@shawnino i was really looking at the sigma 50mm 1.4 because I've read it is the best 50mm for the nikon mount. But I've pushed that aside. haha

@msmoto this are great pictures. Im looking at the 85 later. But i feel i can get similar results on my d90 with my 50mm. right? but I'm now leaning towards the 20mm since money isn't an issue for this lens :)

@ygoza: The only non-Nikkor lens I own is the ultra-wide Sigma 8-16mm. I absolutely love it for super-wide shots. I have a very good copy. If you do a forum search, opinions on Sigmas really vary though as many people are certain there is a difference in quality from copy to copy.

In short, I'm shooting Sigma 8-16mm because Nikon does not have a lens that competes all the way down to 8mm and those extra 2mm get me some shots I feel I might not get otherwise. I don't have religion on this issue because my copy is good. I've read enough, though, to feel a little lucky.

Up in the wide- to slightly-wide-range, Nikon does have glass that is, in my mind, reasonably affordable, so it would take something pretty special for me to go with an off-brand lens... especially when resale value as a percentage of purchase price seems stronger for Nikkor. (But that's the flip side, isn't it? If you can get a good copy of an off-brand lens at a deep discount used, you're laughing.)

ygoza said:
@msmoto i really prefer the idea of prime lenses. The DOF is just better for the price not to mention the size and weight of them compared to zooms.

No question about the size and weight. And, I am a prime lens advocate. I will often put on even an extreme (fisheye or telephoto) prime, and jet walk around and shoot with it. I think it helps us to be better photographers in one sense. And, an excellent prime is the 85 f/1.8 which is what I shot this on

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fantinesfotos/7115248369/in/photostream/lightbox/

Another with a 20mm f/2.8

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fantinesfotos/7029473223/in/photostream/lightbox/

Please take into consideration these imagoes are on FX, so the DX image will be smaller, but it shows I do like primes....But, I think for the D90 I would go with the 20mm and get out there.

@taotejared i was looking at the 35 but i wanted something wider. I have a canon ae-1 and i compare a lot of the focal lengths to that one. I want something wider. I want the 20 but fear it will be too wide at 30mm on my d90. But then again i guess 5mm really doesn't make that big of a difference.

Nikon 24mm, 20mm f2.8s AF lenses are great. The Nikon 28mm AF 2.8 has a reputation of not being real great. I have tried 4 and none of them were close to the 24 in every aspect.

Sigma's 20,24,28 f1.8s - it seems like the 24mm one is the best. The other two seemed not to be as liked. The 24mm is also a psudo macro (close focusing lens) that makes it a bit more usable. These are BIG lenses, probably 3x the size of the Nikkor 2.8s.

Most street stuff is shot at f/5.6 or f/8 to get focus, so the fast aperture is not really needed. Much faster and you loose a lot of shots. I shoot at f/4 and only get maybe 5% where the focus hits what I want.

The Nikon 24mm 2.8 was one of my favorites until it finely died on me. Nothing wrong with it, just end of it's life. It was probably 20 years old and I was the 3 owner that I know of. It had a good, long, and much used life.

My preference for street stuff is the FX equiv of 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 105mm-ish.
For DX I use a Tokina 17mm 3.5, Fuji x100 (35 equiv), 35mm 1.8, 50mm 1.4, 85mm 1.8. The Fuji is with me 100% of the time (same as the 24mm), and the rest of the time is split between the 35mm and the 50mm.

You should check out the 35mm f/1.8 as that is the classic street 50mm lens. Cheap and a great lens too. If you can find a good 20mm or 24mm Nikon that fits your budges you won't be disappointed.

@msmoto i really prefer the idea of prime lenses. The DOF is just better for the price not to mention the size and weight of them compared to zooms.

@shawnino i really like the idea of the sigma. I have just heard they have front focusing problems. I really don't want to be stuck with that lemon assuming i get a bad product. this is what makes me favor the nikon though the sigma has a bigger f-stop.

I had same dilemma earlier this year but for D7000. I borrowed the 20 and then 24 AF-D and after testing both I decided on buying a 24 AI-S since 24mm gave me the distance to subject that was more natural for me. That said, testing the 20mm indoors I did appreciate the practicality of that wideness. I found the colors, bokeh, sharpness are similar and I believe flare concerns will be same for both lensesas well. Frankly I don't think you can go wrong either way.

I also have D90 +20mm f/2.8. Really handy lens. Whatever road you go down (MsMoto has provided a lot of useful ideas very concisely) may I suggest that you try out any lens before you buy it if at all possible. I haven't found a Nikon wide-angle "lemon", but of all the street photographers I've met, I've never met two with the exact same style/outlook. You might want to experiment with 20, 24, 28 to see what suits your own craft best.

I have a D90 and the 20mm f/2.8.... nice wide angle. The 24mm is like a 35mm on FX or the full frame camera. So, the 20 gives a slightly wider view. Try a search on the forum for each of these lenses and you will no doubt get a bunch of threads discussing the merits of each. The Nikon f/2.8 24mm is a nice lens as well. Depending on how much you have to spend, the 12-24mm f/4, or one of the VR zoom lenses. Just check back on this thread and you will get a bunch of suggestions.

I have a D90 and a 50mm 1.8d. Its an excellent lens especially since i have the built in autofocus motor. Im really fascinated with street/urban photography and i want to get into that shooting style. Im looking at a 24mm (either the sigma 1.8 or the nikon 2.8) or 20mm (nikon 2.8) lens. But I'm not sure if thats a good match. Could any of you guys give me input? Thanks!