Your thoughts on this lens?

[JerryPH]

Every camera manufacturer makes their version of the 50mm F/1.8 lens, and though they *are* pretty good (especially for the money), do not expect other "good glass" to be cheap, becuase thats where it can get expensive. Once you try a $1500-$2000 lens, you will learn to appreciate what high quality glass really feels like and what kind of results you can get with it.

I think that this is what separates the less serious photographers from the more serious ones... not the fact that they can afford more expensive lenses, but that they now plan and save and work to afford the more expensive lenses.

 

[Mystwalker]

50mm f/1.8 - GREAT PRICE! Almost a "must have" - it was first lens I bought.

For a beginner, it may be source of much frustration. If you are shooting at f/1.8, your focus pretty much has to be RIGHT ON ... I have missed many shots of daughter running around house. Also, 50mm on a crop camera is too long for indoors.

But for less then $90, it's priced perfect

 

[prodigy2k7]

50mm f/1.8 - GREAT PRICE! Almost a "must have" - it was first lens I bought.

For a beginner, it may be source of much frustration. If you are shooting at f/1.8, your focus pretty much has to be RIGHT ON ... I have missed many shots of daughter running around house. Also, 50mm on a crop camera is too long for indoors.

But for less then $90, it's priced perfect

Indeed its a great lens for its price, but there is a time when you need to give it a little more quality and a little more price. F/1.4 is just that IMO

 

[LarryD]

I guess that I'll be contrary........

I have a half dozen SLR's, some of them with a 50mm. from 1.2 SSC, 1.4 SSC, to the 1.8 SC.. (the old Canon L glass)...

But that was then, this is now.... times have changed..

Modern Digital SLR's are mostly 1.6 crop bodies, and so that 50mm acts like an 80mm portrait lens.....almost worthless inside unless you like pictures of ears, noses, or have ballroom sized spaces.

That, and zoom lenses as well as primes today are simply better than they have ever been.... couple that with the idea that you can change the ISO on a digital camera for every shot, rather than change out an entire roll of film (or slap on a fast lens), and that doesn't leave you very much of a reason to have a plastic 50mm 1.8 lens in your kit..

A 28 or 35 will be more useful indoors as well as out..... and an ISO increase picks up any lost speed.

 

[prodigy2k7]

I guess that I'll be contrary........

I have a half dozen SLR's, some of them with a 50mm. from 1.2 SSC, 1.4 SSC, to the 1.8 SC.. (the old Canon L glass)...

But that was then, this is now.... times have changed..

Modern Digital SLR's are mostly 1.6 crop bodies, and so that 50mm acts like an 80mm portrait lens.....almost worthless inside unless you like pictures of ears, noses, or have ballroom sized spaces.

That, and zoom lenses as well as primes today are simply better than they have ever been.... couple that with the idea that you can change the ISO on a digital camera for every shot, rather than change out an entire roll of film (or slap on a fast lens), and that doesn't leave you very much of a reason to have a plastic 50mm 1.8 lens in your kit..

A 28 or 35 will be more useful indoors as well as out..... and an ISO increase picks up any lost speed.

Actually I use my 50mm on my crop body all the time. I did a beach shoot with my girlfriend, I got some excellent results, I don't have them with me, im out of town ATM. 50mm is 50mm, its still the same focal length. It is just cropped a little more. I think saying that "almost worthless inside unless you like pictures of ears, noses, or have ballroom sized spaces." is an overstatement.

 

[Montana]

Its a gross overstatement! It is fine indoors unless you are in very tight quarters. I can easily get full body shots with a background stand and tripods, flash stands, etc in the dining room of our house.