The nifty fifty is with me

A new add to my equipment

Yesterday felt a bit like Christmas came early: my brand new Canon 50mm f/1.8, the beloved “nifty fifty,” finally arrived. I was in dowtown and my wife received it for me. This little lens might be small in size, but it’s legendary for its performance: sharp images, smooth and creamy bokeh, and that beautiful ability to isolate a subject. If you ask to photographers you realize how this plastic and cheap lens is absolutely respected.

For me, this isn’t just another piece of glass: it’s an essential creative tool that I’ve been wanting to add to my kit for a while. So far I made even important assignments with the Yongnuo that is not on the same level.

I’m already imagining the portraits, street scenes, and detail shots I’ll be capturing with it. Its fast f/1.8 aperture will be perfect for low light situations, and I know it’s going to push me to explore new ways of telling visual stories. This lens is great also for landscape and architecture. While on my 5D will respect the focal lenght denomination of 50mm making a fantastic solution for street photography, on my Canon Rebel, due to the crop factor (for Canon is 1.6) it is an 80mm lens. And that is great in order to consider it for portraits.

Over the next days, I’ll be putting it through its paces, seeing how it behaves in real-world situations, and sharing the results with you here. This is just the beginning of what I expect will be a long and exciting relationship with this lens. I will realize also a video about the first contact experience.

Stay tuned: the nifty fifty and I are ready to hit the streets.