Selecting a 50mm AF for my D60

I am very happy with my new D60, and am thinking that I want to get a 50mm 1.8. At the extreme edge of my

photography plans is perhaps an upgrade to a full sensor model, but way into the future, if at all. So, when

looking at lenses, should I, or even can I, purchase a lens that works AF on my D60, but would also work, with

AF, on a full senor Nikon, or is this all a pipe dream since the consumer lenses have internal motors and the

better Nikon's have camera driven AF?

 

This way, any investments made in glass for my D60 would not be wasted if I move up to a better model.

 

Thanks,

Bert

I never heard of any Nikon lenses where AF works on the D60 but doesn't work on the D700/D3. Do such lenses exist??

 

That said, my main priority would be to steer clear of DX lenses wherever feasible if you plan to eventually buy

a FX camera. The 50/1.8 is a FX lens, so no problems here.

Nikon does not make a 50mm prime that will auto focus on your D60. There are rumors that they will release one soon at Photokina.

 

Sigma does make a 50mm f1.4 that WILL auto focus on your D60.

The D60 requires AF-S or AF-I lenses to support all functions; other Type G or D AF Nikkor lenses support all

functions except autofocus. Nikon's 50mm lenses won't AF, but the <a

href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/560578-USA/">Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Nikon

AF</a> will. <p>Don't forget the D60's APS-C size sensor. You might want to look at the

<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/381616-REG/">Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM Autofocus Lens for Nikon

Digital SLR Cameras</a> too. <p>

-- <br>

Henry Posner <br>

<b>B&H Photo-Video</b>

I'd avoid the Sigma 50mm. It's the one third-party lens that is, imho, way overpriced. Wait for Photokina if you can.

I would be more concerned that a lens I purchased would focus and meter on the body I currently owned. That is one reason I purchased a D200 as most Nikkors will work well with that body and I have many wonderful Nikkors to chose from. The 50mm is a good lens but if it does not fill a need that its wasted money. I do have a couple of DX zooms and will enjoy using them as long as I have a DX body.

<i>"...since the consumer lenses have internal motors and the better Nikon's have camera driven AF?"</i>

<p>

Just jumping in here to comment on this generalization.

<P>

Nikon has some lower priced 'consumer' cameras like the D40 and D60 that require AFS lenses to maintain autofocus. Nikon has a broad line of lenses, and it is difficult to guess which ones are 'professional' build and which ones are targeted at consumers. AFS, in and of itself, does not indicate a consumer lens.

<p>

Some of Nikon's best (and most expensive) lenses are AFS.

<p>

This is starting to remind me of the 'G' wars, where the the first lenses with that designation were all inexpensive zooms, and for the longest time people would post the generalization that 'all G lenses are crap'.

<p>

Maybe the OP already knows all about the AFS designation, but I just wanted this explanation in the archive.

I am new to the Nikon scene, still trying to get my head around the technology and I might be causing some problems due my improper use of terms. Also, after spending a whole lot of hours catching up on p-net threads, I broke one of the most important rules. I asked the question with an answer included. I said I want a 50mm, but maybe I'm mistaken.

 

So, here's a better description of the shots I'm having difficulty with using the equipment I currently have. Near dusk, or under the lights, the shots are not giving me the shutter speeds I need and/or when I force the camera to take the shot they are too dark.

 

I am looking for another lens that is faster than the 2 kit lenses that were included. One of the frequent uses will be sideline shots of my son playing sports, half of the time under school lit fields at night. Even from the side lines, I'll be cropping, so I'll want sharp and lower noise shots. So, I am looking for maximum sharpness. I also think that I want to keep the ISO reasonable (below 200?). Sure, I'd love to drop a couple thousand on a fast, fixed prime, not not just yet. Based on all this, I think the 50mm 1.8, is what I want to get.

 

At some point, I will want to get a 300mm or 400mm, that can handle a 1.4 or 1.7 TC.

