"Thrifty Fifty" shots.

[JeffR]

Picked up a Canon 50mm f/1.8 last week because it seemed stupid not to have one considering the price. Got a chance to try it out yesterday and came away impressed. Probably won't ever use it much, but nice to have. Has anyone used this as a portrait lens? I'm shooting a roast of a wildly popular former mayor next week and thought this lens might come in handy for a few posed shots or candids.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. I have never had one, but considered

getting one the other day. They are sharp for sure. Depends on your personal aesthetic, I suppose. For me, they do not distort reality enough.

[JeffR]

2. Interesting point

and I don't disagree about that. There's something very "bread and butter" about what this lens brings back. But I haven't walked around with a prime of this range for years and it was an instructive reminder of how lazy zooms have made me. Quality vs. cost on this was what made me decide to get it, based on what I'd read and examples I'd seen. If it spends most of the time untouched in the bag, that may be just as well since the build quality is so flimsy. But the optics are really impressive.

[NV Whino]

3. I can only speak from a Nikon point of view, but 50 is 50 I guess

The 50 mm I had for my old F5 was my mainstay lens. Beautiful, beautiful lens.The 50 may be the "ultimate" lens. I found, however, for portraits, I liked the 135 mm.

I think if you are a particular type of person (bold, not afraid to get up close and personal) and want to shoot a particular type of portrait (sharp, hard-edged, gritty), the 50 works great. The sharpness, the clarity all goes toward producing an excellent photograph. But, it is slightly intrusive. People tend to freeze up when you are that close. The 135 allows your subject a little personal space and that in turn allows the person to relax more. It, at least the one I had, was a little softer focus, which also enhanced the portraits I was shooting at the time.

Just my two pennies.

Those shots are beautiful and only confirm my statements above about the 50.

[JeffR]

4. Thanks for your comments!

Shooting people is something I'm not too comfortable with. There'll be two former mayors and the current mayor at this event. I can only assume they're so used to having their pictures taken that I'll get opportunities to get up close without causing them any angst. But I'll definitely have a variety of lenses on hand.

From what I've read, the Nikon 50 is even better than the Canon.

[ConsAreLiars]

5. Remember that a cropped 50mm shot is the same as a full frame telephoto

is all respects except the maximum level of detail possible. In practice, the shots you get by cropping a hand held 50/1.8 are probably about as sharp as a 135/3.5 under low light conditions.

[JeffR]

9. Thanks. That's good advice.

:hi:

[soup]

6. The 50mm is the other lens I got with my new camera.

Didn't even buy a filter for it, figuring it'd be just as cheap to replace the lens if / when anything went wrong.

Used it a bit the first day I had the camera. But I'm so in love with the 24-105, it might take a crowbar (or the photos you posted above) to change it out.

I can sure see why you'd say zoom lenses can make a person lazy. My excuse (reasoning?) has been there's so much to learn about using the camera itself, tossing 'which lens do I use?' into the mix fresh out of the box might be more than my tired old brain could handle. But then again, I made the move to a changeable lens camera to expand possibilities, so go figure. Guess it's just gonna take some time.

For what it's worth -
In my vast experience (of about 1/2 of an hour on the first day and absolutely no clue) -

I took shots of our son, various grandchildren and the dog. Indoors, hand-held, late afternoon available light only. It could be the light, the quick drop-off, or the love factor, but if you're looking for a gentle, intimate, up close and personal portrait, give it a shot. (HA! Oh, yes I did.) :D

I know it's too dark, but here's one. No processing, just resized

Oh, how I love this child - grubby face, runny nose and all:


Sorry to run on.
Thanks for opening this discussion and your photos. After seeing them, and reading the other responses, it really broadens the probability of the 50 seeing daylight again.

[JeffR]

10. That's an irresistable portrait.

Of course, I can understand how the 24-105 would be the go-to over the 50! But this is a great shot, proving that the 50 can be of some use for people shots. Thanks!

[DS1]

7. I liked mine on my full-frame sensor, on a crop-sensor it felt too tight

in many places. I have to sending it in to Canon after the focus ring broke/froze. However, my next lens is without a doubt the 24-70mm2.8L

Which has 50 in the range, obviously.

[Blue_In_AK]

8. That's a nice lens...

I've been really loving mine especially on the 5D

[mth44sc]

11. OK this is all your fault

I joined the thrifty fifty club

[JeffR]

12. Now that there's a gorgeous portrait!

Fine photo of a beautiful dog.

[Whoa_Nelly]

13. Where did you get my dog?????

Your pooch looks A LOT like my old dog, Flip (1960-1977)
He was an airedale mix

[Maestro]

14. This lens shoudl be in every Canon shooters'

bag. Great shots. I especially like the stairs.