Specifications

• The Nikkor lens mounts only on Nikon cameras. Its aperture, also called the f-stop, ranges from f/1.8 to f/22. It is compatible with both autofocus and manual-focus SLRs and has a minimum focus distance of 1.5 feet. The lightweight lens is 2.5 inches long and 1.5 inches wide and weighs about 5.5 oz. It takes a 52 mm cap and filters.
  
  

Use

• The 50mm lens is often considered an ideal portrait lens because it takes photographs that are true to what the human eye sees and because of its wide aperture. This is important to lighting a portrait and the resulting picture's depth of field. The lower a lens' f-stop, the more light it lets in. The lower the f-stop is, the more shallow the depth of field, which gives a portrait a muted and blurred background.
  
  

Comparable Brands

• Third-party brands offering lenses similar to Nikkor lenses include Tamron and Sigma. Third-party lenses are less expensive but may not have the same image or build quality.