When I got my DSLR for Christmas, I committed to using nothing but the kits lens, a very capable 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens, for the next year.  I figured that since this is my first SLR, digital or otherwise, that I should work on getting the most out of the camera without buying any new gear- I didn’t want to end up buying gear in an attempt to mask a lack of technical skill.

A website that I LOVE is The Digital Photography School- tips and tricks, software tutorials, equipment reviews, forums, I HIGHLY recommend this site for any photographer.  A little while back there was a post Three Lenses Every Photographer Should Own and the author suggested a general purpose zoom (like my kit lens), a macro, and a telephoto zoom.  A large portion of the 200+ comments decried the lack of a fast prime lens in that list.  A prime lens is simply a lens with one focal length- there is no zoom.  A fast lens has a larger aperture, that is it can let in more light, which is a big advantage for low-light photography.

As I read more, I really started to covet a good prime lens, so for the hell of it I looked on Craigslist the other day.  And wouldn’t you know it, a woman who just upgraded to a full-format camera was selling all of her DX format lenses, including this beauty:

So I lied, I’m not using anything except for the kit lens for the first year- I met the seller and bought this after I dropped off Veronica at the airport Thursday morning.  Hey, it’s a great lens, it’s less than 6 months old, she never registered it (so I can!) and I saved 25% off the list price. Could you blame me?

The maximum aperture is f/1.8, which means that it can let in twice as much light as my other lens, perfect for certain situations, such as in the bedroom.  Now all I need is for Veronica to return from her little trip and we can properly test it