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

The 35mm sits at the other end of the bag from the 10-20mm. 52.5mm equivalent on DX — what gets called a "normal" lens because its field of view is close to what the centre of human vision actually takes in. Everything at its own size, no wide-angle stretch, no telephoto compression. When a shot wants to look like you just saw it, this is the lens.

Fast aperture (f/1.8, three stops brighter than the kit zoom at the same focal length), 200 grams, Silent Wave Motor for quick quiet autofocus, 52mm filter thread, minimum focus distance of 30cm. The build is simple — plastic barrel, metal mount, one AF/MF switch and a damped focus ring, no distance scale, no VR. It's the lens that disappears on the camera and earns its place there.

Things to know. The aperture is not smooth across its range: wide open at f/1.8 shows mild longitudinal chromatic aberration (green and magenta fringing on out-of-focus highlights) and soft corners. Stopping down to f/2.8 clears both. Bokeh is decent but not creamy — the seven aperture blades give away the price. Around two percent barrel distortion, easily corrected in Lightroom. No stabilisation means handheld shutter speeds need to stay above 1/60 or so without a tripod, which the fast aperture largely handles.

Different job from the 10-20mm. The wide zoom opens space outward; the 35mm closes it in.