Nikon 35mm f/1.8G DX AF-S Nikkor Lens (Factory Refurb; 1 Yr Warranty) - $169.95

Quote from Prince01 : Thanks very much for the replies. Basically I have the similar question, I recently got D5100 and 18-55mm lens with it, I thought of getting 55-200mm should I get that or this one and what is the difference?

Two completely different lenses and uses. 55-200 is a zoom lens. The 35mm lens is prime (meaning fixed focal length). What sort of photography do you do? If you go to a lot of sporting events, or like shooting wildlife, you're better off with a zoom lens. If you do a lot of indoor photography, portraits, people, landscape, architecture, etc, you're better off with a prime (whether a 35mm or a 50mm).

I have a D5100 as well, and have a 55-300 which I use quite a bit, since I like hiking and going to sporting events. However, the F/1.8 35mm will get you fantastic photos indoors and in low light conditions, since the aperture is bigger and it can get more light in. It's also a faster lens, which (when zoom is not an issue) is great to have at sporting events as well.

This will work in the D40 right? I've been eyeing this lens on eBay, but I'd rather get a factory refurb with warranty.

Quote from derrickjon : This will work in the D40 right? I've been eyeing this lens on eBay, but I'd rather get a factory refurb with warranty.

yep, same mount and format.

Quote from gabe23111 : What's the difference between the 35mm & the 50mm for practical purposes (in layman's terms)?

zoom with your feet

Quote from bobma : A Nikon Refurb lens is a return that was found defective and Nikon re-sold without repairing if it passes there specs. PASS

I've been buying Nikon refurbished equipment all my life and never had a problem. All my camera's have had at most a few hundred clicks and the lenses came looking and functioning like NEW. I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger on this deal at all. A GREAT piece of glass for a GREAT price.

Quote from playtothebeat : Great point on those accessories, although I don't know if you necessarily need to spend that much on a tripod. I bought this one for $70 at Bestbuy. It works great even with a fully extended 300mm lens on a D5100. : http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sunpa...&cp=1&lp=5

The reviews disagree with you. Plus, it's all about stability, especially when you're on uneven ground, with a wind blowing, etc, and that tripod isn't going to provide it. Plus, I highly question the durability of that tripod, and it also has a video head, not a fluid/ball head. This article sums up tripod shopping pretty well, but it assumes that you're going to have full-pro gear. With lower-end stuff, a $200-$400 tripod will be good enough for your needs, but going any cheaper than that, and you're compromising. A good hint for beginners is: if your tripod comes as one unit, and you aren't buying the head and legs separately, then you're probably doing something wrong.

http://bythom.com/support.htm

Quote from ynnepo : I'm a camera noob. Would this lens be good for my Nikon D 300s?

Honestly, if you're a camera noob, what are you doing with a D300s? If you don't even know if this would be a good lens for your D300, then you sure as hell aren't using the advanced features of the camera that makes it cost more than something like a D90, which means you just threw your money away. That being said, yes this lens works perfectly on your camera, and is a great idea for it.

this lens is awesome and rarely comes off my camera. shoots fast and sharp. great general purpose to walk around with.

Quote from testshoot : One more thing the newer people might not have considered is a filter or plain glass lens to tack on the front to protect the front element of your lens. The purists will say to skip it, and just be careful, but sometimes sacrificing a nearly immeasurable quality difference is worth the protection for the front element.

Thanks for the informative post and taking the time to write it - Repped.

Do you have any filters you would recommend? Just want to protect my lens without losing much picture quality.

If it makes a difference most of my picture taking is done of my kid indoors.

Like I said before the only lens I own currently is the kit 18-55mm. I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on the one in this OP as well.

TIA

Quote from gabe23111 : Thanks for the informative post and taking the time to write it - Repped. Do you have any filters you would recommend? Just want to protect my lens without losing much picture quality. If it makes a difference most of my picture taking is done of my kid indoors. Like I said before the only lens I own currently is the kit 18-55mm. I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on the one in this OP as well. TIA

B+W is probably the best brand, and you can't go wrong with Nikon but you would be OK with Tiffen or Hoya brand.

The one that I would buy to protect your lens is called either the UV or Haze and sometimes they call them UV and Haze...the difference is nominal.

