If my new kit ever arrives I am promised I should be getting one of these so I have been doing some reading about prime lenses. Mark is always saying how great his new fast 50mm is and I want to join the club! This article is a great piece about this “forgotten” lense.
Article: The Forgotten Lens – Why You Should Ditch That Zoom for a Classic 50mm “Normal” Lens
If you are like most photographers just starting out with a new 35mm SLR, chances are it came with one of those ubiquitous 28-80mm (or similar) “consumer” zooms. In the last 15 years these inexpensive lenses have all but replaced the traditional 50mm prime lens as the starter optic for 35mm photographers. The 50mm lens, once the mainstay of 35mm photography, has been all but forgotten by today’s hotographers.
It seems all great stuff – BUT! – it looks like we have chosen the wrong lense!
As of the time of this writing, most digital SLRs that accept interchangeable lenses have sensors that are smaller than a traditional 35mm film frame. Images made with these cameras are cropped from the center of what would be a full frame image if shot on film. This produces a “focal length multiplier,” typically 1.5x or 1.6x. For example, a 50mm normal lens on a Canon EOS-10D camera renders an image equivalent to an 85mm lens on a film body. On these cameras, the focal length that best equates to a “normal” perspective is the 35mm, becoming an effective 52-56mm lens on a typical digital body.
So DSLR users should go for the 35mm?
5 Comments
I love my 50mm Nikkor. For the price it is an absoloute gem. I wouldnt worry about the extra focal length, just stand back a bit
The extra Depth of Field takes some getting used to, but the results are razor sharp.
I don’t think there’s a right or a wrong, just whats best for you. For me at under £100 for a 1.8 Nikkor lens it was a no brainer. Of course you can buy a 35m or a 1.4, but you’ll pay a premium for them.
Right now I will take anything! It would be interesting to compare a 35mm and a 50mm side by side.
I love my CANON 50mm/f1.8 lens even though it equates to more on my 20D. I do wish I’d saved a little more though and gone for a faster one. 1.8 is brilliant but to have a little extra speed in those low light situations would be very handy. Even still at a price per performance level (and considering it’s size and weight) it’s probably the best lens I have in many ways even though I have a few L-series lenses also (which might be sharper but are many times the price, size and weight). The 50mm has a permanent place in my camera bag.
Thanks Darren. It seems everyone is saying they are great so I think I will definitely order one now.
I notice Amazon.com has them for half the price they are over in the UK ($80 versus £75), an american lense will work on a British camera right? I have about $40 of amazon.com vouchers so could work out a real bargain.
They won’t deliver to the UK but I figure seeing as I will be over there in a couple of weeks I will have it delivered to a friends house or office and pick it up while I am over there.
yeah Amazon is cheap. I do note the comment on the article linked above though that says there are two mounts on the f/1.8 – one plastic and one metal. I can’t be sure but I suspect the one on Amazon.com that is cheap is the plastic one.
That’s what I’ve got and it works fine – but I guess metal would be better (although heavier).
Anyway – at that price it’s a bargain!
I get a few things from Amazon.com but have to get them shipped to a US friend who then ships them onto me. Ironically it is quicker to do this than when Amazon sends me books (which they’ll ship OS).