Nifty Fifty Lens: My First Impressions

Since I invested in a new DSLR, I've been looking into how I can get the most out of my camera. The first thing that I read about (and that was recommended to me - Thanks Alex!) was the 50mm f/1.8 lens, also known as the "nifty fifty."

This little lens has a wider aperture than the standard kit lens, which means more light can be let in, which means you can take photos in lower-light situations. And it's a relatively inexpensive lens for around $100. All cool. So I ordered one from Adorama.

Since this is my first foray into camera "gear," I thought I'd share my first impressions of this lens.

First impression out of the box: This lens is SMALL!! I mean, I guess I knew it would be, but holy cow it's a tiny little baby lens...

First impression taking pictures: Uh... I'm not so sure about this...

Here's the thing about the nifty fifty, it doesn't zoom. I knew that before I bought it, but it was still a really weird feeling initially. I've been zooming with cameras since I used 110 film (anyone remember that? my first camera looked like this... it's crazy how technology changes!) I'm so used to being able to zoom in on things that this really threw me for a loop at first. Luckily I quickly figured out that I had my own natural zoom - my feet! - and now I'm good to go.

First impression of the photos: Love! The pictures are super clear and the wide aperture lets me take photos that I couldn't take before. It's really cool.

Impressions now: I can tell why so many people like this lens so much. It's really great for portraits and indoor photos. You get also get good bokeh with it (bokeh is that fun blurry background).

Here are a couple photos that I've taken so far with my new nifty fifty. I think I'm going to keep this lens on my camera for the time being so I can get used to it and learn how to shoot with it better.

The two men in my life: Mr. T and Nemo. And they are tired.
Do you want to yawn now that you see a picture of someone else yawning?
Yawning is contagious you know.

Ah, my little gargoyle. I love him.

So the big lesson here is that first impressions can be deceiving. I was initially put off by the lack of zoom, but I'm learning to get over it. It's actually forcing me to think about what I want my photos to look like more too (which is good) since I can't just stand in one place and click click click randomly at different zooms.