Top: My new Nikon 50mm f/1.8 D prime lens.Bottom: Same lens with Adorama rubber lens hood.
Through the help of a couple pro photographers and the infamous Ken Rockwell website , I purchased this "fast" lens to get better indoor and low light pics without a flash.
Below is a pic of my friend, Tim, without a flash. I like the natural look this lens makes possible. It also has a modest focal area. Notice how his face is in focus while the bass neck & his hands are fuzzy. This was shot with the ISO @ 800. (I had to shoot @ 1600 with the Nikon kit lens and the pics were grainy and lots of blurring if the subject moved at all.)
Below is a pic Slater took of Sandra's Wed night dinner. Again this is natural dining room light, no flash.
Click here for pics that were taken at our Beatles concert rehearsal with low light. Several of the pics were taken by my 13 yr old son, Slater. Others were taken by my friend, Dave Bottomley, and they graciously allowed me to actually take a few ;-) Instead of me rambling on about photography matters I don't yet fully understand, allow me to send you to this page on Ken Rockwell's site. Also check out this page about low light photography.
This is a prime lens which means it is not telephoto. To frame the shot, physically move closer or farther away. Many professionals are shooting portraits, weddings etc with prime lenses.
It's been less than a week since it arrived in the mail and already I don't know how I lived without it. For $109 it adds a huge amount of versatility to my Nikon D40. By the way, for the D40 crowd, this lens is MANUAL focus; but for the price I don't mind doing the focusing ;-)
I purchased the lens from Adorama on Saturday and it was delivered by Wed.
UPDATE: New lens coming soon from Nikon: 1.4 50mm prime auto focus, compatible w/D40. As of this entry it is not yet available. But will be in my "wish list."
