Examples:
http://asktheduplex.blogspot.com/2011/04/winchester-mystery-belt.html
http://asktheduplex.blogspot.com/2011/03/itty-bitty.html

any idea what my problem could be?

Don’t think anything different when using this lens. You meter and change your settings the same way. Use the command dial to change the shutter speeds and aperture value.

The aperture ring is used on older bodies and newer bodies that allow for using the ring. The camera is right that you need to set it to the minimum aperture size.

i just bought a nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AF for my Nikon D40x (i didn’t go with the f/1.4 because it was WAY too expensive). i don’t know all that much about cameras, but love the look of the sharp subject focus with the blurred background.

anyway, my question is how to use the different aperture settings? it has the range from 1.8 to 22, but seems to only work when set and locked at the 22. otherwise i get a message to set it to 22 and lock it.

also, in reading other responses you’ve given, how do you alter the shutter speed? if my ideal is 1/100th of a second, how do i adjust my shutter to that speed?

forgive me if these are silly questions, as i said, i don’t know much about camera jargon. thank you so much for your time!

Now, when you get your subjects in focus, one little trick you can do is move them far from the subject. The farther they are from the plane of focus, the more out of focus they will be.