#50mm prime lens

[purplesaline]

Took some photos of the puppies with my D850 this afternoon. Need to go back to the apartment at some point and find my other lenses cause I've just got my 50mm and 28mm Art lens. These were taken with the 50mm. There will be more photos to follow once I can brain well enough to edit more!

[liverpoollomo]

Nikon F65. Ilford XP5 (shot at 1600.)

I have used this technique many times. I just seem to like doing it. I get a high iso film (or one I can push as is the case here) attach a 50mm prime to the F65 and see that happens.

There is something about taking photos in the dark that I quite like. I love seeing the glow of electric lights against the dark in a street scene and how shallow depth of field affects the composition.

[guerrerense]

Squirrely E8 por zimwizdotcom Por Flickr: After the recent rehab of my railroad, we celebrated by running various trains including my pair of PRR E8s. When we took a short break we parked the trains by the house and upon our return we found paw prints from squirrels all over the trains and several cars were knocked over. These are some of the things that happen when you have a backyard railroad versus indoor model trains. Zeiss Milvus ZF.2 50mm f/2 @ f/8

[hey-scully-itsme]

[kaelula-sungwis]

Yaren by Charles Hamilton Via Flickr: Turkish stall holder at the Barras Market

[karingottschalk]

Taking Our Old Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR Out For A Walk With Our Adapted Panagor 28mm F/2.8 Attached

[ultralowoxygen]

Exterior detail of the Basilique Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile d'Albi, Albi France - 2022.06.27 by r~ Via Flickr: Nikon FM2n Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 ai-s pancake Kodak Portra 400 2022083-24

[gryphon1911]

Minolta 50mm f/1.7 AF Lens Review

Minolta 50mm f/1.7 AF Lens Review

Background Make sure to check out our impression the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D camera for additional images from this lens. A 50mm lens is a pretty standard, yet generally high quality optic for a camera system. This Minolta 50mm f/1.7 was made for the film era and we will look and see if it can still be a contender in the digital world! We have high hopes as we have used other lenses from…

[thefrogman]

Hey there,

I'm interested in getting involved into a hobby level of natural photography. I was wondering what a good intermediate camera, and what top 3 lens (if any) you'd recommend. I love using my cellphone but some shots, like birds riding thermals or looking at a specific spot for a long time to get a good shot just isn't as easy with a phone. I intend to shop around and see if I can play with different things, but getting an entry level start point would be great.

Thanks!!

I'm going to assume you mean nature photography due to you mentioning birds. That does cover a lot of different things so it's hard to give you a great recommendation without more details. Your budget range and some more examples of what you'd like to photograph can help me help you a little better.

That said, I can give you an example of a general nature setup that I might suggest. I can't say if this exact system is a good fit for you without more information, but it can get you started in your research.

The big problem with nature is distance. A lot of the critters you may want to photograph are skittish and it is hard to get close enough to them and the big telephoto lenses can get quite expensive. There are superzooms that will technically work, but a lot of times their optical quality is not good enough to get artistic-quality shots. They would be more for documenting that you saw a thing rather than capturing a pretty shot of the thing. So if you see a zoom lens that goes from 100-600mm or 80-400mm... just anything with an extensive range... typically those are going to be low quality optics.

A trick to get a bit more range is to get a slightly smaller sensor. If you get an APS-C camera, it will essentially give you 1.5x additional zoom with every lens. But you sacrifice some dynamic range and low light ability. So dark scenes or scenes that are both very bright and very dark could be a challenge.

A very popular wildlife camera body is the Canon 7D mark II. It has a pretty advanced focusing system for a DSLR and can be found for a decent price on the used market.

You could get a 24-70mm f/4 lens for your general purpose photography. This can get wide angle shots for vistas and forests and also zoom in if you need to.

Perhaps a 100mm macro lens for taking pictures of bugs and flowers and mushrooms. But it is also slightly telephoto so you can capture some birds, larger mammals, and even take portraits of people too.

And then the Canon 400mm f/5.6 prime is a classic bird lens that is fairly telephoto, has good optics, and won't explode your budget.

And just because it is so dang inexpensive for what you get, the 50mm f/1.8 "Nifty Fifty" is always a good idea to get just so you have something that can work in very low light.

That would cover a pretty large swath of subject matter if you were to head into the wilderness to capture what you saw.

[michaelwriston]

Hey Micheal what camera would you reccomend to some one starting out taking photos & what’s your set up?

Hey!

I'm a firm believer in buying an inexpensive DSLR or mirrorless setup with interchangeable lenses. You don't have to break the bank on a starter setup — just focus on buying a camera with a robust selection of first- and third-party lenses.

My usual advice is to start simple and only upgrade gear once you run into a physical or technical limitation that stops you from realizing your vision. For example, if you're not getting the shallow depth of field you want with your current lens and body, then maybe it's time to consider buying a lens with a larger maximum aperture (e.g., f/1.8 or f/1.4).

I started out with a Nikon D50 and a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8. That served me well for nearly five years, before I started running into technical limitations with the sensor that made shooting night photos difficult. That's when I switched to shooting medium format film for a spell, before ultimately settling on a full-frame Canon digital body. All-in-all, that experimentation period took about 17 years (I'm still not done).

That said, shop used for your first camera. Places like KEH or MPB have a great selection of tested and used gear. I personally shop from MPB. Here are a few great beginner full-frame camera bodies. I'll break out lenses later on in this post.

Why full frame? I think you get superior image quality, better depth of field, better image resolution for printing, and phenomenal dynamic range.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III ($714)

Nikon D750 ($774)

Canon 6D Mark II ($884)

Nikon D810 ($819)

Anyone of these are going to get the job done and then some.

The world of lenses is complicated and varied. You'll have “prime purists” that will tell you to eschew zoom lenses and only shoot prime (a lens with no zoom capabilities). You'll have people that say longer telephotos are all you need. The truth is, you'll find your niche the more you shoot. I prefer prime lenses for their simplicity (and the less I have to think about, the better).

I'll break these out by purpose.

Portraiture

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 ($259)

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 ($134)

Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 ($184)

Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 ($78)

Landscapes

Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 IS ($294)

Nikkor AF 24mm f/2.8 ($134)

Multipurpose

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-f/5.6 IS STM ($54)

Nikon AF-P DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ($73)

I could go on and on, but this is enough to get you a start in the right direction.

If I were to put together a beginner kit with the above options, I would snatch up the Canon 5D Mark III with the Canon 50mm f/1.8 and the Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 IS. Total cost before taxes and shipping would be $1,142. You would have an incredibly flexible kit that lends itself to portraiture, landscapes, and street work, all for the same price as a new “prosumer” kit with only one lens from Amazon or other big box stores. If you don't know which direction you want to go, or you want to save on cost, there's nothing wrong with swapping out the two primes and grabbing the 18-55mm kit lens for next to nothing. That will at least let you dabble with different focal lengths and see what suits you.

I'm happy to answer any other questions here!

P.S. I shoot with a Canon EOS 6D Mark I and usually have a Sigma 35mm f/1.4 lens mounted on it for street portrait/street landscape work. My other carry-around camera is a Ricoh GR III.

[sirfrogsworth]

What lenses do you use for photography? Got a favourite?

I'm actually rebuilding my lens collection at the moment. I sold all but one lens years ago in a very depressive state and I have been regretting it as I've begun taking photos again.

So I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I would need to do the kinds of photography I enjoy most.

I do a lot of product or still life photography which requires a lot of detail. Especially when I get into the close up and macro realm. So I have been considering doing all primes rather than zooms, since those tend to be sharper at lower price points. Sharp zoom lenses can get crazy expensive.

My first lens that a lovely follower gifted me was the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art lens. This will be my primary portrait lens. And I can throw some extension tubes on to get some near macro shots.

I also have a Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 lens. This is probably my favorite lens of all time. I call it my puppy lens. It was primarily what I used to capture photos of Otis. It only works on APS-C bodies, so if I upgrade to a full frame camera, I will have to replace it. Which I have mixed feelings about. It covers the 28-56mm range on a full frame body.

I want a wide lens for landscapes, so I was considering the Samyang 14mm F2.8.

And I want a proper macro lens at some point, and I'd like to have a more tele portrait lens, so the Sigma 70mm f/2.8 Art Macro lens could pull double duty.

Both are pretty affordable, especially used.

That would probably be all I need, but if I ever get my disability settlement figured out, I might look into a telephoto lens and maybe something in the 24mm range to fill in the gap between the 14mm and 50mm.

And if I ever come into a lot of money, I'd probably get the Sony A7R V with the holy trinity zooms. 16-35, 24-70, and 70-200.

Plus a macro lens... obviously. Laowa just released a macro lens kit that basically takes microscope objectives and mounts them on a camera. Those would be nuts to play with.

My 2 paragraph rule has gone completely off the rails.

[solhrafn]

I am sorry if this is an annoying question but do you have a guide or suggestions for picking out a first camera for someone who wants to take pictures of nature, specifically insects and other small things?

Hi! Not annoying at all!

You've got a few routes to this but all will require a macro lens.

In all cases I recommend buying second hand if you're in a country where it's safe to do so (any EU or NA country would be fine, for instance). You can use mpb.com or keh, it's usually less of a hassle than ebay or local marketplaces.

You could get something like a Nikon D7200 with a 105mm 2.8 AF-S G macro or a 60mm 2.8 G Macro. That's the cheaper option without compromising on quality. I recommend the 105 over the 60 because the 105 has stabilisation and for macro photography it is a must have.

A D7500 would be a bit better but frankly At that point I'd rather get a Z50 (or Zfc, see below) because then you'd be in a future proofed camera system (DSLRs — "D" cameras — are not produced anymore only mirrorless cameras of the Z system will come out) but then you'll need to get an FTZ adapter so you can still use the same, older lenses on the Z cameras like shown here:

If money isn't too much of a concern and decide to go for a Nikon Z camera you could get the native lenses (so you don't need an adapter). They'll perform a bit better too. Then it's either the NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S lens or the NIKKOR Z MC 50mm f/2.8 lens. Out of the two, once again, the 105 makes more sense (but is more expensive) because it is stabilized. Z cameras also have ibis so the 50mm would work too but you'd probably need to be closer to the subject you're photographing with this lens.

