Storm Coming
   
   
 
So this week was 50mm week and I spent the week with the plastic fantastic 50mm f1.8. I've been a champion of this lens since I got my first DSLR; whenever someone asks me what lens they should get after the kit lens I always recommend the nifty fifty. It's cheap, it's very sharp, it's very light and it's fast. On a crop factor DSLR it makes a great low-light portrait lens, however, on a full frame DSLR I'd forgotten just how 'normal' it was. It took me back to my film days when this lens was the standard lens that came with most SLRs - something like it was the standard lens with my 1st, 2nd and 3rd SLRs. Back then I couldn't wait to ditch the standard lens to get something less normal - even then I loved my 200mm to isolate details and my 24mm to distort things. Maybe I've been relying on lens dramatics ever since but I did find using the 50mm all week and little tough.  They tell you to zoom with your feet but there are many times you just can't close or far away enough to get the shot you want. It doesn't focus close enough to really isolate details. I worked with it but I did find it distinctly uninspiring most days. It did teach me something but I am glad to get it off the camera and get back to me beloved 24-105mm.
 
 
Posted on Tuesday, 19 January 2010 | Canon EOS 5D II