Canon 50mm f1.8

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Kobusva

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I decided to start new thread as a follow-up to this one: http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/458435-Lens-with-Canon-600D


Got my 50mm f1.8 today..

Wow..

Had some fun..!!!

Absolute the best value item you can buy for a DSLR!

Below R900, and even beginners that take more than a second to make sure the composition is correct, will have great pics to show their friends/family.

Quality is much better that the 18-55mm of the kit lens.. I'm talking about IQ.

Build quality not so bad as I've expected. Yes it is plastic, yes it makes a noise when focussing...

But somehow that is reassuring.. You know the little lens is working... You feel it working. It will handle anything you throw at it, anything beyond a 45cm distance, that is...

I looked at the almost 3.5 times more expensive 50mm 1.4 USM, but it must be a helluva lot better than this one, as to justify the price.

For anyone new to DSLR, I can wholeheartedly recommend a fast prime. Now I know what all the hype is about...

Most fun you'll have with your clothes on ;-)
 
Kobusva said:
I decided to start new thread as a follow-up to this one: http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/458435-Lens-with-Canon-600D


Got my 50mm f1.8 today..

Wow..

Had some fun..!!!

Absolute the best value item you can buy for a DSLR!

Below R900, and even beginners that take more than a second to make sure the composition is correct, will have great pics to show their friends/family.

Quality is much better that the 18-55mm of the kit lens.. I'm talking about IQ.

Build quality not so bad as I've expected. Yes it is plastic, yes it makes a noise when focussing...

But somehow that is reassuring.. You know the little lens is working... You feel it working. It will handle anything you throw at it, anything beyond a 45cm distance, that is...

I looked at the almost 3.5 times more expensive 50mm 1.4 USM, but it must be a helluva lot better than this one, as to justify the price.

For anyone new to DSLR, I can wholeheartedly recommend a fast prime. Now I know what all the hype is about...

Most fun you'll have with your clothes on ;-)
Click to expand...

There will be time's when you wish you had a 35mm...
 
I know... already I'm finding myself stepping back and stepping back from the subject. (In this case my very mobile 1 year old..)

It is a bit more expensive, and I needed to figure out if I will find a prime lens useful.

All in good time.
 
Got myself one of these on Saturday, it was also my first lens purchase after the 18-55 that came with my camera.
I cant fault this lens yet, everything I have thrown at it has come out well so far. IQ is a big step up from the kit lens!
Cheapest I could find it in JHB though was R1000. Wasnt worth buying it online, paying R75 for shipping and then saving a whopping R25.

Tonight I even used it at an action soccer game, shooting at ISO6400 and at f2.2 to get some fast shutter speeds, but it came out a whole lot better than my attempt with the kit lens last week!
 
Many places price it at below R900.

Got mine at Fotodiscountworld.co.za

Kalahari also have it for R955.

SaCamera for R899 if I remember correctly
 
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Many of the on-line retailers offer free shipping for anything more expensive than R300. But then you have to wait a couple of days. I don't live in Jhb or surrounds, so 95% of all my purchases have to be on-line
 
Kobusva said:
Many places price it at below R900.

Got mine at Fotodiscountworld.co.za

Kalahari also have it for R955.

SaCamera for R899 if I remember correctly
Click to expand...
Fotodiscount world - shipping charges
Kalahari - not sure about their shipping policy.
SaCamera- wanted R75 if I remember correctly.

And I wanted it asap, couldnt find any physical store for less than R900 in JHB.
 
Physical stores are always a bit more expensive with most tech products. Overheads more expensive and and.

I live about 130km from Jhb and only drive there every month or so.

Ordered mine on Sunday, got it today.

What's the best "physical store" chain in JHB selling photography equipment. (Clearwater/Sandton/Fourways) area..

Catsdigital? Makro?
 
SpoonTech said:
There will be time's when you wish you had a 35mm...
Click to expand...
And there will be times you want a 70mm, or a 100mm or a. . . that's the thing about primes. :)

I think my first lens was also the 50mm f/1.8 and when it exploded I upgraded to the f/1.4 which really is the better lens - the f/1.8 is a good place to start though. That said I don't really like primes - if I could find a viable alternative to my 300mm I'd ditch it in a second.
 
Kobusva said:
I looked at the almost 3.5 times more expensive 50mm 1.4 USM, but it must be a helluva lot better than this one, as to justify the price.
Click to expand...

From what I've read the IQ of the 50mm f/1.4 isn't much better than the f/1.8 II but the f/1.4 is more expensive because of:
1. Larger aperture
2. Much better build quality
3. Less chromatic aberation
4. FTM (full time manual) focusing
5. Better background blur (bokeh)
6. Quicker USM focusing
Plus a few other minor details.

Can't wait to get my Canon kit which will include a Nifty Fifty/Plastic Fantastic.
 
bwana said:
And there will be times you want a 70mm, or a 100mm or a. . . that's the thing about primes. :)

I think my first lens was also the 50mm f/1.8 and when it exploded I upgraded to the f/1.4 which really is the better lens - the f/1.8 is a good place to start though. That said I don't really like primes - if I could find a viable alternative to my 300mm I'd ditch it in a second.
Click to expand...

I don't know primes have their applications, and in my experience a good prime is better that a good zoom at the same distance. The 50mm is quite versatile as well and is actually good at both landscapes and portraits. It is also a great lens for street photography, that on a nice full frame camera means you can crop a lot and still have very good quality.
 
Logo said:
I don't know primes have their applications, and in my experience a good prime is better that a good zoom at the same distance. The 50mm is quite versatile as well and is actually good at both landscapes and portraits. It is also a great lens for street photography, that on a nice full frame camera means you can crop a lot and still have very good quality.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure about that - one thing for sure is that after getting the 70-200 f/2.8 IS II I dont see myself ever wanting or needing a prime in that range.
 
bwana said:
I'm not sure about that - one thing for sure is that after getting the 70-200 f/2.8 IS II I dont see myself ever wanting or needing a prime in that range.
Click to expand...
+1
It really does depend on your needs. If you have a one off chance at getting your pic, I'll take the zoom.
 
Are you using the 50mm on a full frame or on a cropped sensor.
I use a Nikon APS-C (cropped sensor) and I have a 35mm 1.8, and its incredible (eq. full frame length of about 55 mm). I would find 50mm too much of an inbetweener. I'd rather go for a 35mm and 85mm if i got two primes from the get go. The photos from my 35mm 1.8 make the kit lens look average. 1.8 / 2.2 / 2.8 are great for low light shots without flash!
 
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