If you enjoy nice looks in a camera rather than a Z50 you can go for a ZfC. Its retro look is really a selling point but it would probably be harder to find second hand.

All of these recommendations have been of APS-C cameras, which makes sense for macro-photography (smaller sensor with 1:1 lens = subject is bigger on them).

If you've got an even bigger budget though, I would consider a second hand Z7, which is an imaging beast but that would be an other discussion entirely.

Other brands would have similar offers but bang-for-buck wise Nikon makes a lot of sense especially if you plan to grow into the hobby. Canon is unfortunately known for being a heartless cash-grabber. While Sony will work but not have a cheaper DSLR option. Fujifilm APS-C is unfortunately overhyped in my opinion, so Nikon makes more sense for this particular request.

Not that along side the 105 you'll want another lens to be able to do other things. For that either a 35mm 1.8 DX on the D7200 (or with FTZ on a Z camera) or a Z 28mm F2 on a Z camera will do.

Note that none of these are zoom lenses, they're prime fixed focal length lenses (aka prime lenses). They're more qualitative than zooms imho and the limitation of having one fixed field of view actually makes taking pictures more engaging as you have to move around with your feet to get the compositions you want.

[liverpoollomo]

Thornbridge Tap Room. Nikon F65. Ilford XP5 (shot at 1600.)

Whilst visiting The Joiners Arms I was informed by the barman that the Thornbridge Brewery was "just up the road." I made up my mind to visit the next day as I was yet to decide what to do for dinner that evening and an enthusiastic customer also informed me that their pizza was well worth the journey.

As I was driving I did not sample any of their beers and (perhaps unwisely) I did not purchase any to take back to the cottage with me as I reasoned I had quite enough beers already. If I ever visit Bakewell again I shall be making a return visit to taste all the beers I cannot easily get in Liverpool.

[principles-of]

I was tasked to photograph buildings and encouraged to play around with how to present it. My city has plenty of looooong strip malls and I wanted to show how (almost comedically) long they were. But how? I can't fit it in the frame. I landed on this idea: shoot with a prime lens, photograph different sections of the building from a consistent distance, and look out for parking lot traffic. Sloppily stitch them together in google slides. It's an assignment not a print so I didn't worry at all about the polish of the editing, just enough to translate my idea into imagery.

If I could do it again I would

Use a different lens. My 35mm prime is really fun to shoot on. Probably my favorite lens. It has so much character and imperfections. Which is precisely why I should've gone with the 50mm. There is no vignetting, images are crisp and professional and I know exactly how images will turn out. No "character" of the lens coming out to play. Just my view.

Shoot in RAW. I shot in jpeg because I wanted to get it right in camera. They turned out too blue (shot at 8pm), and too underexposed for my liking. Even if I am confident in how I'm shooting, the RAWs are a nice backup. It's 2024. I can use the tech to support my goals, but it should not supplement my technique.

Give myself more time to shoot. I hate to admit it, but I left the assignment on the table until the last opportunity. While shooting, I wish I had more time before it got too dark. I felt rushed. I had ideas how to improve already, but I couldn't go back to improve those old shots. I could only apply it moving forward, like omitting distracting elements like cars or pedestrians.

Use a tripod. I could line the photos up pretty well in post, but I think having a tripod would enhance the realism of these long buildings. My shots would more consistent in framing, leading to a more surreal final image after stitching.

My idea was inspired by a photo by Chris De Bode, Exodus from Libya, featured in Aperture no. 214. The repetition makes it hard for me to find a beginning and an end. It's subjects chaotic while setting is sound and structured. Both of those elements bring the peoples' voice to the front "We are being exiled by our country. We have no choice but to leave." My photographs aim to hear the voice of these buildings. What do they say to you?

[dirigoku]

Closeup of an insectoid friend taking a break by some flowers. I am using a prime TTArtisan 50mm f2-16 lens and I'm fairly happy with the bokeh. It has an airy feel to it, but it's certainly not perfect. But for the price of the lens (~$70USD-ish) I'm happy. Struggled to get the colors to pop in post as my white balance was off. Also, my framing could use some work.

Sony A6600

50mm, f2, 1/250"

[a-photo-every-other-day]

Yellow-Orange Flowers, 2024

This is another one of my early shots with my 50mm prime lens. The tiny depth of field is amazing to work with. Here only a small portion of this plant is in focus.

Sometimes it's nice to look back and see how much my photography has grown. All these photos are from the first couple of months that I had my camera. I'm getting so much better all the time. Of course, a good chunk of any good photo is luck. I did have to laugh when I was out taking photos today, because today was such a good day for photos. I got very lucky and got some good pictures of hawks perched on top of some energy pylons and getting harassed by other birds.

Sometimes it's easy to forget how beautiful the world is, and other times its humbling to see the world in all of its glory.

©2024. This work is licensed via CC BY-NC-SA 4.0