Lenses for Nikon D60 ???

[bigdazzler]

Heya Nikonians

Got a mate whos just bought a second hand D60 .. Hes into street/candid/people photography, and has asked me to help him out with some lens recommendations.

I immediately thought of primes, but I know this Nikon has that non-focus-motor thing in the D60 ??

What types of lenses will actually AF on this thing ?? Is it the AF-S lenses ?? and is there a cheap 50 1.8 he can buy that will AF ??

Cheers all

[arthurking83]

No!

A cheap enuff 35? ... yes! 35/1.8 AF-S.

as long as the lens has the lettering AF-S on it, you're sweet to go.

There is an AF-S version of the Nikon 50/1.4 and it's a great lens too... but expensive.

[bigdazzler]

mmmm as suspected ..... how bout the third party stuff AK ???

Any fiftys or eightyfives available ??

[I @ M]

Send him out to by a AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED , cheap as chips on the grey market and an excellent lens.
Combine it with the kit 18 -55 and he will have a ball and produce very good shots.

[arthurking83]

not really!

Sigma 50/1.4 is as expensive or more so than the Nikon version.

Basically in Nikon terms, you're kind'a stuck with cheaper zooms and no primes!

Well... there are plenty of AF-S primes, but they're all expensive stuff!

Other alternatives are!

get a cheap-ish focusing screen(can be had for less than AU$100).

Look on ebay for good quality Ais type lenses.
85/2 is supposedly a ripper, and cheap.

of course you get no metering too.. but isn't that suppose to be part of the fun?

So.. unfortunately as it currently stands, Nikon self focusing prime lenses are very few and far between.

That was the biggest criticism of the motorless bodies ... was that, apart from the super high end of town in the prime lenses range, Nikon really have no lenses to offer the baby Nikon bodies.
A few years after the first motorless body appeared(D40) they finally announced the 35/1.8AF-S! .. that's it!
.... and then they expect someone that's only willing(or capable of) paying $600 odd dollars on a body, to also spring for a $700 50mm prime too!?

Hardly! the vast majority of motorless body users will opt for the typical consumer lenses currently available(of which I think only 1 lens is now not AF-S in the consumer range).

But what Nikon haven't yet discovered is the 'student' market. The market that wants primes and other non consumer type lenses, but is simply budget limited!
Maybe students in Japan are more affluent?

[bigdazzler]

thanks Andrew ,,, but he wants primes. Hes excited about that whole paper thin DOF thing and blurring everything into oblivion.

I just told him about the 35 1.8, and explained that if he wanted a 50, he was gonna have to cough up a bit more for the 1.4G

[bigdazzler]

get a cheap-ish focusing screen(can be had for less than AU$100).

Thanks mate ... you slipped a post in on me.

Yea nah, hes only just got his camera so I dont think ill attempt the focusing screen angle (I dont even fully understand it myself !!!)

.... and then they expect someone that's only willing(or capable of) paying $600 odd dollars on a body, to also spring for a $700 50mm prime too!?

yea its a strange approach isnt it ......


As I said above, ill keep it simple and point him toward the 35, and explain that the 50 1.4 will cost him a few more bucks if he wants to go that way ..... Cheers mate.

[I @ M]

With you now Darren, Arthur's suggestion of the 35mm is the way to fly then, great lens, relatively cheap ( wish they would drop in price a bit more though ) and just the thing for what he needs really.

Tell him not to be a skin flint, the dollar is up and DWI will sell him one for $275.00 delivered.

[bigdazzler]

Ive passed on all info .... and hes going with the 50 1.4

Cheers guys ....

[kiwi]

yeah, I wouldve gone with the 35 on a crop body too, oh well

[bigdazzler]

He says he'll buy both if the budget stretches

[I @ M]

I was going to answer your original question ^ but seeing as you edited it to say he is buying both I reckon he will eventually pension off the 50 down the track.

[bigdazzler]

yea cause his reply email came in as i posted .... no point persisting with the original Q mate. Hell work out what he likes best for what he wants to do.

His reasoning for deciding on the 50 was that he feels hell be a little more comfortable shooting candid people shots with a little extra length. Fair enough I say.