A Great Portrait Lens for the Nikon DX Format

Have you seen all the press over the new Nikon 85mm f/1.4 Portrait lens? It really is a fantastic lens for portraits with a medium focal length and a large aperture for great shallow depth of field. The only problem is that is you have a DX format camera like the D3100, D5100, or D7000, it is probably a little long for shooting portraits. That’s because it is only 85mm if you have a full frame lens like the D3s or D700. If you try to use it on a DX camera the lens will have an effective focal length of 127mm due to the 1.5 x magnification factor of the smaller sensor.

But don’t fret, Nikon has released the perfect lens for all of you DX shooters in the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G lens. If you take the magnification factor into account, this lens works out to be an equivalent 75mm. This is a fantastic focal length for portraits and a lot of other subjects that call out for a medium focal length lens. It’s true that the f1.8 will afford you a little less light gathering but it still gives you some great shallow depth of field and beautiful bokeh.

Here’s the best part. The 85mm f/1.4 lens would run you $1700 wallet squeezing dollars but you can snap up a new 50mm f1.8G for a paltry $220.00. Okay, not a pittance but still just a fraction of the cost of the 85mm. Who says good things don’t come in small packages.

The 50mm is available for purchase at B&H, Amazon, and other camera shops and is now in stock.

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