Thread: 50mm Prime what do you use it for?

Originally Posted by dullbird

bing lee's yesterday and noticed that they had nikon 50mm primes 1.8 in there for 270 bux

Lou, you should be able to get the lens for around $188. If you buy a parallel import lens, make sure it comes with an international warranty slip (get the seller to confirm). Canon and Nikkor lenses have international warranties - means you can get it fixed in Australia.

I've bought lenses and speedlights (covered by international warranty) from this guy:
Discount Digital Photographics: Accessories for Nikon Digital SLRs

For camera bodies (covered by national warranty) I've had both David Jones and JB Hi-Fi price match D-D's price.

Originally Posted by Ben

Lou, you should be able to get the lens for around $188. If you buy a parallel import lens, make sure it comes with an international warranty slip (get the seller to confirm). Canon and Nikkor lenses have international warranties - means you can get it fixed in Australia.

I've bought lenses and speedlights (covered by international warranty) from this guy:
Discount Digital Photographics: Accessories for Nikon Digital SLRs

For camera bodies (covered by national warranty) I've had both David Jones and JB Hi-Fi price match D-D's price.

yep i have brought lenses from that guy to, he is very good to deal with

and i'm not taking the bing lee price literally as i know i can get it cheaper on ebay
just really didn't want to add a lens to the kit that was on really able to be use for one thing

Originally Posted by dullbird

.....just really didn't want to add a lens to the kit that was on really able to be use for one thing

I hope the above replies show this is not the case Primes IMHO are so much better than zooms once you really get into it - the only problem is finding a bag big enough to carry them all! lets face facts, "zooming" can be done later on your computer if/when required...

Originally Posted by dullbird

i thought longer focal lengths were better for portraits

With portaits, you want to blur the background (shallow depth of field), which is achieved witheither a longer focal length or a greater aperture opening (or preferably both!).

It's usually easier to work with a longer focal length as you're not in your subject's face, but both will do the job just fine.

There's a new 50mm prime announced today. OK so it won't fit a Nikon or a Canon... but 50mm f/0.95

Ok so its a Leica and is going to retail at a measly £6290

But f/0.95 That's some DOF

how does that work? i thought the f number was a fraction... like... f is some magical standard number that represents a fully open aperture... f/2 is half open, f/5.6 is 1/5.6 open... f/22 is 1/22 open... so f.95 would be 1/0.95, which means that it's open more than it's fully open???? ooooow my brains

or is the whole way i've thought of apertures been wrong for a long time but because i've never discussed it i didn't know... i hate it when that happens

No you have it quiet wrong.

Try here: A Tedious Explanation of the f/stop