35mm vs 50mm on 550D

Shumbalicious

Shumbalicious

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Jason
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Hi there I've recently been searching all corners of the internet for a Mk1 50mm f/1.8 EF lens for my 550D.

However recently I was told that for my "body" a 35mm would be better?

Can someone give me a quick breakdown or short points as to why it would be (if it is at all) so I can do some more research on it myself :)

Thanks

Jason
 
The obvious difference is focal lenght, on a crop body 50mm actually offers an 80mm field of view where as 35mm offers a 56mm field of view. What do you want to use it for? I'd say the 35mm is probabley better suited to a general purpose normal lens while the 50mm might make for a better portrait lens.

General opinion seems to be that the 35mm f/2 is sharper wide open than the 50mm f/1.8 aswell.
 
Thanks for the quick reply,

I just want to keep it as a general purpose lens, street photography, some light portraiture, holiday snaps etc etc

I keep hearing about "nifty fifties" but nothing about 35mm

So since I have a crop body if I want a lens that is close to what the human eye can see I should go for a 35mm?

Another factor is the price, at that price the 35mm f/2 will be up against a 50mm f/1.4

I'm just a broke student atm hahha
 
I've just purchased the sigma 30mm f1.4 for my 550d and it's bloody excellent! It's more of a all General lens on a crop than the 50mm.
 
IMO the Canon 35mm f/2 is better than both Canons 50mm (f/1.8 and f/1.4) in terms of sharpness, colour rendition and contrast but can be prone to flair (hood solves that).

Personally, I find 35mm far more useable on a crop too, though thats not to say I don't find my 50mm useable, just that I use the 35mm a lot more.
 
Again, appreciate the replies guys :D

I will seriously be considering a 35mm now, although I think the DoP of the 50mm looks much nicer, better "bokeh".

Might get both in the end who knows =)
 
I always found my 50 was a bit too long on my 550D or 7D. When I bought a 5D2 it was as if I'd bought a new lens with it. It goes perfectly with a FF body and I use it a lot now on my 5D3, but I doubt it'll ever get on my 60D unless in exceptional circumstances.
 
I love to use 50mm on my 5D which has a bigger sensor so if I was you I would choose the 35mm !
 
Actually, there are not much difference between them. I prefer the 50mm because of its price and it also provide better bokeh as well.

You need wider angle? Two steps back please.

If you buy the 35mm, you might need the 85mm in the future for portrait shooting which cost a lots. If you're already own a 50mm lens, you do not need 35mm and 85mm neither .
 
tester777 said:
Actually, there are not much difference between them. I prefer the 50mm because of its price and it also provide better bokeh as well.

You need wider angle? Two steps back please.

If you buy the 35mm, you might need the 85mm in the future for portrait shooting which cost a lots. If you're already own a 50mm lens, you do not need 35mm and 85mm neither .
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Two steps back will not change the angle of view and I don't agree that having a 50mm would make a 35mm and a 85mm lens redundant either (for the same reason).

It's old advice, but in respect of focal length, the OP could leave their current lens (I presume it is a standard zoom lens) at 35mm for a day and see how it feels - and try the same at 50mm to see the difference.
 
tester777 said:
Actually, there are not much difference between them. I prefer the 50mm because of its price and it also provide better bokeh as well.

You need wider angle? Two steps back please.

If you buy the 35mm, you might need the 85mm in the future for portrait shooting which cost a lots. If you're already own a 50mm lens, you do not need 35mm and 85mm neither .
Click to expand...

Two steps back? Try twenty then you're about there.

To say if you have a 50mm you dont need a 35 or 85mm is simply ridiculous. I have a 35mm, 50mm and 85mm. They all have their own uses but the 35mm I prefer especially for portraits.
 
Ahh some mixed responses here, but the general consensus is to go for a 35mm.

Argh so confusing trying to buy equipment haha! The real temptation for a 50mm is the price and DOP, is it really bad if I went ahead and got one? Does anyone have any real life experience with shooting with a 50mm as a walk around lens that they can share (good or bad)?
 
You don't need to ask for second-hand real-life experience of walking around with a 50mm lens - assuming that you have a standard zoom now, you can do it yourself. DOF aside, I suggest that you walk around with your current lens set to 50mm (use tape to hold it there if you have to) and also set it to 35mm and walk around with it - see how it feels and see which you feel meets your needs most. Remember that with the prime, you'll (most likely) have an extra stop or two of aperture over your zoom.

Both prime lenses will give a reasonable amount of bokeh (and I dare say that your current lens doesn't do a bad job either) - so I don't think you'll be dissapointed by a lack of bokeh if you don't get the 50mm.

After trying focal lengths of 50mm only and 35mm only (and bear in mind that the cost of the 50mm lens is going to be a big chunk of the cost of a 35mm lens), you might be in a better position to determine whether it would be "really bad if you went ahead and got one (50mm)".
 
I have both the 50mm F1.8 and 85mm F1.8, I would happily walk around with the 50mm on all day, it just works really well for something so damn cheap..
I like the extra reach on the 85mm for head & shoulders portraits and general short telephoto work where in the old days you would use a 135mm (it actually works out at 136mm with the crop factor).

I would go as far as to say if your going to limit me to owning just two out of the lenses I own then I'll keep those two lenses please.

Finally there is the price factor, what have you got to lose by trying the nifty fifty? buy one from Kelso on here as he is about the cheapest in the country, if you dont like it you can sell it and make very little loss on it.
 
Yeah I will walk around for a day with my kit lens set to 35mm and 50mm to see what's what! :D

iancandler is Kelso the full username? I will have to pm him as I don't have the privilege of viewing the sale section yet :(
 
It really depends on your style. Believe it or not I use my 60mm macro as my walk about along side sigma 17-50 which I only use when i need a larger view. As some one mentioned you really have to try them yourself and pick what you like.
 
I bought the 50mm 1.4 .... and I love the lens, but its just too long for indoor use really .... taking pictures of my little girl, unless I want just her head, or half of her head, I need to be the entire length of the room just to get a full body shot ... I am now looking at an additional lens just to capture her with .... but with the price of fast primes, I think I might just compramise and go for a 17-50 2.8
 
I have a Nikon f1.4 50mm - one of the wonderful old metal bodied ones with smooth manual focus - that I sometimes use on my 30D with an adapter, but it's far too long as a walk about/general purpose lens on a crop body.

The f1.8 50mm Mk11 (the Mk 1 is getting harder to find now) does give you a very cheap entry into the world of fast primes, but the same criticism applies. Something in the 30 - 35mm range suits me far better.
 
Do you have a standard zoom? If so, set it to 35mm and 50mm and look at the field of view you get. also look through your pictures and see which focal length you use most often. Closer to 35, get a 35mm, closer to 50mm, get a 50mm.

It also seems like you are confusing depth of field for "bokeh". I suggest you read up about depth of field to gain further understanding. The "bokeh" on the 50mm f1.8 certainly isn't nice, just easier to obtain because of the extremely small depth of field that can be obtained with the lens wide opne.
 
Just to add a bit more confusion I really rate the 24mm f2.8 as a good allround lens on a crop frame camera, 38.5mm equivalent on full frame which was about the focal length of many fixed lens cameras from the old days. OK its an older design but small and light, relatively cheap and much sharper than the kit lenses. Makes you move around a bit and is on the wider end of standard. My most used focal length at the moment is a 35mm on a full frame camera. Worth considering.
 
menthel said:
It also seems like you are confusing depth of field for "bokeh". I suggest you read up about depth of field to gain further understanding. The "bokeh" on the 50mm f1.8 certainly isn't nice, just easier to obtain because of the extremely small depth of field that can be obtained with the lens wide opne.
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Sorry I always assumed a shallow depth of field = bokeh since bokeh is blur lol.

I've been walking around these past few days shooting at 35mm and 50(ish)mm on my kit lens and it might just be me but it seems like 50mm is closer to what the eye sees?
 
Shumbalicious said:
Sorry I always assumed a shallow depth of field = bokeh since bokeh is blur lol.

I've been walking around these past few days shooting at 35mm and 50(ish)mm on my kit lens and it might just be me but it seems like 50mm is closer to what the eye sees?
Click to expand...

It may look that way for you, but 35mm is far closer to what your eyes see! I find 50mm on a crop quite long.
 
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