Do I need a 50mm lens when I have 28-105mm?

I recently was encouraged to buy a 50mm prime 1.8 lens. Was told it

will take relly good pictures. I take photos of babies and children

(mainly really close ups). I have a 28-105mm lens which I've been

using and happy with. Why do I need the 50mm lens? I can't see that

the photos are any better... please help me. Do I take the 50mm lens back?

the reason why you might want to keep it has nothing to do with the 50mm. it's all about that 1.8 aperture, which can give you some really nice DOF, and is also very good for low light. for you, it could especially come in handy if you take some pictures in low light of babies sleeping.

What does DOF mean? (sorry I'm new to all of this). Also I experimented with it last night using the in-built flash and found that the photos were very dark. What is the best way to get the best low light photos? I like taking natural light photos (don't like the flash). How do I get the best out of either lens without using a flash?<div></div>

It also gives you a lens that is, perhaps, less imposing than the 28-105. Besides being fast and sharp, it is also inexpensive. I love mine and use it a lot as my walk-about lens, even though I have a 24-85. But only you can decide, based on the subjects you now shoot and think you might shoot in the near future.

I'd keep the 50mm. I have a 28-70mm in my bag, but I love the DOF I can get with 50mm, its tack sharp, very light weight, and the 1.8 aperture allows the tripod to stay at home more.

<p>Justin</p>

"What does DOF mean?"

 

http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/lenses.html#dof

 

If you're just beginning, this entire Canon Beginner FAQ will be very informative reading.

 

Best wishes.

May I recommend a book on photography before deciding on lenses and such. Figure out the concepts and terms and then all of this will be much clearer. It would be far better for you than to go ahead and buy the 50mm because other people say it's good. For recommendations, my web pages might help.

 

-A

In general, the 50mm f/1.8 is the best deal in lenses, period. On a digital camera (which has

a crop factor), you'll adore it for portraits of little ones, and find you get much better results

indoors. It's dirt-cheap; go for it.

"What is DOF?" Here is a "simulated" 50mm at f1.8. A 85mm/f1.8 may work better still.<div></div>

Jon Austin - you suggested this site.

 

http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/lenses.html#dof

 

Does anyone know if there is one for Nikon?

Take the 50mm f1.8 back get the f1.4!

A 50 1.8 or 50 1.4 is great for available light photography. Here is one I shot at 1600 ISO at f/1.8, 1/40 of a sec. Color isn't the best, but it is nice portrait of a baby and (tired) young mother.<div></div>

Perhaps your best bet would be to get a book on Basic Photography.

<p>I second (or third or fourth) the advice to get a book on basic photography. Or take a

class. Then, not only will you be able to answer these questions yourself, but more

importantly, you'll be able to answer them <em>better</em> than we can because you

know your own needs and preferences better than we do.

</p>

Here are some simple answers to your question. DOF means "Depth of Field". This is how far from the camera things are sharp, or in focus. This is important because it varies depending on how wide open your lense is set, (that's the f number, and often goes from f 2.8 to f 22).

 

Some auto only cameras set this themselves and you never see a setting. More expensive cameras let you adjust it yourself.

 

So, it just happens because of physical laws that more will be in focus at a small opening of the lense, say, f 11. But at f 1.4 only a shallow area, perhaps just between 6 inches and 9 inches in front of your camera will be sharp, or in- focus. Landscape photographers love small openings with huge depth of field, say, from 6 feet to miles out.

 

People who want a blurry background when they take a flower or baby close up, shoot at big openings, say, f 2.0.

 

Now good zoom lenses can keep a set f number as they zoom from telephoto to close up. But, optically speaking, dollar for dollar, a zoom lense, whose performance is measured in millimeters, say, from 70mm to 200 mm, will never be as sharp as a fixed length lense such as a 50mm, or a 80mm etc. The ability to swoop in from a flower to a distant mountain and magnify the distant object perhaps 12 times, is a compromise in glass and optic engineering that gives away some sharpness for zoom ability.

 

A fixed (focal) length lense of only one magnification, for example a 50mm lense, is called a prime.

 

Thus have we clumsily but we hope usefully, described DOF and PRIME. A 50mm lense was once the basic lense, the one everybody had, and it was a standard of sorts because with some cameras it was said to give a view somewhat similar in aspect to the unaided eye. That held true for 35mm film cameras but is no longer true for most digital cameras.

<blockquote><em>That held true for 35mm film cameras but is no longer true for most

digital cameras.

</em></blockquote>

 

<p>Specifically, if you apply the traditional reasoning (besides cost) for getting a 50mm to

most

digital SLRs (such as the D70), then you would actually get a 35mm or 28mm. (This is one

thing you won't find in older intro books, BTW.) But for close-ups, most people would find

the 50mm more suitable. Actually, many might prefer something even longer. It all

depends on the kind of shot you're after.

</p>