Prime lens for NIKON to match my needs?

I purchased a Nikon D5100 a few months ago and I'm slowly learning about it. I have a basic understanding of aperture, iso, shutter speed, etc. I have the kit lens and it came with an additional (telephoto?) lens as well. I adore my second lens (I'm sorry! I can't remember what it is exactly… Still learning!) but I have to stand too far away. I'm not a professional and would rather leave the serious stuff to the professionals. I mostly do portraits of my family and some personal events. What I'm looking for is honest advice on a good lens that will serve my purposes. I want something that can take attractive portraits and yet be general enough I will not have to change out my lens constantly. Since my photography is for personal use, I can't justify spending thousands on equipment. I'm hoping to find something that will let me achieve a nice bokeh without having to stand in the other room. Also, and not sure if this is even possible, I'm looking for something that will work well in low-light so I do not have to use the flash. Since most of what I photograph is candid shots or children, a slightly quicker lens would be appreciated.

For example, I want to take nice photos of my niece and nephews birthdays with a few crisp portraits I can frame for personal display. I also attend fundraisers for work, anniversary parties… Etc and want to take nice photos that are dimly lit indoors without blinding everyone with flash.

If there's not a lens that is affordable ($500 or less range) I understand! I just am not sure what equipment I would benefit from the most to add to my arsenal.

Most people who shoot portraits with a camera like yours, use a 50 mm lens.

Those of us who shoot a lot of events, use the 24-70 mm lens which can also be used as a portrait lens. To buy this lens, you will have to save your pennies a little longer.

Here is a list of all the Nikkor lenses:

http://www.nikonusa.com/...index.page

And here is a link that shows what each lens "sees"

http://imaging.nikon.com/.../index.htm

Go for the 50mm f1.8 prime lens - cheap AND good (a rare combination). You'll need to get the AF-S version if you want to be able to autofocus it on your D5100.

If you want a general purpose lens that will do well for portrait, then I suggest getting 50mm f/1.8G lens. It's rather inexpensive but it is a high quality lens. 50mm will work like 75mm lens on your camera, so it's perfect for portraits.

A "real' portrait lens from Nikon is 85mm f/1.4 but it's not a good match for your camera. You'd have to stand too far away if you want to do a 3/4 body or bull body portraits.

BUT, I have to ask, why do you want a prime lens for your portrait?

With your camera and your existing lens, you can do 95% of what you need. If you need low light capability, then just crank up your ISO. With your camera, the image does not degrade all that much. 50mm f/1.8 will give you a nice Bokeh at a reasonable price. I do NOT recommend you go buy a 50mm f/1.4 because the difference is rather small and it will cost you over twice as much.

I'm really hesitant to suggest you buy any new lens, actually.

I have some professional grade and specialized lenses here but I only use them when situations call for it. Most of the time, I just use my general lens and that'll do for me 95% of the time.

Maybe the 50mm f/1.8 or 35mm DX f/1.8
Have your looked at the 18-140mm?

I take photos with D5100 also. For now i only have kit lense. A want to buy telephoto (yes, it's called telephoto), too. But don't have the money right now.

I would suggest what others already mentioned - 50 mm prime lense. It would be most perfect for portraits and everyday use. And because of wide aparture it provides (usually around f1.8) you'll be able to take photos in lower light)

But then again - in everyday use you'll have to improvise more than plan. So kit lense is better at the beginning.
Very good lense (it costs more) is (i don't thing i remember correctly) 30 - 70 mm. Something like that. Very great lense.

And regarding you'r question about shooting in low light. Just buy external flash. Cost around 100$ . Great investment. You can direct flash bulb to ceiling and all of the flash will be bounced from ceiling. And everything will look naturally lit.