Why You Should Choose a 50mm Lens?
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- čas přidán 11. 06. 2024
- I explain why a 50mm lens may be you best choice if you're a beginner or even it you have zooms.
My email: jlvphoto@yahoo.com
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In the 60s and 70s they would try to sell you a 135mm as a second lens. People wanted long lenses instead of wide angles like they do today. Wide angles were more expensive at that time.
My 2nd lens after buying a Nikkormat with a 50 was the 35mm 2.8. The I got the 105 2.5. The 135mm 3.5 was very popular because of the price, but I much preferred the 105 for portraits. Thanks for watching and your comments.
First SLR I bought in 1980 was the Zenit EM and came with a 50mm lense.
Thanks for watching. Do you still have the Zenit?
@@julesvuottosphotofocus4696No, Not anymore. I progressed to the Chinon CE4 the next year in 81'.
I like the challenge of a prime and how it can force you to get more creative. I usually carry a 50 in my bag whatever other lenses I take because they're cheap and light.
I agree and let me add that sometimes that extra speed of a 1.8 or 1.4 can come in handy. Thanks for watching and your comments.
I'm just browsing eBay and local second-hand shops for a "new" 50 mm prime lens right now 😀 I used many different AF zooms and primes throughout the past decade with my DSLR, but the lens I simply keep enjoying the most for some leisure time shooting in the city is the old Soviet/Ukrainian manual-focus Helios 81N 50mm/2.0. They are incredibly cheap, well-built, light and compact.
I started using it also with my newly purchased Nikon F2AS (BTW, thank you so much for your videos about F2s; they were and still are a great help to me), but the combination doesn't work perfectly together (some issues with AI coupling and also no aperture info is projected into viewfinder), so I'm thinking about buying a faster proper AIS 50mm lens. However, getting my hands on a used one here in Europe seems to be quite difficult. The price of Nikkor 50mm/1.2 AIS is pretty much the same as that of the new Voigtlander 55/1.2 SLII, an upgraded and modernized version of the Nikkor. So, if I don't find a better deal for the Nikkor, the Voigtlander will be a no-brainer.
Good choice. Thanks for watching and your comments.
The Nikkor 50mm/1.2 AIS is a classic and I do not think many were ever made, keeping them rare and pricey. Have you considered or looked at the Nikkor 50mm F1.8 AIS, commonly known as the "pancake" or "nifty fifty"? It is tiny and sharp, I have one that came as the kit lens with my FE2.
@@leod1671 I have the pancake but it’s not in great shape. My son has the 50mm 1.8 G and it works great on mirrorless with the FTZ adapter.
@@julesvuottosphotofocus4696 I have considered the 1.8G as I hear it is better than the 1.4 however once you put that on the FTZ adapter it gets fairly large. I would love to find something smaller that sits on the Zs like the old 50s understanding that the "film" plain on a Z camera is alot shallower than F mount. In either case, I can dream!!
@@leod1671 I did consider it, but the form factor and optical properties are just too close to the Helios I already have. I would be eliminating the incompatibilities with F2AS, but otherwise, they are simply too similar in my opinion. The minimal aperture of 1.2 also sounds rather more tempting. I also considered the 1.4 lenses, but according to some reviews, they are generally optically inferior to the 1.2 ones. The price is much better (about 300 USD for 1.4 ones, 500 USD for 1.2 AIS Nikkor, and 560 USD for 1.2 Voigtlander SLII), but they are only available from abroad again. And I reckon whenever I become limited by hand-holdable exposure times in low light conditions, I will blame myself for not going with the tiny little bit faster lens.
G-version lenses are unfortunately out of the question as they are unusable on F2AS. Only AIS MF or AF-D lenses are compatible with both of my cameras.
50mm is probably the cheapest prime you can purchase and possibly for hobbyist will be the only optically great lens they will get to own. The 50mm is the one with the least amount of distortion.
Yes, very true. Thanks for watching.
Back in the late 1960s, my first 35mm SLR came with a 50mm lens. I used the camera and lens for a year before I decided that the lens did not agree with my shooting style.
I exchanged the 50 for a 35 and the 35 has been my favorite one-lens only choice on full-frame cameras.
The 2nd lens I bought for my Nikkormat in 1973 was the 35mm 2.8. I always preferred a 35mm over a 28. Thanks for watching and your comments.
This excellent advice. I keep a 50mm 1.8 attached always, carrying a zoom lens to have if needed. But my default walk around lens is a 50.mm (35mm on crop sensor D2x).
Thank you John. You can’t go wrong with a 50 or its equivalent.
thanks for another great video
Thank you. Do you shoot with a 50? If so film or digital?
@@julesvuottosphotofocus4696 Yes, my first lens was a Nikkor AI 50 f/1.4, I really like that lens and this video has inspired me to start using it again (recently I've been using a 24mm a lot)
If I had to be isolated with only 1 lens for my Z8. it would be the tampon 35-150. 2.0. to 2.8--very hard to tell difference in most instances from prime with these ranges.
I think that’s a great choice. For me I need something wider. Thanks for watching and your comments.
I agree!
Thanks for watching.
Jules, you should make a tee shirt that says “use your feet” I’m a 50mm shooter it’s perfect for me. Thanks for sharing.
Great idea. Thanks for watching.
Jules, all valid comments regarding the importance for everyone to own a 50mm lens, especially for beginners. I have a couple of F mount 50s which I have used over the years on my D850 and gotten some very nice photos. I have played around with mounting them on my Z7 however, I am currently looking for an autofocus 50 for the Z mount. You mentioned adapting Cannon and Minolta lenses to your Z cameras, what are your thoughts on budget friendly lenses, either older lenses or some of the new stuff coming from China?
I don’t know much about the lenses from China but I like many of the vintage manual focus 50’s. One of my favorites is the 50mm 1.4 Canon new FD and also the old Minolta 58 1.4.
Thanks. I’m afraid I have had a case GAS when it comes to collecting and using film era vintage manual lenses. Focus assist and magnification, and focus peaking are a great feature of my mirrorless cameras, which are the cameras that brought me back to photography. I wanted something lighter. 👍
I’ve had the same issue. Selling some of the many manual focus lenses I bought over the last few years. Thanks for watching.
I like and use zoom lenses, especially now that they have gotten so good but my default/ go to lens is the 'nifty fifth'. That's what I used in the sixties etc.
The 50 is very popular. Thanks for watching.