After the publication of the article about choosing a lens, a lot of controversy arose regarding primes.
In this article we want to express our subjective impressions of fixes and try to dispel some myths.
Note! This article is described based on experience working with a full-frame matrix. For cropped cameras, focal lengths are multiplied by the crop factor.
What are the benefits of fixes?
This lens is ideal for reporting and any genre where, in addition to the hero, the surroundings are important to you.
50mm
This lens, like the 35mm, is available in two modifications, which can be divided into budget (f/1.8) and professional (f/1.4 and f/1.2).
Many consider this lens to be a classic portrait lens; this is the first association that most photographers have.
As a rule, as an argument, there are comparisons between the viewing angle of a 50mm lens and the “angle of coverage of the human eye.” It's a delusion. And there is a lot of evidence for this, starting with the fact that we read information with two eyes, that is, stereoscopically, and then we stitch this data into a panorama.
Although 50mm does not distort perspective as much as 35mm, there are still distortions and they are quite noticeable, especially when shooting close-ups.
Despite all its shortcomings, this lens remains the most popular prime lens.
85mm
There is no perspective distortion at this focal length, making this lens a true portrait lens.
The high focal length is both a plus and a minus of this lens.
On the one hand, all other things being equal, it compresses the perspective more, which allows the background to be blurred more strongly.
On the other hand, to shoot a medium shot you will have to stand back quite far. Picking up a girlfriend in a cafe, even from the waist up, will be problematic.
For these reasons, such a lens can no longer be used as a standard lens, since its scope of application is very limited.
135mm
135mm is a classic portrait lens. It inherits and enhances the properties of 85mm. Tight perspective, strong bokeh and focusing distance.
P.S.
Selecting a line of primes for any photographer, even a professional one, is a very intimate and painstaking matter.
Therefore, for beginning photographers, Fototips will venture to give some advice:
- You can determine the focal length that is preferable for you as an artist using a zoom lens, taking several shots without changing the focal length from frame to frame.
- We recommend making a line of optics with a certain pitch, without purchasing optics with a similar focal length. Examples of recommended lines:
- 1st 24mm (landscape), 50mm (genre), 100mm (portrait + macro)
- 2nd 35mm (landscape + genre), 85mm (portrait)
- 3rd (budget option) only 50mm.
We will talk about tilt-shift lenses in a separate article.
And it is very difficult to collect information on the best representatives of this family, much less try.
At the same time, I'm not starting from scratch. I have already tried about 100 lenses (update 04/23/2015) with a focal length of 50mm and I hope to try a few more in the near future. But since “time doesn’t wait,” I’ll start my review now.
In preparing the article, in addition to my experience using 50mm lenses, I used materials from the-digital-picture, club.Foto.ru and others.
Our today's heroes, lenses with a focal length of 50mm
And also for fans of foreign manual lenses, there is an article that discusses the following lenses:
16. Nikon Nikkor ai-s 50/1.2
17. Nikon Nikkor ai-s Nikkor 55/1.2
18. Mamiya Sekor 55/1.4
19. Voigtlander Ultron 55mm/f1.4
20. Voigtlander Nocton 58/1.4
21. Leica summicron 50/2
8. Zeiss 50/1.7 (with serial number 8xxx)
22. Olympus Zuiko MC 50mm/1.8
23. TOPCOR TOPCON 58/1.4
24. Mamiya Sekor 50/2
25. Mamiya Sekor sx 55/1.8
26. Fuji EBC 55/1.8
27. RE Topcor 55/1.7
28. Mamiya Sekor 50/1.4
29. Helios 44M-7 58/2 MS
30. Pentacon electric 50/1.8 MC
Ufff! as many as 30 50mm lenses
In this article we will not go so much into tests and compare lenses"face to face". I'll try to consider lens features, which may influence the choice of lens specifically for your tasks.
At the same time, do not forget that a lens cannot have equally good autofocus at all apertures. Apparently Canon 50/1.2L configured with the expectation of its use specifically on open apertures.
Here is an example of working at aperture 1.2.
and one more example
Is it worth it? CANON EF 50 mm f/2.5 Macro only 9 thousand (~300usd).
Difference CANON EF 50 mm f/1.2 L USM:
— faster motor (USM)
- large (1.2 versus 2.5)
- bokeh. (at F2.5 there is little left of the bokeh)
Now let's move on to the next contestant. TO CANON EF 50 mm f/1.2 L USM we'll be back when we discuss lenses Carl Zeiss.
Once again Sony surprised me. She released another “fifty dollar” - Sony Planar T* 50mm F1.4 ZA SSM. The cost of the subject, about $1500, prompted me to test my knowledge of FF lenses with a focal length of 50 mm (46°-47°) and high aperture.
First, a few words about what FF cameras and FF lenses are (glass, lenses - slang). These are cameras with a matrix size of 36x24 mm, like a film frame.
Of course, you will have to leave aside very rare lenses and write only about what you can buy new in stores or secondhand. We'll leave the rest for advanced photographers for whom comparisons are no longer necessary.
