This is my blog for John Harrison Photography, www.jharrisonphoto.com that my Yosemite, Big Sur, Lake Tahoe, Hawaii, Kauai and other things I like to photograph in the San Francisco Bay Area. Random fun things about places I have shot, want to shoot, upcoming photography shows, or my website will also be included!
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Perfect Gift for a Photographer - a "Nifty Fifty" - a 50mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/1.4 lens
"Russian Blue at Christmas" Looking for a
gift for a photographer?! Consider a 'nifty fifty' - a 50mm Lens that
has a f1/8 or f/1.4 aperture. There are four great things about these
f/1.8 and f/1.4 lenses 1) They let LOTS more light in allowing
you to take pictures indoors without a flash. Kit lenses are usually
f/3.5 to f/5.6!!! The f/1.8 lens lets in considerably more light
allowing pictures to be captured indoors without a flash. 2) If you are
using a kit lens, you have quickly figured out your pictures still may
not have that soft blur, or bokeh, in the background like the attached
image. The face of the cat is nice and sharp and the lights from the
Christmas tree are all blurry. You will get this with a 50mm f/1.8
lens. - One note - this is called a shallow depth of field and shooting
at f/1.8 can cause subjects eyes to be in focus but their ears and
everything else are out of focus! Experiment and understand what these
can do before you are shooting those once in a lifetime images! 3)
These lenses can be very inexpensive. The f/1.8 can be found for ~$100
new or used. The f/1.4 runs from $250 to 400. You can find them here:
f/1.8 http://amzn.to/JoNYMs (Nikon) http://amzn.to/1ffEfm4 (Canon) or f/1.4 http://amzn.to/1kN5UvY (Nikon) or http://amzn.to/18Pbvj8
(Canon). You can also pick them up used on Craigslist quote often. 4)
The last benefit of these lenses is they are super sharp! - especially
for the $$. You will really be amazed what you can do with one of these
lenses! One other option is to get a 35mm lens. With the crop factor
on the sensors - the 'zoom factor' of 1.4x or 1.5x may bring you closer
than you want. Nikon has this great 35mm f/1.8 lens that is very
reasonably priced! http://amzn.to/19LXsIi (Nikon) or http://amzn.to/1bIMYMP
for the Canon 35mm f/2 lens. Give them a try and consider it a great
holiday present for yourself, a budding photographer or person with only
the kit lens for their DSLR.
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