using a normal lens

[subhuman]

Hi everyone,
I have thought about buying a Canon 50mm f 1.8 lens for my Rebel Xti
I have read lots of reviews saying it is an excellent lens, & seeing
as how it cost about as much as a tank of gas nowdays I thought I would
go for it.....but I have read that If you have never used a normal, fixed,or prime
lens that it takes a little getting used to.....I have only had two SLR's my Xti
with the kit lens (a 18- 55mm) and my film slr a Rebel T2 with the kit lens
(28-90mm) I have never used a lens that wasnt a telephoto-zoom type lens.......
how hard are they to get used to?? Thanks

[mjs1973]

They are not hard to use at all. You just have to zoom with your feet. If you want an idea of what it's like, take one of your zoom lenses, set it to 50mm, and put some tape on it so you can't use the zoom. Then go out shooting.

[subhuman]

Thanks mjs1973
I kind of thought that but I wasn't sure thanks for the tips

[Liz]

Go for it!

I've owned this lens and was never disappointed. It's easy to use along with your feet!

If you haven't seen what this lens can do, check these images out. Some of these shots are from the 50mm/f1.4 - but most of them are shot with the 50mm/f1.8. Actually, you can't tell much difference.

50mm Walk About

Liz

[Old Timer]

In my opinion you can't go wrong with a 50mm f1.8 lens. It's cheap, sharp and gives a great normal perspective of any subject.

[subhuman]

Thanks for the advice everyone......yeah I am going to order one...
next I'll have to see where to get it from.....I know that with my
Xti the 50mm will actually be about 80mm ? Am I right???
( I dont know why they couldnt have made it a full frame camera ?)
anyway I am anxious to try low light shots I'll have to drag out the old
tripod.....Canon & other manufactures should make more affordable,quality
lenses like this, I know I would be interested, right everyone????????

[Liz]

Thanks for the advice everyone......yeah I am going to order one...
next I'll have to see where to get it from.....I know that with my
Xti the 50mm will actually be about 80mm ? Am I right???
( I dont know why they couldnt have made it a full frame camera ?)
anyway I am anxious to try low light shots I'll have to drag out the old
tripod.....Canon & other manufactures should make more affordable,quality
lenses like this, I know I would be interested, right everyone????????

Yes - just about 80mm.

B&H is reputable, fair prices and good customer service.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...0mm_f_1_8.html

Liz

[erikzen]

This raises a question in my mind. If using a fixed focal lens is the same as using a zoom lens with tape on it, what is the advantage of having a lens that does not zoom? Is it just because you can get a high quality lens for less money because it doesn't have the complication of also having to zoom, or is there some other advantage?

[Frog]

This raises a question in my mind. If using a fixed focal lens is the same as using a zoom lens with tape on it, what is the advantage of having a lens that does not zoom? Is it just because you can get a high quality lens for less money because it doesn't have the complication of also having to zoom, or is there some other advantage?

In my non-technical layman understanding, the zoom lens has to make compromises in the glass to cover the range of the zoom. There may or may not be a perfect zoom point that's as good as a prime but it would vary, though some zooms are now considered as good or better than some primes.
With a prime lens, the glass is set for that focal length with no compromises.

[fx101]

If you have two lenses using the same quality glass that cover the same focal range, and one is a prime (i.e. 50mm) and the other is a zoom, the prime lens will have less elements to ruin the image and almost always result in sharper, more vibrant images with a shallower possible depth of field and much better low light performance (i.e. f/1.8 vs. f/3.5). Using primes means zooming with your feet. Honestly, you should always try to move closer to the subject to use the widest focal length your lens offers because MTF charts usually agree that the widest focal length on a zoom lens offers the best sharpness/contrast. a 50mm f/1.8 prime performs better than most of the other lenses I know of that cover that focal range (except maybe the Nikon 35-70 f/2.8 but you're using a canon body so that's irrelevant).

[subhuman]

This has turned into an interesting discussion........there's some
of this that I did not know, Thanks everyone!!!