Nikon 2137 AF Nikkor 50 mm F/1.8 D FX Full Frame Prime Lens for Nikon DSLR Cameras

I purchased this lens nearly three years ago and have been using it for portrature since then. I use the lens with a Nikon D40X, and purchased it knowing I would have to manually focus. Locking the lens at F22 by selecting 22 as the aperture, and then sliding the orange/red lock button towards the case (the aperure ring) lets the photographer select the aperture on the camera. Focusing is a must with this lens, as any slight variation from the actual focus is really shown up. My D40X has a tiny green focus indicator light in the bottom right of the viewfinder, to the left of the focus area display and battery indicator. It is so tiny I never realised it was there. Anyway, when shooting with this lens you really need to be checking the for the focus lamp. And be aware - the focus is so tight it is easy to miss the focus lamp light up, before going past the focus point.Images are razor sharp. Depth of field is very tight, allowing excellent portrature with fantastic natural boke (blurring) of the background. Be aware that despite the 50mm focal length, all DX cameras will use the lens as as 75mm lens. Only full frame cameras (professional Nikons as opposed to consumer) will use it as a true 50mm. But don't let this put you off. Exif data reports the focal length as 50mm on all cameras.This is a gem of a lens. I prefer the results to my AF-S Nikkor 35mm 1.8G. Results are more natural and sharper. Great value. Great performance. Buy it.Update 28/7/2012I have been using this lens with a Nikon D7000. Lens works beautifully and the focusing is also automatic using the motor in the camera. Lens supplied with the D7000 (the 18-105 Lens Kit) is excellent - but for portraiture this lens beats it. The more I use, the more I am impressed with this value lens.

Quick update. I took it to a mountain bike event over the weekend and got some very clear and sharp pictures. And as other people have commented you spend more time thinking about position and framing than you would with a zoom lens so the results tend to be better. I got a lot of very sharp in focus pictures of moving subjects. So getting happier with the lens each time I use it.I'm using this on a Nikon D7000. So far I'm happy with the lens especially for the price I paid. Focus is quick and pretty accurate. The lens is sharp both wide open and stopped down. Colour reproduction is good. The lens is nice and light so no problems carrying it around. Slightly tight fit on the body, but this just needs some care when fitting the lens and it may ease up with time. There isn't much you could complain about with this lens.On a DX sensor (APS-C) camera with a crop factor of 1.5 this is a 75mm lens. I understood and appreciated that before I bought the lens so am fine with it, but as mentioned by other reviewers this is a short telephoto when used on a DX camera. It is perhaps best used then as a portrait lens for head/shoulders pictures or when you are out and about and can vary your distance to a subject. It would be of less use taking group pictures in confined spaces. As an example, when taking a picture of an average height adult you would need to be 5m away and using the camera in portrait mode (on its side) - if used in landscape you would need to be around 8m away to get them fully in frame.I've included a picture taken with this lens at F1.8, 1/250 and ISO 100.

This is a good quality lens at an affordable price. The technology may be 20+ years old but as they say "they don't make them like they used to". The wide aperture ensures excellent depth of field control, achieving the blurred background is almost too easy. The lens performs well under reduced light, when a wide aperture is selected moderate shutter speeds are maintained reducing the likelihood of camera shake. I use this lens for portraits, landscapes and it even works well as a macro lens.I bought this lens for Nikon D5100 and there are a few points to note. This lens will not auto focus on d3000/3100 or D5000/5100 as it has no in built motor. However enable the rangefinder function on the camera and manual focusing can be achieved quickly and accurately. Although the lens has an aperture ring, lock this at the minimum setting (f 22) before attaching the lens to the camera, and the aperture setting is controlled from the camera. Lastly due to smaller dx sensor this 50mm lens will act as a short telephoto no bad thing however you may have to zoom with your feet more.I'll conclude by saying that this is probably the best quality and value consumer nikkor lens out there: brilliant optics, vivid colours and bokeh. If you can live with manual focus on the d3000/d5000 systems then you will not regret buying this!

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