Overview

The "nifty fifty" is always referred to as photography's best bargain. Now I know why!

Sharpness

This lens is sharp. Really sharp. Wide open is okay, but stopped down to f/2.8 is where this lens excels. There's not too much more to say here - portraiture with this lens will have you retouching skin afterwards...

Focusing and Other Notable Attributes

The AF 50mm f/1.8 D does not sport AF-S (built in motor), so some lower-end camera bodies (D40, D60, D3000 and D5000) cannot auto focus this lens. For bodies that can, the 50mm is great! It spins fast, and is fairly accurate (better with the torquier pro-bodies).

As the lighting gets dimmer, this little guy really starts to shine. Opening up to f/1.8 really helps, and low light / available light photography is a joy with this lens.

Handling and Use

Small and light, the 50mm f/1.8 could fit into a pocket; it's a fair bit smaller than the 35mm f/1.8.

50mm becomes 75mm on a DX body, making this an ok portrait lens (but longer would be better). This lens is okay indoors (if you can back up without bumping into walls), but is a little long for indoor event / family gathering type photography. It does well when taking full body portraits, but requires you get pretty close for head shots. You just have to keep that focal length in mind, when shooting.

Sample Photos

Here are a few samples I have taken with this lens: