I got a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens for my D40x, which I ordered a few days ago from Amazon. It takes amazingly sharp pictures, especially in low light, since it’s a lot faster than the kit lens. Unfortunately it doesn’t support auto-focus on the D40x, since it doesn’t have an internal AF motor. Even with manual focus it’s pretty easy to use with the AF indicator. This is an excellent basic lens. At $109 it’s also one of the least expensive.
Here’s the first picture I took with it.
I did some more experimenting with HDR this evening, with slightly better results.
How are you doing your HDR?
I’m using Photoshop CS3. I use the Merge to HDR workflow with raw files shot at normal exposure, +2 EV, and -2EV.
I have that lens on my D70. I’ve found it’s fast, like you say. But the autofocus is slow. So maybe you’re not missing much! Or maybe I’m doing something wrong.