The Nifty Fifty

If you're a seasoned photographer, you know what I'm talking about. For the rest of us (yes, I'm grouping myself in with you guys because I just recently figured it out for myself), a "Nifty Fifty" refers to a 50mm lens. I read many an article stating that this was standard in any serious photog's bag, so I looked into it more. Let me enlighten you a bit.

Lenses like a 50mm lens fall under the "Prime" or "Fixed" Lens category, meaning that their specific focal lengths are set, or "fixed", and do not move or zoom. Back before digital photography, the only kind of lenses you could use were Prime Lenses. Now, with the popularity of digital photography, we've come accustomed to Zoom Lenses. While Zoom Lenses provide versatility in capturing multiple compositions at various focal lengths quickly, Zoom Lenses lack sharpness, range of depth of field, and good ability to shoot in low-light situations without bumping up the ISO. Less ISO means sharper, less noisy, or grainy, pictures. The f/1.8 max aperture of Canon's EF 50mm f1.8 II Lens (the one I just purchased) allows lots of light to flood into the camera and is perfect for situations in which the lighting is less than ideal, as are most. It's sharpness is tack-sharp and it's knack for detail makes for a fantastic portrait lens. And for $100, the photog on a budget (like myself) can't pass it by!

So, I put my new Nifty Fifty to a small test this morning, as soon as the UPS guy dropped it into my hot little hands. It's, by no means, a quiet lens, but I knew beforehand it wasn't like the more expensive USM version, so I knew it was bound to make some audible motor noise. Also, it's not exactly heavy-duty. I'm fairly certain that besides the glass and metal motor inside, it's mostly plastic. Like 90-95% plastic. You get what you pay for. BUT - doing a few test shots this morning is what sold me on this lens. All these were taken indoor with either light from the window or my kitchen light - both very dim - and straight out of the camera with no editing. You can click on these to enlarge them.

f/4.0 (smaller aperture, resulting in greater depth of field). Great depth and blurred background, pulling the subject right out.

f/1.8 (larger aperture, resulting in smaller depth of field). Only the tiny corner is in focus, with creamy blur in the background. Fantastic!

f/1.8 again. More of that crisp, shallow depth of field matched with the creamy blurred background. Wonderful!

f/5.0. No smiles from this subject today. He's sick. :( Look at the sharpness, though. And the eyes! I definitely see it's portrait potential.

f/5.6. A little happier, healthier participant. Sharp as a tack with beautiful detail in the eyes. Love it!

The bottom line - I'm by no means an expert on these things, but I do like to get the most bang for my buck. Yes, there are far superior 50mm lenses out there that have better builds and are less noisy, but those lenses, such as the Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Lens, are way out of my price range. Someday, when I make more income, I will upgrade my lenses, but for now - the original Nifty Fifty is my new best friend. It's sharpness, color, contrast, outstanding performance in low-light, lack of bulk, and it's $100 price tag make it a welcome addition to my camera bag.

I hope to escape later to do some more shooting with this lens, but I do have a senior shoot tomorrow that may be my Nifty Fifty's maiden voyage. Hopefully it doesn't share the Titanic's fate and sink beneath me.