№ 1
Zenit: Zenithar M 50mm f/2.0- leader in low cost.
Price: about 2,250 rub. Of course, there is no autofocus. The downside is that it doesn’t hold backlight very well, let’s add a strange design and a plastic feel to the body. However, these disadvantages are covered by the opportunities that are given to you for insignificant money. The nature of the background blur is slightly twisted donuts. Many people will like it.
It’s definitely suitable for creative experiments, especially considering the price. In your youth, while your vision is still close to 100%, you can easily learn to work with non-autofocus optics, which is cool and a “+5” to your skills.
№ 2
CANON EF 50 mm f/1.8 II
Price: about 3500 rub.
Here is the first autofocus prime lens before us.
There is much that is bad about him. First of all, it focuses very conditionally: 3 times out of 5 it hits the target. But something else is worse.
Its diaphragm is formed by only five blades - count it yourself. This means that in many situations the nature of the background blur is very “nervous” and instead of beautiful circles and donuts, we can get wonderful pentagons. Look at the photo below. But if they made 10-12 blades at the diaphragm, the portrait quality would increase significantly.
If you decide to buy, then carefully select a copy; it’s easy to come across completely “soapy” subjects. However, lately a lot of rubbish has been brought to Russia and everything needs to be checked.
№ 3
AF 50 mm f/1.8 D
Price: about 4,500 rub. The peculiarity of this lens is that autofocus will not work on all Nikon camera models. The autofocus mechanism is noisy, and this is a minus if you shoot video focusing automatically.
A feature of background blur that is important to talk about is shown in the photo on the left. At an open aperture, the bokeh (blur circles) look decent, but by closing the aperture to 3.2-4 you can sometimes get “nuts” instead of “donuts”. This is due to the fact that the diaphragm blades (7 pieces) form this shape when closing. The treatment is simple: work on an open hole, because that’s what you bought it for))).
It is worth adding that the lens, like all inexpensive models, does not have super-duper coatings that minimize glare. But this does not stop many photographers from taking wonderful pictures. The desire to create comes from experience and knowledge of the instrument).
№ 4
NIKON 50mm f/1.8G AF-S Nikkor
Price: about 7500 rub.
This lens is close to #3, but superior to it. It's not a matter of optical properties, but the presence of a built-in autofocus motor.
This is the reason for its large size, quiet and accurate operation, which is important for fans of video shooting with cameras.
If the subject in focus is close and the aperture is open, then “swirled” bokeh is visible. There are 7 diaphragm blades, which gives a nut-boke when closing the diaphragm hole.
Many amateur photographers who have Nikon cameras with a crop factor use this lens as a portrait lens.
№ 5
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
Price: about 10,500 rub.
Here's a new milestone: the first lens with aperture 1.4. What is he famous for?
This model has been produced since 1993. Everything about it is good, except for the fragile design. Be gentle with it, because the manufacturer, I believe, not without intent, has been feeding the market with this fragile item for almost 30 years.
However, many things about it differ from its competitors. Firstly, the diaphragm has 8 blades i.e. blurring of the background at closed apertures is more beautiful than that of models No. 1-4.
The second good thing is that the lens catches glare less than its predecessors. The reason is the optical design, which uses two lenses made of low-dispersion glass; they also eliminate astigmatism. In this model, Kenon's designers provided both a focusing scale and the convenience of switching from automatic to manual focusing.
In short, this is a lens with decent contrast, color rendition, flare resistance, and fast focusing. All this is true until you slightly drop it or shake it in your bottomless photo backpack.
That's when problems with focusing and the movement of the focusing ring begin. The cure is simple: by selling it to a novice photographer, who will be puzzled and angry by the glitchy products of the Canon company. After suffering, he will buy something more expensive, sell this copy, and in the meantime you will learn to be careful or buy something else. Such a business.
№ 6
Sony 50mm f/1.4
Price: about 11,500 rub.
Let's face it: the lens is decent. Rounded aperture blades provide good background blur, colors and contrast are also pleasing. I must honestly say that Sony was a success with this lens.
The downside is the lack of a built-in focusing motor. This means that focusing occurs through a mechanical connection, which in photographic slang is called a “screwdriver.” The not very modern method leads to unstable autofocus performance in general.
Please note that the lenses described above already have a built-in motor.
Note: Sony amateur cameras support the “screwdriver” focusing method, but the result leaves much to be desired. This means that many will have to try to focus with their hands, and this, alas, is not easy.
Over time, with active use, the pleasant rubber comes off, and the lens takes on a “careless” appearance that does not affect image quality. However, upon resale, the buyer will remember these rubber bands.
№ 7
Sigma AF 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM
Price: about 14,000 rubles.
Finally, we have before us a lens from a “third-party” manufacturer, i.e. making optics for cameras from Kenon, Nikon, etc.
One of its weaknesses is its weight of 500 grams. and the diameter for the filter is 77 mm. The remaining lenses, which were higher, weigh 130-200 g, and the filters on them are much smaller, and therefore cheaper. However, this lens is truly worthy of being in the hands of a professional photographer. I'll tell you why.
