Your first camera is something special. Finally you hold in your hands a tool that can make your creative visions a reality as you take your first step on the photographic road. But the chances are that your first camera will come with a ‘kit’ lens - a general purpose 18-55mm optic with a sluggish variable maximum aperture of f/3.
5-5. 6. Now, it’s not that these lenses aren’t useful, in fact they can be great for landscapes and usually have a fairly short focusing distance so you can capture close ups. However, I wonder if brands are making a mistake bundling cameras with these kit lenses.
The 50mm's f/1. 4 aperture helped me capture this shot of an aurora
An alternative would be to chuck a 50mm prime lens in the box instead. Why? Because I believe the nifty fifty is an important element in unlocking a photographer’s creativity.
To an extent, zoom lenses encourage laziness. It doesn’t matter where you stand, you just zoom in to your preferred focal length and press the shutter, regardless of how that focal length will affect the perspective of the scene. With a 50mm prime, your picture taking is slowed down, and that can be a good thing. A pause will give you longer to assess the scene before picking a much better composition that requires the photographer to actually move around with their feet, rather than twisting that zoom ring. These skills of reading a scene are especially useful to newcomers and are the key to training your ‘creative eye’.
Shooting with a shallow depth of field gives images a pro look!
Even if your camera does come with a kit lens, keep it in the box and spend a little more on a 50mm. These prime optics don’t have to be expensive with Canon and Nikon both offering affordable f/1. 8 versions and it’s this fast maximum aperture that’s the key to unlocking creative images. Being able to shoot with a shallow depth of field gives images a professional edge, and enables photographers to keep a subject sharp while throwing the rest of the frame out of focus to help the subject stand out.
These entry-level 50mm lenses actually give really decent image quality, far superior than a kit lens and at half the cost. If budget is an issue, brands such as Yongnuo even produce their own versions which are, on average, close to a third cheaper! Those looking for even better image quality are spoilt for choice. I graduated from the Canon 50mm f/1. 8, to Canon’s f/1. 4 USM before eventually moving up to the Sigma’s 50mm f/1. 4 Art lens, one of the sharpest optics on the market and one that is rarely off my camera. It’s not just portraits I use it for either. Everything from astro imagery to sports shots is catered for by the Sigma 50mm and I still love both the image quality and restrictions it brings that keeps my composition on its toes.
50mm lenses come if different sizes, but all increase your creative options
So, if you’re just starting out and have a hundred dollars in your back pocket, be sure to try out a 50mm lens. It will be the best investment of your photographic career and will help your improve image-taking instantly. Let’s raise a cheer to the Nifty Fifty!
. digitalrev.com2017-6-22 03:00
