Why you need to own a “Nifty Fifty” lens
Oct 11, 2017
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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It’s such a commonly used lens that it even has its own nickname, the “Nifty Fifty”. Regardless of the brand you shoot, or the size of your sensor, a 50mm lens is one of the most versatile you can get. Whether you’re doing street photography, landscapes, portraits, or something else entirely, they can produce amazing results for very little cost.
It’s the lens Peter McKinnon recommends people buy when they ask what lens to get next. And this video he explains why. And I can’t say that I disagree. I think everybody should own a 50mm lens, no matter what other kit they have. I’ve owned one since I got my first SLR about 20 years ago, and one will forever be in my bag.
The question pops up daily. Multiple times daily, in fact. “I just got a new camera and kit lens, what lens should I buy?”. Amongst all the random lens suggestions, there’s two answers that people give consistently.
- Stick with what you’ve got, learn it, master it, then you won’t need to ask the question.
- Buy a 50mm f/1.8.
The latter is the option I tend to suggest, too. If nothing else, it’s so cheap that it’s worth having, and it will teach you so much about photography. If you want deep depth of field with the world in focus, you can get it. If you want those head shots with half the face in focus, you’ve got that, too. They’re wide enough for environmental shots, but long enough for a half or three quarter length portrait.
I own at least a dozen 50mm lenses ranging from maximum apertures of f/1.4 to f/2. I’ve got four Nikon ones, two Canon, a Zeiss, a Super Takumar, and a bunch of others. Why so many? Because they all offer a slightly different look, feature set, or fit a different camera systems. It’s the most versatile focal length out there, and they’re cheap lenses. And despite owning quite a few far more expensive lenses, a 50mm is the one I most commonly use.
If you’re shooting a crop body, you’ll get a slightly narrower field of view. For Nikon it offers the same field of view as a 75mm lens on a full frame DSLR. For Canon, it’s an 80mm full frame field of view equivalent. But it can still be a very versatile lens.
It’s the lens that’s always on my camera, regardless of which camera I’m using. Whether it’s film, full frame DSLR or Nikon or Canon crop DSLR, the 50mm is what goes on it by default. It only comes off when I know I need something it can’t give me.
There’s 50mm lenses out there by both Canon and Nikon. The f/1.8 are the least expensive, although the Nikon G AF-S version is quite pricey for what it is. Ironically, the more expensive Nikon lens is the only one out of the two that works on Nikon’s cheapest bodies.
- Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM – $125
- Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF – $132 (if your camera has a built in AF motor)
- Nikon 50mm f/1.8G AF-S – $217 (if it doesn’t)
- Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 for Canon – $50
- Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 for Nikon – $72.50
For what they cost, they’re always worth having in your kit. Even if you end up replacing it in the future with an 50mm f/1.4 or f/1.2 lens, they’re always good for backups. Or, for sticking on your second body as a behind the scenes camera.
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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19 responses to “Why you need to own a “Nifty Fifty” lens”
Cause sony doesn’t have one for A-mount :D
It’s actually not funny….at all
I have a Minolta auto focus 50mm f1.7 in A mount. It isn’t a bad lens at all and they go for pretty cheap.
I have two and they’re my least used lenses. lol
willing to donate? Could use one
For M4/3rds users whose crop factor is 2x, the nifty fifty is the fab 25mm eg M.Zuiko F/1.8 or F/1.2 Pro. My 25 F1/1.8 is so nice and so sharp I never get to use it. It is on my daughter’s camera constantly.
Only problem with an MFT “standard” lens is the price – the 25 mm F1.8 isn’t exactly cheap. But it is damn good for the money (I have it too). But my preferred standard lens on MFT is the Voigtländer 25 mm F0.95, and this one is actually expensive … ;)
It is easier with “Full Frame” (or old 35 mm SLRs), because there they are cheap. Unless you have a Sony A7 or A9 …
Personally I prefer a wider lens for street photography, I find 50mm too narrow when I don’t know what I am going to photograph and in streets where it is just not possible to increase the distance to the subject.
I have three, two nifties and a 1.4. Don’t really use them!
willing to donate? i could use one f1.4
Does your recommendation apply even for a crop sensor camera?
1.4 is much better
No rush is there?
The only time I needed a 50 mm was when I dropped and damaged my 24-70 mm. Otherwise, *meh*
had one, but i used my 35mm like 75% of the time so i sold it
I love my fiddy prime! Or did, before I switched from Pentax to Nikon. Now I can’t find a fiddy for less than the price of a black market kidney.
TL:DR; There are many cheap prime lenses out there, the point is to
teach students to get creative with the fixed focal range. After that,
learn which tool gives you the best results for your creative intent.
It’s the same argument time and time again… I’m not going to preach to tell people where to spend their money.
The practice makes sense, working with a mid-range Prime lens to have students learn interaction beyond hiding behind their camera. However my 50mm hadn’t been touched before or after. Let’s be a bit more flexible with approach.
The camera is just a tool, a good tool gives a much more accurate result to the intention, but a tool nonetheless. 50mm’s are as versatile as saying 35mm’s can’t do portraiture and 85mm can’t do street.
You can pick up cheap prime lenses at many ranges now.
My most hated lens the 50mm.
Everybody should use a standard prime lens exclusively for some time to see where he/she leans to. Some might find prime lenses appealing (I’m one of them, and the “nifty fifty” or the equivalent focal length on crop sensors is my primary prime ;)); others might learn that they are all for zoom lenses; and still others might find that they actually prefer a bit more “wide angle” (35 mm on a full frame body).
The point that they are cheap is not always valid, because the “standard primes” can be rather expensive for some systems (e.g. Olympus OM-D and Sony FE).
One of the best of the cheap manual 50mm primes is the Pentax M 50mm f/1.7. Pentax made a zillion of these, they are build better than what is made today, and they are sharp with almost zero distortion. Stick a reversing ring or extention tube on it and a student or newer photographer has a macro lens capable of taking first rate images. You can find copies at $40-$60 all day long.