Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX. I’ve had this lens for a couple of months and would highly recommend this for anyone looking for a general purpose prime lens.
Awesome lens, perfect for everyday use . . .. I frequent Kenrockwell.com and read about the various equipment reviews he does, and occassionally make a purchase based on his feedback. I had been in the market for a good everyday lens, and the Nikon 35mm 1.8 fit the bill perfectly. The price is a steal (if you get Nikon 35mm f1.8G AF-S DX at the $199) for the quality and speed of this lens. I had been using the 18-200mm most of the time, but recently have been shooting the animals around he house, grandchild, and other near subjects, and due to most of this being indoors, this lens is amazing. I’ll leave the technical details to the other reviewers, but from a casual photographer, this is about the only lens I’ll need the majority of the time. I bought mine at Ritz.com when Ken posted they had availability, even though they were out by the end of that day, but it shipped the following week.
Tack sharp, inexpensive, and compact. I never thought I could get by with just one focal length, but this lens hasn’t left my D60 for more than a few hours since I got it quite some time ago.
This (relatively) cheap little lens is a great performer. I’m not quite ready to shell out the big bucks for the pro f/2.8 zooms, and this lens is a great way to match their performance without breaking the bank. [...] recently posted their review, and the numbers are even better than I would’ve guessed. I’ve noticed a marked improvement in the sharpness of my photos compared to the kit lens, and the reviews make it clear why. The kit lens is great stopped down a bit, but a lot of times there just isn’t enough light to do that. With this lens stopped down just to f/2.8, it’s incredibly sharp and you’ve still got plenty of light to work with.
On normal primes in general: they say everyone should have one, and now I see why. It eliminates two temptations that the kit lens offers: zoom and VR. Of course, both of those things are great tools, but it’s tempting to use them as crutches. With this lens, you’ve really got to pay more attention to your composition and exposure. You can’t just zoom to fit the subject into the frame–you’ve got to move, and once you’re moving, you start coming up with compositions that you might not have thought of before. And all the while, you’ve got to keep an eye on your exposure–too often with the kit lens, I found I just left it wide open. Now, in dim light, you’ve actually got a bit of room, so you’ve got to think about whether you want the shot at f/1.8 or f/4.
Highly recommended.