What is the point of the 50mm "nifty fifty" prime lens?

biggreyhorse said:
Its a good cheap lens that has been developed over many years and gives very good optics at a very low price.
"I found a fixed focal length annoying to use, having to constantly shuffle about to get the right composition" made me laugh, all part of taking good photos IMHO.

Lots buy it because of the price, it can produce very sharp images for very little money.
Dont you ever shoot family members ???
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lol, ditto! better not mention the 1.4 version to the OP, the DoF would drive him insane.

I love the nifty, i think its the best lens made by canon on a £ for £ comparison. It was my first lens for my 350d and i love it still. I took it to a recent church wedding and it helped me out in a tricky dimly lit area.

I love the nifty due to shots like this...

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I personally love it, I have learnt so much from the lens in question
 
Tony Tedeschi said:
The Fifty sorts out the Photographers from the Amateurs.
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Crock

Some people need to wind their necks in a bit, if the OP doesn't like a lens you love then that's their perogative. It's also slightly irrelevant comparing your much more expensive 1.2s and 1.4s to the budget 1.7/1.8 the OP is talking about. Yes the focal length is the same but the IQ isn't going to be after all you've got to be paying the extra for something.

I had one, never used it, thought it was an odd length on a 1.5crop body and flogged it on. The only reason I wish I'd kept it is the fact it's worth more now than when I sold it.

24mm 2.8, much better lens;)
 
The Canon "Nifty Fifty" has remarkably good IQ, and shoddy build quality, but it's about the cheapest way to get a fast prime.

I've used the Fifty, but never bought one, and probably won't, because I don't have any use for an 80mm equivalent lens. It's either too long or too short for me. I do have an old 50mm AI Nikkor F1.4 that I use on an F2 and FM, and I love the 50mm on them, but my DSLR is a 30D crop body.
 
This thread has forced me to get my 50 out again. I love it, more so than my 30mm 1.8, but it doesn't get as much use as I can only manually focus with mine on my D60. I mainly shoot studio portraits so manual focus isn't ideal. I'm getting a D90 in the next couple of weeks so will be able to AF with it, when I do it'll be the most used lens without a doubt.
 
I use my 50mm loads, on a D300 so a crop sensor too. Love the depth of field, the fact it is super sharp. It also makes me think more when I am out and about with the camera.
 
I dont use it that much , but do find it very handy sometimes. For example its perfect for taking pics of my tropical fish.
Pete
 
The 50mm F1.8 was the first lens I bought after I got my 40D with the 17-85 kit lens. I could use a 50mm focal length with that, so why did I buy it? To play with the depth of field and because it was cheap! And... I'd seen examples of pictures I just couldn't take with my kit lens.

I remember being amazed by the first few pictures I took with it, both in terms of sharpness and DoF. It opened up my eyes. I bet many others who bought this as their 1st 'second lens' experienced the same thing. I didn't want to use my soft, slow kit lens after that!

I've since got the F2.8 24-70L. I have to admit, I love it, but I'm keeping the nifty. If the light is low, I know i've got the option of F1.8 in the bag, so for that reason it's just not worth selling! One day I might swap it for the F1.4 if I find I need the speed, and because the background blur on the F1.8 can be a bit ugly (pentagons instead of circles).

Just my thoughts.
 
Rooster said:
...while it's a nice sharp lens if you're on a budget, I can't see much point in it if you have L class glass or equivalent.
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But that's the point - if you can afford L class glass then you're not really the target market for the 1.8 50mm. If you had a Need/Use for it then you'd probably have swapped it for a 1.4 or 1.2L. As you haven't, it's simple - sell it on to someone who might make good use of it.

For myself - I was sort of brought up on 35mm film cameras and fast 50mm lenses, so it was a no-brainer when I bought a EOS-3 film camera to get the nifty fifty - it does great service on the film camera, and comes in handy for low light stuff on the 450D as well. Great value for money for my use!
 
Flash In The Pan said:
I've been saying that exact same thing for years -
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I'm another heretic but acknowledge that's because it doesn't fit in with my photographic subjects/style/needs. I sold mine after it basically sat idle in my bag for ~10 years.
I'm not against people buying 1 if it suits theirs but I do object when a new user asking advice for a new/2nd lens is automatically told to get a "nifty fifty" without any apparent consideration of what they actually shoot/need.
 
Ok, some food for thought there. I was out walking for miles with my 5D and big zoom lens yesterday and would have appreciated the size and weight of the 50mm so I might discipline myself to use only that for a while. My reasoning for buying it was mostly for low-light conditions but I find my current camera and lenses handle that fine even with a max f/4 aperture. I'll give it another go and if I can't be doing with it I'll sell it on. Thanks for the comments.
 