Another great filter to consider is a circular polarizer. The polarizer is used to eliminate glare...like what you get off of glass or water. Circular refers to the fact they can be rotated to "tune" them for the angle of the glare.

In the film days, we used warming filters to gives us a warmer image and there were a LOT of trick filters to create all kinds of goodness, but people don't buy these filters much anymore as most of the effects can be faked in Photoshop, just like the warming filter.

I would go with a UV/Haze and/or circular polarizer. Check the front of your lens for the front filter size. It is always written right inside the front lip. Expensive lenses are usually 77 or 72 mm and as the price of the lens drops, the sizes range from 67 to 62, etc. You have to have the correct size unless you go another route, which is to buy an adapter to put on the front of the lens, and then you can drop various filters into the adapter, but if you are just getting going, buy a UV to protect your lens and a polarizer if you shoot outside and are having a glare problem, which you can count on having.

Quote from playtothebeat : Two completely different lenses and uses. 55-200 is a zoom lens. The 35mm lens is prime (meaning fixed focal length). What sort of photography do you do? If you go to a lot of sporting events, or like shooting wildlife, you're better off with a zoom lens. If you do a lot of indoor photography, portraits, people, landscape, architecture, etc, you're better off with a prime (whether a 35mm or a 50mm). I have a D5100 as well, and have a 55-300 which I use quite a bit, since I like hiking and going to sporting events. However, the F/1.8 35mm will get you fantastic photos indoors and in low light conditions, since the aperture is bigger and it can get more light in. It's also a faster lens, which (when zoom is not an issue) is great to have at sporting events as well.

Thanks very much buddy...I will score one.

Quote from bobma : A Nikon Refurb lens is a return that was found defective and Nikon re-sold without repairing if it passes there specs. PASS

That's not true at all - first it could be returned for any reason without even being used. And second, Nikon does a full test on any lens they're going to refurb. It's almost safer than buying new.

The downside is you don't get the 5 year warranty, but it terms of quality it's a very safe buy.

Quote from gabe23111 : Thanks for the informative post and taking the time to write it - Repped. Do you have any filters you would recommend? Just want to protect my lens without losing much picture quality. If it makes a difference most of my picture taking is done of my kid indoors. Like I said before the only lens I own currently is the kit 18-55mm. I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on the one in this OP as well. TIA

A lot of photographers love the store called 2filter. I got my Marumi circular polarizer there.

But I don't use protective filters, I always use the lens hood, haven't damaged a lens yet.

I wouldn't use a circular polarizer on the 35mm - it's best for landscapes (cut down glare from water or trees), and you probably won't use a 35mm for landscapes much. And you don't want a polarizer on the lens when you're not shooting landscapes, since it cuts way down on the amount of light you're getting.

Got one. Shipping is only $1. Bought it using AMEX so 1 year warranty becomes 2. also used cashback site where sears is a 9% rebate. girlfriend happy - priceless! thank you OP!

Quote from gabe23111 : Thanks for the informative post and taking the time to write it - Repped. Do you have any filters you would recommend? Just want to protect my lens without losing much picture quality. If it makes a difference most of my picture taking is done of my kid indoors. Like I said before the only lens I own currently is the kit 18-55mm. I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on the one in this OP as well. TIA

I can tell you that I have never used a filter on this lens, and don't have one microscratch on it. "Protective" filters are a way for photo shops to increase their profits, and their BS reasons for selling to new photographers have propagated throughout the years. Here is a thread for example, with slickdealers, so people unwilling to pay retail, are willing to save relative pennies on a $200 lens. Those people fighting so hard to save a few bucks turn around, and without thinking twice, are going to pay $20-$30 for a flat piece of glass to put in front of their lens. Then, that large piece of glass is much more likely to get damages than the small, rounded front element of the lens, sending you running back to the camera store for yet another filter soon enough.

Plus, if you look at big-bucks Nikon lenses with exponentially larger front pieces of glass, like the 14-24mm, or any of the super telephotos like 300mm, 400mm, or 500mm, there is no thread to use a filter on the front, and these lenses manage to get used without damage, so obviously Nikon has some confidence in their glass strength.