The Nifty Fifty

[ohheckyeah]

I've been seeing a lot of recommendations for the 50mm f1.8 prime lens. Does anyone use it and what do you think?

[Blue_In_AK]

1. I like mine.

It's great for portraits and low-light situations. It's light-weight and inexpensive.

[ohheckyeah]

2. I've seen a lot of

people say it's the lens they use the most. Would you agree?

[Blue_In_AK]

3. I'm kind of partial to zooms

Last edited Thu Jan 9, 2014, 12:20 PM - Edit history (1)

for the versatility, but I've had the 50 out quite a bit lately. I think the lens I use most is the 24-70 f/2.8, but the 50 is just a fraction of the cost.

[jmowreader]

4. This is on a camera where 50 is considered "normal" right?

On my 35 I never use a 50mm lens. I have a 50mm prime that never comes out of the drawer, and a zoom that never gets set to 50mm.

On my Mamiya 645 medium-format camera, the equivalent lens is 80mm and I don't even have one.

[ohheckyeah]

5. Not necessarily.

Lots of people using it on cameras with a DX format where the normal lens focus length is 28 mm.

[Major Nikon]

7. It makes for a short telephoto

A normal lens for 35mm is actually closer to 43mm and for APS-C it's ~28-30mm depending on which camera you have as there is some variance. With medium format it depends on what film you are using.

However, what is considered the 'normal' lens for a given format generally follows standard lenses. With 35mm you have the 50mm lens and with APS-C most camera manufactures make a 35mm lens which they consider normal. Both the 35mm lens with the APS-C and the 50mm with a 35mm are actually short telephotos, but they are pretty close.

[Major Nikon]

6. I actually have 3 primes in the 'normal' range

I have a 50/1.8, a 50/1.4, and a 55/2.8 (macro).

I also have two zooms which cover that range which are the Tamron 17-50/2.8 and a Nikon 18-55/3.5-5.6.

50mm is actually the normal lens for a 35mm camera. For APS-C format (most digital SLRs), the normal lens is 35mm, but 50mm is pretty close.

I think a 50/1.8 is a great lens to have, particularly if the only other lenses you have are f3.5-5.6. For one thing, it's cheap. You can generally pick up a good one on the used market for about $50 or so. They are also small and light, so they don't take up much room in the camera bag or if you wear a photography vest it fits nicely in a pocket and you don't even realize it's there. Compared to the 18-55/3.5-5.6, the 50/1.8 is about 3 stops faster which makes for a much better lens in low light situations. Slower lenses autofocus slower, if at all in low light situations, require more flash power, and don't incorporate ambient light as well.

A fast lens in the 50mm range also makes for a pretty decent portrait lens. A normal lens also renders perspective naturally for landscape shots.

[Sherman A1]

8. I like mine

I have the Canon, 50mm 1.8. Bought it a few years ago when trying to add to my lens assortment and not wanting to spend a whole lot of cash. Think I caught it on sale for around $100.00. I don't use it everyday, but glad I have it and it's the fastest lens I have, for low light situations.

[DrDan]

9. I have a 50/f1.8 and it complements my

18-300/f3.5 nicely.

Got rid of several others because these 2 are more than adequate.

[Stevenmarc]

10. It really depends

On your shooting style. If you do a lot of street shooting or low light it's a great lens to have.

[groundloop]

11. I have one (and it's a nice lens), but honestly don't use it much...

I also have the Tamron 17-50 f2.8, which pretty much lives on one of my bodies. The Tamron produces nice crisp images and I just don't really have much need to go beyond f2.8 that often, and I like the versatility of a zoom.

However, now that it's been brought up I'll probably go find some photos to take tonight with my nifty fifty.

[BuddhaGirl]

12. I have the Canon 50mm 1.8 and LOVE it

It's fast and light and it's usually my go-to lens.

I highly recommend it!

[ManiacJoe]

13. It somewhat depends on the camera it is attached to.

The great things about the 50mm is the wide aperture and its cheap price for the IQ you get.

They are great lenses on full frame DSLRs. On the crop sensors, the 50mm is rather an odd-ball length. For them, the 35mm is usually a better option. Unfortunately, no one seems to make a cheap 35mm for Canons.

I got my 50mm back when I was shooting a cropped-sensor body and the 35mm was not available. It did not get much use. Now that I am shooting a full-frame body, the 50mm sees more use.

[ohheckyeah]

14. There was a discussion

on DPS about the 50mm on the cropped-sensor body, which I have, and there was a lot of differing opinions on 35mm vs 50mm. The 50mm still one - probably because of price.

[Major Nikon]

15. The 35mm that Nikon currently makes is close to the same price as the 50mm

Assuming you compare the 35/1.8G with the 50/1.8G, however the 50/1.8G is a FX lens while the 35/1.8G is not. Why Canon doesn't make a relatively cheap 50/1.8, I have no idea.

