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Archive 2012 · First prime lens 50mm or 85mm

  
 
M Vers
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · First prime lens 50mm or 85mm


anandnvi wrote:
mvers, that's right. The 35mm if he's not going to be upgrading to FF soon (see my earlier post).


That's understood, but that's also assuming the OP will upgrade. Personally I always recommend buying in accordance to what you currently have, and in this case it's APS-C so that is where the focus should be. If the OP ever upgrades to FF then he can worry about whether or not they should keep or sell their current lenses.



Jan 26, 2012 at 02:18 PM
gdanmitchell
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · First prime lens 50mm or 85mm


69charger wrote:
In response to what has been posted, I got the XS with the standard 18-55mm and a 75-300mm zoom as a kit sale. Just in spring I purchased a Sigma 105mm macro on FM, so I have been doing a lot of experimentation with what appeals to me and self discovery. But I keep reading about the clarity of primes, and that it why I am so interested. I was involved in photography in the 90's with a Minolta X-9, but circumstances and mishaps prevented me from continuing. So now starting anew I am learning that each lens has its
...Show more

There is quite a bit of mysticism floating around about the supposedly ineffable quality and razor sharpness and all the rest of primes. It isn't quite that simple. (I shoot a combination of L zooms and L and non-L primes.)_

If you are shooting at smaller apertures and if the composition fits the angle of view of one of your primes and if you are a very careful shooter who always shoots from the tripod and if you are a careful and skillful post processor and if you regularly make very large and high quality prints then you may be able to see some small difference in resolution in these very large prints when you inspect them very carefully.

While primes can be a bit sharper in some circumstances, a) in most cases you won't see any difference, b) some zooms are essentially as sharp, c) if you have to crop your prime shot to get perfect framing you can sometimes to better with a zoom that you crop in camera.

I note that you are still asking people to tell you "what is best" among prime options. Again, there is no answer to this question. Among those who would attempt to answer that question, there will be a lot of disagreement, and many who understand the open-ended nature of a question about "which prime is best" will simply avoid an answer altogether.

Again, if you think you want to try a prime, begin by determining which focal lengths you are most likely to shoot with a prime. You can do this by looking at your own shots made with your zoom(s) to see what focal lengths you used, and then consider which of those subjects you imagine might have turned out better if you had made the same shot with a prime instead - then look for some prime that in line with those shots.

Should you get (among Canon non-L primes) a 24mm f/2.8, a 28mm f/1.8 or alternative, a 35mm f/2, a 50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4, a 85mm f/1.8, a 100mm f/2? The answer is - and I'm not playing games with you - "it depends." They are all fine lenses but no one can really answer in a conclusive way the questions about which is "best," nor about which is best for you.

Dan



Jan 26, 2012 at 03:19 PM
thedutt
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · First prime lens 50mm or 85mm


anandnvi wrote:
mvers, that's right. The 35mm if he's not going to be upgrading to FF soon (see my earlier post).

My perspective is that 35f2 (and later 30 1.4) was my *real* intro to primes on 20d. 501.8/1.4 barely saw any light of the day (or night). Had sold them when I got the 5D and kept the 85 1.8 (which is also superb on 1.6x except it being medium tele on 1.6x it serves limited purposes).
Guess what happened? I missed 35f2s form factor and IQ, picked up a used one at a great price on CL just for the hey of it, and it is now my most used lens even on 5DII. (85 1.8 & 135f2 compete with 32f2 for camera time). Take it for what its worth, but that that FL is pretty sweet on both 1.6x and FF. It acts as a normal lens on 1.6x and on a FF it brings you closer to your subject offering a more intimate perspective.







Jan 26, 2012 at 04:15 PM
pinball_pw
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · First prime lens 50mm or 85mm


Sigma 30mm or Canon 35mm would make for a great first prime and represents something akin to a standard lens (what your eye sees).

Canon 50mm 1.4 or 1.8. Nice for portraits. The 1.8 is cheap, but does have good optical quality.

Canon 60mm 2.8 Doubles as a macro lens (1:1) and can be useful as a portrait lens. Very sharp. This was my most used prime when I shot a crop body.

Hope this helps - Paul



Jan 27, 2012 at 09:13 AM
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