50... and Proud...

Anouilh

Finally got up enough courage to decide on a 50mm lens.



The f 1.4 Canon has a metal fitting, so it seemed good sense to go for a durable model.

Any excuse to post more nifty fifty gems...

FatimaKid

Jaysis, I thought you were referring to my age and demeanour........

CabanSail

Thought it was my IQ!

Anouilh

Before mods get up to 90 with this going off topic, it's worth mentioning that Cartier-Bresson used 50mm for many years.

http://www.americansuburbx.com/2009/01/video-archive-henri-cartier-bresson.html

On my crop body Digital Rebel (400D) this lens operates as an 80mm. The portraits taken with it are very serene and represent the subjects well, with no distortions or exaggerated features, which I feared might be the case with a 28mm.

Fionn

i got rid of my nifty fifty because i wasn't using it much - maybe i should have kept it eh?
1.8 is quite fast really, the 1.4 is a really nice lens, probably the best of the three that canon offer the 1.2 is way off the scale price-wise i think
have fun with your new acquisition!!

Anouilh

Fionn wrote: »

i got rid of my nifty fifty because i wasn't using it much - maybe i should have kept it eh?
1.8 is quite fast really, the 1.4 is a really nice lens, probably the best of the three that canon offer the 1.2 is way off the scale price-wise i think
have fun with your new acquisition!!

Thank you, Fionn. I had to make sure that I was filling a real gap with this lens, as the kit lens that came with the Digital Rebel has given good service for over 18 months and the 70-300 mm Sigma apo macro was adequate to most needs.

The 50mm has very fine bokeh and looks set to save me much energy, as inscriptions on building overhead can be read at leisure at home.

When people here said that the 50mm lenses were sharp, I was not expecting such detail.

[IMG][/img]

Freddie59

Anouilh wrote: »

When people here said that the 50mm lenses were sharp, I was not expecting such detail.

Indeed. I have one myself and must confess to using it rarely, specifically because of the lack of zoom. But the quality of that image is stunning.:)

pixbyjohn

Another 50mm shot, f1.8 and Nikon D70S

Valentia

Well ware as they say. Happy snapping. It's a lovely lens.

Anouilh

The perfect documentary lens.

Anouilh

Freddie59 wrote: »

Indeed. I have one myself and must confess to using it rarely, specifically because of the lack of zoom. But the quality of that image is stunning.:)

The fact that I have to move around more in relation to the subject has turned out to be an asset. Obviously, for photographing birds or flowers high up in trees I need my zoom lens, but there is a certain harmony in making images that cannot be changed by zooming. It is making me think more about what is actually close by. Sitting in a garden recently I found some fungi that normally would have been ignored.

Also, this can be a thread for any 50mm prime, including film.

It is good to compare different effects.

JamesTaylorfan

Anouilh wrote: »

Thank you, Fionn. I had to make sure that I was filling a real gap with this lens, as the kit lens that came with the Digital Rebel has given good service for over 18 months and the 70-300 mm Sigma apo macro was adequate to most needs.

The 50mm has very fine bokeh and looks set to save me much energy, as inscriptions on building overhead can be read at leisure at home.

When people here said that the 50mm lenses were sharp, I was not expecting such detail

Is that the monument on Stephens Green in Dublin?

Anouilh

JamesTaylorfan wrote: »

Is that the monument on Stephens Green in Dublin?

Yes, it's the Fusiliers' Arch, commemorating the Boer War:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/79586895@N00/3762843242/

Freddie59

Anouilh wrote: »

The fact that I have to move around more in relation to the subject has turned out to be an asset. Obviously, for photographing birds or flowers high up in trees I need my zoom lens, but there is a certain harmony in making images that cannot be changed by zooming. It is making me think more about what is actually close by. Sitting in a garden recently I found some fungi that normally would have been ignored.

Also, this can be a thread for any 50mm prime, including film.

