Nikon D3200 50mm 1:1.8D

jessweisenbergerjessweisenberger
edited November 2015 Posted in » Nikon D3200 Forum
This is the particular lens I have. What's the difference between this one and the "G"?
If I were to buy the cheat sheet for the one similar to the one I have being the "G" will it still help me with shooting?

Comments

  • brutobruto
    edited November 2015
    The difference here is simply in whether the lens has an internal focusing motor and an aperture ring. The current 50mm f/1.8G has no aperture ring (that's what the "G" means), and is an AIS lens, whose internal motor allows it to auto focus with the D3200. The D, as you probably already know, meters but auto focuses only with cameras that have their own focus motors, and has an aperture ring that must be locked to f/16 to use. Once on, it's optically similar, and all rules or suggestions for one will apply to the other, except, of course, for anything regarding auto focus.
  • jessweisenbergerjessweisenberger
    edited November 2015
    Oh ok, makes sense! I was wondering why it was so much harder to focus! Thank you! I'm so new to the verbiage and knowledge pertaining to Photography.
  • MooseMoose
    Hey @jessweisenberger - @bruto hit the nail on the head. The 50mm f/1.8D can't autofocus with the D3200, the 50mm f/1.8G can. The cheat cards will work with the 50mm f/1.8D, but you'll need to disregard the steps that involve autofocus. All the best!
  • jessweisenbergerjessweisenberger
    edited November 2015
    I ended up buying the "G". I absolutely love it and the quality of the pictures are just perfect. That is after using my cheat sheets of course! Thank you guys so much for the help!
  • jessweisenbergerjessweisenberger
    edited January 2016
    Ok, so I'm having trouble with the focus. It seems to have my object blurry more than not. What am I doing wrong?
  • brutobruto


    First make sure the lens is really auto focusing. Check the switch on the lens and the connection to the camera. Aim it at something close, focus, and then aim it at the sky. You should see or hear it change.

    Make sure you have not accidentally moved the focus point. Center it with the [OK] button.

    Also if you are using Auto Area focus, the camera's decision may not be yours. Try changing to another mode. Single Servo single area for still objects, especially if you need to focus and recompose. Auto servo and Dynamic Area work pretty well for general use.
  • theomiz3theomiz3
    edited September 2016
    This was very helpful! I like this lens a lot. I had a question about focusing too.

    I mostly take pictures of my dogs when they are semi-still to still. How do I get the focus so it isn't just focused on the eyes and blurring the snout out and vice versa? The shots are great, but the effect gets repetitive. Do I just use auto servo and dynamic area focus?

    I'd like their entire faces to be in focus, ideally. Is that a job for another lens?

    Thank you! @bruto @moose
  • brutobruto
    edited September 2016
    This sounds like a depth of field issue. The 50mm f/1.8 lens offers very shallow depth of field when it's wide open, which can be nice for portraits, but when you need more depth of field, close down the aperture. People sometimes forget that just because a fast lens can shoot shallow, this does not mean it must. Exactly how much you need to do this will depend also on your distance from the subject, so try it at different apertures. For starters, if you're filling a frame with a dog's face, I'd try something around f/5.6 or even f/8, but there's no harm in trying everything once. You're probably still best off focusing primarily on the closest eye, as this is going to be the first point a viewer will look at, and it's best when this is needle sharp, but when depth of field is increased, it will cover the snout and ears.

  • theomiz3theomiz3
    Your advice worked perfectly. Thank you!
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