So by chance I ended up using Canon gear and thats the brand of equipment I am familiar with.
My former sister-in-law contacted me recently seeking my help in picking out a DSLR kit as a Christmas gift for my 15yo Niece who I'm pleased to hear is interested in photography. I'm a busy guy lately but had started doing some open minded research of all brands in order to be able to give her an informed recommendation. I ended up deciding to go with a Canon setup because I knew the equipment better though I'm sure Nikon would do her well too.
My sister-in-law jumped the gone before I could get back to her (which seemed lame with Christmas 2 months away) and informed me she already ordered a Nikon D5100 with an 18-55 kit lens (good to get her started) and a 100-200 lens (not what I would have picked for a second starter lens).
So anyway, I want to get my Niece a 50mm prime lens as I think that would help her learn some good fundamentals and would give her at least one sharp lens with low-light capability as I doubt the cheap zooms can be expected to perform well in those regards. So if this were a Canon body I know that I could get her a sub $100 50mm lens that would get the job done and have auto-focus for her. In looking around, it looks like in order to have auto-focus on her D5100 I would need to get her a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 G as the least expensive lens for around $230? I expect the build on this lens is better than the cheap Canon 50mm (at least it has a metal mount). But am I missing a model and is there a less expensive Nikon 50mm lens that would give her auto-focus and still be reasonably sharp? Or should I definitely go with the above mentioned 50mm 1.8 G and hope she sticks with photography?
If any Nikon folks could help me out here I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
Nuno is very right, on the crop sensor the 35mm he mentioned is the way to go! And it's a fantastic lens. Just look at the photos... Photos from DPC users with this lens
Ah yes, I should have thought wider to go with her crop frame so she can use it like I do my 50mm on my full frame.
The 35mm f1.8G DX seems the best choice for her.
The 35 is a great focal length for walkabout shooting around a groups of people, and 50 is excellent for portrait shooting. For general use, the 35 will probably be used more. The one I have is the 35 f2 Nikkor "O" from the late 60's and I love shooting with it, even though it's a manual focus lens.
Ah yes, I should have thought wider to go with her crop frame so she can use it like I do my 50mm on my full frame.
The 35mm f1.8G DX seems the best choice for her.
