Bex

wow thank you so much for all of this! I had been receiving conflicting information about the 50mm and the 35mm but I am sure now that I'd rather take the 35, thank you! I will also definitely wait before purchasing a macro or any other lens (mainly because I can only afford one at the moment if Im also getting a flash). I have also recently found out that my camera body, the D5100, does not come with an auto focus so every lens I buy has to have autofocus which makes my lenses more pricey. Do you think it will be worth my while in the long run to just buy a new body that does have autofocus so that when I want to buy new lenses, they will be more affordable? Or should I just stick to the Nikon and fork out a bit more for the lenses?

Hi there Im a hobbyist photographer, doing some shoots on the side for practice. I love macro and food photography, as well as portraiture. Im currently looking at buying a new lens, possibly the 50mm or the 35, mainly for portraits and somewhat for macro if possible in any way. I also want to get a speedlight for indoor shoots. I am rather overwhelmed at all of the options available in these products. I currently have the standard 2 lenses that came with my D5100 (18-55 and another zoom lens I cant recall). As Im not a pro, Im looking for the cheapest, but also best possible quality in the ranges they have. I have been looking on Amazon as they seem to have the cheapest deals, although I am based in Durban, South Africa. I would really appreciate any tips and advise on which lens and speedlight to pick. Thank you