Comments on: The Dubious Origin and Uncertain Future of the “Standard” 50mm Lens

By: Charles

Charles — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 04:33:03 +0000

I only see the 50mm as the ‘standard’ lens for 35mm and equivalents, because it is versatile, for a beginner, that lens can do a lot, and I feel like too many people dance around that with justifications of “it’s the most accurate to what our eyes see”, when it really comes down to being cheap and versatile, for beginners and experienced alike

By: PhotoBug

PhotoBug — Sun, 10 Sep 2023 14:06:40 +0000

In reply to James Tocchio. Haha!

By: JK LOCKWOOD

JK LOCKWOOD — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 18:53:54 +0000

For years, a 50mm lens came with every new camera body. Period. I always assumed they were cost-effective for the manufacturer and useful (given we were shooting film and they were generally f/1.8). No one was arguing about the existential question of FOV vs. Human Anatomy (we didn’t have the internet then).They are still my first recommendation when someone is learning and wants to go beyond their pitifully-slow kit zoom, even if they can shoot at ISO 25,600 now. If you want to take pictures with a “real” camera that look just like all the other pictures taken with an iPhone, use a 28mm prime. But if you want to separate yourself from the pack, consider a fast 50mm!

By: Ani Trone

Ani Trone — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 01:51:13 +0000

Well, I thought that weird too about a focal length seeing as the human eye does. But I’ve tried many lenses and I always come back to my “favorite lens” which happens to be the 58mm 1.4 from Nikon. It’s because my favorite images were taken with that lens, and it has to do with the “character” of the lens. I’ve only ever kept a lens for that reason…the look that it makes. Thanks for another great article!

By: Bill Sheets

Bill Sheets — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 18:34:18 +0000

Having owned 17 through 300 mm lenses, a lot of my best pictures were made with a 50 or 35 mm. While your field of vision may be wider than a 50mm would show, a 50 mm view is about what you can look at at one moment and process. Your visual acuity falls off very rapidly at the edge of your visual field. Try reading print on a page 20-25 degrees off to one side of your line of vision while looking straight ahead..and no cheating. I think you will see what I mean. Wide angle lenses are fine if you want a wide view, but they give an unnatural appearance to most subjects, unless the image is later corrected for perspective and distortion..

By: Matt "fotomatt" Lit

Matt "fotomatt" Lit — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 14:49:32 +0000

As a photojournalist I never owned a fiddy. 24, 105, 180, 300. If I couldn’t shoot it with one of these it couldn’t be shot. ;~) It was only after I started teaching photography in the mid 90s that I put a fiddy on my FM2n. I felt is was a way of forcing my vision…of being creative with just one view. By angle, distance to subject and aperture I could make it look 35mm or – my preferred – like a 75mm. I challenge my students this way, too…and suggest to them that as a prime lens companion to their slower variable aperture zooms, the fiddy represents an excellent low-light portrait lens.

Thanks for the space…found my way here researching my beloved F4s. Glad to see a current and relevant camera/photo blog.

linktr.ee/fotomatt