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Author
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Dave
Pixalo Crew
Registered: July 2005
Posts: 16445
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Review Date: Tue June 6, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £69.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Bargain price, Optics quality, Wide aperture, perfect for portraits & low light conditions
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Cons:
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MKI versions AF a bit noisy. Not a problem with MKII
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Having read the constant hype around the "Nifty Fifty" I bought a MKI version s/h. Having always been used to Zooms, it took a while to get used to a fixed focal length. Also you feel a bit inadequate with that lens on the front 
Anyway after a few weeks I knew I would never be without the lens. The wide aperture of f/1.8 has meant I have been able to take shots indoors with only the natural light from a window. In addition the optical quality of the lens puts some much more expensive lenses to shame. If I ever want to see how good a new lens is, I always compare shots to the 50mm.
After trying the MKII version round a friends, I found it much quieter focusing plus read the matrix metering was improved. I sold the MKI & bought a MKII new for the silly price of £69 incl P&P from Hong Kong.
Note some people prefer the MKI due to it metal bayonet fittings, vs the plastic of the MKII. For me it's not an issue...I prefer the quieter AF.
A must for anyones collection at that price.
Some example shots with lens here :- Luv my Bruv , Jigsaw, Night Light
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Joe T
Forum Regular
Registered: March 2005
Location: Amersham, Bucks
Posts: 978
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Review Date: Wed June 7, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £80.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Very sharp, light, cheap
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Cons:
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50mm focal length not that useful
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I bought this lens, but I really dont use it much.
I dont regret buying it however. At times it really comes into its own - i.e. low light photography. I normally use my long lens or my 18-70, but there have been a couple of times when this lens was indispensable. The wide aperture was great for shooting when there wasnt much light available.
I'ts also very light, and very very very sharp! 
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pmueller
New here
Registered: December 2006
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Posts: 33
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Review Date: Sat December 23, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £50.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Low price, excellent optical quality, fast
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Cons:
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Soft wide open, feels plasticy, but you can't beat the price
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On my 35mm flim camera, this lens was my favourite piece of glass. Now that I went digital, it has become a little long and I wish Nikon had an equivalent 30mm to 35mm lens. It is a little soft wide open, but stopped down to 2.8 and beyond, it is as good as it gets. This lens is sharp, shows little chromatic abberation, ghosts or glare and is virtually non-distorting. Priced more like a camera cap than a lens, this baby is probably the best value in the market from any manufacturer.
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Charlotte
Loves the place
Registered: December 2006
Location: Romsey, Hampshire
Posts: 6518
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Review Date: Sun April 1, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £65.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp. Great for indoors + low light.
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Cons:
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None.
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This was the first prime lens I bought, to supplement the D50 kit lenses (18-55 + 55-200 zooms). When I decided I wanted to add a 'standard' lens to my kit, I ummed + ah-ed between 35mm + 50mm, remembering that either would act as a longer lens on my DSLR. I chose 50mm (35mm equiv = 75mm focal length) thinking that this would be more useful for portraits than a 35mm would be.
That decision made, I then had to decide between the f/1.8 + the f/1.4, so I read a lot of reviews on both. The reviews were consistently in favour of the 1.8; even those that liked the 1.4 said the 1.8 was better value for money by far. The deciding factor for me was the fact that although with the 1.4 you gain a half-stop at the wide end, you lose a full stop at the narrow end (f/22 on the 1.8 -vs- f/16 on the 1.4). Thus I chose the 1.8 
(That wasn't all hype, I'm hoping it will help others to choose, according to their own needs + preferences, which might be different from mine.)
It's a lovely compact lens which tucks inside the smallest camera bag when it's not in use. The 52mm filter size meant it's compatible with the filters I already had for my zooms.
As already said, it's great for indoor shots, and is as sharp as they come. Great for general photography, portraiture, or even landscapes when you don't need a dramatic effect. In fact, it's the best little all-rounder you could wish for! And for the price, it's a must-have piece of glass 
PS: I got mine from a HK dealer, about £10 cheaper than buying it locally, + prolly a quicker delivery too @ 1-2 days
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BeanPod
Quite Chatty
Registered: June 2007
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Posts: 79
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Review Date: Sat August 18, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £80.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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small, light, sharp, great for indoor low light
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Cons:
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none noted so far
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Price converted from approx $160 CAD.
I bought this lens primarily because I started with only the D80 body, and I wanted an inexpensive lens that was mine (had a borrowed 35-70 also) while I waited for an 18-200 VR...but I did not want to buy something that I would not use later. The 50 seemed like the obvious choice.
It has been a great lens. I have a couple of other lenses now, but I see myself using this lens long term for sure. It's size, weight, quality, and usefulness make it an attractive choice for use both indoors and out.
Indoors: low light, portraits, general candid shooting
Outdoors: makes me less 'lazy' LOL, no zoom to rely on so I really define what I want to shoot and then get close to it! I am impressed at just how close it will focus, too, for tighter shots.
Worth every penny and more, would recommend it for sure!
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Dutchie
Forum Regular
Registered: October 2006
Location: Lancashire
Posts: 923
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Review Date: Tue July 8, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £69.95
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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light weight lens, very sharp pictures
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Cons:
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loads of blurred pictures. You need a steady hand to use this lens
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I love this lens. If you have a good day with steady hands, it takes awsome pictures. So sharp too.
Personally this is my favourite lens. It is a real challenge to shoot a good set of photo's. And especially in low light it is fantastic. No need for flash. Good DOF from this lens as well. Certainly would recommend this lens to anyone. You can't complain at all with this price either.
As it is a challenge to use this one and get good pictures, the negative point is that you do need to be steady or leaning on something as I do in some cases. Otherwise you get lots and lots of rubbish blurred photo's.
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