It is good to compare different effects.

Good points. I must break it out again soon.:)

Anouilh

I have just come across a post where it is described as "inexcusable" to use 50mm for landscape work.

Apart from the fact that strong opinions are everwhere on the Internet, is this a valid comment? Is 50mm (apart from not being wide enough) just a bit too distant and overly "correct"?

Anouilh

50mm seems to be perfect for proportions in shop fronts, I have found.

Trev M

As someone said to me recently , you can get a great picture from any lense on any camera...even a disposable.

Personally I think thats sound advice to keep in the back of your mind when youre taking a lot of photography info on board.

Anouilh

Trev M wrote: »

...you can get a great picture from any lense on any camera...even a disposable.

I agree with this theory...

[IMG][/img]

However, unless I want to look as if I'm harking back to the nineteenth century, with photos taken with my broken Fuji Finepix (now functioning only as a usb linked camera), I think that knowing the best lens for what I'm trying to achieve can be a help.

There is a sort of stylishness to photos taken with a 50mm lens, even if it is no longer particularly fashionable and has been replaced by wide angle in many cases.

Kintarō Hattori

http://www.flickr.com/photos/liamandagnieszka/3586421149


I love my Pentax 50mm, easily the favourite of my lenses. The detail can be just stunning.

Anouilh

smash

I need to get one of these!

Kintarō Hattori

steve06 wrote: »

I need to get one of these!

Yes, yes you do they are fantastic. Easily my favourite lens from the few I own.




http://www.flickr.com/photos/liamandagnieszka/3520339558/in/set-72157622446614194

Slidinginfinity

steve06 wrote: »

I need to get one of these!

You absolutely have a 50mm, they are the best prime for the price hands down, IMO.

mloc

They are pretty fantastic, even at three times the price. Especially for portraits:

smash

ok I've decided... on pay day, this will be mine! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-EF-50mm-50-mm-f-1-2-L-USM-1D-s-III-5D-II-50D-0645_W0QQitemZ380157856528QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CamerasPhoto_CameraAccessories_CameraLensesFilters_JN?hash=item58832c8b10&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_2781wt_966

mloc

steve06 wrote: »

ok I've decided... on pay day, this will be mine! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-EF-50mm-50-mm-f-1-2-L-USM-1D-s-III-5D-II-50D-0645_W0QQitemZ380157856528QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CamerasPhoto_CameraAccessories_CameraLensesFilters_JN?hash=item58832c8b10&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_2781wt_966

Going for the f/1.2? Wish my pay days were as nice as yours!

(I did get a 24-70 f/2.8 yesterday mind you...)

smash

Yea deffo, I hope customs are on holidays though!

dudara

steve06 wrote: »

ok I've decided... on pay day, this will be mine! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-EF-50mm-50-mm-f-1-2-L-USM-1D-s-III-5D-II-50D-0645_W0QQitemZ380157856528QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CamerasPhoto_CameraAccessories_CameraLensesFilters_JN?hash=item58832c8b10&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_2781wt_966

That's a good seller too. I've bought small stuff in the past from them, but recently bought my Manfrotto tripod from there - couldn't have been more helpful.

mixer101

I love my 50 to bits!

kumate_champ07

steve06 wrote: »

ok I've decided... on pay day, this will be mine! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-EF-50mm-50-mm-f-1-2-L-USM-1D-s-III-5D-II-50D-0645_W0QQitemZ380157856528QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CamerasPhoto_CameraAccessories_CameraLensesFilters_JN?hash=item58832c8b10&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_2781wt_966

have you thought about the sigma 50mm f1.4? I got a refurb and the autofoucs wide open is fine, havent noticed any problems, only user error/body movement which can move the focus slightly and ruin it, but thats only at minimum focusing distance

kumate_champ07

sigma 50mm f1.4 all shot @f1.4

iso 1600



another @ iso 1600 , 1200by800px too big to post here