Nikon - AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G Standard Lens - Black

A 50mm lens is a must in any serious or armature photographers kit. Granted this is a prime lens so there is no zoom but that trade off gives you tact sharp images. Make sure you not get this confused with the 50mm 1.8D which is a cheaper version made in China. The 1.8G in many tests beats out it's more expensive big brother the 1.4G. The 1.4G gives you up to 50% more light in dark rooms but gives up a bit in clarity due in part to having more components. On the far end of the spectrum is the Nikon 50mm F/1.2. A great lens with superior clarity if you don't mind having to manually focus each shot. This 50mm lens is fantastically priced for the value it provides. Fast and clear it's your best bet if you are just getting started and if you are a pro without a 50mm still want to go to this lens for general shooting needs. It's not near as heavy as the more expensive lenses which makes it perfect for me as I mainly shoot landscapes but it works fantastic as a portrait lens as well. It's bokeh is fantastic and has little if any vignetting. At least none that I could see even when full open. IMPORTANT NOTE: This is an FX lens. If you are shooting any of the Nikon DX cameras you can use this lens but the proper equivalent would be the Nikon 35mm lens also available from Best Buy. (35mm x 1.4 crop sensor in DX gives you 50mm.) Hope you found this useful. It is based on some lengthy research and i feel it's the best lens for the money. Darvin Atkeson Photographer LiquidMoonlight.com

After 5 yrs with a Pentax DSLR I was ready to step up to a better camera. I spent several months researching bodies and lenses and read a ton of reviews online before selecting the Nikon 7000 and this lens. I mainly photograph my 6 yr old son and take pics of small groups at family get togethers. I love that this lens has such a shallow depth of field. The backgrounds blur so beautifully that I don't have to stress as much about clutter or distractions behind the subject and I can focus more on the people. When I do have the luxury of picking a nice setting the results are simply stunning. I find the 50mm just right for close shots of up to about 3 people, and also for travel pics of architecture and street scenes. The 50 mm is very light and small and easy to carry. I keep my zoom in my bag unless I really need it. The 50mm works for me about 90% of the time. I also bought a used F1.8D at a local camera store while I was trying to find the G. Personally I found the auto focus on the D to be far less accurate than the G and missed a lot of cute candids of my son in action; manual focus just wasn't an option when he was in mid air. The G is more accurate and I like that I can tweak the focus without having to switch to manual on my camera body. I just keep my hand on the focus ring in case I have time to fine tune. I seriously considered the F1.4s and read a ton of reviews on them as well. I have been very happy with the 1.8's performance with indoor lighting and at dusk and I am glad I didn't spend the extra money on the 1.4. Best of all, after weeks of waiting for the lens to become available on amazon or at the local camera stores I tried Best Buy and they had stock at 2 stores near my house. Too easy!

This lens is an incredible value for the money, which probably explains why its so hard to find right now. The wide aperture creates incredible background blur in portraits, and also allows for shorter exposures in low-light conditions. Another nice thing about this lens is that the outermost element is set deep into the housing. As such, you rarely need to bother with a lens hood, although one is included. On a DX format camera (like my D5100) this FX lens has an equivalent focal length of about 75mm, making it better choice for portraits than the 35mm DX. I thought about settling for the 35mm DX, but I decided to wait until this lens was available. It's worth every penny, and it's a must-own for DX and FX format cameras alike.

I am an amatuer photographer who picked up the hobby of photography to kill time and capture the moments of my later in life surprise children so my review is simple and not going to be highly technical for the semi professional and up. I am using an entry level Nikon D3200 (DX body that is important to note since this is an FX lens) with an 18 - 55mm stock lens. Adding this lens to my camera made an immediate difference in the photos I could shoot. Much faster focusing than the stock or entry level 50 - 200mm zoom lens. As I am shooting on a budget I had reservation about the utility of a prime lens at the fixxed focal length of 50mm, but I have been humbled and shamed for my doubt by the sheer exceptional performance of this lens. The DX crop factor makes this feel a touch more zoomed in, maybe what you would frame up in the mid 70mm-ish range using a DX lens. Excellent DoF . Quick-ish (compared to stock lens) Great for low-light and "magic hour" shooting I would not only recommend this lens to... well... everyone, but if you are looking to buy in on your first entry level camera and are on a budget skip spending money on the stock 18-55mm and buy a body and the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G. You will be much happier starting, men will want to be you, women will want to be with you and unicorns will love you.

I use a D40 and the only available 50mm prime with AF-S was the 1.4g, which I didn't want to spend over $400.00 for, being that I don't use the camera often. Note: The D40 doesnt have a lens motor so if auto focus is needed, then the lens must be an AF-S. The 1.8g takes great all around photos with great DOF. Portrait shots especially, which I get the most compliments for. The only thing that's tricky are small, crowded areas since the lens has no zoom. Also, trying to explain to others that there isn't a zoom and how to use the auto focus. Other than that, I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants something easy to use and to take great shots all at a great price!

I love this lens. It takes great portraits! The white balance is so much better than my 55-200mm lens. Better color, better clarity - gorgeous pictures.

I have 15 different Nikon lenses, and this is by far my favorite. The clarity of the images is out of this world.

This lens is great for portrait shot. I compared with portrait shots with my 18-250mm lens. The difference was enormous. Though 18-250mm portrait were still good, but the 50mm was vividly clear.