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I’ve recommended canon’s 50mm 1.8 lens to many people who are learning how to use their camera on manual. I’ve also been asked why a 50mm lens and what’s the difference between the various 50mm lenses that canon sells?

Why a 50mm?

• On a full frame camera (like my 5D mark II) a 50mm lens is similar to what your eye sees. It’s not more zoomed in or out. If your camera isn’t full frame (like a canon rebel) then the 50mm will be a tad more zoomed in than what your eye naturally sees.
• The 50mm is a very practical focal length. Can be used on kids, families, regular life stuff. Not the best for zooming in from the bleachers on tball games (because it doesn’t zoom), but for the rest, it’s great.
• Any of these 50mm lenses allow you to learn manual settings on your camera without limiting you. Suddenly you can shoot much better in low light settings. Suddenly you can get that blurry background, shallow depth of field look that you’ve always wanted. Where as, the difference is, with your kit lenses (which usually only open up to the aperture of f4) you’re very limited in learning about aperture and what it can do for you.
• It’s what I learned on and what was recommended to me early on.
• It’s relatively cheap for a good lens. (at least the 50mm  1.8 is)

There are a few differences in the 50mm lenses:

50mm 1.8 is about $100
I used to own this lens, great lens for a very low cost, allows a wide open aperture, fantastic to learn on because you are not limited in your manual functions, lightweight, made of plastic but still great.
More info at B & H Photo.

50mm 1.4 is about $340
I haven’t actually used this lens, seems similar to the 50mm 1.8, so I would probably recommend the 1.8 since it’s cheaper unless I had tried this and noticed a big difference.
More info at B & H Photo.

50mm 1.2L is about $1500
I own this lens and I love it, professional lens, fabulous color, sharp images, heavy duty high quality construction
More info at B & H Photo.

Does this lens zoom in and out?
No. It is a prime lens, a fixed length. Your zoom is your feet. I think you get more for your money with prime lenses and that’s why I use them. That and they’re fabulous!

What if I use Nikon or another camera other than canon?
There are 50mm lenses out there by other manufacturers as well. Check them out on B & H Photo. I know canon equipment and so I feel I’m able to recommend what I know. I have noticed that Nikon has a different focusing system so you’ll have to check that out to make sure you can use auto focus.

We had an awesome photography workshop today. It was all about learning how to use your fancy camera on manual (more details here). It was so much fun. Well, anyways, I thought I would share my favorite question of the day because I thought it would be quite applicable to all of you out there.

Question: “If you were going to by some camera equipment, what would you buy first? What’s most important to you to purchase?”

Answer: Assuming you have a good camera body, I would buy these things, in this order:

1. Canon’s 50mm 1.8 lens (or nikon, etc, but research to make sure it’s the right one) – approx $100 and well worth the moolah (usually amazon.com has the best price)
2. A second memory card. I don’t think it’s smart to only have one memory card. Life isn’t always perfectly planned ahead and memory cards are not cleared off and ready to go…realistically. (8 GB from costco is great)
3. A second camera battery. I also don’t think it’s smart to have only one camera battery. Again, life (especially if you’re a busy mom like me) isn’t always prepared and perfectly ready to go.
4. A UV lens filter, to protect your lens. It’s not to distort or make your images funky. It’s simply to protect your lens in case your camera is dropped or your lens gets scratched. ($20ish from amazon.com)
5. A custom white balance target. It usually runs about $39 on amazon.com and perfects the color tones of your image.

And… because every blog post is SO much better with a picture. Here’s a picture, just one cause I don’t have time for more, from today. This is Hailey, our little morning model. She took modeling really quite serious. :)

Is it a purse? Or is it a camera bag? That’s a lovely question…. and it brings me to my newest camera bag. It’s made to be a purse as well. And… well, it’s made, for a girl. Love that. Check them out at epiphanie bags.

