| Author | Thread |
|
|
06/05/2006 03:33:45 PM · #1 |
| I recently heard a lot of good things about the Canon 50mm 1.8 lens. If I already own a Canon 18-55mm why (if I even do) need this lens? Sorry if this is a dumb question. |
|
|
|
06/05/2006 03:38:39 PM · #2 |
Not a dumb question at all, but it begs another question...
Do you understand "aperture" and "fast lens"? If not, I'll be glad to explain and the "bang per buck" of the 50mm/1.8 will be obvious. If you understand, suffice to say that the 50 is a very sharp lens with a BIG aperture for VERY little money.
In other words, it's a good portrait lens for a Rebel, and it's also a great low-light lens for a Rebel. Its uses are indeed limited somewhat, but it is a very GOOD lens (quality) for what it costs. |
|
|
|
06/05/2006 03:40:22 PM · #3 |
This lens is highly rated and loved here at DPC for several reasons. For starters, it can be set at F/1.8, which allows for faster shutter speeds than most other lenses can provide, as the apperture is wider. The 18-55 can only go to F/3.5, and then only at 18mm.
Aside from the speed, it is a good piece of glass - takes sharp photos, pretty fast focusing, good quality. And it's CHEAP as lenses go, averaging about $80 if you get it new/used/eBay/whatever.
I started with the 18-55 kit lens too, but got the 50mm for all the above reasons. I was able to use it to cover college basketball games this past year, something the kit lens could NEVER have done.
Sure, 50mm isn't much zoom, but it is faster at lower ISO levels than the kit lense has a prayer of being in low-light situations. In short, it's a good first step toward all the Pro-series F/2.8 glass we all drool over.
Hope this helps!
Message edited by author 2006-06-05 15:41:15.
|
|
|
|
06/05/2006 03:41:54 PM · #4 |
your 18-55 will not let in as much light.
The 50mm 1.8 will come in handy for low light situations where your zoom lens won't perform as well.
Plus, since your Rebel XT has a focal length magnification factor of 1,6, your 50mm works like an 80mm (on a 35mm film camera.) Portraits taken with this lens at 1.8 will completely blur the background giving you that professional portrait look.
Try it out.
Good luck, and not a dumb question.
Message edited by author 2006-06-05 15:43:23.
|
|
|
|
06/05/2006 03:55:57 PM · #5 |
Look up the lens in the equipment section. You'll see some of the amazing shots taken with it. It's won alot of ribbons considering it is such a cheap lens.
|
|
|
|
06/05/2006 03:56:40 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by nards656:
Not a dumb question at all, but it begs another question...
Do you understand "aperture" and "fast lens"? If not, I'll be glad to explain and the "bang per buck" of the 50mm/1.8 will be obvious. |
Could you please explain... sorry. I don't really understand the whole 1.8 stuff either.
Message edited by author 2006-06-05 15:58:10. |
|
|
|
06/05/2006 04:09:43 PM · #7 |
Aperture is the size of the opening that lets light in. A smaller f-stop is a larger opening and therefore lets in more light, allowing you to use a faster shutter speed to achieve the same exposure. Thats why a 1.8 is faster than a 2.8. A smaller f-stop also give a shorter depth of field.
The size of the opening as seen by the front lens element is equal to: (focal length)/f-stop. |
|
|
|
06/05/2006 04:23:37 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by ChikaZAWa:
Originally posted by nards656:
Not a dumb question at all, but it begs another question...
Do you understand "aperture" and "fast lens"? If not, I'll be glad to explain and the "bang per buck" of the 50mm/1.8 will be obvious. |
Could you please explain... sorry. I don't really understand the whole 1.8 stuff either. |
I don't have enough time right now to properly respond, but if someone hasn't already done so by later tonight I will give it a better attempt.
I'm sure someone like Prof_Fate or fotomann_forever will be kind enough to explain this in some detail, or maybe mk will point us to a thread where it has already been done :) |
|
|
|
06/05/2006 04:37:16 PM · #9 |
| Thanks... I look forward to it. |
|
|
|
06/05/2006 08:52:05 PM · #10 |
The aperture is the physical opening in the lens that lets light in; the f-stop is just the focal length (50mm) divided by the diameter of the physical aperture. If you divide 50 by 1.8, you get 27.778 or so, and instead of saying a lens has an aperture 27.778mm in diameter, you just say it's a 50mm lens with an aperture of f/1.8.
The F-stop basically determines how much light gets to the sensor regardless of the focal length of the lens, even if the physical aperture size is different. For instance, if you have a 400mm 2.8 lens, the physical aperture is about 143mm wide, but it'll let roughly the same amount of light to the sensor or film as a 16mm 2.8 fisheye (which only has an aperture of about 6mm.
Also, the wider the physical aperture, the shallower the depth of field - that is, the distance for the focus to fall off from an acceptable level is smaller with a long focal length than it is with a shorter one. That 400mm 2.8 will have extremely shallow depth of field when used wide open, and that 16mm fisheye will have extremely deep DOF. Which is why fisheyes are mostly set-and-forget in regards to focus, if you set them to infinity everything from about 3-4ft out is in focus. But if you try the same thing on the 400, even things about a hundred feet away might be out of focus. This is a good thing when shooting sports though, as it lets you isolate the subject and blur the (sometimes cluttered) background. |
|
|
|
06/05/2006 10:11:13 PM · #11 |
| I have some pretty simple advice for you. Don't shoot in automatic mode. Pick shutter priority or aperature priority if you're not sure about manual yet but that will get you on your way to understanding what will happen when you have a large aperture (small number!) versus when you have a small aperture. |
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2026 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 01/02/2026 11:21:52 AM EST.
