35mm Prime Lens

johnasktt

I own a D3000 with 18-55mm kit lens and I want to do wedding photography at night. I have selected 35mm & 55mm f/1.8G as I want bokeh style shooting. I want to know two things. First, will I get 35mm view with the D3000 or will the view get cropped? Second, will 35mm or 55mm auto-focus well during video shooting on the D5200?

I am asking first question because I read that the 35mm on the D3000 gives a view of 52mm. Does it means it's not worth going for 35mm, so it's better to go for 55mm? If it doesn't crop that would be great since wedding photography is often in tight spaces. Also I have read that 35/55mm doesn't AF well on the D5200 in Live view. What is the solution for this?

Thanks for replying,
John

Moose

Howdy @johnasktt - The D3000 and D5200 both have "cropped" sensors, which means that any lens you attach to it will have to be multiplied by 1.5 in order to get the full frame (film) equivalent field of view.

So the 35mm would be equivalent to a 50mm lens mounted to a full frame sensor camera, like the Nikon D800. Check out my visual guide for the 35mm f/1.8G which illustrates the crop factor.

As for autofocus while video recording, focus speed will suffer a bit because the D5200 doesn't come equipped with a focus motor. So the speed of focus relies solely on the internal focus of the lens, which is generally slower than cameras that have focusing motors built-in.

As for live-view focusing, it's still a pain in the neck for active subjects. If you're recording stationary subjects then you shouldn't have any trouble.

Happy shooting! :)

johnasktt

Thanks Moose, but it's still not clear to me as I'm unable to understand. I read that the 35mm & 50mm f/1.8G are DX series, made specifically for crop censored. So that means the 35mm will give me a full 35mm field view, right?

And as you said the D5200 doesn't have a focus motor. Is there any other model that has it?

Adelphos

Even DX lenses, made for DX cameras, are still subject to the 1.5x crop factor.

35mm = 52.5mm equivalent
50mm = 75mm equivalent

The thirty five is your better bet if you're worried about tight spaces. You can usually step closer, you can't always step further back. I'd say get the 35mm.

The 50mm is more popular quality wise but the 35mm is more usable on a crop sensor camera like yours.

You'd have to bump up the the D7000 or brand new D7100 for a focus motor, or move up to a full frame.

They new D7100 is pretty sweet, but honestly, when it releases in a couple months the 7000 will likely drop in price making it prime time to get one (new or lightly used).

Adelphos

By the way, on your 18-55mm kit lens set it to 35mm for a few hours and shoot around the house, then set it to 50 and do the same. There you have it. That is the difference between the 35mm and 50mm prime lenses.

johnasktt

Thanks @Adelphos. I have visited Nikon dealers and tried the lens. Now it's clear that cropping will happen exactly as mentioned by you. Can you advise an affordable and most successful full frame sensor Nikon model?

Adelphos

D600 is their entry level full frame at about $2,000 I believe. Look it up though; I'm just guessing from memory. Honestly, if one was to want to fork over less the D7000 is great, but if I could I would get a D600 (probably used or refurbished) any day. Unless you're semi-pro or use it for work I don't personally see the need for a hobbyist or enthusiast photographer to get the more expensive and higher end full frames. Just my humble opinion though. In short go with the D600

PaulsPics

Just to throw in my 2 cents worth, I did exactly what Adelphos said. When the D7100 was released I snapped up a new D7000 for less than half the original selling price! The main reason for doing so was the better flash functions not available on the D3200, as well as other features. Before buying the D7000 I also considered the D600 FX body, but the main drawback was that I would need to also upgrade the lenses. While you can use DX lenses on an FX body, it would be somewhat pointless as they significantly limit the camera's performance.