Nifty fifty

ynot

ynot

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Still quite new to the whole photography game.
Looking at getting a new lens and the 50mm is one that is always being recommended.
But...
Is it worth getting a 50mm lens when i already own a 30mm? Will it give me many more options?

Help and advice is much appreciated.

Cheers
 
50mm - 55mm was considered the "standard" lens back in the film days because it gave more or less the same field of view as the human eye on a 35mm camera. Most of them were quite fast, and some were extremely fast.

With digital, it depends whether you're using a full frame body or a crop body. Full frame bodies have the same field of view as 35mm film cameras, with the same lenses, for all practical purposes. They're becoming more popular but are still expensive, and many (most?) of us use crop bodies. Most of them have a 1.5 or 1.6 crop factor, so a 50mm lens gives you a field of view equivalent to 75mm - 80mm, which is getting into short telephoto range.

The Nifty Fifty usually refers to the Canon f1.8 50mm. I've used it, but don't own it. The lens is cheap, and a lot of people think its fantastic value because it's fast and produces good results, but the build quality is very poor. The older Mk1 had a metal lens mount, but the current model is plastic.

Up to you really. Some people use it as a portrait lens, but I don't have any need for an 80mm lens. Too long, or too short, for my purposes. OTOH, it does get you a fast prime for an almost disposable price.
 
I have recently acquired a 50mm for my Nikon DSLR and am delighted with it. It gives nice sharp shots and isn't too dear to buy. The quality seems OK to me.

I did these recently with it (note that I am definitely not a pro) as a test
http://kathermans.smugmug.com/Other/Raya-test-photos/9769917_FoQ6U

I don't know about the comparison to the 30mm but I like the "range" on the 50 as one has to be relatively close but not TOO close.
 
they focal length is only a few foot difference. however the 50mm will give a nicer perspective, whereas the 30mm will have a wide perspective for a picture, which is why no one would use a 30mm for portraits for example because it would widen the face and would show up little nick nacks
 
Never mind your poncey nifty-fifties - the Dirty-Thirty (-Five) was always my favourite as it corresponded more with my idea of a normal angle of view than the 50 did...
The only lens I bought for my Leica M6 was the Summicron 35mm f/2 and it was all i needed back in the day...

For portraits you're really better off with a focal length greater than 85mm - 100-150mm is best IMO - I use a 24-70mm as my standard lens now and to be honest even at 70 it's a bit too wide for flattering portraits of the kind I'm called upon to do. Usually i'll use the 70-200 instead...
 
I bought a Nikon 50mm f1.8 a couple of months ago, its hardly been off my camera since.
 
My mate has the siggy 30mm.
I have the 50mm f1.4 d

I think his had nicer bokeh. A lot smoother. But it is also a lot wider.
I used his on my d300 and mine on the d300. The flickr link below gives an idea how good the lens is.

Prices are about 200 for the 50mm new and 300 for the 30mm siggy

if you can, borrow and use for a day. Or meet up with people with the lenses to try both.
 
I recently bought the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM, very happy with it so far. Considering its little brother Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM or something similar for indoor group shots or maybe something wider.
 
The Sigma 30 f/1.4 is an excellent lens if you get a good copy. If you think you want a longer prime lens to complement this, I would advise looking at the 85 or 135 focal lengths before you consider a 50.

To get the same field of view with a 30 prime as a 50 prime, all you need to do is step a little bit forward.
 
New to Photography myself, and other than my kit lens, a Nifty Fifty was my first lens.

Love it!
 
Arkady said:
Never mind your poncey nifty-fifties - the Dirty-Thirty (-Five) was always my favourite as it corresponded more with my idea of a normal angle of view than the 50 did...
The only lens I bought for my Leica M6 was the Summicron 35mm f/2 and it was all i needed back in the day...

For portraits you're really better off with a focal length greater than 85mm - 100-150mm is best IMO - I use a 24-70mm as my standard lens now and to be honest even at 70 it's a bit too wide for flattering portraits of the kind I'm called upon to do. Usually i'll use the 70-200 instead...
Click to expand...

:plusone:

The price of the 50/1.8s make them very tempting but as you already have a 30, I'd save a bit more and get something longer and 'more different'.

I didn't notice which body you have but there are versions of the Tamron 90 with and without in-body motors -- I haven't used this lens as I have a few Nikons around this focal length but the Tamron has a very good reputation and would also give you a nice macro lens.
 
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