Shutter-Deprived

I purchased my D700 off of eBay used back in January, and it came with a lens listed as the Nikon 50mm AF "non D version" lens.

I didn't care about the lens because I wanted to buy the body and purchase a different lens later.

It has Nikon and AF NIKKOR 50mm 1:1.4 text without D or S. I don't know anything about this lens.

Here are pictures of it:

 NikonLens.jpg   571.51KB   112 downloads

 nikonlens2.jpg   61.22KB   107 downloads

The serial# on it is 2049011

Can anyone please tell me a bit more about this lens?

Thank you!

I have to say, the only bad thing about having to graduate from college last May was no longer having my photography course.

The Nikon D700 was the first and only DSLR camera I have ever used.  For my class, there were 5 D700s that we got to take turns signing up for to use for a few days to shoot our assignments with.  I was trully lucky to be able to check out the camera weeks at a time because not everyone signed up to use one. Every chance I got, I checked one out.

In my first 3 photo classes we shot 35mm color film, 35mm b&w film - which we got to develop ourselves and create prints in the darkroom, and one of the most rewarding experiences was being able to create color prints in complete darkness!  It's incredible how you can capture what you see and make it appear on paper.  It's a breathe of fresh air seeing a photo you took for the first time after having to wait for what seems like ages to get it to its "photo" finish.

Don't get me wrong - I love 35mm film, but digital photography took my breathe away!  I was able to shoot unlimited frames and go crazy and experiment with the camera itself.  I love shooting manually.  With my Konica FC-1 - I felt in control, and with the D700 I was able to manually focus and in a way still make my photos just using digital tools.  Watching my 24"x30" prints come out of the Epson printer was like Christmas!

After not shooting with a DSLR camera since May - I have a crappy Fujifilm Finepix from 4 years ago...  I'm shutter-deprived.

In a couple years I want to start my own photography business and have my own studio. Until then I need to save up, plan, and research.  I would like to get a decent camera to start building my portfolio.

My sister-in-law is getting married at the end of summer and she wanted me and one of her friends to take pictures.  I feel like this is a great opportunity to get my feet wet and full heartedly do this and produce images that I can be proud of and my sister-in-law will love.

Any suggestions for other Nikon models that can offer features like the D700, but are more affordable?

(I love using natural light - I'm not a big fan of using flash - mostly because I haven't used it enough.)