50mm or 85mm

[JohnnyC]

I am currently strongly considering get a prime lense. However I am torn between which one to get, and would appreciate any input. I have a D90 and before upgrading I want to get a few more lense. So I resolved to getting a prime specifically a 50mm or 85mm.
My budget is 650 so assuming the prices are still the same this would allow me to get the AF NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8D,
AF NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4D,
or AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G

And for the 85, I can get the AF NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8D

I would be using these lense from anywhere to portrait to sports such as basketball
Suggestions?

[jdepould]

The 50 is going to be a little short for basketball. You'll probably want AF-S for focus performance, which the 85/1.8 doesn't have.

[TheEagleSpirit]

Originally Posted by jdepould

The 50 is going to be a little short for basketball. You'll probably want AF-S for focus performance, which the 85/1.8 doesn't have.

I have a nikkor 85mm f3.5 micro VR that auto focuses that does an excellent job it even has macro. Micro Nikkor AF-S DX 85mm f/3.5 G ED VR - Review / Test Report

http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Produc....5G-ED-VR.html

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by TheEagleSpirit

I have a nikkor 85mm f3.5 micro VR that auto focuses that does an excellent job it even has macro. Micro Nikkor AF-S DX 85mm f/3.5 G ED VR - Review / Test Report

AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/3.5G ED VR from Nikon

f/3.5 is 2 full stops slower than f/1.8, and the AF-S in that particular lens is geared for macro work, and is therefore slooooow.

[scootermcq]

I have an 85mm lens, and for portraits it is great for outdoors, but kinda limited for indoor work. You need to be about 20 feet from your subject to get a 3/4 to full length portrait. I guess the question is what is more important to you. Cropping basketball images with a 50mm lens, or only doing head shots indoors unless you have a huge area to work in with the 85mm

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

f/3.5 is 2 full stops slower than f/1.8, and the AF-S in that particular lens is geared for macro work, and is therefore slooooow.

I am questioning this for my own information... Since you set the focus manually to the reproduction ratio you want and then focus by moving the camera, is this AF-S any different than on any other lens? I thought it would be the same, as you are not auto focusing for macro work.

■Quote from Maual
Focusing at a predetermined reproduction ratio
(Reproduction ratio scale)
The reproduction ratio is the relation between the size of the image
recorded on the image sensor and the actual subject size. If, for example, the image on the image
sensor is one-fifth the actual subject size, the reproduction ratio is 1:5.
To photograph at a predetermined reproduction ratio, use the following procedure:
1 Manually turn the focus ring until the desired reproduction ratio scale number is aligned with
the distance index line c.
2 Aim at the subject, then change your position, moving closer to or farther away from the subject,
until the image in the viewfinder
sharpens.

[autofocus]

Originally Posted by JohnnyC

I am currently strongly considering get a prime lense. However I am torn between which one to get, and would appreciate any input. I have a D90 and before upgrading I want to get a few more lense. So I resolved to getting a prime specifically a 50mm or 85mm.
My budget is 650 so assuming the prices are still the same this would allow me to get the AF NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8D,
AF NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4D,
or AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G

And for the 85, I can get the AF NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8D

I would be using these lense from anywhere to portrait to sports such as basketball
Suggestions?

With $650 dollars to spend you should be very close to being able to buy both the 50mm and the 85mm f/1.8 versions combined

[vandergus]

Originally Posted by scootermcq

I am questioning this for my own information... Since you set the focus manually to the reproduction ratio you want and then focus by moving the camera, is this AF-S any different than on any other lens? I thought it would be the same, as you are not auto focusing for macro work.

Nikon's AF-S lenses will have all different types of focus motors in them. There's no way that the 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 AF-S has the same motor (or autofocus speed) as the 70--200mm f2.8 AF-S. I don't know what the 85mm f3.5 has in it. You'd just have to try it and see if it can keep up. I've used my 60mm macro lens to take pictures of my speedy little dog. It did OK, but I could never tell if the camera (D40) or the lens was the limiting factor, and it's not something I would want to make a living with.

I think the bigger issue with focus performance on macro lenses is the huge range that they have to cover. If the camera misses and hunts up and down the entire focus range, it has to go a lot farther than it does on a non-macro lens. That can be really annoying. Higher end macro lenses will have focus limiting switches that keep that focus out of the macro range when your using it for other things. This prevents the really long hunt times.