Nikon Lens Types

[DannyOutlaw]

Im looking to buy a new nikon 50mm lens, but I am unsure of the various lens types and what they mean. As in the G, D, etc...

Any suggestions?

[RLucas]

Which body are you wanting to attach it to?

This article may help with some of lens information you may need.
Nikkor Lens Information by Thom Hogan

[DannyOutlaw]

Right now, just a d90 but will be upgrading to something better soon.

[RLucas]

Right now, just a d90 but will be upgrading to something better soon.

The D90 will accept the D, and G, as well as all the AF-S lenses.
Are you going to upgrade to full frame or stay with a crop body?
This will play a big part in lens selection as well.

[DannyOutlaw]

Im not sure what a crop body is?

[Kobypolish]

Crop Body is anything D300 or lower. D700 or better are full frame CCDs and are quite a bit more pricey than the crop-body cameras. For the most part unless you have money to burn or you are (or plan to be a pro very soon) I'd stick to crop-body for now. Just makes financial sense to me LOL!

Now with that out of the way... On to the D vs G lens question.

So right off the bat first major diff between the 2 is cost. $120 price diff between the G and the D lenses (the D being the cheaper). BUT! For that extra money you get...

- Better quality Glass in the lens.
- a 9-blade diaphragm in the G vs 7-blade in the D (the bokeh (blur) looks better)
- faster and more accurate AF
- M/A mode which lets you quickly shift from auto focus to manual right from the lens.

Personally if you are going to get a Prime, I'd go for the G. Better lens for not much more money.

[OsmosisStudios]

So right off the bat first major diff between the 2 is cost. $120 price diff between the G and the D lenses (the D being the cheaper). BUT! For that extra money you get...

- Better quality Glass in the lens.
- a 9-blade diaphragm in the G vs 7-blade in the D (the bokeh (blur) looks better)
- faster and more accurate AF
- M/A mode which lets you quickly shift from auto focus to manual right from the lens.

Personally if you are going to get a Prime, I'd go for the G. Better lens for not much more money.

The big difference is not price. The big difference is the AF-S motor (which allows for AF on the smaller bodies) AND the aperture ring (which is on the D but not on the G).

M/A mode on the lens is just as quick/slow as flicking the switch on the front of the body.

The number of blades in a diaphragm has no bearing on bokeh quality.

The glass QUALITY doesnt change either: it's a slightly different formula in the 50mm.

While you're right about faster/more accurate AF with AF-S, the big thing is that, as mentioned, it allows the smaller bodies (D40/40x/60/3000/5000/3100/5100) to AF at all.