Bought my nifty fifty!

[Palyriot]

Well, I finally spoiled myself and bought myself the 50mm f1.8 for my nikon d40. It's the most I can spend on a lens right now because I'm saving up for college, but it should be a very fun lens. It should arrive Friday and I have a feeling I'll be taking quite a few...hundred shots that day when it comes.

I know it's a great lens for portraiture, but what are some of your other uses for it? I'm kind of excited to be limited to manual focus. In fact, I might take my 18-55 AF-S outside and lock it on 50mm and MF and get used to the change before it gets here.

I'M EXCITED!!!!!

 

[Bifurcator]

I know it's a great lens for portraiture, but what are some of your other uses for it?

I'M EXCITED!!!!!

Congratz on the get brother! Other uses will of course include ceiling fans!!

 

[reg]

Congratz on the get brother! Other uses will of course include ceiling fans!!

lol wut

 

[zapman29]

wow sounds great I love my 50mm for my canon.. i mean it was so inexpensive and takes such great shots

 

[Palyriot]

I would take a picture of a ceiling fan in my house, but I'm not sure if I have one... Don't think so. Well, it should come tomorrow. Anyone else have any advice or information on what is good to shoot with the nifty fifty?

 

[LaFoto]

What? Your new ceiling fan will be in the mail today, too???
Right - well, I myself tend to use my own 50mm 1.8 for indoor portraiture most, but I'm finding I'm using it much less than I thought I would when I got mine a year ago.

 

[Do'Urden's Eyes]

for me because i cant afford much i use that as my 'wide' lens. its definately a really good general purpose lens. thats why 50mm is often refered to as 'normal. but for us non richies or pros, or those who just dont want full frame its actually a 75mm view on our cropped sensors which isnt so wide at all. It sucks that the nikon nifty fifty doesnt have auto focus though. Well sucks for you nikoners. though the auto foccus is so slow and noise on mine, i cringe when i hear that thing turning to focus.

Congrats!

 

[Bifurcator]

What? Your new ceiling fan will be in the mail today, too???
Right - well, I myself tend to use my own 50mm 1.8 for indoor portraiture most, but I'm finding I'm using it much less than I thought I would when I got mine a year ago.

That's always the way it is for me too. Not the ceiling fan tho... I got mine years ago and use it allot.

Manual 50mm lenses are good mostly because they represent the standard human vision view angle and so are good to learn basic photographic concepts with. Like framing, rule of 3rds, and etc. After that though I guess most people just park them in the camera bag or closet where they gather dust or they go back out into the market place making them a great deal for other people wanting/needing to learn the same things. They're also great for copy stand work if yours has marco. After my 1st 50mm SLR lens some 40 years ago I don't think I've owned one since that wasn't also macro.

It's not all bad news tho. If you're doing photo-journalism in first-person documentary style I think there's no better focal length than a 50mm. I guess that's why they're so common with embedded and/or field reporters.