Customers Review Amazon Product

A must have lens.
A fast prime lens is a must have in any camera bag. It is nice to have in low light situations where you can't/don't want to use a flash. Sharpness is satisfactory wide open but at f4 and above I find it gets very sharp.

If you are willing to spend more money you may want to look into the Nikon 35mm or Sigma 30mm f1.4 especially if you are using a DX camera body. The 30mm will get you closer to what a 50mm lens would be on a FX body.

It's also a good learning tool, there is nothing like a prime lens to teach you how to frame an image.

All in all a perfect match for my D90. With the high ISO capability of the D90 I'm able to stop the lens down to around f4 even in low light and get great shots. The ability to open the lens up even more when needed is just icing on the cake.

Great Lens for the money...
Good indoors and low light conditions..No zooming here so you physically must move to or from your target. On my D80 this 50mmm acts like it magnifies..I beleive it't the equivalent of a 80mm...

Believe the Other Reviews
I recently purchased this lens based on other reviewers. It is a great lens for a great price. It does have limitations as far as tight spaces/indoors. I have used it nonstop for kids, portraits, outdoors, etc. The pictures are razor sharp and I am not disappointed.

the lens yo must get
the cheapest lens in the AF Nikkor line... extremely sharp at all apertures larger than f/2.8 at f/1.8 the lens is pretty good too. not noticeble distorsion or color degradation. Even at f/1.8 Flare is very controlled,

If you will be focusing manually, beware!
I recently got this lens because of all the glowing reviews. I have been using a Nikon 18-200VR almost exclusively, so maybe I'm just spoiled, but I have some words of wisdom for those who may be considering getting it. If you have a camera that won't autofocus this lens (I have a D40) be forewarned that manual focus ain't all it's cracked up to be, especially if you are in "the golden years" and have less than 20/20 vision. I put this lens on my D40 and took it with me to the Christmas-morning gift opening session with grandkids. BAD idea! Most of my attempts turned out fuzzy, and using a semi-telephoto in a relatively small indoor setting just doesn't work. In short, it was a very frustrating experience.

Having said all that, I have to mention that in a different situation, this a fine quality lens (and thus the four-star rating). In available light with non-moving subjects, like portraits, museums, etc., or anything in a more controllable environment, it does a fine job. So the bottom line is: give careful consideration to how you will be using this lens before you make the purchase.