I have an ageing and rarely used Canon EOS 1000D sat in the cupboard at home doing not much, I don’t tend to take rally photos much these days (which is what I bought it and have almost exclusively used it for). I use my phone for everything else.

I got thinking, perhaps if I ditched the battery grip and got a prime lens it’d be handier and I’d be more inclined to use it for general stuff, and get better quality shots than out of the kit/second hand cheaper lenses I currently have. (18-55 and 70-210).

I’d just get a 50mm, but the 1000D has a 1.6x (APS-C) crop sensor, which makes the effective length of a 50mm lens more like 81mm.

So am I better off with a 24, 28 or 35mm lens to get nearer to ‘true’ 50mm shots?

I wouldn’t worry too much about the effective focal length. I did a project where i took a photo every day for a year with a 50mm prime on a 400d. It is still my favorite lens, and forces you to be creative. I have the “nifty fifty” Canon 50m f1.8 Mk2.

I bought the 50mm 1.8 lens for my Nikon D80.
I got Amazon vouchers as a leaving present from the last place I worked & the amount pretty much paid for the lens.

I feel that I probably should have gone for the 35mm – the 50mm is a brilliant lens, but I always find it a bit too long for the situations I use it in.

A mate of mine has the 35mm, so I should really get round to doing a swap for a few weeks to compare.

It does make the camera feel a lot more compact & discreet compared to the kit 18-135 that normally sits on it.

So am I better off with a 24, 28 or 35mm lens to get nearer to ‘true’ 50mm shots?

Yes. If that’s the field of view you prefer.

I have 35 and 50 on a crop Nikon and I use the 35 mm more.

just to widen the choice a little…
there’s also the new (well new-ish) 24mm and 40mm STM lenses. no idea how good they are, but both certainly are small.
think the 50mm f/1.8 mk2 is replaced by a nearly identical looking STM version now? (could be wrong).
the only down side now is that they all cost £150 ish rather than the €69 RRP some of us got the older 50mm for.

I’d tape that 18-55 at 24, 35 (or 40), and 50mm for a day each and see which is the length you prefer for what you tend to shoot.

best comment I’ve seen for 35mm prime is that it’s also a 50 when used on a crop sensor.

Need to use my 50mm more. Might have to try a creative 50 a day challenge again.

35mm. Think they’re usually a bit more expensive though.

It’s a great feature lens as opposed to a walk and shoot lens I think. The depth of field it creates is what make it so good to use, but yes on a crop (I have a 400D) it’s very narrow, hence it usually just picks out one feature.

So it would be limiting as the only lens, but it’s one I love owning.

I really don’t mind too much about the focal length too much. After ten minutes I find no matter what prime I’ve gone with I mentally compose shots to suit. If though you feel the 50mm is too long then go down the 35mm route for sure.
I love my 50mm 1.4 on my full frame but in part that is down to the incredibly short depth of field.
On my EOS M with its crop sensor I prefer my 22mm f2 as that is roughly a 35mm full frame. The DOF thing is more important to me.

Un modded 50mm on full frame:

I’ve had a 50mm 1.7 lens on my (1.5 crop Pentax) DSLR for a couple of years and use it a lot.

I’ve recently added a 28mm 2.8, which is more versatile due to the larger field of view, but not as “creative” as the 50mm.

I usually carry three lenses with me and that’s now usually the two above and a 10-20mm wide angle zoom, which takes care of most landscapes. The 50mm takes care of the detail and the 28mm fills the gaps.

Cheaper to get silly-fast 50mm than 28mm if that’s what you want – also helps really make your subject stand out in certain shots.

28mm and 50mm on an APS-C here. I probably use the 28mm more often than not as it’s nice in lower light. But, if I have to take just one lens with me…it’s usually the 50mm.

Like thenorthwind I also have a Pentax K50 DSLR (APS-C) sensor, so the 50mm works out closer to 75mm on 35mm film / full frame sensors.
I use it primarily because of its big f1.8 aperture, which means I can use it for moving subjects in low light.
Its also a nice sharp lens. Im still trying to find a 28mm (or wider) at a decent price, but they are quite pricy, but the wider angle has its benefits.