Convince me to keep my new Canon EF 50mm

[mizuno]

It's been awhile since I've been on the forum. My last visit was Jan 31, 2010. I've just been to busy to even pick up my dslr.

In an attempt to get me reocused on photography my wife purchased a 50 mm lens for me.

I'm a beginner and have not had much time to experiment with my dslr.

My thought is that I would do just fine with my 18-55.

Is the 50mm just a luxury item or is it something that is a must in everyone's camera bag?

Does anyone have any simple exercises or examples that would show the difference between the pictures the 50mm takes vs my 18-55mm?

What can I take pictures of at home that would really show the value of the 50mm?

[Izzy]

Participate in the 50mm challenge thread. If looking through the challenge thread does not inspire you I am not sure what would. But I would be willing to buy it from you at the right price.

50mm Prime only challenge thread

[dalmorloson]

I just got my T2i for Christmas with the 18-55 kit lens. I can't decide which to get first, some off camera lights or a prime 50mm lens. I will definately get the prime lens at some point soon. The reasoning: The prime lens is will give me much better depth of field control. My kit lens is f/3.5-5.6 as yours probably is. The prime lens will be at least fixed at 1.8 (1.4 if I feel like dropping an extra $200). The faster lens will allow for much better backround effects, ie blurrier with better bokeh. The biggest advantage would be the amount of light you can now allow to enter your lens. 1.8 or 1.4 versus 5.6 is pretty substantial.

[autofocus]

Set your aperture in aperture priority to around F/2 and take a fairly close shot of something (say a flower to be focused on) where you have a pretty busy and cluttered background and look at your results.
There are several reasons to own and keep this lens. First off, it actually tested better than the slightly faster and more expensive 50mm F/1.4. It will produce beautiful and soft backgrounds making your main subject stand out. It will help you get shots in very low light situations without the need of flash. It's an extremely sharp lens, and lastly, it's probably the best lens value on the market today. Let me know if you don't want it..I'll buy it from you

[Glenn72]

My 50mm is my portait lens for my Canon 450d. Skin tones and color look so much better using this lens then my standard kit lens. Anytime I want to photograph people I put this lens on.
I also use it with extension tubes to do macro shots, although you need a good tripod for this.

[WadeCourtney]

Originally Posted by Glenn72

My 50mm is my portait lens for my Canon 450d. Skin tones and color look so much better using this lens then my standard kit lens. Anytime I want to photograph people I put this lens on.
I also use it with extension tubes to do macro shots, although you need a good tripod for this.

Just looked at your flickr feed, you have some amazing shots.

[andrewdt]

Everyone has said it already but if you are like me, then the visual always helps.

Take your camera with kit lens set at about 50mm, put it in AV mode at the widest aperture which will be f5.6 and take a photo of an object that is about 1-2 metres away from you but that has a background further away like 5 metres.

Then stick on the 50mm prime, do the same as above but change your aperture to f2.0 ot f2.8 (because you can on this lens - that is why so many people buy it!!!).

Compare the photos and see the visual difference. Then also look at the difference in shutter speeds and acknowledge that the prime is much faster, which means more chance of being handheld without camerashake (ie not sharp image), better low light photos without the dreaded flash, and less chance of motion blur when there are people in the shot moving about...