If you’re in the market for a new lens, but aren’t quite sure where to look, I suggest taking a look at the Canon 50mm f1.8 lens. Canon’s cheapest lens at around $130, this is a beautiful tool for portraits and filming. The wide aperture makes this a “fast” lens, meaning it lets in lots of light and lets you shoot at faster speeds in lower light. Another effect of having such a large aperture is the beautiful bokeh produced when you shoot with the lens wide open. This makes for stunning portraits and intriguing videos. Below you can find a sample of each, both shot with the 50mm lens on my Canon 550D.
One small problem you might notice from this picture is just how little of the picture is in focus. This is due to the small depth of field at f1.8. (Here, the focus starts at the right edge of the frame and ends right around the subject’s nose. You can really notice the fading focus if you look at his shirt.)
[youtube Z45KIZZ2edQ]This was a piece of our school’s morning television show.
So. For $130, this is the best deal you’ll get on a lens 🙂