Nifty-Fifty (Page 2): We need a meter here.... "I got the nifty-fifty low down blues Can't find the rhythm or choose the hues Can't decide between full frame or crop I got the glass...

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

GPS Phil wrote:

Hey Mac, you need to put all that to music, you could call it, "The nifty fifty, full frame, low down blues" then it might make sense! :lol:

Phil

We need a meter here....

"I got the nifty-fifty low down blues
Can't find the rhythm or choose the hues
Can't decide between full frame or crop
I got the glass, but it's half full
The field of view is full of bull!"

Next verse anyone?

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Mac wrote:

I've got my camera and I'm lookin' for clues
I haven't seen anything, not even on the news
Tryin' to find colors in a multitude of hues
I've got them nifty fifty, full frame, low down blues

:thumbup: :thumbup:

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

I consider a lens "nifty" only when it is the best one for the scene at hand.

GPS Phil Loc: Dayton Ohio

Mac wrote:

I've got my camera and I'm lookin' for clues
I haven't seen anything, not even on the news
Tryin' to find colors in a multitude of hues
I've got them nifty fifty, full frame, low down blues

Now that's just pure class buddy! I love it. My harmonica is in my hand. :lol:

PhotoshooterNJ Loc: NJ

Mac wrote:

I've got my camera and I'm lookin' for clues
I haven't seen anything, not even on the news
Tryin' to find colors in a multitude of hues
I've got them nifty fifty, full frame, low down blues

:thumbup:

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

I have been considering buying a 25mm micro 4/3 lens which equates to 50mm.
To ensure the angle of view was acceptable I used a zoom lens set to 25mm and took several shots of the same view.
I then took more photos at various f.nos from 14mm to 45mm (M43) at 25mm the result was acceptable to me. The best one was taken at 20mm, so I have ordered a Panasonic 20mm F1.7, I am sure I will be happy my choice

ABJanes Loc: Jersey Boy now Virginia

Stay alive at 75! :roll:

Mac wrote:

For some reason some people like to call a 50mm lens a nifty-fifty.
My question is, is a 50mm lens still nifty on a crop sensor camera? Or should it be called a heavenly jive seventy-five on a crop sensor camera (or weighty eighty depending on the crop factor) since that's the equivalent it renders?
And if a 50mm lens is not nifty on a crop sensor camera, does that make a 35mm lens nifty on a crop sensor camera? Even though nifty and thirty five don't rhyme?

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

Peterff wrote:

The lens may not change, but its agility or "nifty-ness" might.

So perhaps we should define "nifty" or any equivalent term that we might use to describe a lens....

The nifty 50 is still there. I love mine but even with a crop sensor you just learn to use your "OTHER" zoom tool, you legs.. you take a few steps up or back. But the 50mm with , in my case a 1.4 aperture is my go to lens for many things, especially in low light, If I want to keep my ISO low

Blasthoff Loc: Life halved NY and IN

johneccles wrote:

I have been considering buying a 25mm micro 4/3 lens which equates to 50mm.
To ensure the angle of view was acceptable I used a zoom lens set to 25mm and took several shots of the same view.
I then took more photos at various f.nos from 14mm to 45mm (M43) at 25mm the result was acceptable to me. The best one was taken at 20mm, so I have ordered a Panasonic 20mm F1.7, I am sure I will be happy my choice

So, the 20mm for you is roughly the equivalent of 35mm FF which is quite useful. When I was shooting film I gravitated to the concept of either slightly long or slightly wide, ie the combination of 35mm and 85mm, preferable over the "normal" 50mm perspective as the most useful prime lenses.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

Mac wrote:

For some reason some people like to call a 50mm lens a nifty-fifty.
My question is, is a 50mm lens still nifty on a crop sensor camera? Or should it be called a heavenly jive seventy-five on a crop sensor camera (or weighty eighty depending on the crop factor) since that's the equivalent it renders?
And if a 50mm lens is not nifty on a crop sensor camera, does that make a 35mm lens nifty on a crop sensor camera? Even though nifty and thirty five don't rhyme?

I like the IQ of the 50's, unfortunately the focal length is not very useful to me. Not nifty but perhaps thrifty.

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

A 50, is a 50, is a 50.

Some RAW files are compressed RAW files. Does that make them "part" RAW or as in food, maybe we should title it a "half backed" RAW. LoL

Why is my crop sensor camera called "crop" since I don't do very much agricultural photography? LoL

Sticking with sensors, why are they called "crop frame" when the frame is fully covered? LoL

RON 11 Loc: Pittsburgh

I think you need Willie Nelson to set that to music for you. I sense a platinum record. Irregardless, I feel that anyone shooting a dslr needs a nifty fifty in their bag.

Reinaldokool Loc: San Rafael, CA

wilsondl2 wrote:

When will people learn a 50 mm lens is a 50 mm lens. You don't change lenses bey changing sensor size. The view is equivalent to what it would be with that lens on a 35 mm film camera. So it should be stated that a 50 mm lens will give the field of view of a 75 mm lens. The lens does not change. - Dave

:thumbup: :thumbup:

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Mac wrote:

For some reason some people like to call a 50mm lens a nifty-fifty.
My question is, is a 50mm lens still nifty on a crop sensor camera? Or should it be called a heavenly jive seventy-five on a crop sensor camera (or weighty eighty depending on the crop factor) since that's the equivalent it renders?
And if a 50mm lens is not nifty on a crop sensor camera, does that make a 35mm lens nifty on a crop sensor camera? Even though nifty and thirty five don't rhyme?

A 50mm lens is a 50mm lens regardless of the crop factor. All that changes on crop is that that smaller sensor gives a 35mm angle of view similar to 75mm on a FF Nikon, and 80mm on a FF Canon, as I'm sure you know. Since I have both 35mm and 50:mm primes on my Canon 7D II, I don't worry about such distinctions. :-)

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

mwsilvers wrote:

A 50mm lens is a 50mm lens regardless of the crop factor. All that changes on crop is that that smaller sensor gives a 35mm angle of view similar to 75mm on a FF Nikon, and 80mm on a FF Canon, as I'm sure you know. Since I have both 35mm and 50:mm primes on my Canon 7D II, I don't worry about such distinctions. :-)

Exactly. I tend to gravitate to my "nifty" 50 on my crop sensor because it makes a really good portrait lens. With the 1.4 aperture, I can really control depth of field and focus points. (this is not to say that I shoot portraits at 1.4 but it gives me the leeway to be able to adjust). With my 70-300 (which has a wide aperture of 4.0-5.6 depending on where you are in the zoom), the lens needs fairly bright light for low ISO shots. It works great out doors for nature or scenery shots, but you really have to pay attention to where your shutter speed is going or your going to find that you are in trouble if you shoot in aperture priority. I tend to keep my ISO locked at 100 and so the 50mm 1.4 gives me the flexibility to keep an decent shutter speed. My other 2 lenses are the 18-70 mm DX lens which has an okay aperture of 3.5-4.5 but if you shoot it at 50-70mm you are right back up there at 4.0-4.5 aperture. And my 10-24mm wide angle Tamron is also a 3.5-4.5 and close focuses to 1.25 feet but it definately isn't a portrait or a general lens and is also farely slow. So, considering I paid about $100 for a Nikkor 50mm 1.4 lens, it seems to be just about my best lens (at an apparent 75mm for cropped) for portrait and some general photography. Now, I can always set up my SB-800 and my 2 SB-910s off camera and use the other lenses but that is tedius and slow.