Nikon Nikkor lens - 50 mm F/1.8

As anyone interested in photography will know - lenses don't come cheap, especially quality lens, except this one. The 50mm 1.8 has a reputation for quality at a reasonable price and it's a reputation well deserved. Yes the 50mm is a 'small' lens but it's a prime lens. Some may find that the need for them to move forwards or backwards to get the correct composition for a photograph is too irritating to make the purchase worthwhile over that of a zoom lens but the increase of quality combined with the price makes that an opinion that I beg to differ. If you shoot portraits, or are looking to ... more

This is a "prime lens" meaning it has a fixed focal length unlike the typical zoom lens. This is probably one of the best lenses out in the market. Often called the "nifty fifty", it's perfect for family photos, portraiture or low light. It is very cheap but has a good quality build. The reason for this is that it has fewer moving parts than your typical zoom lens. The downside you'll need to move about to compose your photos but this can be an advantage if you're on a learning curve. It helps you to become aware of your surroundings rather than just lazily zooming on a particular subject. It ... more

I have a 70mm to 300mm Sigma zoom and a 28mm to 80mm sigma zoom and this small standard 50mm lens. The lens costs about £90 new or around the £50 on E Bay. For everyday photography, I don't think it can be beaten. The two main advantages are its size and its maximum aperture of f1.8. For the peeps that don't know anything bout photography....the smaller the no. on the lens, the more light it can let in...hense f1.8 being better for available light photography indoors than the f5.5 on one of my zoom lenses. The small/lightweight standard lense on your camera will drastically reduse the risk of ... more