Canon 50mm f1.8 lens - best use of?

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RegG

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Hi everyone,

This is my first post in a while but I do keep visit the forum regularly and have found it very useful as a relative newbie to photography.

I was bought a 50mm f1.8 lens at Christmas (for use with my Canon 400D) and have just had the chance to get it out and have a play. I note a lot of people on here swear by the lens but I am finding it awkward to use having mainly used the 18-55mm lens that came with the camera.

It may be a stupid question but what is this lens best used for?

Thanks in anticipation :thumbs:
 
When I got my Minolta 50mm the first thing I did was chuck it on and not take it off for a week an went out trying to take images of stuff I'd normally shoot. Just to get used to having to think a bit more about how best to use it.

Now it's my favourite lens by far!
 
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When I could get out and about a 50m prime was on my camera the majority of the time, if I could get out now I know I could happily go out around a town with just the 50mm on.

Currently I mainly use mine for portraits
 
there are three areas where the nifty will be preferable to the kit lens

a) in low light - being an f1.8 lens it gathers 4xs as much light as the f5.6 kit lens so if you are shooting inside a dimly lit building like a church, ruin etc it will enable your AF to work much more effectively

b) where you want a very small depth of field - the ability to stop down to f1.8 offers much more scope for the artistic use of DoF to seperate subjects from an untidy background

c) where discretion is the better part of valour - it is smaller and less conspicuous than most canon lenses , so for example shooting from the hip for street candids it will attact less attention.
 
If you're looking for inspiration on where to use it and what to use it for you could have a look at the image pool of the Flickr group dedicated to the lens.
You can find that here.
 
I must admit I found it difficult to get used to at first but only because it's fixed at what the full zoom of the kit lens (a bit further in reality) so I tried to fit all sorts into the frame but found that I couldn't.

Now I'm used to it I think it's a great lens, good low light ability, bokeh and incredibly sharp. However for things like landscapes the kit lens is still better.
 
as everyone else has said but I would add, try sticking with the 50 1.8 for some time as if this situation was reversed you would see why everyone loves the 50 1.8
Often the lack of ability to zoom makes people feel stuck. you can learn to absoultely love that lens if you give it a chance.
 
The thing is, you are using on a crop sensor so it is actually about 80mm since 400D has a 1.6 crop factor.
At this kind of focal length, its best for portraits even in low light situations because of the wide f1.8 aperture.
 
RegG said:
It may be a stupid question but what is this lens best used for?
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It's most valued use is as a very cheap introduction to prime lenses and the advantages (speed) that they offer.

Personally, I find it too long for everyday use and too short for portraits with an APS-C sensor. My 50mm sits unloved in my camera bag since I bought a 30mm some time ago. I was too often seeing the shot, lifting the camera and having to take three steps backwards with the 50mm. With the 30mm I can see the shot, lift the camera and it's framed as I saw it.

Reg, what is it about the lens that you find difficult? - the lack of zoom, or the focal length the lens is fixed at?
 
Alastair said:
Personally, I find it too long for everyday use and too short for portraits with an APS-C sensor. My 50mm sits unloved in my camera bag since I bought a 30mm some time ago. I was too often seeing the shot, lifting the camera and having to take three steps backwards with the 50mm. With the 30mm I can see the shot, lift the camera and it's framed as I saw it
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I have precisely the same problem, albeit I don't have a fixed 30mm. I've been considering one for a while, I have a Tamron 17-50 f2.8 which is almost on a par with the 50mm which I end up using simply for the income advantageous focal length :shrug:
 
