35mm vs. 50mm on a crop camera?

[Jessica Lynn]

I'm in the market for a new lens with a limited budget. It is down to these two lenses....I'm on a 1.6 crop (and this is the reason I am unsure of which one to buy). Maybe your thoughts will help sway me? :) I want something better than my kit lens and will mainly be shooting people, objects, street...ect. I know the 35 mm will appear like a 56mm on my camera, and a 50mm would look like an 80mm. So I'm really stuck on which one would be better. What do you think of these on a crop? If you've used both could you offer any insight or maybe some sample images? Thanks so much!

35mm : http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_35mm_f_2#Overview

50mm : http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_50mm_f_1_4_usm#Overview

[Kelly]

I think it all depends on your style of shooting. What some people do before buying a new lens is go to their exif information and look at the focal length of most of their shots to see where their preferred shooting length is. I like to shoot with something longer - so I would go the 50mm over the 35 but then I shoot often with my 50mm and also my 50-135 (on a crop sensor). However, I have read many discussions where people say that the 50mm on a crop is too long for what they shoot. Good luck.

[Photography and Philosophy]

I second @kellc - it depends on your shooting style. If it's an all-purpose prime that you want, I'd probably go wider for more versatility (you can always move closer to your subject!) but then again if you're a macro or wildlife shooter, longer might be better. 80mm is also a good length for portraits.

[Danny G.]

I recommend you get the 35mm prime as it is considered a normal" lens for a crop DSLR, this gives approximately the same filed of view as a standard 50mm lens on a 35mm film SLR. it is a perfect learning tool for improving your composition skills. The 50mm prime will be tough for indoor shooting.

[Mark Fioretto]

35mm. It can be difficult to shoot indoors with the 50mm. If that's not really a concern of yours, the quality of the 50mm f/1.4 is hard to beat.

[Humphrey Hippo]

You might want to consider the Tokina 35mm too. It's pretty good as a standard prime (wonderful clarity) and also can do 1:1 macro. It's one of my fav lenses.

[Cat Whiskers - Nan]

I agree with the above, it depends on when you are shooting. You mentioned you are on a budget, if you go the 50mm route there is also a 1.8 lens that is about $100 bucks. I have one and I think the image quality is terrific. All my other lenses are "L" lenses and this one holds it's own to them. It is a bit flimsy though. Made of plastic, but I love it. Just don't drop it:-) It many not be practical though if you make it your everyday lens, being plastic and all. I bough it thinking what the heck, it was only $80.00 and if I didn't like it not real loss. Ended up loving it.

[Flagged]

@refriedradio Unless you want to get up in peoples faces to take a shot go for the f1.4 50 mm super sharp

[Cristina]

I posed a similar question a while ago - here's the thread in case you're interested:
http://365project.org/discuss/general/11870/buying-a-new-lens-50mm-or-35mm

I am/was mostly interested in portraiture and I ended up going with the 50mm 1.8 mainly because it is such a great deal. I don't regret the decision at all - I love the lens! I bought a used one from B&H photo for $75.

[Photography and Philosophy]

Have you thought about the new 40mm f/2.8 pancake lens for Canon? It's modestly priced and meant to be really sharp, and has had great reviews. Nice middle ground between these two focal lengths too!
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/cameras-and-camcorders/cameras/camera-lenses/canon-ef-40mm-f-2-8-stm-1083886/review

[Aditya]

Go for both! If that's impossible, I would suggest the 50mm; its perfectly fine with my T2i.

[Al Perry]

Rent them 1st and see which one you like best.

http://www.lensrentals.com/rent/canon/lenses/normal-range/canon-35mm-f1.4l
http://www.lensrentals.com/rent/canon/lenses/normal-range/canon-50mm-f1.4

[Bob G]

Like @shifu, I would say go for both if you can. I have the 1.8 Nikkor versions of each. I think together the cost $400.