How to use Canon 50mm f1.8 lens

Canon 50mm f1.8 is an inexpensive primary lens, ideal for portraits and low-lighting photography. This is usually the first non-zoom lens many Canon users buy. But as most of us are accustomed to using zoom lenses or cameras with zoom capabilities, using a prime lens can be a bit tricky initially. But don't get discouraged! Here are some tips to help you make the most of your Canon 50mm f1.8 lens

Things You'll Need

• Canon 50mm f1.8 lens
• A Canon DSLR camera

Instructions

1. There's no zoom, which means you'll need to move a bit more to frame your shots. If you want to photograph somebody's face and it doesn't fill the frame, you'll need to move closer to your subject. But don't come too close (see step 2 to find out why). This lens is ideal for portrait photography, so you'll find yourself photographing faces quite often.

2. It's not a macro lens. The minimum focus distance for this lens is 45 cm, which means it will not focus if the distance between the subject and the lens is smaller than 45 cm. Therefore you'll have problems photographing small objects or when you stand too close to somebody's face.

3. It's very fast. The larger the aperture (i.e. the lower the f number), the more light hits the sensor, which means you can use faster shutter speeds even when there's not much light around. This will result in sharper images. Your ISO can also stay relatively low, which means less noise.

4. It's very sharp. Which means that if you are using a tripod, then even in low-lighting conditions you should be able to get really good, sharp images. In my experience, even without a tripod many evening street scenes came out really sharp. For sharper images always use f2.2 or higher, but remember that this lens doesn't have image stabilisation, so for really dark scenes always use a tripod.

5. Full frame vs cropped formats. What and how much you see using this lens will obviously depend on the type of camera you are using with it. Full frame cameras will allow you to retain the lens's angle of view. With cropped formats, depending on your particular camera model, the 50mm will be more like an 80mm lens.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that the larger the aperture, the more blurred the background. This is particularly helpful while photographing faces and allows you to separate the subject from the background.

Resources

• My nifty fifty - why I love my Canon 50mm