I'm going through a similar dilemma.

On FX, i think i am going to plump for Nikkors 35, 50 f1.4 and the 85 f1.4.
Arguably all a bit close, but it suits my style.
But I am cheating - I am not going to buy the 35 f2, but cope with my 24-85 2.8-4 until nikon deliver a 35 f1.4. I might be in for a long wait...

In the meantime I am also considering the 20 f2.8, but I don't know much about it.

90 5.0 wrote:
You'll love the 50 on dx more than likely. On dx it's a short tele.




Yeah, the 50 on DX is close to the perspective of the 85 in FX. There aren't a lot of complaints of that FL as useless.

50 on DX is great. Just long enough to cut through the crowds, but not too long to be limiting.

Maybe get the new 85mm 3.5 DX...along with the 35mm 1.8. You'll have two great lenses and a macro.

Doug Weasner wrote:
I don't miss the 50 1.8 when I have my Sigma 30 1.4 and Nikkor 85 1.8 AF-D.

I ended up originally ended up getting:

nikon 35 1.8
nikon 50 1.8
nikon 85 1.8

and two weeks later I settled with:
sigma 30 1.4
nikon 85 1.8

and I can also say that the 50 1.8 on DX is not missed one bit. I have my sigma for 85% of my usage and the other 15% for longer range / portraits fit just fine. I took the 50 out with me on an engagement shoot and found that using the 85 with just a couple steps back yielded much better results (at least to my liking!)

Not bad, close to what I recommended
(Forgot about the Siggy 30/1.4 - dont like the yellow colour tones out of Siggys so I never think of it as an option - but glad it's working out for you)

good luck with the kit. You have one pretty similar to my set up as well. I use a Tokina 12-24, Nikon 35 f/2, and Nikon 85 f/1.8. It works amazingly well for me. I have also owned the 50mm and a few other lenses, but these are the 3 that I have landed up staying with.
I am happy with the 35 f/2 though slower than other options due to when I decide to upgrade to full frame. Then the only lens that will need replacing will be the wide angle. And maybe add the 50mm back into the mix again for a normal as well.

My most commonly used lenses on my D90 are the 35/1.8 and the 85/1.4. I have a 50/1.8 (and have owned a couple of 50/1.4s), but I don't find that focal length as useful most of the time. Also, the 35/1.8 is better optically at wide stops, has better bokeh, and is a very effective "normal" lens.

You might consider a 12-24 instead of the 11-16, since it crosses over better into normal/wide range. Either is great, though.

blcknspo0ln wrote:
I have owned many zoom lenses including my favorite, the nikkor 17-55; but have recently gotten rid of my entire kit and re-entered with a low budget DSLR kit (damn economy!). With just a d70 + nikkor 35 1.8, I want to stay away from zoom shooting and force myself to explore the prime shooting style. I normally shoot wides and portraits. I was thinking this list would be suffice and cost effective.

D70
Nikkor 35 1.8
NIkkor 85 1.8
Tokina 11-16 2.8

I like the range of the 85mm, but am wondering if the 105 is a better FL for candid portrait shooting, except I would give up the extra aperture?



I'd say your list is fine and a great kit. The 85 on DX has a FOV of 127mm and should be great for portraits.