Christmas Gift for the Wife... Lenses

A2597

A2597

Well-known member
So, my wife still shoots with an old Nikon D50, we'd love to upgrade, but not in the books at the moment. Still a good camera, and she has a couple decent lenses for it.

One thing she's been wanting is a Fisheye. Those things are bloody expensive! Came across this however:
http://www.amazon.com/Rokinon-FE8M-C-F3-5-Fisheye-Canon/dp/B002LTXQUE

Everything I've seen on it says it's an amazing deal to get started with Fisheye photography. It's a manual lens, but that isn't a worry. Grabbing it.

Now, she needs a low light lens. What immediately comes to mind is the nifty 50, and here is where my knowledge comes up short. There are two versions of the Nifty 50 for Nikon...old one for ~99, new one for ~200. Is the new one THAT much better, or am I safe getting the older one?

Thanks!
 
Compare specs, my ex has a 70 - 300 DX the old version is better however it costs more too. Practicality the new one is fine. Could be the case here too.
 
A2597 said:
Now, she needs a low light lens. What immediately comes to mind is the nifty 50, and here is where my knowledge comes up short. There are two versions of the Nifty 50 for Nikon...old one for ~99, new one for ~200. Is the new one THAT much better, or am I safe getting the older one?
Click to expand...
The newer 50mm f/1.8G lens is superior. I used to have the older AF-D version but upgraded to the newer one. The old one is an absolute bargain though and you can't really go wrong with it. The newer one is a better performer in several areas (a lot of it is due to the added aspherical lens element). Is it worth twice the cost of the old one? That's fairly subjective. It doesn't have "double" the performance (whatever that means), but the little things can certainly add up.

Another thing to keep in mind: If you do upgrade from the D50 to a body that doesn't have a built-in AF screwdrive motor (these days you won't find it in anything less than Nikon's prosumer bodies) you won't get autofocus with older non-AF-S lenses (like the 50 f/1.8D).
 
The Fisheye gets great reviews, I still have yet to pick one up, but I have an upcoming shoot I need one... I know a couple people with it that love it.



I have a nikon 50 1.4 and a sigma 30 1.4... the sigma is amazing, Its been 2 years since i've used the 50 i bet. The 30mm on a crop sensor like the D50 is perfect.
 
I might look at a 30 then, I use the the Canon nifty 50, and there are times it feels a bit tight. (but I love the sharpness of it).

If I go with the 50, I'll probably go with the AF-D, her camera has the screw drive, and the upgraded camera (whenever that happens) will have a screw drive as well. I'm so very glad I didn't get her the D600, almost did. But with all the issues, I'll probably wait until the D610 has been out awhile until I trust getting a new body from Nikon.
 
well the d600 seems like a clunker but keep in mind you might want to get a full frame 30 mm, it might be more expensive but if you jump to the full frame you won't have to rebuy it...

full frame lenses work on both crop and full frame, crops only work on crop cameras other wise you get a "black box" effect and pretty worthless, maybe on a D800 you could get a image out of one... th
 
Speaking from experience, unless you plan on going professional or really need the few small benefits(mainly low light shooting, DOF play), stick with crop. You'll be hard to push to tell any difference unless you're in a controlled environment knowing what to look for.

Being just a hobbyist, if I could go back a year knowing what I know now, I'd keep my D7000 with all of the great glass I had with it and with that a boat load of cash in my pocket.

+1 for the Sigma 30 1.4(older version can be had new for under $300). One of my top 3 lenses I've used. The other 2 is the Sigma 70-200 OS and Sigma 35 1.4 ;)
 
Pornstar Yard Gnom said:
well the d600 seems like a clunker but keep in mind you might want to get a full frame 30 mm, it might be more expensive but if you jump to the full frame you won't have to rebuy it...

full frame lenses work on both crop and full frame, crops only work on crop cameras other wise you get a "black box" effect and pretty worthless, maybe on a D800 you could get a image out of one... th
Click to expand...

"clunker" is a bit extreme. It's still the second best sensor on the market. You just need a squeegee lol. Other then that the camera has been flawless.

In all seriousness, the clunker is Nikons CS and business practices. The D600 itself does have the spot issue but it clears up. I first cleaned mine at 3k shoots. The 2 more times up until 4500 shots. I'm up to about 6500 shots and have not noticed anything. Now I don't go looking for it but I have shot some f/10 shots in the last month and if it was there, would show up at that f stop for sure.

If one is set on FF and you're just a hobbyist looking to keep a camera body long term, then I think the D600 if found at the right price(below $1500) new would be a good buy. Just be sure to know how to clean a sensor. Also go in knowing the resale(that's why I say long term) probably won't be the best. Personally if he's basically starting over with going to FF, I'd look at other companies. If he's invested in Nikon FF glass, then the D600 at the right price would be a good option. Personally I'd just stick with the crop sensor, buy a nice piece of glass and enjoy shooting.
 
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btw, if you're set on a 50, I do have the Nikkor 50 1.8G that I was going to list on ebay shortly. It's literally in brand new condition. I never used it but for a handful of times. Just never felt it. It comes with everything it came with new. It could be repackaged and sold as new and no one could tell the difference tbh. PM if you're interested.
 
I picked up the 50 1.8 for her, 106$ off amazon. :)

I use it a lot on my canon 60d, of course, won't fit on her D50. She has a lot more glass than I do, so ill probably wind up going Nikon at some point, I just love the canon bodies. (She's the reverse, loves Nikon bodies)

Right now I'd say I'm hobbyist / enthusiast, whereas she's wanting to go into it full time. She's had quite a few paid gigs already, but the old d50 is showing its age. She bought it new, and has used it A LOT since then. I'd love to get her the 610, expensive, and not in the budget right now.

Thanks guys!
 
So everything is in now.
Tested on her camera, and it's all in working order and works great! Now to wrap and get them under the tree.

I also picked up a Nikkor 30-200mm Travel Mug. Looks like the real deal, comes in a box that looks like the real deal...after two other lenses I think she'll get a kick out of it. LOL
 
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