What is the best general purpose lens for a Nikon camera (under $500)?
This depends on the angle(s) of view you want to cover with the lens and whether you are using a digital or a film camera. Your budget is only US$500, so I would seriously consider purchasing a used lens. Unfortunately, many camera buyers opt for the most expensive body they can afford and the least expensive lens. This robs the buyer of the image quality available with better lenses. I have always preferred to economize on the body, providing it has the features that I need, and purchase used lenses, whenever possible. This allows me to buy better-quality lenses on the same budget. A good-quality fixed focal length lens is sharper and faster than all but the best zoom lenses. A ‘normal’ lens has a focal length equal to the length of the diagonal of the negative. A 35mm negative measures 24x36mm, with a diagonal of about 43mm. Most companies market a 50mm as the normal lens, although I prefer a normal lens at the shorter end of the range (e.g., 35mm to 40mm), because of the increased a
