I have been shooting with the basic kit lens on my Nikon D5600 for almost a year now and I am finally ready to actually spend some money on a decent prime lens. I have a trip to Chicago coming up in three weeks and I really want to capture some nice street photography but also some sharp portraits of my girlfriend while we are out there. My budget is pretty tight, trying to stay under $200 if possible, so I have been looking at the used market mostly.
Right now I am totally torn between the AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G and the 50mm f/1.8G. I know the 35mm is supposed to be more versatile for everyday stuff since it is a crop sensor body but then I see the shots from the 50mm and that bokeh just looks so much better for people. I keep going back and forth because I dont want to be constantly backing up into traffic just to fit a building in the frame with the 50mm but I also dont want the 35mm to make faces look weird if I get too close. Is there one that stands out as the better all-rounder for a city trip or am I overthinking the difference between them?
Honestly, I had pretty high hopes for using a 50mm for travel, but unfortunately, it was a major letdown once I actually got into a dense city environment. On your D5600 sensor, that lens behaves more like a telephoto, which makes street photography feel cramped and frustrating. I had issues with framing basic architecture because you just cant back up far enough without hitting a wall or a car.
- Focal Length: The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G is too tight for narrow Chicago sidewalks.
- Versatility: I found the 35mm is not as good as expected for extreme bokeh, but it handles the storytelling aspect of travel way better.
- Usability: You wont have to constantly swap lenses or miss the shot because your field of view is too narrow. Go with the Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G. It is more of a true normal lens for your setup. It is better to have a slightly wider shot you can crop later than a shot that is too tight to use... trust me on that one.
