance

[dwgreenstreet]

The 35mm is a good lens but for portraits the 50mm 1.8 is better, the 85mm 1.8 even better yet, but it's pretty long for shooting landscape stuff. I have all three but if I could only have one it would be the 50mm. It's about the same price as the 35mm and it's a FX lens so it's more future proof if you decide to upgrade in the future.

[dem]

The 35mm f1.8 is a good lens for low light portraits and for blurring the background. It is not a general purpose lens. You also have to know when to stop it down (shoot at higher aperture values like f5.6) and by how much, as it can easily blur the parts of the image you want to look sharp.

There is a reason why all manufactures supply an 18-55mm kit lens for their APS-C cameras. The short end is for landscapes, the long end is for portraits. The 35mm is a bit short for close-up head-and-shoulders portraits and might be too long for group portraits indoors.

Take your kit lens, zoom in to 35mm, put a rubber band on it and leave it there for a day or two. This will give you the best idea of what the 35mm prime can and cannot do. Then look at the shots taken at the largest available aperture and think if having f1.8 and some extra sharpness are worth paying the money for a new lens.

[dcbear78]

See I'm one of the big advocates of 35mm on a crop sensor. It almost replicates 50mm on full frame. No the focal length is not ideal for portraits, but it can do it and do it well. But with this lens you will also comfortably be able to take landscapes and everything in between. It really is a versatile focal length on a crop sensor.

Plus the easiest way of producing a wow photo is with a fast prime.

[TBonz]

If I were going to pick a "portrait" lens for a DX body, I'd probably go towards a 50mm or slightly longer as I seem to prefer portraits when shot with something in the 75-135 range (FX).  If I really nailed it down, an 85 or 105 on an FX body works best for me, but that doesn't mean it will work best for someone else.  As suggested, shoot the portraits you are interested in with your kit lens at different focal lengths and decide what works best for you.  If you think you may want something outside the range of your kit lens, then I'd suggest renting for a weekend when you can give it a good workout and decide if it is the right lens for you.