I have to admit mine doesn't get used much...BUT...when you want to travel light it's a total winner...

I went to Paris a fortnight ago, ummed and ahhed about taking my D700 but really didn't want to miss the opportunity so just took the 50mm. Ok, so it doesn't turn it into a pocket camera but for carrying round all day it was fine - and I got these shots out of it.

Again, at my brother's wedding I was Best Man and was dying to take my camera along but knew the 24-70 and SB-600 on top would simply not be practical. So it was the 50mm all day, no flash, high ISO, away you go...got this set here.

It's a decent lens at a decent price. It can be slow to AF and can be restrictive in certain situations but as part of the bag kit, and for certain environments it's invaluable IMHO.
 
Another lightweight and versatile option (though manual focus) is to pair it with an old Vivitar 2x macro teleconverter, giving you a fast 100mm macro lens that'll focus to infinity.
 
My first additional lens was an old Minolta 50mm f/1.7. Cracking lens and it still gets FREQUENT use. I love depth of field and I love Bokeh in my images.

For taking pictures with a subject it's a fantastic lens, animals for example:

3881140197_894e33c9c1.jpg


Subject is sharp and clear, background is well out of focus and loads of nice bokeh.

Once you start playing with depth of field, especially at f/1.7 then you're onto a winner. Technically, the pictures aren't the best.... but it was amazing playing around with the depth of field, giving simple pictures a lot more about them:

Even a pan of green beans!

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or something so simple like this!

3682771334_1c75e40cb3.jpg
 
Rooster said:
Ok, some food for thought there. I was out walking for miles with my 5D and big zoom lens yesterday and would have appreciated the size and weight of the 50mm so I might discipline myself to use only that for a while. My reasoning for buying it was mostly for low-light conditions but I find my current camera and lenses handle that fine even with a max f/4 aperture. I'll give it another go and if I can't be doing with it I'll sell it on. Thanks for the comments.
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So a 5D and big zoom? What were you taking pictures of? If wildlife, then I can't see a 50mm being a replacement?
 
so which 50mm is best for a relative n00b?

the canon 1.2 / 1.4 or 1/8
or a sigma?
 
When I go away I often take just my D40 and a 50mm as a challenge. The only real drawback is the lack of autofocus but its not an insurmountable problem. This setup is way better than hauling the D300 and a huge sack of glass.
 
Seems to form a contrasting opinion this lens. I think one of the reasons is because it is a much loved lens with great optics for such small outlay. This creates a hype and people buy one often with it being their first/only prime expecting it to be a highly usable lens. Well it's a 50mm prime is what it is. It's very small and lightweight, razor sharp for £80 and very fast (f1.8). There are all manner of things you can do with this lens. You could argue that any fixed length prime is not particularly useful, but it depends on the situation. Most find it a good experience as it does teach you to turn your attention to good framing/composition when you have to zoom with your feet.
 
i use my 50mm more than any other lens i have. i've found that i'm only ever getting the 55-250mm out if i want to take nature shots.

how often i use my lenses: 50mm 1.8 > 18-55mm kit > 55-250mm.

cracking lens for the price. i'd never be able to take some of the pictures i've taken without one. it makes you think about your composition and your positioning.



 
This is the point of a Nifty Fifty. "Nothing else compares"......for the price

IMG_8726.jpg
 
How much difference is there between the canon f1.4 and 1.8? Obviously there is the difference in aperture,but the 1.4 costs a fortune so how come it is so much more than the 1.8? Also how much difference is there between 1.4 and 1.8 apertures?
 
Byker28i said:
So a 5D and big zoom? What were you taking pictures of? If wildlife, then I can't see a 50mm being a replacement?
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Landscapes. I was using the 24-105mm at 24mm on a full-size sensor. But there was the possibility of red squirrels so the zoom would be handy.
 
The 1.4 is nearly a stop faster, has much better bokeh, FTM focusing, USM and better build basically.
 
Received mine from Kerso (Ian) the other day and very impressed at the moment although haven't had a real chance to take loads of pics. Will post some soon.

My reason for buying one is my main subjects are my kids. The ideal budget lens for portrait apparently.

I'm not really sure why the OP bought the lens in the first place.? Maybe he didnt know his intentions or future of his photography.? But it seems he bought it on recommendations. If thats the case surely a bit more research in to its capabilities or optimum performance range etc should have been done.?
To me that seems like going to buy a car that has been recommended to you when you dont have a driving licence or have no intentions of getting one.! A bit pointless..!

I hope the OP doesnt take offence to this, its just my thoughts and i am a little confused as to why you bought it.?
 
i owned a nikon 50mm 1.8 for about 12 weeks. i only sold it last week. As a newbie i must admit that i bought it out of curiosity more than anything.

