I probably spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about camera equipment. I also probably spend an inordinate amount of time buying equipment but that’s a different story. Last night I was reorganizing my bag and noticed that my trusty Canon 70-200 mm lens was not on my camera. It’s always on my camera. It is the go-to lens for just about every occasion. Instead I found my newest lens – the 50 mm 1.4 on the camera. It’s a testament to how much I’ve been using it lately. For anyone who has a fast prime lens you know what I mean. They can be a bit addicting.
It seems everyone today is walking around with a zoom on their camera and why not. They are super-functional. They also have some limits. Generally, they are fine for portraits and can produce some great results but hold them up to a prime lens and it’s a different story. The 50 can produce a ridiculous sharpness and has a flexibility with the depth of field that is amazing. I could show you some beautiful portraits of brides that I shot to illustrate my point, but instead I’ll use some lovely assistants who are staying at my house who were more than willing to model for me.
This is Monk E. Check out the sharpness in his right eye. Also notice how out of focus his left eye is. All of these photos were shot with the aperture wide open to show you the depth of field.
This is Monk E. with the focus on his left eye. Check out how blurry his right eye becomes. It is extremely important when shooting portraits to make sure you are very specific in your focus or you could ruin an otherwise beautiful shot.
I also love the effect you can get with a shallow depth of field in a down-the-line pose. In this case Peter is sharp and Ted. E. and Monk E. are blurred. In the next photo, Ted E. is sharp and his friends are blurred. Think of the 50mm like a paintbrush. Leave it on your camera and experiment with what it can do because there is very little it is incapable of handling. Plus, it is unbelievable in low light.
