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Take a look at my handy dandy visual guide for the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II which illustrates and answers many of the questions you may have wondered about this lens. Towards the bottom of this guide, you'll also find a mini-review which includes my thoughts on why this lens rocks.
GOOD FOR
Individual portraits and couples (indoors or outdoors). |
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Babies, kids and pets (indoors or outdoors). |
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Close range sports and fast action from a short distance (indoors or outdoors). |
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Tightly cropped landscapes and architectural photography. |
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Flowers, leaves, vegetation, shells and rocks. |
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Party shots, decorations, cake, candles and presents (indoors or outdoors). |
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Music recitals and dance performances next to the stage (indoors or outdoors). |
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Pets, birds, squirrels and close range wildlife. |
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Wedding and engagement photography (indoors or outdoors). |
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Fashion photography (indoors or outdoors). |
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Street photography. |
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Food photography (w/ or w/out flash). |
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Product photography (w/ or w/out flash). |
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Beauty products, makeup and hair (w/ or w/out flash). |
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Tightly cropped interior design and furniture pieces (w/ or w/out flash). |
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Artistic and still life photography (w/ or w/out flash). |
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Scenes in low-light without flash (hand-held or w/ tripod) |
NOT SO GOOD FOR
- Group photos (hard to fit lots of people within the frame).
- Portraits and family photos in small spaces and tiny rooms.
- Subjects that move rapidly towards or away from you (can't zoom in or out).
- Wide landscapes.
- Real estate photography.
Why This Lens RocksIntroThe Canon 50mm f/1.8 II EF lens is comparable to a Yanagi ba knife (very sharp sushi knife) inside a Ford Pinto (cheap car from the 70's). The build quality and "feel" won't win any awards, but like your mama says...it's what's inside that counts. Things I'm Crazy AboutThe EF 50mm f/1.8 II, also known as the "nifty-fifty", is a super sharp prime lens that'll allow you to shoot at an aperture of f/1.8. Ok, so what's so great about shooting at f/1.8? Well, lower aperture f-numbers allow you to achieve faster shutter speeds with lower ISO's. Faster shutter speeds help eliminate camera shake and subject blur (sharper images), while lower ISO's lead to less image noise (cleaner looking images). Lower f-numbers also shorten the depth of field and minimize the area in focus. This effect produces lovely portraits, food and product shots against silky backgrounds that help the subject "pop" off the screen or print. If you've only shot with a kit lens thus far, you'll be amazed at the difference in the "look" of your photos. Beginner filmmakers will also appreciate the shallow depth of field produced by the 50mm f/1.8, which helps create that indie film look. Things I'm Not Crazy AboutThis being a prime lens, you can't zoom in or out. You have to physically move around in order to compose and frame your shot. For beginners, this takes some getting used to. While this isn't really an issue outdoors, it can be a problem indoors...especially in tiny spaces where you don't have enough room to backup. When mounted to an entry level Canon APS-C format DSLR, you'll actually end up with a field of view equivalent to a 80mm lens on a full frame DSLR. If you're curious as to what you'll see in the viewfinder, just attach your kit lens and zoom to 50mm. Final ThoughtsThis is one of those lenses where once you try it, you'll be hooked. Whether you're looking to improve your family photos, experimenting with food and product photography or looking to do some street and fashion shoots, you just can't beat it's versatility. This lens holds its value really well. If you were to buy this lens brand new and sell it a year later...you're probably looking at a loss of $10 to $20 which is far less than renting this lens for a week. |
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