What's Your Favorite Lens?
When I began photographing, I'd always shoot with my Nikon 18-135mm lens. It's very versatile and I never had to worry about not being able to catch the subject because I was too close or too far - I could always zoom in or out.
One day I met a friend who had a 50mm F1.8 lens which he claimed was a must-have lens for any photographer. At the time I didn't understand what he was talking about. My 18-135mm included the 50mm range in it and seemed a much better choice. My friend explained that the "nifty fifty" had higher quality optics, and was a much faster lens at F1.8, than my 18-135mm's F3.5-5.6 aperture.
When going out for a shoot, I often ask myself which lenses I should they take with me. Should I take a versatile zoom lens with a great focal length range so as not to miss out on any shots, or should I take a few prime lenses (lenses with a fixed focal length) which tend to have higher quality glass, yet are limited when it comes to range and require switching lenses in order to get different focal lengths. Perhaps just take one lens on the camera and travel light?
So I bought Nikon's 50mm, F1.8 D prime lens for about a hundred bucks. It rarely comes off my camera ever since and has become my go-to lens for portraiture and travel photography. Other than the lens' wonderful optics, amazing low light ability, and the fact that this lens is probably the best bang for your buck, it has taught me a great photography lesson. With my zoom lens I would see my subject, adjust my lens and take the picture. With my 50mm, I'd see a potential subject, think of what the subject would look like at 50mm and adjust my own position to take the optimal photo. I've learned how to see the way the photos would look through this lens before taking them.
The 50mm lens is considered a "normal" lens - which means that on a full frame camera you would capture the range that your eyes would normally see. On my crop sensor, however, this gives me a focal length of approximately 75mm. This forces me to get very close to my subjects in order to get good photos which means that my subjects always see me and I must often interact with them, which you can feel in many of my portraits. In the words of Robert Capa "if your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough." This lens taught me how to get close to my subjects. Of course, being close to your subjects also means that you have the privilege of meeting and getting to know many interesting people.
In conclusion, I highly recommend getting a 50mm F1.8 lens to anyone wanting to improve their photography.
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Keep up the good light!
Yehonathan