I’ve always loved a 50mm lens from my film days – my parents purchased a Minolta 50mm f/1.8 lens for my trusty Minolta Dynax 600si and it was to become an almost permanent fixture on my camera. I’ve wanted a 50mm lens for my Nikon system for a while and my friends and colleagues Mark Wheatley and Phil Cowan both love the f/1.8 version. I held myself back when I heard there was a new AF-S version of the lens arriving.
Why do we love a 50mm lens so much? For me it was the closest representation to what my eyes were looking at – now I appreciate far more the benefits of the large aperture for low light photography and the creative effect of bokeh.
I purchased my lens from Mifsuds in Brixham, and the next day I was eagerly adding it to my D700. As much as I love my AF-S 24-70 f/2.8 it is a heavy lens for everyday use, and the difference in weight is understandably staggering. The wide maximum aperture of f/1.4 and integration of the AF-S motor does make this a little more bulky than the earlier f/1.4 and f/1.8 models, but it handles well and looks a little less like a toy!
Harry sitting on the bookshelf, 1/30 at f/1.4, ISO 720
Once I’d got used to the minimum focusing distance I realised just how good this lens is – even in virtual darkness you can lock in on individual details. The extra couple of stops makes for a supremely bright viewfinder too.
Tinsel, 1/30 at f/1.4, ISO 1100
So now I have pretty much my ideal kit bag – the 24-70, 50mm standard lens and the 70-300 zoom. In a perfect world I’d have the 70-200 f/2.8 lens and a wide lens – the 14-24mm for example – but budget won’t stretch that far and realistically at the moment I’ve got what I need. I think the 24-70 will be the weapon of choice as I crave the flexibility and 24mm on a full frame camera is actually – 24mm!
[...] Over the Easter weekend I set myself a challenge – instead of using my 24-70 f/2.8 or 70-200 f/2.8 zooms I had to stick to a single fixed focal length – my Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.4 lens. [...]