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

kumate_champ07

mloc wrote: »

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...)

Im very close to buying an ef 135mm f2L, my credit card is a couple of euro short so I'll prob have to wait a few days before more funds get in there

I think my other lenses might get a lot less use one I get my hands on the new lens!

Anouilh

I continue to use the 50mm, despite having a very good 70-300 zoom. Street photography at night is particularly rewarding.

This is a cluster of some of the recent shots:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/anouilh/tags/50mm/

I'll continue to upload there for quite some time to come.

squareballoon

I LOVE my canon 50mm 1.4. I use it a lot. I would love to get the 1.2 but there's no way I could justify the money. I tend to use mine exclusively for portraits.

Hugh_C

As a matter of interest, why would you bother going to f/1.2? I have both a 50 f/1.8 and an 85 f/1.4 and the depth of field on the 85 is ridiculously shallow at f/1.4. Even f/1.8 is almost absurd.

I'm using the 50 f/1.8 more than anything else right now for portraits but generally at about f/3.5 in its "sweet spot" - focus is at a maximum and vignetting at a min a couple of stops short of wide open generally, so the interwebs tell me (well, Ken Rockwell actually).

Here's a load of 50mm stuff I've shot ...

Chorcai

Im gettin me niffty on Wen. afternoon !!! sweet

Jackobyte

Christmas I'm getting a canon 500d w/ the IS 18-55mm lens. I was planning to but a second lens myself. Should I buy an nifty fifty or a 70-300mm IS lens. This will be my first DSLR.

Kintarō Hattori

Jackobyte wrote: »

Christmas I'm getting a canon 500d w/ the IS 18-55mm lens. I was planning to but a second lens myself. Should I buy an nifty fifty or a 70-300mm IS lens. This will be my first DSLR.

Get the nifty fifty and chances are the kit lens will rarely be on your camera. Has the mass praise for the lens around here not convinced you? It really is a stunning lens.

The detail is amazingly sharp for so little money:



http://www.flickr.com/photos/liamandagnieszka/3622845763/in/set-72157622542678723

Jackobyte

but which 50mm???

Slidinginfinity

Jackobyte wrote: »

Christmas I'm getting a canon 500d w/ the IS 18-55mm lens. I was planning to but a second lens myself. Should I buy an nifty fifty or a 70-300mm IS lens. This will be my first DSLR.

Jackobyte wrote: »

but which 50mm???

I have to buck the trend here, I love my 50mm, but I really wanted more zoom after I got used to my kit lens. Since this is your first DSLR go for a larger zoom it will allow you to learn what kind of shots you interested in and a bit later buy a 50mm (used).

Kintarō Hattori

Jackobyte wrote: »

but which 50mm???

Not being a Canon user I can't advise you of which one to go for but I'm sure some good advice will be along shortly.

Slidinginfinity wrote: »

I have to buck the trend here...

Troublemaker.

Slidinginfinity

Ha...:p

Chorcai

I have 50mm F1.8, wish I had the f1.4 :P

enda1

Quick question.

Do people talk about 50mm now that most people use cropped digital SLRs?
Is the 50mm what the 80mm was for film and full frame SLRs?

Or is there just something about the quality of the lens that even though the "zoom" of the lens is different on cropped and full frame cameras, there is still something special about the 50mm?

Anouilh

The fact that a 50mm prime becomes the equivalent of an 80mm on a crop body is useful for portraiture.

http://www.blogcatalog.com/topic/50mm+prime+lens/

There is so much written about prime lenses at the moment that really the best thing is to just get one and see how it works.

I'm amazed at how much I like the 50mm f1.4.
This is not only for the sharpness, which is impressive, but for the lovely smooth night photos it produces.

It really came into its own in the gloomy interiors of the churches in Rome. With the camera I began to see details that were not visible to the eye.



Does anybody know what the technical reason is for a prime lens to be so sharp? Some writers claim that good technique can enhance sharpness in many lenses that have the name of being "soft".

I use a small travel tripod to steady the camera and it helps.

Captain Flaps

Chorcai wrote: »

I have 50mm F1.8, wish I had the f1.4 :P

Why? Yer wan's face is already oof in that pic, the 1.4 would only be worse there :P

I like my nifty fifty but I'ts a good while since I've used it. I have 24-200 covered on various lenses at 2.8 the whole way, the focus on the 50 is roughly the same (very impressive for a 90 euro lens vs 1500-2000) or slightly worse than my other lenses. I find that 1.8 is unnecessary for most practical situations. Most people who buy a faster lens than 1.8 are just reinforcing the misconception that faster lens = better. There's pretty much no reason to drop that much money on the 1.2 when you can get a 1.8 for a tenth of the price. Deal.

petercox

Prime lenses are generally sharper because they only have to do one thing well - a zoom lens is sort of a 'jack of all trades, master of none' because it has to perform well at every focal length between it's shortest and longest focal length.

A prime lens only has to perform well at one focal length.

Technique is always the primary concern in image sharpness. It doesn't matter how good your lens is, if your technique is sloppy you'll get images that are not sharp. If you have a poor quality lens and poor technique you're worse off, but a top quality lens and poor technique is almost as bad.

The most important factor is a solid tripod and knowing how to use it well. After that, using the optimal aperture for the lens will give you that little bit extra.

Here's one of my favourite images made with my Minolta 58mm f/1.2 - it's replaced my Canon 50mm f/1.8.



Cheers,
Peter

Anouilh

This gives a list of reminders:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5591039_sharp-crisp-photos-dslr-camera.html

I often forget to use manual focusing rather than automatic in very low light settings. Sometimes the AF in the 50mm hunts a lot and the only way to over-ride this is to change to MF.

It can mean the difference between having a photo and none.

petercox

One of the crucial mistakes many people make is to use manual focus instead of auto. Modern cameras are not designed with manual focus in mind, and you simply cannot see well enough in the viewfinder to determine if the image is actually sharp.

You can see if it's close, but you can't tell the difference between 'almost sharp' and 'sharp'. Autofocus, if it's working at all, will give you a sharper result.

Now, if your camera has live view, and you're working on a tripod, you can usually do as well or better than autofocus - if you magnify the live view to 5x or greater.

If you can't do that, then use autofocus wherever possible.

Peter

Anouilh

This may look like a very sad attempt, but it took several shots, all MF, before I could get it almost right.





The ceiling was so black that the eye could not discern the patterns, notably the illusion of a coupola. I did not dare choose less than f2 because the patterns would dissolve totally.

In AF the camera just would not read the subject, so I made the best of it.

Any suggestions on how to improve with such dark ceilings would be very welcome indeed.

petercox

You can do a couple of things. A strong torchlight on the thing you want to focus on, autofocus on the light, switch to manual focus and turn off the light, make your exposure (obviously not touching the focus ring).

Otherwise, use live view, although this scene was probably so dark that even at max. ISO live view wouldn't show you an image.

Cheers,
Peter