I just recently bought one of my camera lovin girlfriends a new camera strap. I found this super cute place called Mod. Fun and comfy camera straps to express a bit of who you are. You should check em out…

(picture from www.modismodern.com, not by me)

Are you considering purchasing a new lens? A new camera body? A little bit unsure about which one to purchase?

Well… did you know that you could rent lenses and camera bodies at stores and online? Yep, I agree pretty cool. Why not play around with a new toy before purchasing or have some fun and just be tempted to make a new purchase. Yes! Well, if you’re in the Fresno/Clovis, California area I would recommend checking out Horn Photo’s rentals first. They’re the most affordable and quite fabulous.  If you go into their shop you can look around at all your rental options and select a lens for the day or for the weekend. Don’t quote me because it’s possible that their prices have changed…but when I last rented a lens from them they were quite affordable in my opinion ($20-$50 for a day and $45 to $75 for a weekend). You should check ‘em out.

If you’re not in California or the central valley then you can check out an online option. www.LensProToGo.com is pretty fantastic as well. Check them out. They’ll ship you the lens and give you the goods to ship it back to them when your time is up. Sounds pretty great to me! :)

Here’s a pic of my two sweet little boys taken with my Canon 5D Mark II camera body and my 50mm 1.2L lens. I’ll post the manual settings right under the image. Check it out.

Settings:
ISO: 2000
Aperture: 2.8
Shutter Speed: 1/160 sec

I’m into photography, yes. And I like to still be fashionable and fun where I can. (As I’m writing this, I’m realizing that I’m about to post a picture of me in my sweats, camping, without my hair done, so fashionable may not be the right word.)  Anyways, I wanted to pass on a fun online store where I’ve found some unique camera straps. myfunkycamera.com makes all sorts of fabulous camera straps. They’re so comfy and so fun. By wearing one of these you can show a little bit of you off as you wear your camera. Everyone’s SLR camera’s are solid black and plain, but your camera straps don’t have to be!

This is the one that I had on my old camera.

And this is my present lovely camera strap. Fun, huh?

I’ve been asked a few times, “Which camera would you recommend to buy?” Well, I have a few opinions and a few ideas for you…if you’re interested that is. If you’re not, then just scroll down to the picture below. I have to post a picture, it’s boring if I don’t. Right? :)  Ok, so I am a canon girl. No offense if you own a Nikon or other brand. There are many great cameras out there. I am just partial to canon. Other than my iphone (which is in fact a pretty fab camera if you ask me…posts on that to come later) all of my cameras and lenses are canon products. If you’re just starting out or just getting acquainted with photography a canon rebel is a fantastic place to begin. My first SLR was a canon rebel about 12 years ago (but it was 35mm film). Why a rebel? Well, just a few of my thoughts?

• It’s a canon camera and canon makes great, reliable cameras
• It’s not crazy expensive (relatively speaking)
• You can change out the lenses and buy nicer lenses over time and even add an external flash if you desire

You can find the rebel at bhphoto.com and amazon. Many other places sell them too so look around and find the best price…even Costco has them at times. You probably don’t need the newest model. But check and see what the difference is. Used is okay too if it’s from a trustworthy source. If I were you, I would buy just the camera body and then buy a lens separately. Yes, you can buy a kit that has all the lenses with it. But don’t spend lots of extra money getting those kit lenses. They’re good, but this 50mm lens is better and it’s not real pricey. An amazing photographer recommended this lens to me when I was just starting to build up my equipment and I completely agree with him. It’s a great lens for a great price.

Let me give you an idea of what a 50mm lens is like. First of all, it’s a prime lens. A prime lens is a lens that does not zoom. It is fixed at one focal length. Your feet are you zoom. :) But a 50mm focal length is a good one. It’s similar to what you see with your naked eye.

So, that’s what I’d recommend to start. A good camera and one good lens. Get to know your camera and that one lens before you move on to any other equipment. Again, one thing at a time. And here’s a pic to hopefully make you smile. These are my little boys. Aren’t you glad we have cameras? To capture times like this?