What would be a good lens to ask for, for Christmas?

Anyone who is a photographer/camera buff/has any knowledge/experience in this field, this is a question for you!

I own a Nikon FM-10 35 mm Film camera. I have had this camera for about two years now. I'm not serious about photography in the sense that I plan on having a career in it or anything, but it is a hobby of mine. I mostly take pictures of people (portraits) and of scenery (like when I go on vacations). I would like to get a more updated lens but I don't really know what to look for. Can anyone help me?

What's missing here is what you shoot now and what it doesn't do.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "a more updated lens" and without knowing what lens(es) you currently use, it's hard to make any very personalized suggestions.

I can tell you what lenses I use for portraits though. I generally don't use zooms because faster (wider maximum aperture) prime lenses are usually cheaper and perform "better." I also don't practice any type of photography where zoom is really necessary. I feel that with portraits, using a prime forces you to move around and with your subject, which encourages interaction and this can produce more personal images in my opinion.

At any rate, so I use a 50mm 1.8 or 1.4, an 85mm 1.8, a 105mm 1.8 and sometimes a 135mm 2.8. I only use AI and AIS lenses, which are the nicest series lenses to buy for the FM10 and similar bodies. You can also use Pre-AI with the FM10 but you'll have to use stop down metering. Series E lenses are cheaper and optical quality is good too.

You may already use a 50mm lens. These are fine for portraits and even though they are a basic lens, I still use them a lot for portrait work. Here are some examples of what a simple 50mm can do:

I think my 85mm 1.8 AI'd is my favourite Nikon portrait lens. I chose the 1.8 over the more costly 1.4 because the marginal difference didn't seem relevant to me and the 1.4 can be hard to focus wide open anyway. Faster lenses also make for a brighter screen and can help you focus more accurately/easily when stopped down too though. The 85mm 1.4 is very well known for a striking bokeh. The 1.8 is very nice also but perhaps does not scream the way the 1.4 does. It's fine for me. I don't generally want distracting bokeh anyway. Here are some of my Nikkor 85mm 1.8 AI'd shots:

The 105mm 1.8 is quite nice but expensive and hard to focus with wide open. I really only use it when stopped down a bit and probably could have just bought the more popular 105mm 2.5. This is a pretty legendary Nikkor portrait lens. High performance, low price. 105mm is a nice length because you are getting in as close as you can at the necessary 1/125th shutter. You need a 1/125th shutter with the 85mm but aren't as tight in as you could be. And 135mm of course gets you even tighter in but then you have to move to 1/250th and you're losing a lot of exposure flexibility then. Here are some of my Nikkor 105mm 1.8 AIS shots:

So 85 and 105 are very desirable portrait lens lengths. They get you in close enough to get medium and close up shots without being TOO close to someone yet you're still close enough that you can talk to and direct them and they can feel a connection to you.

The Nikkor 135mm 2.8 AI is a nice cheap lens and may be worth picking up just to have it. If you're shooting on location and need to get further away from your subject but want close-up's this lens can fill the gap. This lens is fairly soft before its stopped down too so this can be flattering to some. Here is a Nikkor 135mm 2.8 AI shot:

I hope this is useful. Please email me at JohnnyMartyr@Hotmail anytyme.

MANUAL AND METAL! FILM FOREVER!