I have a 50mm and a 30mm for exactly the reasons above
on film cameras 50mm was the standard lens, which is equiv to 30mm ish, on a cropped sensor.
I love my 30mm for low light group shots, the 50mm is a great portrait lens.
use it as a challenge rather than a hindrance

for example, so out with it and think, how can I make this shot work with only 1 focal length...then how can I make it more interesting with a f1.8 prime.
then think....what shots can I take with the 50mm at which the 18-55 kit lens would let me down. local musicians in your pub are a good one for this I think
 
wibbly said:
I have precisely the same problem, albeit I don't have a fixed 30mm. I've been considering one for a while
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The Sigma 30mm isa cracking lens. So much so I have been seriously considering selling up every lens in the digital bag except my 30mm and 10-20mm to fund the Sigma 85mm. Between these three lenses I could cover 99% of everything I enjoy photographing. And a 14mm rectilinear would probably do 80% of what I shoot with the 10-20mm.
 
Thanks to everyone for the replies, advice and experiences with this lens. I think I really need to keep it on the camera for a week or so and have a really good play with it, as suggested. I have found it strange not to have the zoom facility but think I will soon get used to this. As has been pointed out, it is great in low light and also for portraits.

As my dear old dad used to tell me, 'If at first you dont succeed, try and try again'!

Thanks again to everyone. :thumbs:
 
Alastair said:
Personally, I find it too long for everyday use and too short for portraits with an APS-C sensor. My 50mm sits unloved in my camera bag since I bought a 30mm some time ago. I was too often seeing the shot, lifting the camera and having to take three steps backwards with the 50mm. With the 30mm I can see the shot, lift the camera and it's framed as I saw it.
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Exactly my feelings, I've never been that enthused by the 50mm on crop. For the proper "50 experience" on crop a 30mm or 35mm is better, for a prime portrait lens the 85mm is better. The 50mm just seems to fall between the 2 and do neither job as well.

I suppose its only real advantage is the fact it's much cheaper than the alternatives for those on a tight budget or just starting out with primes.
 
Alastair said:
The Sigma 30mm is a cracking lens. So much so I have been seriously considering selling up every lens in the digital bag except my 30mm and 10-20mm to fund the Sigma 85mm.
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It is tempting to go that way, I do have a severe itch to scratch for a 70-200m as I'd like that extra length (obviously making up for something) :lol:

RegG said:
Thanks to everyone for the replies, advice and experiences with this lens. I think I really need to keep it on the camera for a week or so and have a really good play with it, as suggested. I have found it strange not to have the zoom facility but think I will soon get used to this. As has been pointed out, it is great in low light and also for portraits.
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That's the ticket Reg, it is a cracking little lens capable of some stunning images, I think you just have to work round the length and how to best use it occasionally.

A zoom lens is just so much more flexible, however a step forward or back is simple enough :)
 
wibbly said:
It is tempting to go that way, I do have a severe itch to scratch for a 70-200m as I'd like that extra length (obviously making up for something) :lol:
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That's the one medium-long zoom that tempts me.

For me, having a zoom in the bag is a bit like carrying around a shotgun in a video game. You regret the weight and the slow speed, but you just know that on those occasions when you find yourself facing with a zombie it's your weapon of choice.
 
As others have said, stick the 50mm on your camera and force yourself to only that lens for a while. You'll quickly see the difference between how you shoot with the prime compared to the zoom.

Zooms offer versality but you can't beat a good prime for quality.
 
WilsonWan said:
The thing is, you are using on a crop sensor so it is actually about 80mm since 400D has a 1.6 crop factor.
At this kind of focal length, its best for portraits even in low light situations because of the wide f1.8 aperture.
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No. It's still a 50mm. Have a read of this.
 
onona said:
No point in arguing semantics; the fact is that a 50mm lens on a crop factor camera does not behave the way it does on a full frame.
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If you read the article you'll see that's what I'm pointing out.
 
WilsonWan said:
I see what you mean by its still 50mm but if it's crop then my point will still be valid" on a DX camera that lens does best at portraits, no?
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You get the field of view of an 80mm but you lose some of the benefits of the F1.8. This article will explain it better than I could.

Maybe it is arguing semantics but it's an important point to understand.
 
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