7 Reasons Why Everyone Should Have A 50mm f/1.8 Lens

Last Updated on July 3, 2016 by PixelPluck

7 Reasons Why Everyone Should Have A 50mm f/1.8 Lens

50mm is one of the most affordable lens and is quite a bang for the money you pay. It is sharp, produces wonderful bokeh and is a light sucker for the low light situations. A 50mm is must have for all kinds of photographer. Any beginner on a tight budget looking for an upgrade from kit lens should get this lens. It makes you realize what a DSLR is capable of which is not the case with a kit lens. The background bokeh or blur looks creamy and is on par with professional lenses considering the fact that you only pay a fraction of the price.

Here are the top 7 Reasons Why Everyone Should Have A 50mm f/1.8 Lens:

Bokeh
Bokeh refers to the blur quality of the background which all amateurs are searching for when shooting with their kit lens. The quality of blur is very important for any lens. Generally you need to spend hundreds of dollars to get a lens which gives beautiful bokeh or throws background completely out of focus. A 50mm lens is more than capable of giving you the desired result. It opens up to wide f/1.8 which means it can completely throw background out of focus. Any light source in the background appears as beautiful circular patterns which complements and enhances the focus on subject.
Sharpness
It is one of the sharpest lens especially when you consider the price of this lens. It is highly ranked in the DxOMark sharpness ratings. It will put your kit lens to shame when you will compare the results.
No Zoom
Being fixed at 50mm means you will have to move your feet to zoom in and zoom out. This will force you to learn the art of composition and be creative with framing. All amateurs are used to their 18-55mm or 18-140mm kit lenses where you can just zoom in and out to get the right frame. It does not let you be creative and think out of the box.
Size
The size of a 50mm f1.8 lens is compact and pocket friendly. it is light weight and easy to carry along. This makes it a great travel lens. There’s a reason why it is called a nifty-fifty. you don’t need a lot of space to fit it inside your camera bag.

Sample Photograph taken on 50mm f/1.8 – Notice the beautiful background bokeh.
Low Light Performance
Due to its wide open aperture of f/1.8, it is literally a light sucker. Low light is not a problem when you are shooting with a 50mm lens. The wide open aperture ensures that enough light reaches your sensor to create properly exposed photograph.
Ease of use
You do not need to learn new things to operate a 50mm lens. The basics are same. It does have auto-focus if you are not sure of focusing manually. Note: You need to buy ‘G’ version for Nikon for auto-focus to work. ‘D’ version do not have internal focus motor so auto-focus will not work on entry level cameras like D3300 and D5300. For Mid level DSLRs like Nikon D7200, both ‘G’ and ‘D’ version will auto-focus. You can use it to shoot portraits, flowers, products or even landscapes.
Price
A 50mm f/1.8 lens is inexpensive and affordable to anyone who can afford a DSLR. If you are starting out in DSLR photography then it should be your immediate lens after you kit lens. Not only you will learn a lot about the capability of a DSLR but it will also make you a better photographer.

A zoom lens may give you versatility but a 50mm will make you a photographer who thinks. It will beat any kit lens hand down. If you don’t have one yet then you must consider buying one. Check out the latest price of 50mm lens.

50mm f/1.8 for Nikon or 50mm f/1.8 for Canon.

Already have a 50mm lens? Check out the 10 Dream Lenses.

Learn How to take Photographs with beautiful bokeh.