I am thinking of purchasing a new lens - a 50mm /f/1.8 for my Canon EOS Rebel T5. I was wondering if anyone has this and what they think of it. Thanks! Linda
I have it, and I absolutely love it. It hardly ever comes off my camera.
My stream is basically all taken with the 50mm. It's just such a great lens for the amount you'll pay.
Well... I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum from @kidatheart ... Mine is gathering dust... I only use it when I really want the focus on bokeh, and even then, only if I can't get what I want out of my other lenses... I don't like being limited to 50mm - I often want to shoot wider... And in general I find my f/2.8 17-55mm does fine for me (other than being supremely heavy... But then for walkabout I'll generally carry my Sony nex7, and in any event, I find fixed focal length too limiting for walking around with)...
But lots of folks love that lens so don't go by me... It prolly depends on what you want to shoot...
@northy Thanks for your replay. I appreciate all thoughts on this. I am obviously not as "savy" with my camera as most of you. I only shoot on auto - (trying to remedy that) so I think I am going to jump in and try it.
I have the f1.4 and I love it too. Its a great portrait lens. I used to have it on my camera all the time but then it broke. They are quite sensitive to knocks! Now its been fixed and I use it sometime but I also like my 135mm for its DOF. I'm sure you'll love the 50mm.
I have the f/1.4 and I tend to agree with @northy in that mine gathers dust mostly. I used to use it a lot but haven't touched it for a couple of years. Horses for courses, I presume.
I'm with @northy on this one. I almost never use my 50 mm lens. I find the 35 mm better on a crop sensor camera, and it's useful in low light. However, I prefer my Sigma 17-55 mm f/2.8 which I find very useful, particularly for indoor shots, and it's not too heavy.
@northy@dolphin Agreeing with Northy and Molly. On your APS-C camera, I'd look for the fast 35mm if you want a prime. That will give you the classic "nifty fifty" angle of view, somewhat close to "how the human eye sees." The 50mm would be better suited to portraiture, being a mild telephoto (a full-frame equivalent of 80mm) on your camera.
But as Molly suggested, the f/2.8 Sigma 17-55 is rather a gem for a (relatively) fast constant aperture lens, at a reasonable price. one might wish such lenses came "in the kit" rather than the slow(er) and less expensive zooms at this range.
LOVE my 50 1.4 when it's working (on full frame).
Yet it's my most problematic lens, inconsistent in auto focus, had it fixed twice already and not working again.
Planning to get 1.8 which has a better reputation, despite being a bit slower and more plastic.
PS -- hardly ever used it when I had cropped sensor. Wished I had a 35 instead.
For what it's worth, I have a 50mm 1.8 lens for my Sony A6000 and it's my favourite lens: great for portraits and lots of other shots, very sharp photos.
I have a sigma 35 fixed because in your crop sensor camera it will be a nifty fifty (as Frank says). It fits a full frame and crop sensor camera in case you ever go full frame. I use it for low light which is fantastic and for portraits/candids. Mine dies not have image stabilization.
i really think it depends on your shooting style and what body you have. like @northy@creampuff i never use it. I've got both the 1.8 version and the 1.4 version and have to say that while the 1.4 is miles better than the 1.8, I just dont use it - there's a reason why I call the 1.8 a "shifty fifty" rather than "nifty fifty" :)
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My stream is basically all taken with the 50mm. It's just such a great lens for the amount you'll pay.
But lots of folks love that lens so don't go by me... It prolly depends on what you want to shoot...
But as Molly suggested, the f/2.8 Sigma 17-55 is rather a gem for a (relatively) fast constant aperture lens, at a reasonable price. one might wish such lenses came "in the kit" rather than the slow(er) and less expensive zooms at this range.
Yet it's my most problematic lens, inconsistent in auto focus, had it fixed twice already and not working again.
Planning to get 1.8 which has a better reputation, despite being a bit slower and more plastic.
PS -- hardly ever used it when I had cropped sensor. Wished I had a 35 instead.
For what it's worth, I have a 50mm 1.8 lens for my Sony A6000 and it's my favourite lens: great for portraits and lots of other shots, very sharp photos.
I love it for portraits and for the price, you can't beat it.
I got one to do bokeh but it's just a fun little lens really.