[Closed] Show me your 50mm pics

oh - that would take calculation as I have an 1/1.6 - does that mean I have to get right on 31.25mm?

Show me what you've got 🙂

I just found out that I can't search in Lightroom by focal length. So that makes it tricky.
I have a Canon 50mm lens and I can search on that, but that would be a focal length of 80mm 🙁

I love photography. 😈

Here's a few (all a900 / 50mm f1.4)...
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50mm on crop sensor:
[url= http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5255/5392484339_519f88f24d_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5255/5392484339_519f88f24d_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/willslater/5392484339/ ]Keys[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/willslater/ ]Will Slater[/url], on Flickr

30mm on crop sensor:
[url= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4127/4946711906_deea4f0e02_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4127/4946711906_deea4f0e02_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/willslater/4946711906/ ]Individuality?[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/willslater/ ]Will Slater[/url], on Flickr

I do have non-gratuitous DOF shots, but where's the fun in that?

Can I assume that mine never look like that due to "slow kit lens" rather than "clueless photographer"?

I've recently bought an EOS 550 DSLR and really wish I knew how to use it properly! I have taken lots of fantastic pics but far more through luck than skill and I just try all the settings until I get one I like!

I have the standard Canon 18-55 lens and Sigma 10-20mm which I use for wide angle internal roomshots - is there a good idiots guide to DSLRs I should look at so I can understand what on earth a900 / 50mm f1.4 means!?

Its the Appeture value that gives them the impressive lack of DOF.

Basically the lower the number (F) the lower the DOF you can get. It doesnt have to be such a low number but the other benefit of such a low F value is that it lets in lots of light so you can have a reletively fast shutter speed so reduces the chance of motion blur or camera shake.

I think these type of lenses are sometime referred to as fast glass. It doesnt have to be expensive as the 50mm 1.8 for the canon is available for under £90.

This is from a total beginner trying to understand so please dont rip it to pieces on technicalities

Alex Simon, after your intital comments I'm waiting patiently for your perfect pics.

Distance to your subject and focal length of the lens come into it too. This is a very handy tool for seeing how it all adds up:
[url= http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html ]DOF Master[/url]

I can't recommend getting an inexpensive 50mm f1.8 highly enough.

Totally transformed what I thought about my camera and how I composed images. At the time there was a Scottish guy on ebay doing the Canon 500mm f1.8 mkII for £60, but all camera and lens prices have gone up since then.

Its the Appeture value that gives them the impressive lack of DOF.

That's what I thought. So the 18-55 kit lens at, ah, 4.5 iirc just isn't up to it, even at max zoom.

I thought that 'fast' lenses was what really pushed up the price...?

Hard to find lenses on eBay cos the vast majority are people trying to get rid of kit lenses.

I'm going to cheat as according to a little plugin I downloaded, I've only ever taken 6 shots at between 31 and 32mm. So here's a couple of 50mm lens shots on a 1.6 crop sensor (80mm equivalent)...

[url= http://farm1.static.flickr.com/216/517630303_dd9b3f3f01.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm1.static.flickr.com/216/517630303_dd9b3f3f01.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/tryingtimes/517630303/ ]The Softest Place on Earth[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/tryingtimes/ ]tryingtimes[/url], on Flickr

[url= http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1323/917917472_38bdab937c.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1323/917917472_38bdab937c.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/tryingtimes/917917472/ ]Opposites B&W conversion[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/tryingtimes/ ]tryingtimes[/url], on Flickr

[url= http://farm1.static.flickr.com/224/505845329_1dc9999842.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm1.static.flickr.com/224/505845329_1dc9999842.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/tryingtimes/505845329/ ]Bleak Bluebell[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/tryingtimes/ ]tryingtimes[/url], on Flickr

One more (again 80mm equiv)

[url= http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2297/2370132069_62110676b1.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2297/2370132069_62110676b1.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/tryingtimes/2370132069/ ]Marble[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/tryingtimes/ ]tryingtimes[/url], on Flickr

Here's one I fluked a few years ago with my old EOS 350d - according to the software it was:

Exposure 1/2500 sec
Aperture f/3.5
Focal Length 18 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV

[img] [/img]

and this is another one

Exposure 0.001 sec (1/800)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 49 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV

[img] [/img]

I think these are pretty good but guess I just need to spend more time playing around with it to see what the various settings do.

What's a crop sensor BTW?

Can I assume that mine never look like that due to "slow kit lens" rather than "clueless photographer"?

Somewhat, but DoF can be made narrower even with a larger aperture by focusing closer to the camera or (I think) zooming in...?

The DoF in those pics above isn't really all that shallow anyway, should be achievable on a kit lens. You do know how to control the aperture with the A setting don't you?

Alex - love those pics 🙂 Although the kid/breast one has been heavily smoothed in something like neatimage/DXO hasn't it?

My choice in prime lens is basically limited to the Oly pancake 25mm f2.8, and it's really the portability I am interested in.

Try again - not sure why Flickr has hidden those:

Here's a couple I fluked a few years ago with my old EOS 350d - according to the software it was:

Exposure 1/2500 sec
Aperture f/3.5
Focal Length 18 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV

[img] [/img]

and this is another one

Exposure 0.001 sec (1/800)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 49 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV

[img] [/img]

I think these are pretty good but guess I just need to spend more time playing around with it to see what the various settings do.

What's a crop sensor BTW?

They mean a sensor that is smaller than a 35mm film negative would be. It ends up magnifying the image compared to how a 35mm film camera would take it.

