Nikon SLR Cameras

Nikon 35mm f1.8 vs Nikon 50mm f1.8?

ace
ace

I'm going to buy the Nikon D5100 soon and I would like to know which lens would be a better fit for me.

I usually take photos at a youth center and take pics of events and what not, the venue used to be a wedding wall and the lighting is really bad (the reason why i want an f1.8). I also like to take landscape shots and I do a lot of portrait photography of my friends.

I'm falling towards the 35mm but I want everyone's advice before I make the final decision.

Added (1). Wedding hall* sorry typo there

Taylor
Taylor

I personally find the 35 1.8 a slightly annoying. It's not wide enough for landscapes and too wide for portraits. The 50 will be good for portraits. If you have an 18-55, keep it and use it for landscapes and a 50 for you indoor work. If you do buy a 50mm, be sure to buy the AF-S model if you want autofocus with the D5100.

keerok
keerok

The 35mm for its wider angle of view would suit you better. Events are best viewed with the same angle of view as human eyes. 35mm is the normal or standard lens focal length for your 1.6X crop sensor dSLR. For landscapes, a wide angle lens would be better though so if you still have the 18-55mm kit lens, don't let go of it. You can take landscapes with that lens set at 18mm. If you don't have the kit lens, you can still get landscapes but you will have to back up far enough and probably crop the pictures to make it look like a real landscape shot.

Eric Len
Eric Len

Put it this way. If you've been shooting so far, which focal lengths did you use? 50mm would be better if you want to stand a bit further away from your subject, but it could often be too long if you're trying to capture more people in a small space.

Here's a Portrait Lens Guide - http://www.the-dslr-photographer.com/2011/11/buying-a-portrait-lens-nikon/