What this lens did for me was to open my eyes to the image quality produced by a prime lenes and large apertures. Playing with the lens has given me a help along understanding Dof, aperture etc.

i dont regret it . i maybe lost out on £30 or so, but it was well spent.

i went out and bought a 35mm 1.8 which i adore and the focal distance seem to suit me better, and i'm saving my pocket money for the 24-70 f2.8 zoom.

everyone should try one, if you like it keep it , if you dont then sell it on. either way you'll not regret it .

Al
 
Prime lenses will pretty much always produce higher quality images than a zoom of the same length.

I love using my 50mm for landscapes and portraits and I use it as my standard walkabout lens, there are sometimes when I've wished I had a wider lens (when on 1.6x crop), but I just changed the composition a bit.

I went for the f1.4 version, but if I was doing it again, I'd probably go for the cheaper version and use the extra money for another prime lens, probably an 85mm f1.8 or a macro lens.
 
VinnyB said:
Received mine from Kerso (Ian) the other day and very impressed at the moment although haven't had a real chance to take loads of pics. Will post some soon.

My reason for buying one is my main subjects are my kids. The ideal budget lens for portrait apparently.

I'm not really sure why the OP bought the lens in the first place.? Maybe he didnt know his intentions or future of his photography.? But it seems he bought it on recommendations. If thats the case surely a bit more research in to its capabilities or optimum performance range etc should have been done.?
To me that seems like going to buy a car that has been recommended to you when you dont have a driving licence or have no intentions of getting one.! A bit pointless..!

I hope the OP doesnt take offence to this, its just my thoughts and i am a little confused as to why you bought it.?
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I bought it for the following reasons:

1) I knew little about photography at the time and it was urgently recommended to me.
2) Low-light capability.
3) Sharpness. I bought it for my 450D and didn't have L class lenses at the time.
4) I wanted a new toy and it was cheap.

I don't regret buying it really, it's a lovely little lens, just haven't worked out how I will use it unless I start doing portraits. Until then it's so light and small it can just sit harmlessly in my camera pack until needed.
 
I have the 50 f1.8 and love it, doesn't get used as much as it should but I think it is a very creative lens and great fun indoors or on darker days.

:banana::banana: Nifty Fifty :banana::banana:
 
I tried the canon 1.8 or a few weeks and then decided on the 30mm sigma.
I loved that lens, for around a year all I had was a 30mm & a 70-200 f2.8.

Now I have gone FF I have a 24-70 f2.8 thats hardly ever off the camera, but I am toying with the idea of a 50mm to give me the same focal length
 
mgdaviso said:
so which 50mm is best for a relative n00b?

the canon 1.2 / 1.4 or 1/8
or a sigma?
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for price, then the 1.8, currently being sold through here for £70 - I've just ordered one myself. I'm looking forward to playing. I've got myself a little project idea and if I pull it off, I'll post some of them up here.

I've had my DSLR since December, and I still consider myself a n00b. It's going to be a steep learning curve, but I'm sure it will pay off :lol:
 
I've just bought one after nearly a year of being told 'every canon owner needs the nifty' !

so , as they are cheap enough I bought one.

as the OP, I dont think I will be using mine much. it's a bit long for me. a 28 or 35 might suit me better.

however. it's cheap enough not to worry about, so I'll keep it in the bag for the odd shot, and one day might find a use for it :shrug:

I recently started a 50/50 daily shot challenge.... this has convinced me even more that it's not the lens for me.

I'm just about to get the Canon EF 10-22 which will be 'my choice' after a long hard think about which lens next.
 
This is one of my all time favourite pictures of my daughter.....Of course taken with 50mm 1.8

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It just goes to show the different uses we must put or cameras to. Several folks saying that the 50mm is too long on a crop sensor yet I adore the 85mm f1.8 on my FF! It's absolutely perfect for shooting people and indoors/low light stuff is great fun with it. 85mm is the next "classic" focal length and certainly has it's uses. :) Just depends what you are trying to use it for. :)
 
The f1.8II was my first lens. I wasn't sure about it and wanted nothing more than a "fancy" zoom very quickly. After that the nifty hardly ever found its way onto the camera unless I was indoors shooting the family.

After a while though I decided to go walkabout with it. It's now pretty much permanently on the camera because it's sharp, light, cheap, fast and fun! I now look at shots I couldn't take with my other lenses (can't afford fast L glass) ands enjoy the challenge.

Regarding build quality, I have to agree. There is another way to get a fast prime lens though for little money. Old manual lenses. :)
 
Thinking about getting the nifty fifty as it's so cheap,but I already have the Canon 60mm f2.8 macro lens which I love. Has anyone got both these lenses? Do they cover the same ground (besides the macro functionality) or do you find yourself using them equally?
 
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