Does anyone know of a normal lens for the Nikon digital SLR format? I've thought of a 35mm wide angle (for film & full size dig. Format) but it sure would be nice if somebody made a 33mm (supposedly normal) fast AF lens for a Nikon D80. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

The most common lens used with today's DSLR cameras is a mid-range zoom such as Nikon's Nikkor 16-85 zoom. Camera makers and camera stores often bundle this type of lens with the lower end camera bodies as a "kit" to help make the choice decision easier for novice photographers.

In the film days a 50mm lens was the standard lens for a 35mm camera. However there is no single prime lens (non-zoom lens) that is considered "normal" by today's photographers because the different DSLR models have different sensor sizes and the effective image size is different when you put the same lens on different bodies due to the "crop factor" when used on a body with a sensor smaller than a 35mm size sensor (full-frame sensor).

Here is a little info. Sigma makes a 30mm fast f1.4 AF lens for Nikon which would make a great normal fast AF lens for the Nikon DX DSLR cameras. I had talked to a Nikon Tech a couple of weeks ago about Nikon offering a normal lens for Nikon DSLR's. He didn't know of any future plans for one by Nikon but he told me Nikon does make a 35mm f2 Af lens that would work but f2 is the fastest AF 35mm lens they make but they do make a 35mm f1.4 MF (manual focus) lens. I'm hoping Nikon will create a 33mm f1.4 AF DX lens to compete with Sigma.

Nikon has now made a 35mm 1.8 lens that is almost a perfect normal lens for DSLR Nikon DX format cameras. Nikon | Imaging Products | AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G