nifty fifty whats all the fuss?

positivenote

hi guys, i want to treat myself to a little pressie and have read a few complimets towards one of these nifty fifty lenses? what are the advantages of having one and more importantly what one should i get for my canon 30d? alternatively should i just get myself a half decent speed light as i only have the onboard flash at the moment?
oh yeah the budget of the gift to myself is only around 100 euro

Beef

It's a fast, extremely sharp lens for very little money. Everyone should have one.

coylemj

I believe the fuss is all about the spectacular value this lens represents. For example if you look at Canon lens on Jessops website and display by price, the 50mm 1.8 is £99 and the next cheapest lens is £169.

dakar

There's a pretty good summary here from the FAQ, but in general, fast, sharp and light, an all round good investment:)

Dragan

Beautiful image quality, great bokeh, sharp, fast etc

For me, it's versatility is great. I have never had it on the camera and thought "damn, i wish i had something else".

And it cost peanuts.

Barname

:pac: i love my nikon 50mm f1.4 G AF-S Lens :pac::pac::pac:

coylemj

Barname wrote: »

:pac: i love my nikon 50mm f1.4 G AF-S Lens :pac::pac::pac:

Which costs three times the 50mm 1.8, I think we should stick to the 1.8 model since the OP says he has a budget of 100 euro.

But since we're here anyway, why is the 1.4 model so much more expensive, are the optics really 3x better - quality wise?

positivenote

okay, so the speedlite can wait for a while. anyone got a link to a trusted site where i can pick one up for my canon?
thanks for all the replies

stcstc

cant speek for the nikon

but the canon 1.4 is much better build and the autofocus is much much better, i see that as being worth the difference

kjt

Just got mine from Ian last week. Had it within 2days and the best thing about it? It fits in your pocket

Send Ian an email/pm.
Enjoy!!

Or if you can't wait that long head to Gunns on Wexford St if your in Dublin

Sleepy

stcstc wrote: »

cant speek for the nikon

but the canon 1.4 is much better build and the autofocus is much much better, i see that as being worth the difference

Even though I've not used the 1.4 and haven't had any focusing issues with my 1.8 I can see the argument on the auto-focus but is build quality *really* that important for 99% of users? Most photogs I know treat their camera equipment with kid gloves and if ya drop a lens it's going to break almost regardless of how much you've spent on it...

RichyX

Dragan wrote: »

Beautiful image quality, great bokeh, sharp, fast etc

While I'd agree it's a great lens for the money, the bokeh isn't up to much from what I've seen/read and the specular highlights are pretty nasty looking imo.

pete4130

I've got the Nikon 1.8 and 1.4 versions on different cameras. It's my most used lens for a number of reasons:

1) it fits in my camera bag on my camera (my cam bag is BIG but stuffed with other lenses)

2) My Nikon 24-70 2.8 is being repaired since last October (don't ask!!!) and its what I've had to work with and don't miss the 24-70 at all!

3) Fast, sharp, great, quality, light, non-intrusive

4) the 1.8 versions are cheap as chips and awesome

5) I'm addicted to the 1.4's light falloff (but not how unsharp is can be at the edges at 1.4....well maybe a little!)

Barname

pete4130 wrote: »

5) I'm addicted to the 1.4's light falloff (but not how unsharp is can be at the edges at 1.4....well maybe a little!)

thanks Pete, saved me typing.... :pac::pac:

Dragan

RichyX wrote: »

While I'd agree it's a great lens for the money, the bokeh isn't up to much from what I've seen/read and the specular highlights are pretty nasty looking imo.

I don't know, i'm a big fan of the bokeh from the nifty fifty myself.


.

ThOnda

If your budget is only €100, I think that 50/1.8 is the best value for the money. I don't think you could get decent flash for that money. Just cut milk plastic bottle to soften light from built-in flash and you have TTL flash and excellent lens.