50mm primes - convince me!

Andy I don't think it's worth bothering with tbh, 50mm just isn't that useful in urbex. I rarely use mine though I always carry it round hoping one day I'll be able to justify the investment!
 
wack61 said:
I've had the 1.8 and the 1.4


My advice would be buy the 1.8 and spend the money you save on a weekend away to use it

I'm sure others will disagree but I couldn't see any difference between them wide open

The Focused area is so thin at 1.4 it's easy to end up with a duff shot
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I disagree.

I have owned the Nikon 50mm f/1.8D and now own the 50mm F/1.4G. With lots of practice it becomes much easier to nail focus at 1.4 and I love the dof.

The 1.8 was quicker to focus but I wouldn't give up my 1.4 for another 1.8.

I use my 50 f/1.4 more than any other lens, if I only had the option of using one lens this is the one I would use.

For those that are debating which version to buy the general rule of thumb appears to be get the 50mm 1.4/G for full frame and the 50mm 1.8/G for crop, with Nikon anyway.
 
I love my 50 1.4/G it's a fantastic lens. This is just a random shot I took yesterday of a can of coke, taken at 1.4 I love the dof it produces :)

DSC_0150.jpg
 
I sold my 50mm f/1.8 AF-D because A) my 17-55mm is as sharp at 50mm, maybe even sharper, B) I find 50mm a strange focal length to use on a 1.5x sensor, and C) the 35mm f/1.8G seems a better all-round lens for low light shooting.
 
The proof is in the images. I love 50s..

Here's a shot on a 50mm 1.8D one of the cheapest 50mm lenses out there. ( I know the shot is as dull as dishwater but I shoot what I'm paid to shoot sometimes)

Click it and have a good ol' pixel peep.



That's with the boggo 1.8 D version too. The G series are actually noticeably sharper than this. I've just not actually shot much with my G since I got it only a few weeks ago.

Specialman above mentions his 17-55 being as sharp. Maybe on a DX camera where you are only using the centre of the image circle but on a FF camera little beats the edge to edge sharpness of a decent prime.
 
Newbie here. Fascinating thread, clearly a subjective topic. I'd like to play with DoF and like the can of Coke example. Can anyone post a 7D / f1.4 example picture and comment on the combo? Many thanks
 
I find mine too long for a lot of situations. I used it at a party last weekend and struggled for space. The pics I did get were nice and sharp though.

Quite a few though took time to get as the focus was hunting around. Not sure why?
 
Bit of a thread resurrection this guys, as I bought the 1.4G about a month ago! Can't really comment on the results yet, as I've only used it on my film cameras, and I've not had the film processed yet.

Neil - 50mm on a D3100 is quite long for general usage, at a party something like a 35mm or less would be far more useful. I'm guessing that focus hunting was due to the low levels of light?
 
50mm just get out and use it i cant explain why its so good it just is
 
viewfromthenorth said:
Bit of a thread resurrection this guys, as I bought the 1.4G about a month ago! Can't really comment on the results yet, as I've only used it on my film cameras, and I've not had the film processed yet.
Click to expand...

Sorry for the thread resurrection but how were the results with the 1.4G?

I'm currently debating getting a 50mm f/1.4G to go on my D7000. I already have the 35mm f/1.8G but think i'm being seduced by the f/1.4!
 
Cagey75 said:
A 50mm is perfect on FX. The 1.8G is widely regarded as one of the sharpest, yet cheapest new lenses you can get. It's too cheap not to have! I bought one recently, but like others have said, the 24-70 2.8 is just so great I don't see much need to use the 50mm. Where I do like to use it is for portraits of the kids, indoor, ambient lighting. The 1.8 aperture is great for catching as much light as you need, and blurring out distracting backdrops. You have to be critical with your focusing though.

It's a sweet lens. And of course, it weighs hardly anything, so it's also perfect to just stick on your camera, leave the rest at home, and go shoot some street.
Click to expand...

totally agree with this!! i have this combination. I use the 50mm when the 24 - 70mm is just to long to use or my arm needs a break.
 
Funnily enough I shot film for years with the same Nikon E Series 50mm lens as disliked by the OP and always found it a good lens; it's a good general purpose focal length on a film or FF body and the wide aperture on even the cheapest versions can be a godsend (especially when shooting film, where ridiculously high ISO's aren't just a button press away).

These days I have Canon's cheapo 50mm on my crop body and while it's a completely different lens in that context, I still love it - it's the perfect portrait lens as far as I'm concerned. Since these days almost all my pictures are of my two young kids, it's rarely off the camera.
 
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