image quality that will blow most consumer
How quality is the photo pictures?
Have a Nikon DX DSLR?  Then you need this lens in your collection.  Period.  Don't debate it any longer, just do it.This is a wonderful little lens that will give you levels of sharpness, color, and image quality that will blow most consumer (non-f2.8) zooms out of the water.  If all you've ever used are f3.5-fwhatever zoom lenses, you're in for a real treat with this lens.  AF is as fast as any other Nikkor AF-S lens, and the fast f1.8 grabs shots in low light that will blow your mind.Of course, it's just a fixed 35mm.  A prime.  So if you've fallen into 'composure-apathy' that can come from owning a zoom lens, you're going to have to use to learn to to use your feet and actually think about composure a bit.  You've got to walk.  Get close.  Step back.  Think. Compose. Shoot.  It's more work, but the rewards can be magnificent.Lenses are tools.  'Kit' zooms are like a good folding pocket knife; a set of little screwdrivers, a couple of knives, maybe a saw, maybe some scissors, a nail file, etc.  Nice little tools that can come in handy in many situations.  Throw it in your pocket and go.  But when you need a good screwdriver to remove a stubborn screw, or you need to chop down a tree, or remove the engine from a '67 Mustang, that pocket knife isn't the best choice.  A prime lens is like a perfectly weighted and well-made single-purpose tool.  A solid screwdriver.  A perfectly balanced pair of pliers.  A well-engineered ratchet.  It's simple, it's basic, and it's a joy to use.And that's the simple elegance to using a prime lens.Lenses like this and the 50mm f1.8 are small and light.  They barely add anything to the weight and bulk of just the camera body itself, especially if it's a higher-level Nikkor DSLR (D90, D300s).  It's just effortless.  Compared to some of the heavier zooms (16-85, 18-105, 18-200), it'll make your camera feel weightless.  Fantastic for all-day wandering-around photography, assuming you don't need serious wide-angle or serious telephoto.However, this lens is a 'gateway drug'.  It and the 50mm f1.8 both fall into this category.  The low price and amazing IQ hooks you.  ;-)  Use it for a while, and you'll begin to want *all* of your glass to be fast f2.8 (or better), rather than the slow 'consumer' level variable aperture lenses.  And that can quickly become an expensive proposition. :) 