Nifty fifty
It’s been said that you’re only 50mm away from becoming a better photographer. Time was when pretty much any (film) SLR camera you bought had a 50mm lens strapped to the front, often with a maximum aperture of f/1.8. The thing is, a 50mm lens is at the sweet spot where the image quality to cost ratio is at its highest. However these days, most kit lenses that ship with even the most expensive DSLRs are so poor that they are hardly worth bothering with. Most people, though, are unaware of this, and continue to use sub-standard glass and wonder why their pictures never look like how they remembered them.
I have attached here a selection of my favourite shots taken with my trusty Sigma 50mm EX-DG Macro — a lens that cost me £200 and is as sharp as lenses that cost five times more.
February 14th, 2010 at 1:51 am
Brilliant Nick! Love this set.
February 14th, 2010 at 9:22 am
The cheap Canon 50mm ƒ/1.8 was one of the first purchases I made. It makes me wonder why manufacturers don’t use them as the kit lens.
Then, of course, I recall that many people are coming to DSLRs from compact cameras. I wonder if the makers assume people expect a zoom of some kind.
May 9th, 2010 at 12:35 am
I don’t know of any kit lenses that are much good save the ones that Olympus ship.