Rediscover the Beauty of a 50mm Lens
The other day I came across an article that talked about the forgotten lens - the 50 mm. With the popularity of zoom lenses, many people have set aside their prime lens. Interestingly some of the best photographers, such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, used a 50 mm as their preferred lens. I was intrigued by this and decided to pull out my "nifty fifty" Canon lens to take on my walks. I came away with several reasons to continue to use this lens while out Camera Walking.
#1: Become a better photographer. This may be surprising, but it is easy to be lazy when taking photos with a zoom lens. Obviously there are shots that require a zoom, but in many cases we can just walk closer to the subject to capture a great photo. Also using a 50 mm lens can help to improve our composition skills.
#2: Travel light. I was struck by how easy it was to carry my Canon 6D with the 50 mm lens. I love my 24-105mm lens, but it can get heavy after walking for a bit. If you want to be less obvious, the shorter, compact prime lens is perfect, and it is a great lens to take with you when you travel.
#3: Gain versatility. I was pleased to discover that this little lens can take a wide variety of shots, such as portraits, street shooting, and landscapes. This is a photo of Duke, Wyoming Camera Outfitters' mascot. I was experimenting with my lens while I was in the shop last year. He was very patient.
#4: Capture better, more natural images. The 50 mm lens is often referred to as the "normal" lens, or "standard" lens, because of the way it renders perspective. The lens closely matches the human eye when taking a shot. The images seem less contrived and more natural.
#5: Get more bokeh. This lens is terrific for capturing bokeh in your images. Many have f-stops as low as f 1.4, but even if you step down to f 4 or f 5.6 you can get bokeh in your photos.
#6: Get better optics for the money. The 50 mm lens has superior optical performance. They are often the sharpest optics in a manufacturer's line. And the price is very affordable! You can get a lens for as low as $125. You can pay more, but my lens with image stabilization was around $350. Still very affordable.
Using a different lens helps us to see subjects differently and can push us to become more creative. If you don't have a 50 mm lens, take the plunge and see what it can do for you. You will have fun! Tell us how you use your 50 mm by commenting below or posting on our Facebook page. We love to hear from you.