It is clear that it has a large aperture ratio (1.4) and makes it possible to photograph in difficult lighting conditions. If you noticed, as the price (approximately) increases, the manufacturer complicates the optical circuits, tries to correct aberrations, etc. optics features.
In this model, a cast aspherical lens introduced into the optical design perfectly eliminates coma aberration in the sagittal plane and chromatic aberration. This is a great innovation worthy of 2008 (beginning of production).
The nature of the blur is provided by a 9-blade diaphragm. This is a buzz, as you already understood. Despite the improved enlightenment of all elements, the lens still likes to “catch hares”. Apparently, the number of optical elements, which is greater than in lenses 1-6, has an effect.
It is important that during the focusing process the lenses move inside the lens body and do not extend. This is an element of protection and reliability.
Bad news for Sony photographers, and good news for everyone else: autofocus is performed by a fast motor, and the Sony lens has screwdriver-type focusing. Slow. Glitchy.
№ 8
Pentax SMC FA 50mm f/1.4
Price: about 14,500 rub.
Optically, this is a good lens. The coating of the lenses, the shape of the 8-blade aperture, the classic design of a five-element lens (planar) - all this gives a beautiful picture, with some aberrations at an open aperture, which are visible in the above photograph. They disappear at aperture 1.6.
I love the Pentax company and their ideas... I love them so much that I recommend the article
The choice of lens for a photographer is even more important than the choice of camera. In this review you will find a description of focal lengths from 14mm to 300mm. Each focal length has its own specifics, this must be taken into account when choosing a lens. I think you need to start with a kit lens. You can even use a zoom like 18-135, and only then approach the choice of more specialized optics. This is an individual and creative process.
The optimal focal length depends on:
- filming genre
- filming locations
- specifics of work
- the creative vision of each photographer
You can decide on all this only if you already have some experience in photography. Below I will share my observations. All information concerns working with. If you have a camera with a crop matrix, multiply the focal length numbers by one and a half.
Fish eye
The shot from above was taken with a lens. This lens gives full frame coverage on a cropped camera and a circle with black edges on. Viewing angle: 180 degrees diagonally. Shots taken correctly with fisheye look mesmerizing. The peculiarity of this focal length ( come from 4mm to 15mm) is that it has a very narrow scope of application. Fisheye is a lens with the widest possible viewing angle, but without distortion correction. The end result is rounded lines that should be straight, and a very specific perspective. Take this lens with you for a few bright shots. It is difficult to use it for a long time.
14mm
The focal length lens is also very specific. This concerns the geometry of the resulting image. The slightest misalignment of the camera causes severe distortion. This is especially felt when. In nature, the horizon easily collapses. The angle of vision is very wide - you need to understand whether you need it. It has advantages: you can, for example, remove the entire interior of the car from the inside; in any cramped room you will not have problems with the viewing angle; in nature you can make interesting panoramas with a voluminous foreground. You can only shoot portraits with this focal length very carefully and at full height. In general, photographing people with a lens with such a focal length requires extreme thoughtfulness. This, however, applies to any filming - here you need to think before taking a shot. The 14mm lens is not an everyday tool.
24mm
24mm- quite a wide angle. When working with a wide-angle lens, you always need to think about what should be included in the frame and what should not be. This focal length is easier to work with. It does not bend space as much and is more consistent with ordinary perception. 24mm is very comfortable to shoot indoors. Capturing the entire room will not be a problem. At the same time, geometric distortions are much less pronounced. This is a convenient focal length, you can travel with it (which I would not recommend doing with only 14mm), shoot reportage inside small rooms, and take landscape photographs. For portraits, a 24mm lens is, again, of little use.
People often ask me: “Where to start? Which optics should I buy? Which lens is “universal” (this is my favorite question)? How many lenses do you need to be happy? Why so expensive? Why so heavy? Why? ... “. Well, everything like that! For a long time now, almost without thinking, I answer: ““.
Only with this lens, given its affordable price (I'm talking about the C and F1.4 versions), any beginner will experience all the delights of switching to a DSLR camera. And he will appreciate all the beauty of a shallow depth of field.
This is my first fix. Even on the cropped Canon 400D, where for me it was almost 100% only portrait, it already allowed me to take cool pictures with excellent sharpness and beautiful bokeh.
On fullframe, for a long time it was almost “unremovable” glass from the camera, but then 35mm appeared... Yes, yes, it was 35mm that pushed half a glass out of my camera mount. Whatever one may say, 35mm often turns out to be a better focal length, more useful, more universal or something. But you need to grow to 35mm. And I haven’t changed my mind about the first glass! I decided to go on a couple of walks with friends, taking only fifty dollars with me, to show how varied photography can be done with just one lens, and to remind myself once again how creative glass is.
This is what came out of it. Models – Olesya, Anya, Roma. Camera – Canon 5D Mark III, lens – Canon 50mm F1.4. Processing in Adobe CameraRaw:
