I'm in love with the 50mm lens!

[AlwaysOnAuto]

I have an 18-200 on my D7000 and love how I can get a whole car in the frame while being just a few feet away from it. I've only recently tried my Series E 50mm on it but really like the way the small lens makes the camera feel completely different in hand.

 

[Vics]

I just noticed that all four of my favorite 35mm cameras have 50mm lenses mounted. I'm trying to "come back to the 50," after a couple of years with a 35mm preference. When I've traveled with just one camera and a 50, I've been happier traveling, and gotten more good pictures of my travels. I'm thinking of selling all of my long lenses. I just don't use 'em.

 

[gnuyork]

50mm is my primary focal length for 35mm. If I could have one lens, this is it.

 

[jsrockit]

Does anyone else have this quirk/eccentricity/lunacy?

Yes, I used to. However, certain photos I like to make call for other focal lengths. To me, there is no need for other focal lengths until you cannot make the photo you'd like to make with the current focal lengths you are using. Once you cannot make a photo with what you have, it'll become apparent which focal length you need next.

 

[froyd]

Yes, I used to. However, certain photos I like to make call for other focal lengths. To me, there is no need for other focal lengths until you cannot make the photo you'd like to make with the current focal lengths you are using. Once you cannot make a photo with what you have, it'll become apparent which focal length you need next.

...And sometime the obstacles tho that photo are psychological as well as physical. In over 20 years of being primarily a 50mm photographer , I never found the focal length limiting.

After switching to a 35mm for the last 5 years, I now find it hard to use the 50 because I'm forever bumping into walls or having to walk backwards several meters. I realize the real problem is me trying to fit a 35mm framing into a 50mm FOV, and therefore having to step back to fill up the scene that I'm visualizing. The better approach, of course, would be to adjust my eye to recognize framing and compositions that complement the focal length, as opposed to work against it. It takes a few days to make the switch, so I tend to keep the 50 mounted for several weeks on hand until the framing becomes second nature.

 

[Bingley]

Just got back from a couple weeks in Hawaii, taking 28, 50, and 90, and FF camera. Used the 28 only on the plane, didn't touch the 90, and was content using the 50 otherwise. Another time I took 25 and 50 on 1.3x crop camera and was surprised how useful the 50 was there too.

I like 35 or 40 the best for general walkabout. But I can adjust my seeing to see photo ops for whatever lens is on the camera, from 21mm on up... 🙂 But like Dave, zooms throw me for a loop too!

I think Hawaii is one of those places where a "normal" lens is just about all you need. I had a similar experience in 2012 when I was on Maui; I hardly used my 28 and 100 lenses. We're heading back next summer, and I'm looking forward to taking a Rolleiflex and one other film cam w/ a normal lens.

 

[dogberryjr]

Not me. Can't stand 'em. No way, no how.

 

[B.Toews]

I currently own eight 50mm lenses, so you might say that I like them!

 

[Dirk]

I do probably 90% of my shots between 40mm and 58mm, so yeah, the average probably falls right onto 50mm. The focal length where life happens!

 

[RichW]

All the film cameras in my sig have a 50mm attached (or 50 equivelent for MF) and hopefully I will get a 50mm for the 6D for xmas 😉

 

[Finglas]

I have 2x 50mm lens one for SLR, one for the RF.

Indeed I sold my first ever 50mm and bought a 40mm f2 VC but even that was too wide for my eyes and how I see things, so next item was a new 50mm f1.8 for the SLR.

My last trip abroad I brought 1 camera & 1 lens, the Nikon FM2n with Nikon Series E 50mm f1.8 lens for use in Central America. First time travelling so light, it was superb fit really didn't miss using any zoom or prime telephoto.

I did it as an experiment to see could I slim down all the gear and stick with just 1 or 2 lens per camera. The answer is yes. So now I have 2 cameras, both have 50mm
the other is 75mm each (for SLR and RF) and the 40mm is still there too but used only 10% of the time.

 

[GarageBoy]

50s make me work and actually think...because it's the one focal length I have no idea how to use them and get photos that wow me

I like the bigger picture with wides (35 1.4s would be my default lens if I could afford them)

 

[Danlo]

I have always used the 50mm focal lenght the most. I have 24, 35, 50, and 85mm but the 50mm just works for everything. When Im at home or on an assignment I sometimes use the other focal lenghts but almost never when Im out and about 🙂 If Im going to a parade or a festival I usually bring the 24mm just in case.. But so far I have never used it on those occasions. 50mm IS photography to me.

 

[raid]

I used to only favor using the 50mm lenses, and then I tried out the 35mm lenses, and now I use both together on two cameras, side by side.

 

[leicapixie]

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138666

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138666

My favorite lens is 50mm.
I prefer the "look" of the image.
In most company optics, it's the most quality for least price.
The widest apertures, the most corrected optics.
I find the 35mm not dynamic as a wide preferring the 28mm.
The 90mm perfect for portraits.
I simply use my 90mm frame finder on my Leica.
I crop the image..
That way i have a fast aperture 90mm that is very compact!😀

 

[De_Corday]

If I'm heading out the door with my film camera, chances are my full kit is a 28, a 50 and an 85. The 50 stays on most of the time, but I think I'm falling for the 28, to be honest...

The nice thing about the 50 is that it can do double-duty... few steps closer or a few steps back and you can trick yourself into thinking you've got either the 28 or the 85 🙂

If I'm carrying only one lens, its the 50. Though I borrowed a friend's Voigtlander 40mm, and I think I want one of those...

 

[John E Earley]

I used to only favor using the 50mm lenses, and then I tried out the 35mm lenses, and now I use both together on two cameras, side by side.

This is where I'm frequently at.

 

[Greyscale]

I think that I now have 18 50mm lenses. But I find that I am using 28mm lenses more than anything else now.

 

[sjones]

Yeah, without much preconceived notion of what I wanted when I got into photography (with the exception of a big telephoto), I eventually gravitated from zooms to primes, and from autofocus to manual...and this was while using a DSLR. I also learned relatively early on that I had no desire for long lenses.

A comment above about the distractive nature of zoom's many offerings is largely what pushed me to stick with primes; it wasn't a quality or speed issue. Likewise, I just enjoyed the process of manual over autofocus, and with my style of photography, I generally use zone focusing anyway.

Process of elimination largely led me to the 50mm. I'll use a 35mm for one or two rolls of film each year, and I continually tell myself that one day I'll pick up a 28mm, but the 50mm just feels the most natural. It's a bit conflicting, since I like the dynamic perspective of wides (yes, I know, it's more of a function of distance between subject and lens, blah, blah, blah) for street shots, but for my own stuff, I general prefer a normal lens.