If you have been taking photos for a while with your kit lens, or any lens for that matter, you may have a particular lens or particular focal length which you either like to use or actually have used for the majority of your images. You might say: “I absolutely love the 24-70mm f/2.8 lens.” Another might tell you: “I actually prefer shooting exclusively with the 28mm.” And another might even say: “The wider, the better. But just hand me a 20mm lens, and I’ll be good.” The thing is, everyone has their own preference(s) when it comes to lenses. And no matter which one you choose, we are confident that you will be able to achieve great results with it.
For us, there is one lens that, we believe, everyone should have. And as you probably already have read it in the title, it is the highly renowned 50mm lens. In this article, we will give you four rock-solid reasons why this lens is for everyone, namely:
- Affordability
- Maximum aperture
- Versatility
- Portability
Affordability
What if we told you that you can add a lens to your collection, without breaking the bank doing so? Intrigued? Interested? We do hope so! Every lens manufacturer makes their version of the 50mm lens. Due to the simple optical design of the lens, lens manufacturers are able to keep their production costs low, so that you won’t have to sell one of your kidneys to be able to afford one.
Let’s take Canon and Nikon for example. Canon sells its 50mm f/1.8 lens for USD 125.99. Nikon, on the other hand, sells its version of the 50mm f/1.8 lens for USD 219.95. Both prices were derived from their respective official websites in the United States. When you take into consideration that other lenses can cost you into the thousands of Dollars, the aforementioned prices for the 50mm suddenly look a whole lot better, right?
Maximum aperture
The good thing about prime lenses, since the 50mm only has one focal length.. 50mm.. is that prime lenses tend to have large maximum apertures, due to their relatively simple optical designs. This makes these lenses incredibly suitable for low-light conditions, as well as to isolate your subject by shortening your depth of field.
A common maximum aperture is one with f/1.8. These are the ones that come most affordably. However, if you are able to spend the extra money, may we suggest the lens with an f/1.4 maximum aperture? The price difference between f/1.4 and f/1.8 is relatively acceptable knowing in what sort of circumstances one would use this lens. Though the difference in low-light capabilities is only two thirds of a stop, which make it seem rather small. However, in situations where every bit of light counts, this is a highly valuable feature.
Versatility
When it comes to versatility, there are two schools of thought. The first is its focal length, and the second is its adaptability to different sensor sizes.
To us, the 50mm is incredibly versatile. It is not too wide, nor is it too narrow. Sure, it is not the most suitable lens for dramatic landscapes. But it surely can get you the photos that portray the environment. You, as the photographer, are responsible to portray it in the best way possible.
On the other side of the spectrum, you won’t find it to be the best portrait lens out there, since it does not provide you with the most flattering compressed look such as an 85mm focal length gives you. However, when you use this lens, it still allows you to take some very nice portraits nonetheless.
The second reason behind its versatility, is when you put the 50mm lens on a full-frame camera, you will get exactly 50mm results. But, when you take the same 50mm lens, and you attach it to an APS-C camera, depending on the focal length multiplier, you could achieve a field of view that is more similar towards a 75 to 80mm. In this regard, the usability of said lens would make it a whole lot more suitable for portraits as well.
Portability
Portability is great. The less you have to bring with you, the easier it will be for you to actually bring it with you. You can get 50mm lenses in an incredibly small form factor. You can easily bring it in any of your bags, and it is not something excessively heavy that would make you contemplate if it would be worth to bring along. Mind you, the larger your lens’ maximum aperture, the larger the lenses tend to be. For example, when you compare Canon’s 50mm f/1.8, which is a stubby little lens, with Sigma’s latest 50mm f/1.4 Art, you can tell why you won’t want to bring the latter on your next trip abroad.