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Why you need to own a “Nifty Fifty” lens

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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.

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This is why I now only use one lens

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After many years of experience using different lenses, I now have resorted to only using a single prime lens. I started with a 50mm then added an 85mm, 35mm, 100mm and 28mm to my collection, and I’ve played around with zoom lenses. But now I exclusively use a 50mm lens. No more zooms and no more choices. But why would I volunteer to limit myself?

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Super Battle Of The Nifty Fifties*: Canon, Sigma, Samyang, Yongnuo & Zeiss!

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So, you are out on the market for a Nifty Fifty, (or as some may still call it: a 50mm f/1.8 lens). This is not surprising. The Nifty Fifty is often the second lens anyone will buy. It is usually cheap, at 1.8 it is relatively fast, and it gives a great Bokeh (or as some may still call it, blurred background).

Here is the thing though, while you’d think this is simple, the choice you have is actually kinda big, and if you budget around $1,400 (its a round 1,000 pounds) and can go up to 1.4 it really starts to get a matter of which of the lenses will provide the most value for you, and at what price. Christopher Frost did a great comparison of 10 of these options, starting with the cheap Yongnuo 50/1.8 (at $50) all the way up to the most expensive Canon USM L 1.2 ($1400).

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Canon Announces the New EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens; Following in Yongnuo’s Footsteps?

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Five days ago we shared the leaked specs of the upcoming version of Canon’s nifty fifty, stating that it will be announced shortly.

The official press release has just been sent and the specs match those that were published.

The two previously unknown factors, price and number of aperture blades, have been revealed as well and you’ll be happy to know that Canon followed in Yongnuo’s footsteps.

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The Battle of the Nifty Fifty: Canon’s 50mm1.8 vs. Yongnuo 50mm1.8

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So, a while back Chinese flash maker Yongnuo stepped into the optics realm and started making a 50mm 1.8 (aka the Nifty Fifty, aka fantastic plastic, aka, your second lens).

The Nifty fifty was never an expensive lens, the Canon version is about $115, but if you are super frugal you may be tempted to check the $60 cheaper Yongnuo lens. Photographers Tony & Chelsea took the lens for a spin comparing it with the twice as expensive Canon version.

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It’s Anything But A Normal Lens

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Right off the bat I have to clear up a misunderstanding some have to what a 50mm ‘standard’ lens actually is. Throughout my teaching career I’ve heard beginner photographers refer to them as prime lenses and, of course, they’re correct. However, as the conversations develop I’ve found that a good number also believe that only a 50mm is a prime lens. In actuality any non-zoom is a prime lens.

With that small but important point out the way let’s move on to why I think the prefix ‘standard’ can be a little misleading and undermine this focal length and the many advantages there are for using one.

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