Using the 50mm on a APS-C format camera, the field of view you get is equivalent to a 76mm on a 35mm. The closest lens this would equate to is the 85mm which was (and still is) quite popular for 35mm format (and to some extent APS-C). I think a 50mm on a crop sensor camera makes for an excellent indoor portrait lens. I have the Nikon 50/1.8D version of the lens and mine is extremely sharp, even wide open. Although it's not my favorite portrait lens, I almost always have it in my camera bag because you never know when someone is going to want a portrait, and because the lens is so small and light, there's really no penalty for carrying it around.

[ManiacJoe]

18. The 50mm does make a good

indoor portrait lens on a cropped sensor body.

[rdking647]

16. i have one and use it alot

its great for taking shots indoors w/o a flash. i use it on a full frame camera (nikon d600). its also good on an overcast day outdoors. i love the small depth of field.

i also have a 35 1.8 that i use on my crop sensor camera

[ohheckyeah]

17. One of my jobs

is taking product photos. I think I would use the 50mm more than the 35.

[alfredo]

19. If you have a Canon with an APS-C sensor your crop factor would be 1.62.

The 50mm would be a small telephoto, good enough for portraits too. A 35mm would get you close to a 50mm. What it comes down to is what you are used to, and what you do with your camera.

I have a 30mm on a sensor with a 2X crop factor. That roughly translates to 60mm. It's close enough to 50mm for my uses. I even do landscapes with that lens. It works OK for portraits too.

If you like the lens, it doesn't matter the focal length. You work with the strengths and limitations.

Look at the 28mm lenses too. It should give you something around a 45mm lens.

[ohheckyeah]

20. I have a Nikon

with a 1.5 crop factor.

[alfredo]

21. So a 50mm will be a 75mm , a 35mm will be a 52.5. I bet if you searched, you

could buy both lenses for around $300 total.

[ohheckyeah]

22. The AF-S lenses sell for about

$200 to $225 apiece.

[Major Nikon]

23. The AF-D version of the 50mm is considerably cheaper

This is the version I have and optically it's excellent. The newer version is optically different and adds features common to AF-S like autofocus override. I don't have one so I don't know if it's better or worse, but I can't imagine it being much, if any better optically. The AF-D version has been around for a while and is readily available on the used market.

[alfredo]

24. How is the third party market?

[Major Nikon]

25. Do you mean 3rd party for used Nikon lenses?

Or new non-OEM lenses?

[alfredo]

26. Non OEM.

I'm very happy with my Sigma lenses on my Oly.

[Major Nikon]

27. I think non-oem lenses today are much better than in years past

Part of this is due to modern manufacturing improvements and part is due to aspherical lens elements which make lenses easier and cheaper to produce. I think my Tokina 12-24/4 is every bit as good optically as the Nikon equivalent and costs considerably less which is why I bought it. For some lenses, Nikon still holds the upper hand.

[alfredo]

29. Sigma used to be seen as a so so lens. Tokina is working with Ricoh/Pentax now.

[Major Nikon]

31. Sigma,Tokina, and Tamron are the big three of non-OEM

All make some lenses that are quite nice and some that aren't.

[alfredo]

32. I do like my Japanese glass.

[ManiacJoe]

28. Non-EOM lenses usually need to be judged on an individual basis.

In the case of the 50mm, Sigma seems to have one of the best. I don't recall which model though.

[alfredo]

30. I guess the best thing to do is rent the lens you want so you can see if it is right for you.

[sir pball]

37. Get the Nikkor 35/1.8, if for no other reason

Than shooting with a (near) normal prime *will* make you a better photographer. You either have to think about composing with what you see, or physically moving around. No turning a ring to change the scene. Once you get the hang of it it's also amazing for candid/street/sly shooting - you know exactly what you're going to see through the lens so you just aim and fire, I can shoot mine without even looking through the viewfinder.

No point going third-party here, I got mine for <$200 out the door and the quality is far better than anything offbrand. Well, except the Zeiss F-mounts.

[justiceischeap]

33. I have the Nikkor 50mm & the 35mm 1.8

and love the 50mm on my crop sensor camera as a great portrait lens. I'm considering going full-frame in the future and sadly, I won't be able to use these lenses 'cause they're DX, not FX.

[ManiacJoe]

34. All of the Nikon 50mm versions are FX lenses.

[justiceischeap]

35. Well, that's good

If I decide to go full-frame and stick with Nikon, I'll have one lens I can use.

[yourmovemonkey]

36. I just bought the Sigma 50mm/f1.4

I'm using it on a Canon T4i, and I'm really digging it for indoor shots and portraits. I wanted something for low light conditions because I abhor flash, and I wanted something fast for children. Also, I do a lot of band photos in dark bars. Haven't tried it with bands yet though.

I'm not a big camera techie, so it's going to take a little while to get used to a different approach than a zoom lens. I expect it's going to give me a lot of great shots though.