 

In both cases, it would be nice if the lens or lenses I buy, would work both on D60 and a D300, or D90, or D700. I'm sure, I won't head anywhere near a D3.

It sounds to like you're on the right track with your research, but note that the mase ISO most Nikon DSLRs *is*

200. From a noise perspective, considering that you want to shoot sports at night, I'd expect that a

"reasonable" ISO would be between 400-800, depending on your camera.<br>

I have a D70s, and while I haven't shot under these conditions much, I've yet to get many good shots of high

school football at night with an f/2.8 zoom and ISO ~1000-1250 - and the noise at these ISOs on the D70s is quite

noticeable. YMMV - a faster lens and newer body would definitely help.

Bert,

 

If shooting sports under outdoor lights is the name of the game, you are probably looking at shooting f/2.8 @ ISO 1600 with a shutter speed that is fast enough to stop the action (e.g. 1/250 - 1/400 s). One of the most capable lenses for this scenario is the AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR and it does not come cheap (~ $1700) if you can find it. A less expensive alternative if the AF 80-200 mm f/2.8, but alas, it lacks AF-S. The 50mm or 85mm f/1.8 will be fast enough, but the former will probably not give enough reach even with cropping. The latter might work, depending on the distance between you and your subject. Either way, these will require that you focus manually.

Bert -- the Nikkor 50/1.8 is great value and a very useful lens on all Nikon bodies. No, you won't have AF but it will meter (I presume???) and you will be able to use it even for moving subjects, having to get used to getting the best out of manual focus lenses is a good skill to practice. Some of the best lenses (thinking about the 50/1.2 in particular) only come in MF. Many users have been through this issue already with the D40 bodies and they (for the most part) just got on with it and got used to using MF lenses and then realised they could find many older lenses (all MF) which saved them a small fortune instead of spending on the latest AF lenses. The D40 series, by accident rather than by design, were also able to function with pre-Ai lenses, I don't know if that also applies to the D60 -- if it does, it opens up even more lens possibilities. Try the 50/1.8 (or indeed the 85/1.8) and I'm sure you will quickly master manual focus skills.

The new 60mm AF-S Micro will AF on both DX and FX cameras. It's a bit over a stop slower than the 50/1.8, but it's reported to be an excellent lens (I haven't used it myself).

 

http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Product/Camera-Lenses/2177/AF-S-Micro-NIKKOR-60mm-f/2.8G-ED.html

 

http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_spec.html

Sigma makes a 50-150mm 2.8 that will AF on your D60. I've never used the lens, and I know nothing about the

quality, but maybe it's a good option. Looks like they also have a 70-200 2.8 with HSM. They seem to be about

the same price. You don't need VR if you're shooting sports.

 

Get a program that can show you the exif info in your pictures and figure out which focal lengths you're using

most often.

 

You really can't go wrong with fast primes, either. More light, less depth of field. I bought the Sigma 30 1.4

and I really like it. I wouldn't hesitate to buy the Sigma 50mm 1.4, either.

I'm OK with manual focus because I've been using a Pentax ME Super since I got it back in the 80's.

As long as it meters and works on the higher end cameras, the purchase meets my goals.

 

"85/1.8"

Hmmm, a little bit longer lens, without sacrificing an f-stop, plus macro, is an interesting thought.

 

Can this be called a "macro" lens? Am I beginning to ask too much in a single lens and should I stick with my origional plan, to get faster glass? If I could find a used 85/1.8, the cost might be OK.

Bert,

 

Keep in mind that the focusing screen on your D60 only resolves depth of field down to about f2.8, which means focusing

wide open on very fast lenses is VERY hard indeed (for most people), especially the longer ones I'll bet. And the 85mm

f1.8 is NOT a macro.

get the nikon 50mm f1.8, it will work on ALL nikon past, present and future and has magnificant optics. it's only about $150. this represents the best bang for your buck in all of the nikon lenses.