The crop factor is how much. So a 50mm lens on a Canon would be like using an 80mm lens on a 35mm camera, cos the crop factor is 1.6.

Think this is the only one I can find here at work, our old departed moggy

[img] [/img]

Hi Molgrips - yes there was a tad of smoothing - just manually in photoshop. Not as much as you'd think though, it was just that I was a bit of a novice and heavy handed. I also brought out a bit more contrast around the eye.

As you seem to be allowing my 50mm lens shots:

[url= http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2323/2487090360_4e34497594.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2323/2487090360_4e34497594.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/tryingtimes/2487090360/ ]Dont play with your food[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/tryingtimes/ ]tryingtimes[/url], on Flickr

That is pure class 🙂

Just a hobbyist, Alex?

Thanks molgrips
Yes, although I have done one commission.

Most of these were done for a monthly photo competition on AVforums
http://www.avforums.com/forums/photo-competition/

Very friendly and encouraging for 'ordinary' photographers. I tend to need a focus to get me going!

I'd spend hours snapping if I could - family time gets in the way, although they are very indulgent of me 🙂

Can I share a link to that spaghetti one on my FB?

"DONT" requires an apastarophe.

My choice in prime lens is basically limited to the Oly pancake 25mm f2.8, and it's really the portability I am interested in.

That does seem to be a drawback with olympus. The primes are pretty mediocre. I'm pondering the Panasonic 20mm to replace my rather pants Olympus 17mm at the moment.

AlexSimon - Dont play with your food - very nice image, very commercial too, thought about licensing it?

Molgrips - go ahead!
Cougar - it sank 🙂
rewski - I'd happily license it if I know how to go about it in a way that wouldn't be a waste of time. I use Dreamstime as a buyer, but I find it hard to see how sellers make more than a couple of quid from each photo. Any ideas?

Email Heinz, for a start! Or their ad agency - that would be better.

That could be a great ad campaign right there, in that single shot.

It's the sort of image you'd see on a card in paperchase, they have an in house design team

Greeting Card Buyer
Paperchase Products Ltd
12 Alfred Place
London WC1E 7EB

or kids t-shirt, would have to convert to an illustration though

[url= http://kids.threadless.com/ ]http://kids.threadless.com/[/url]

hmmm - good ideas. Thanks!
I guess if I were to pitch it to Heinz I would have to turn it into a campaign - one for ketchup/salad cream/other kidsy food products.
hmmmmmmmmmm

Ah yes.. kids' tshirt would be the best bet.

You could do a whole range of witticisms for all ages along similar lines. Visual puns based on various kinds of movable lettering.

In fact.. it'd be a great topic for a photo competition.. 🙂

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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/beanum/4762745371/ ]Pinocchios[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/beanum/ ]Beanum[/url] on Flickr

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[url= ]Barn Door[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/beanum/ ]Beanum[/url] on Flickr

(35mm f1.8 on Nikon D40/D90)

Enough with the shallow DoF!

HaHa OK. How about a night shot only possible with a wide aperture?

[img] [/img]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/beanum/3787402807/ ]Hvar Town[/url]

Great thread, was wanting to start the same yesterday!
Sorry to hijack but Beanum, are you near Lausanne? From previous posts it seems you are near? Not stalking, it's just I am v near to Lausanne..if u fancy a beer lemme know!

If you're using Olympus and want good depth of field, then both the 35mm and 50mm macro do a fantastic job of it. The 50mm macro makes a superb portrait lens too as it's a 100mm equivalent so you're not too close to the subject

A couple I took the other day. Using an old, old 50mm Nikon prime lense (from the 70s!), works better on my D40 than its original body.

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Check in here for all things photographic - loads of advice on techniques , kit etc. Also stunning pictures on just about any subject on the planet!

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/

Cougar - it sank

A-pasta-rophe? Never mind... (-:

Beanum - like that shot.

Pepper - already got the 35mm macro, 50mm too expensive - got to keep a lid on this thing. The 25mm pancake I'm interested in for portability, so was wondering what people did with their 50mms.

molgrips, I had the 25mm pancake but realised I wasn't using it as much as I wanted, (although it did look fantastic on my Panasonic DMC-L1). So I sold it on and bought a 50-200 zoom and an 11-22 Wide instead! 😉

One of the major difficulties with the 4/3 system is being able to throw the background out of focus, but for zoom photography it's brilliant!

I use an old E3 and the above mentioned L1, the E3 is the best camera for me though, as I throw it around everywhere and never worry about it getting wet when out riding.

This little mouse is with the 35mm macro

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The 35mm macro is probably my favourite lens though!

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But for 50mm equivalents, then this ship from Weymouth harbour is one of my favourites.

[img] [/img]

Oh I almost forgot the 50-200 zoom can do great portraiture too! 😉

Ok, so the GF1 20mm lens = 40mm, but as close as I can get!
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DrP

Nice pics all.

PePPer, is that 50-200 sealed? I do wish I had a sealed camera but I'm simply not prepared to spend that much money - I'd rather have a wide range of cheaper lenses than one or two expensive ones.

35mm macro you say? Background blur?

[url= http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5027/5577871992_4e379749a5.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5027/5577871992_4e379749a5.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/11569254@N06/5577871992/ ]_0223383[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/11569254@N06/ ]molgrips[/url], on Flickr

[url= http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5577289177_8d9a8dc870.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5577289177_8d9a8dc870.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/11569254@N06/5577289177/ ]_0223385[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/11569254@N06/ ]molgrips[/url], on Flickr