Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G Lens

If you've bought a camera and used the kit lenses you'll have some idea of what your camera is capable of. However, this lens will show you what your camera can really do!

Prime lenses are fantastically sharp, offer excellent colour rendition and very wide apertures on a small budget. 35mm is also a very sensible focal length for DX (or APS-C) format cameras as it's pretty close to the "normal" length (where the focal length is the same as the diagonal of the sensor, thereby minimising distortion).

The lens is extremely compact and well built. It lacks a distance scale (something the more expensive 50mm has) but that is it's only real downside. The lens hood is small but effective and the focus ring has a distinct resistance to it when you reach the end of it's travel.

All in all this lens represents fantastic value for money. It'll teach you how much compromise is in a zoom lens (in terms of image quality) and it'll teach you a lot about composition (as you can't just zoom in or out and make do - you have to move around and think more about your photography). It's also fantastically useful in low light situations with the f/1.8 aperture.

10 out of 10!