Why Everyone Should Own a 50mm f1.8 Lens

The “nifty fifty”, as this lens is often referred to as in the photography world, is a workhorse. It is a lens with a fixed focal length of 50mm, meaning you can’t zoom in or out, so you have to get closer to your subject than with a zoom lens for a good shot. With an aperture as wide as f1.8, it allows you to shoot in lower light situations without having to raise your ISO as much as with other lenses. Wide apertures are very complimentary to portraits. If you’ve ever heard the terms “bokeh”, or “shallow depth of field”, this has to do with wide apertures.

The 50mm f1.8 was designed to work similar to the human eye. It is good for photojournalism as it conveys reality, and captures your subject’s surroundings with a wider view than other lenses. There are wide angle lenses, but those are used for very large subjects like buildings and landscapes. If you’re shooting small subjects with a wide angle lens, you have to get so close that it can be uncomfortable for you and your subject. Shooting close with a wide angle lens, however, is actually ideal for shooting cars. The 50mm f1.8 doesn’t close in as tight on your subject as some other lenses, and on the other hand, definitely not as wide as a wide angle lens. So the width that this lens shoots is a normal width(Not to be confused with aperture width).

The photos I shoot that get the most compliments were taken with my 50mm f1.8. And this lens only costs $125 brand new. This lens is ideal for someone just getting into photography, great for portraits, and budget friendly. If you’ve got the money to spend, you can certainly spend more. But that isn’t an option for me.

Feel free to drop a comment, like, follow, share, and as always, you can ask me questions and if I know the answer, I’ll answer it. If not, I’ll do my best to find the answer.

Here are a few photos taken with the 50mm f1.8…