Lense + Flash vs. Lense?

[pandabeara]

It's that wonderful time of year when I get to buy a couple of extra pieces of equipment for my camera thanks to Uncle Sam.

I'm just a little torn between what to get on my budget. I have roughly $500 I can put towards equipment, below is a plus or going over is manage able. I'm in no rush to order the equipment, I'm just shopping around and trying to get the best for what I want. I mostly use my camera for recreation and occasionally portraits or events for friends.

I'm looking into buying a 50mm lense for my Nikon D60. I'm currently planning on getting the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 AF Nikkor Lense and with it getting a flash, Nikon SB-600 Speedlight. But then it was suggesting to me to instead ditch the flash and get the Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lense. But with ditching the flash I worry about blurring with indoor pictures.

To give an idea of subjects, I have a 2 month old son I take pictures of constantly to track his growth, but being a baby he doesn't hold still so my picture always blur on his hands and feet. And I'm not a fan of the appearance of the built in flash on the camera. Plus I have friends with babies that would like to get pictures too, but I have put it off because I can't charge for blurry baby photos. I also take pictures of my dog and friends pets a lot, other subject that just doesn't know how to hold still.

I won't pretend I know a ton about photography equipment, I just know I enjoy it. I have never had a class in my life

Advice? Alternate suggestions?

[inkista]

Take a look at the AF-S 35mm f/1.8. (~$200). That way you can afford an SB-600 as well.

Like the 50/1.4 it's AF-S, so it'll autofocus on your D60 (the 50/1.8 won't). And it's fast enough for available light, plus it's also a good focal length for a crop body--some folks find a 50mm might be a little too long for them. It's not an ideal lens, but it's more than worth its purchase price and a great bargain. We on the Canon side long for something similar.

The wider maximum aperture of an f/1.8 or f/1.4 prime means that you can grab more light more quickly. Blur from motion can be mitigated or eliminated with a faster shutter speed. A wider max. aperture can help you get this without a flash. But you will get another kind of blur--from out-of-focus areas. This is actually something a lot of people want when it comes to portraits, because the background will be blurred out, focusing the viewer's attention on the subject.

BTW, flash photography, to me, is slightly more advanced than using a fast prime. I usually recommend that until you're comfortable shooting in full Manual mode and swapping stops among the iso, aperture, and shutter speed, that you hold off on getting an external flash. Because that's just going to throw flash distance and power and balancing ambient against the flash into the mix, too. Easier to learn to juggle five balls while walking a tightrope when you already know how to juggle three. But that's just me.

If you want to learn about on-camera flash photography techniques like bouncing, I'd recommend visiting the Planet Neil Tangents blog, and its flash photography techniques section. It's also available in book form, but always nice to get a taste before buying.