Thirty-five (mm) is the new fifty
Note: In this post, I’ll be talking primarily about Nikkor lenses, as they’re what I have experience with. Still, my statements should apply equally well to other manufacturers’ lenses.
Over the last few months, my friends and I have been approached by numerous people contemplating their first DSLR purchase. Invariably, our discussions turn to recommendations for a first lens. We all agree that a kit lens, while great for casual photographers, probably isn’t right for someone interested in photography as a serious hobby. Everyone seems to recommend the 50mm ƒ/1.8 prime, colloquially known as the “nifty fifty”—everyone, that is, but me.
Don’t get me wrong. There are a lot of good reasons to recommend the nifty fifty as a first lens:
- It’s cheap. A new AF Nikkor 50mm ƒ/1.8 can be had for $120.
- The image quality is great. If used properly, you can get incredibly sharp, high contrast images.
- It has a wide maximum aperture. At ƒ/1.8, the nifty fifty is great if you need to shoot in low light conditions or want miniscule depth-of-field. It also gives nice bokeh, which is simply unavailable for other lenses in this price range.
- Like other primes, the nifty fifty implicitly encourages new photographers to think about composition early on. Since zooming in and out isn’t an option, photographers have to think about the shot they want and physically move to frame it.
- Before the proliferation of zoom lenses over the last two decades, a 50mm prime was typically the lens included with 35mm film cameras.
To tally it up, the nifty fifty has economics, image quality, speed, pedagogy, and history going for it. So, what’s my beef? My answer boils down to three words: focal length multiplier.
On a DX camera body, a 50mm lens gives the same field of view as a 75mm lens would on a full-frame digital or 35mm film camera body; 75mm falls well into telephoto territory. Practically speaking, that means you’ll be backing up a lot if you want to take candid photos. For example, suppose you want to take a typical Facebook-esque party photo of two friends. You’ll have to stand about four or five feet away if you want to get their heads, necks, and shoulders in the shot. Worse still, if a friend asks you to photograph her in a new outfit, you’ll find yourself backing up as many as ten or fifteen feet. Backing up that much indoors is often impossible, particularly at a busy party.
An ideal first lens for cropped-sensor digital cameras would have most of the benefits of the nifty fifty, but would be wider angle, so new photographers wouldn’t have to move back so often. After looking around a bit, the lens that most closely fits the bill seems to be the AF Nikkor 35mm ƒ/2. Its field of view is very similar to that of the nifty fifty’s on a 35mm film camera, it provides the same level of image quality, and it’s just as fast in real world use. Finally, as a prime, it has the same pedagogical benefits. True, at $300, it costs a lot more, but it’s still affordable as far as lenses go.
As with everything else, choosing a first lens is all about tradeoffs. If money is an issue, the nifty fifty will serve you well enough, but if you can afford it, I highly recommend a 35mm prime instead. You’ll have a lens that’s just as good in terms of speed and quality, and is much more useful day-to-day.
Update: On February 9, 2009, Nikon introduced a 35mm DX-only prime for $200. I talk about it briefly here.