The 50mm family

The 50mm family, originally uploaded by gugs.

Here are among the best and cheapest lenses you can get from Nikon. On the right the cheap 50mm 1.8, a lens most photographers should have in their bag. Finishing is plasticky but picture quality is there. The lens is a bit soft in the corners fully open. If you want a slightly better lens , you can go for the one on the left, twice as expensive but faster (1.4) and sharper. Closed down it will outperform the 1.8 @1.8. That lens is a better choice for low light or night photography. The one in the middle is a bit special. It is not being made anymore. This is an old AIS (manual focus) design, among the fastest lenses ever. The maximum aperture is 1.2 and the lens is performing very well. Pictures are good fully open and become excellent when closed down. That lens is much more expensive and can be found used. Highly recommended for people having a pro-body (like any D2-- or D3-- camera) allowing metering with manual lenses.