I remember back when I used my dad’s Nikon that I used his zoom lens. And in high school, I know the annual staff’s lens was also a zoom. After that though, all I ever bought were fixed focal length, or “prime”, lenses (or my favorite: “fast glass”). With my Vivitar V4000, I have a Pentax-M 50mm 1:1.7. When I bought the D100, I bought with it an Nikkor 85mm 1:1.8D.
I did not understand the issues digital SLRs have with focal length back then, and thought I was really buying an 85mm. But with the D100s 1.5 magnification (because the sensor is smaller than 35mm film), that 85mm really ends up acting like a 125mm. I will have to say it is great to achieve the purpose for which I bought it (people, face shots), but cannot be the only lens in the bag for very long.
I soon had to add my Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4D, which has backed me off quite a bit. Of course, the 50mm acts like a 75mm would on a film camera. I would still like to have something a little wider at times, but really, the 50mm does a great job for me. I often shoot in low light, and the wide open f/stops of those lenses really help me out. Plus, I love the selective depth of field (or choice to have such) the wide open apertures give me.
That is it. I have two lenses at the moment. I like to keep my camera bag pretty simple; that is just my style.
