50mm prime - the best yet most underrated lens ever?
The 50mm prime lens, also known as the ‘Nifty Fifty’, is probably the most underrated and yet versatile lens there is - and you should DEFO own one!
Why?
its relatively cheap, especially if you only buy the f1.8 variant
its quite small, which is handy
it has a Field of View (FoV) close to what we see with our own eye
and because they are relatively simple in construction, they are also often extremely sharp
My own variant is the Nikon Z50mm f1.8 S, and I truly believe its the sharpest lens I’ve ever owned! Especially when using DxO PureRaw as the starting point of any of my editing with it
So here’s how I use it - wide-open (or as close as I can get if its very sunny!)
For this stroll around Morecambe Bay, as a recce for a forthcoming Landscape Photography Workshop, I had to set my ISO to just 50, and often the shutter speed still went to my Nikon Z6ii’s max of 1/8000th, so I shot at f2
Whenever you restrict yourself to such as ONE focal length and ONE aperture you are forced to ‘see’ differently; which is why I use this on my Workshops and 1-2-1 Bespoke Landscape Photography Training often with my attendees, and as part of a set of ‘Themed Challenges’ to get those creative juices flowing
Anyway, enough blurb, let’s see what I shot in a little over a 2-hour stroll on a lovely sunny day…
Oh - and if you get as far at the ladies dancing around Eric’s statue (lol) then yes, there are several of them just in case they find this Blog post! They photographed my t-shirt to remember my web address!
Would YOU like to benefit from a…
Landscape Photography Workshop
Drop me an email here dave@scapesphotography.co.uk
Give me a call on 07830 085 112
Or use my Contact Form to tell me about where you think you are now and what you’re like to be better at, and we’ll get you Booked In soonest
Landscape Photography in its main three forms of Land - Sea - City is about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on! Maybe more, after a certain age lol
The better you become at Photography, the sooner you can move away from the technical side of things and the more you will…
ENJOY YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY