Love of Lenses | 50mm Prime Lens

Ahhhh the 50mm lens. This is by far my most valuable and versatile piece of equipment in my kit. It's small and compact but packs a powerful punch when it comes to image quality and depth of field.

I was first introduced to the 50mm when my dad bought it for me as a birthday gift. I had not been using my camera for long, but had become pretty confident with all the different dials and digits on the camera, so my dad thought it was now time for me to explore different lenses. I think the reason he bought the 50mm was because of the fab reviews online, plus he was a big photography enthusiast himself once upon a time and this was one of his favourite lenses. Anyway, life story done.

Here are my top 5 reasons why I love using my 50mm Prime Lens.

1. The aperture range

I believe that photography is not about what you see, but how you see it. Aperture priority really allows me to take an image that truly represents how I see things, and because the 50mm lens ranges from f/1.4 – f/22 I’m able to take images that can focus perfectly on one point or the whole picture. This is probably my favourite feature!

2. No zoom

Might be considered a massive inconvenience for some people, but having no zoom pushes me to try new and interesting compositions. Although in some situations it is better to use a zoom lens, it can at times make all my shots look similar as I’m not pushing myself as much. With a prime lens you can take several images of the same subject and have each one look completely different giving you more options when you come to select your final images.

3. Small build

It’s light and compact so I can always pack it in my camera bag when on location just incase. It’s also great to carry around in my everyday bag when I’m out and about.

4. Sharper images

Sometimes with a zoom lens you can’t always get that crisp sharp image you’re looking for because the aperture is adapting to your focal length or your ISO is too high. But unless you can afford to spend more than a month’s wages on the low aperture zoom lenses, your aperture will never go as low as a 50mm anyway.

5. Opportunities in low light situations

Something I still need to master is photography in low light. But (and I am aware that I am saying this word a lot) because the aperture can go so low it enables you to take clearer images in low light! Or if you get your hands on a tripod, set your aperture high, ISO low and allow your camera to take a crisp image in low light. It’s especially lovely if you have fairy lights in the shot.

I would recommend this lens to anyone, from beginners to experts….although if you’re an expert than you probably have one already, because they’re so brilliant! Plus they range in price from £89 - £100, so you’re not breaking the bank. I would recommend buying from wex.photographic.com - click the link for more info - http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-canon-ef-50mm-f1-8-stm-lens/p1572990