LENS REVIEW
Prime lenses are every photographer’s favourite for their lightweight, wider aperture, excellent optics and affordable price. However, the choice of precise focal length in a prime lens depends on your specific use and style of photography. While most fashion and portrait photographers tend to incline toward 85mm prime lens, you may often find wedding photographers using 35mm prime lens with great panache. Nonetheless, 50mm prime (aka nifty-fifty) has been an all-time favourite for many of us.
Today, I am going to tell you why you should consider 50mm prime lens as your first-ever prime lens and how you can use it to the best of your advantage. I am also going to share sample photographs taken with Lumix S 50mm F1.8 lens. Let’s jump into the five reasons you should buy a 50mm lens.
1
Firstly, you can work on your composition much better at this focal length despite space constraints.
While 85mm prime lens is great for outdoor portraits and fashion, it may pose composition challenges in closer spaces like your make-shift home studio, hotel room, etc. Whenever I wish to include more than the main subject in my frame, I prefer 50mm prime. This helps me give some context to the image or at times include some design element in my frame (as opposed to a completely diffused background at 85mm focal length). It is also very useful for environmental and street portraits. I find 35mm and 24mm prime lenses give away more details than desired in the background due to their shorter focal length. 50mm prime sits at a sweet spot between 35mm and 85mm prime in terms of focal length.
Composition plays the most crucial role in my portraits and when I have 50mm prime, I am less worried about space constraints and more focused on my composition.
I have also used this lens for street portraits and newborn photography and you can see the results below.
In the frame: Sneha Namanandi
MUAH @amiluvannie143
Location: Vice-Global Tapas Bar, Mumbai
Shot on Lumix S1 in natural light.
See more here
Though intially sceptic, I have been fearlessly shooting at F1.8 with this lens and it has never disappointed me in terms of focus and clarity.
2
With a wide aperture of f/1.8, you can get smoother background diffusion than 35mm or 24mm prime lenses.
I love close-up shots. However, it often demands sufficient background diffusion to highlight the main subject and declutter everything else (though subtly, so as not to completely lose them and still provide some context). While 70-200mm F2.8 lens offers great diffusion, it is very heavy for both the pockets and your hands. That is why I always prefer 50mm prime to get up and close with my subject, in budget.
3
Always shines in low-light conditions, particularly when you are not carrying any external lighting kit or flash.
When travelling light and I have to choose only one lens for all possible lighting situations, I always pick 50mm F1.8 due to its lightweight, low light performance and subject-background separation. This lens shines where other lenses might struggle, such as at indoor events, concerts, and Indian weddings.
As a photographer, you never know what lighting situation you may face. This is where I trust 50mm prime lens to give me optimum results in the available ambient light.
The lens comprises 9 elements arranged in 8 groups, featuring 3 ASPH, 1 ED, and 1 UHR lens, strategically designed to reduce aberrations and deliver outstanding resolution.
Read the detailed review here from Imaging Resource.
You may also like to watch this video here from Luca Bono
4
50mm prime offers the most realistic view and has versatile usages.
The 50mm focal length on a full-frame camera is considered “normal,” closely approximating the human eye’s perspective. This versatility makes the lens suitable for a wide genre of photography, including portraits, street photography, and everyday snapshots. It’s a go-to lens for capturing a natural and realistic view of scenes.
5
It does not break the bank to have it in your kit.
50mm F1.8 lenses are among the most affordable prime lenses across all brands. They offer excellent image quality and performance for their price, making them a budget-friendly option for photographers who have just started. This affordability makes the 50mm F/1.8 a popular choice for beginners and enthusiasts alike.
Conclusion
Lumix 50mm F1.8 prime is your trusty sidekick for all photography adventures. This lens laughs in the face of dust, splashes and lowlight nightmares, boasting a construction so tough it makes bad weather want to take cover. It is also much more affordable (four times cheaper) than its superrich cousin Lumix S PRO 50mm F1.4 lens.
However, if money is not a bar for you and you can handle some weight, you can also consider Lumix S PRO 50mm F1.4 lens which is simply superb with its faster and wider F1.4 aperture, tack-sharp clarity and in-built optical image stabilization. You can see sample photos taken with this lens here.
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