Nifty Fifty
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 p.1 #8 · 'Wow' factor lens treat | |
Mystik wrote:
Sounds like the next step for you is primes, but before you jump into the deep end of big expensive primes, I would start with cheaper f2/f1.8 primes until you understand the focal lengths you prefer. Pick whatever flavor of fast 24, 50, 35, 85, etc and you'll find no shortage of people who love to praise their own expensive purchase lol. But there are definitely stylistic preferences in focal lengths. For instance, me...I'm a 35mm/85mm guy and have never kept a fast 50 for very long. Just not my preference, but it took really experimenting with different lenses to understand this. Only when you know what you really want, should you jump into buying an expensive prime.
Another thing to consider is that for casual shooting, big heavy primes tend to be a hassle after the honeymoon phase wears off. For casual shooting, my love is for fastish f2/f1.8 primes that maybe are not optical quality kings, but are fun to shoot with. I have my Sigma 35 f1.2, 85GM, 24GM, 135 f1.8 mostly for gig work, but these tend to stay in the cabinet during off-season. That said, I just went ham ordering a bunch of cheap chinese primes (thanks a lot Nifty Fifty all for a quarter of the price of a single GM lens...Show more →
I agree with everything you said, but I'd like to add that when it comes to large and heavy prime lenses, it can just as easily be the other way around. For example, I originally planned to buy just a 50mm lens for my mirrorless camera. Since I had been shooting 6x6, always focusing manually, and wanted a lens that was as fast as possible but also as small and light as possible, I opted for the Nokton 1.2/50 SE and was absolutely thrilled with it. After a few months, I thought I should try autofocus, as focusing was quite tiring for my eyes (unlike with a Rolleiflex or Hasselblad). Because I didn't want to give up the f/1.2 aperture, I ordered the 800g GM 1.2 and, even though I knew the specs, I was frankly shocked at what a hefty lens it was after unpacking it. My first instinct was to pack it up and send it back, but then I tried it out and was so impressed that I kept it. Later, I also bought the Sony 1.8/50 and the Viltrox Air 2.0/50 because I wanted something small and light, but honestly? They almost ALWAYS stay at home because I'm a fan of shooting wide open, and the look of an f/1.2 lens is ultimately what matters most to me. These days, I usually just snap pictures of everyday, unimportant things (like this forest path below), for example., and the f/1.2 lenses make them something special in my eyes. And for that, I'm always willing to put up with the GM's weight. Incidentally, its autofocus in both AF-S and AF-C is so fast, accurate, and sticky that it never ceases to amaze me, and the viewfinder image at f/1.2 is usually significantly better than with slower lenses because the ISO remains low.
So it's really a very personal matter. But I admit that my version is certainly less common than yours.
 DSC04478 by Werner Wurst, on Flickr
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all for a quarter of the price of a single GM lens