50mm Prime Lenses

[David Beck]

I'm new to the forums and wanted to get some feedback from all you wonderful photographers.

Here's my question:

How often do you use your Nifty Fifty and in what situations do you find yourself using it the most?

Thanks for any and all feedback!

David

[Elmo]

Let me be the odd one. I had one used it so much I gave it away to a friend that just thought he could not live without it. He never uses it either. It just does not fit into my style of photography.

The one I gave away was a Canon 1.8. I will admit to not being completely true, I do still have an OLY OM 50 f:1.8 that I never use.

Different strokes for different folks.

[vandergus]

I don't use a nifty fifty but a nifty thirty-five, the nifty-fifty of the digital age. I say that because it acheives a field of view on most digital SLR's similar to what the 50mm used to give on film SLR's, which is where it earned it's reputation. My 35mm is my default lens. It's nails.

[karsta01]

Hi There David -
I own three lenses and use my 50mm the most. I love how light-weight it makes my camera, the shallow depth of field, and how fast it is in low light situations. I use the lens when taking indoor photos, portraits, and any other "close-up" photos. I also think this lens produces much sharper images than my other lenses. At the moment I am using my 50 mm with a reversing ring to try macro photography - you can take a peek at my blog for the results.

Not sure if you have purchased the 50 yet, but I highly recommend one.

My other lenses are 18-200mm (f/3.5-5.6) and 70-300mm (f/4-5.6)

[mstark70]

I use mine all the time! I do a lot of natural light portrait work. I think it just depends on how and what you intend to be shooting. It is well worth the $100- ! I recommend it because at that low cost even if you don't use it everyday there will be times you are glad it is in your bag!

[OsmosisStudios]

Depends largely on what Im shooting. I use it almost exclusively for portraits (sometimes using the 18mm end of my zoom for effect). It's also the first thing i pull out in lower-light situations.

Of course, being my only non-G lens, its the one I use on my FE, but that's also so natural it should come that way

[m.c.adams]

I recently dropped my 50, which burst into pieces, so I replaced it with a 85mm f1.8 and I'm loving it. Very crisp and beautiful bokeh.
Mark

[Jim Poor]

I am almost never without my 50 f1.4, but rarely use it. It is small and inexpensive enough that i can justify having it reside in my bag full time "just in case."

[prrs4me]

I have the 1.4 and don't use it that much. I find it a little long on the 40D and prefer the 35mm. I'm considering selling it and the 28mm.

[RexK_Cozumel]

I almost never use my 50 any more. There is no need for it since the lenses that I have now provide just as good image quality and they are zooms. It is a great inexpensive high image quality lens for starting out however once you have a great lens collection I dont think it has much use anymore. Anyways for me there is no reason to sell the lens since it is worth almost nothing. I use mine maybe once or twice a year.