Recently purchased DSLR. Need recommendations/opinions for lenses...

[ManiacJoe]

18. 50mm vs 35mm

The D in D3100 stands for "digital".

For the size, weight, sharpness, and price, the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 is a great buy. The 35mm is a more natural length (the "normal" lens) on a DX camera, while the 50mm can be used as a short portrait telephoto on a DX camera. Your shooting style comes into play here as to which would be more useful. For me, if the 35mm DX lens had existed when I was still using a DX body, I would have gotten that one instead of the 50mm, which I use a bit more now that I have gone full-frame.

For most DSLR users, auto-focus matters. For the youngsters because they don't have the manual focus experience. For us old fogies because the focus screens in DSLRs are not made for manual focus and lack all the focus aids that film SLRs had. (Alternative focus screens for some DSLRs can be purchased from third parties.) Regardless of the lens you get, I recommend the AF-S version for the D3100 and any other body without a focus motor in it.