The almost legendary 50mm f1.8
I have always preferred to work with the costlier lenses all these years, because they supposedly had better quality optical elements. Due to some budgetary bends I recently started researching the cheaper alternatives to premium lenses. Some seniors advised me that your vision and what you want to see in the frame is actually more important than the lens and the camera itself. That is ofcourse true, but there are terms and conditions.
In good lighting conditions almost all lenses perform equally well, barring a few exceptions. Certainly you cannot compare a kit lens with a Carl Zeiss lens. It is twenty times more costly than a kit lens and the corresponding quality also differs a lot from a kit lens. If circumstances permit I will surely buy a Zeiss lens very soon, probably a planar as it seems the most affordable of the lot. It may come around 85mm on my APS-C sensored Nikon D200. 85mm is a good portrait focal length. It should also be noted that use of manual focus lenses like the old 28mm or 24mm f2.8 lenses for fashion is not uncommon these days.
I have also shortlisted some Nikkor lenses which can be used in the studio (mostly for fashion work/product/portraits (if you are creative and ingenious enough) and they can be substituted for costly lenses like the Nikkor 85mm f1.4 or the Nikkor 105mm f2.8. Some of them (in most circumstances) surpass even the high-end lenses like the legendary 50mm f1.8 which is extraordinary for portrait and macro work (yes macro).
The following can be certifiably used for professional purposes.
- Nikon NIKKOR 24mm f/2.8 Non-AF (Manual focus lens) - INR 20,500. (approx. $372
- Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D AF – INR 6000 (approx. $109
- Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D AF - INR 17,000 (appox. $309)
- Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 Non-AF (Manual focus lens) – INR 13,500 (approx $245)
- Nikkor 28mm f/2.8D AF lens – INR 14,000 (approx. $255)
- Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D AF lens – INR 17,500 (approx $320)
If you can manage good lighting conditions, the above lenses fare excellently if not better than the expensive lenses from Nikkor.
--Viisshnu Vardhan--
