Nikon 35mm DX AF-S 1.8G Lens Question ?

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Nikon 35mm DX AF-S 1.8G Lens Question ?

Postby Ron » Mon Mar 15, 2010 9:22 am

Hi All
I was thinking of getting the Nikon 35mm DX 1.8 lens to replace my 18-55mm Nikon kit lens of my D80. Would the 35mm lens be more advantageous to me for the purpose of shooting indoor parties at halls such as Wedding & Sweet 16's etc. Quality of Photo is priority #1 Does the speed difference really matter indoor with flash? 1.8 vs. 3.5-5.6
My gut tells me that the 35mm is better but would appreciate some opinions, especially those who own both. I will only be keeping one or the other as it would be a trade.
Thanks Ron
PS Trade fair? My 18-55 + $100 for 35mm
"Family over Friends" "Night over Day" "Nikon over Canon" "Gravy over Everything"

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Re: Nikon 35mm DX AF-S 1.8G Lens Question ?

Postby gpsmikey » Mon Mar 15, 2010 10:07 am

Ron, while I can't answer that question, I would suggest (if you are not already a member) joining Nikonians.org - great bunch there and lots of good info on all sorts of questions like this and everything else Nikon related in the various forums.

mikey
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Lots of PIC and Arduino microprocessor stuff too !!

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Re: Nikon 35mm DX AF-S 1.8G Lens Question ?

Postby dnmilikan » Mon Mar 15, 2010 10:21 am

Hi Ron,

While I don't use Nikon equipment, it is generally recognized that prime lenses offer superior optical performance over zoom lenses. This is due to the fact that compromises must be made in lens design when variable focal lengths are designed in one lens. Beyond that the additional stop or two of speed with a prime lens would benefit you in indoor situations by allowing you to use a lower ISO resulting in less noise in your images. The place where the larger aperture will benefit you when using flash is the bokeh that is attained when exposing near the largest aperture. Out of focus regions will tend to draw the viewer's attention into the in-focus details you wish to depict.

The trade off is that with a zoom you have the freedom to compose using infinite focal lengths (within the range of the lens) and this can make composing much easier.

Sofar as relative value of the two lenses, that depends on the condition of your lens. One can normally consider used value to be 50-70% of new value.

Good luck,
Donald Miller

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Re: Nikon 35mm DX AF-S 1.8G Lens Question ?

Postby VernonRobinson » Mon Mar 15, 2010 11:44 am

Ron,
The extra f-stop would be great for low light. You will be able to capture more pictures without use of flash. However, be careful of the depth of field issue.

My only caveat would be the difference between 18 mm and 35 mm for indoor work. I think you will miss the extra bit of wideness that is provided by the zoom. You may find that your group shots won't work nearly as well. The 35 mm would be the equivalent of 50 mm (or a normal lens) on a traditional full frame 35 mm camera. The 18 mm is giving you a mild wide angle, which is good. So weedhopper, I think you might want to be careful before you leap.

I have used a company called LensProToGo to rent gear before I buy. Paul is the owner and a great guy/company to deal with. This is another avenue before you commit to a high expenditure. I would recommend a try before you buy. I spent a bit of money and got a 17-55 F 2.8 zoom for my Canon to do indoor work. I am sure Nikon has something very similar.

Regards,
-Vernon

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Re: Nikon 35mm DX AF-S 1.8G Lens Question ?

Postby Looney » Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:49 pm

Check out this review. http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/nikon_35_1p8g_n15/

I am not sure if you have Ritz Camera or one of its sister stores, but you can try for 30 days and take back if you don't like it.
Last edited by Looney on Mon Mar 15, 2010 6:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Nikon 35mm DX AF-S 1.8G Lens Question ?

Postby Ron » Mon Mar 15, 2010 6:38 pm

Mikey
Thanks for the link for Nikonian's, seems like a bundle of information there, I joined and will check it out!!
Donald
Thanks for all your thoughts but could you explain the word "bokeh"?
Vernon
Thanks for your thoughts as well, my local store allowed me to test drive my camera while I was shopping, I'm sure he will let me test drive the len as well, I should have thought of that myself, thanks for the nudge.
Looney
Thanks for the review link
There doesn't seem to be a straight answer, it seems like a trade off, I'll decide after my test drive.
Thanks again all & I'll post my decision
Ron
"Family over Friends" "Night over Day" "Nikon over Canon" "Gravy over Everything"

dnmilikan

Re: Nikon 35mm DX AF-S 1.8G Lens Question ?

Postby dnmilikan » Tue Mar 16, 2010 6:49 am

Hi Ron,

This is the definition that is most commonly used when discussing bokeh.

Definition: a Japanese term for the subjective aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of a photographic image
Example: The bokeh, or quality of the blurred image in the photograph, was described and discussed.

There has been a resurgence of the use of soft focus lenses (old brass lenses dating to the 1850s) in the large format film field in the past year or so (yes film is alive and well). The reason for this resurgence is due to the smooth (creamy) tonal depiction and the rendering of the out of focus regions of the image (bokeh).

Donald Miller

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Re: Nikon 35mm DX AF-S 1.8G Lens Question ?

Postby dnmilikan » Tue Mar 16, 2010 6:53 am

Ron, One other thing to consider when using the larger aperture lenses is that the depth of field is diminished. I own a 85 mm F1.2 Canon L lens. In practice this lens is difficult to use at the 1.2 setting because of the smaller depth of field. It is a wonderful portrait lens and when you nail the image it just jumps out at you but it is very easy to miss the focus with the lens. The 35 mm that you speak of will not be that extreme but still bears mentioning.

Donald Miller

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Re: Nikon 35mm DX AF-S 1.8G Lens Question ?

Postby Ron » Tue Mar 16, 2010 5:15 pm

Don
I appreciate you sharing the knowledge
Thanks Ron
"Family over Friends" "Night over Day" "Nikon over Canon" "Gravy over Everything"

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Re: Nikon 35mm DX AF-S 1.8G Lens Question ?

Postby heckydog » Tue Mar 16, 2010 6:52 pm

There's a pretty neat bokeh plugin for Photoshop. Made by Alien Skin. I bought their Eye Candy plugin years ago and still use it all the time

http://alienskin.com/bokeh/index.aspx

You can even simulate tilt shift photography with it. It's pretty sweet the way it works and with a little practice you can edit a photo pretty quickly.

Joe

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Re: Nikon 35mm DX AF-S 1.8G Lens Question ?

Postby Ron » Wed Mar 31, 2010 5:21 pm

Hi
Just to update I did get the 35mm 1.8 lens but I kept my other 18-55mm. I felt there would probably need for both so I said what the ^*(* The 35 optically spwaking is better & shows in the prints
Thanks for all the input
Ron
"Family over Friends" "Night over Day" "Nikon over Canon" "Gravy over Everything"

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