This write is the answer for your amateur questions like “How do you blur the background and keep face sharp in focus?” A 50mm lens (or any Prime/Block lens) is the answer to this!
“Do not judge a book by its cover”, a very commonly used phrase. as for the 50mm lens, the same can be applied as it would be a great mistake to judge it by its size. As tiny as it looks, it can blow an entire city! “Fixed lenses” are often not taken very positively especially by beginners. Many think of it as a restriction. This is one of the biggest mistakes made. A tiny 50mm lens can really put your creative mind to think beyond the obvious as it forces you to think of various ways to obtain the required result within the so called “restriction” of it being a fixed lens. No zooming in. You have to take a step closer or a step back. This helps you think about framing a lot more. Using a prime lens challenges you to think more about composition before you press the shutter, which often makes for better photos in the end. If you own a kit lens or zoom that covers the 50mm focal length you may be wondering why you would buy a 50mm prime when you already have that focal length covered. The answer is that 50mm lenses have some advantages that kit lenses don’t:
1) One of the biggest plus points of a 50 fix is the aperture value it offers. With an aperture value of as wide as 1.8 (1.4 or even 1.2 as per your budget) the shallow depth of field is the best you could ask for especially for the price you pay. This makes it ideal for portrait photography. Also, the wide aperture value means a lot of light coming in which might help in situations of low light as well. f/1.8 could also help you work out some really creative backgrounds like bokeh.
2) Being a prime lens, it is also inherently sharper than a zoom lens. Lens and camera manufacturers have been making 50mm lenses for many years. The optical design is tested, tried and true. This little baby is sharp, partly due to their simplicity. And, prime lenses are generally thought of as sharper.
3) This lens being light weight also makes it ideal for street photography where you would prefer to avoid weight and mess. It is a nice walk-around lens to take on a day out. The sharpness can also be plus point while doing street photography. And the frames that this lens forces you to think of can be very helpful and the result attained can be something you wouldn’t have expected from yourself.
4) The low price tag makes it affordable as a good first lens investment. 50mm lenses are simple. They tend to have six to eight elements inside – zoom lenses may have more than double that. That means manufacturing costs are lower. It is likely that the cheapest lens in your camera manufacturer’s range is a 50mm prime. Most 50mm lenses represent excellent value for money.
All these points makes this tiny bomb one of the must have lenses.
Here is are Nikon and canon 50mms that you can buy –
50 mm for Nikon
1. Nikon 50mm Nikkor F/1.8D AF Prime Lens for DSLR Camera
2. Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G Prime Lens for Nikon DSLR Camera
3. Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G Prime Lens for Nikon DSLR Camera
50 mms for Canon
1. Canon EF50MM F/1.8 STM Lens for Canon DSLR Camera
2. Canon EF 50mm F/1.4 USM Prime Lens
Here are few 50mm images that I have shot-
