New Glass

I went out and bought a Nikon AF 50mm 1.8D today. I knew I needed something a bit lighter to haul around in my carry-on than the crappy 22-80mm that I've had since my Pronea.

When I went into Cameras West, I asked for the 50mm, and they asked if I wanted the f1.8 or the f1.4. I had not realized that there was an f1.4, and she said "there's a significant price difference". She loaded up the prices, and it was $119 or $319. I said "Can I have a D70 for a few minutes?"

She loaded up a D70 with the f1.8, and I shot a few shots. I was immediately impressed with the f-stop. I was able to shoot in the store with no flash and get some great depth. Then I loaded up the f1.4, it looked significantly more "professional", and had a ton of glass up front. But, with just a handful of shots in the store, I could not tell RIGHT away that it was worth $200 more. Granted there was the point that I could speed up the shutter one or two more steps, but that's all I saw.

I agonized for just a few moments and went with the f1.8. With the extended warranty, it came in at just over $200, so that will be fine for what I use it for.

A note on the Ritz Expanded Service Policy. I feel that it's worth my peace of mind for a few reasons, but the #1 reason is that it covers 100% of normal damages to the equipment. If my 3-year-old drops my camera in the bathtub, a quick trip to the store gets me a whole new set-up.

So far I've shot a few shots around the house, and it's really a fun lens. 50mm is about the focal length of the human eye, so it's really easy to "frame" a shot: if you can see it, point your camera at it and you can pretty much get the shot. I've mostly been firing shots in Apature Priorty mode with the f-stop at f1.8. The light in the house is a bit low for much faster than 1/20s, but throw on the SB-600 and you can get some really nice fills.

Maybe if I have any light this weekend I'll try to post some shots. If not, I hope I can get a shitload of good ones in Amsterdam and Villingen.