The Nikon 1.8, 50mm lens, a must have lens for the wedding photographer!
Test shot taken at f 1.8, 400 IS0 35 mm film
Following the positive feedback I got from my D7000 review last week I’ve decided to start doing these reviews more regularly. This week the spotlight goes to the small but mighty Nikon 50mm 1.8, a must have lens for the wedding photographer!
A permanent fixture in my camera bag the Nikon 50mm is a great little lens. It gives you extremely sharp results and is my weapon of choice for portraits and wedding photography. It’s capability of hitting low f numbers make it great for isolating your subject from distracting or uninteresting backgrounds.
It’s fixed focal length is by no means a disadvantage. I sometimes find having the zoom capability removed helps me focus on the subject and concentrate getting the composition just right. Not having a zoom also means you move about more, exploring new angles you might not have considered before.
It’s also fast! Very fast! Like most primes out there this lens focuses very quickly indeed. This makes it a ideal choice for action shots.
The thing I love most about this lens is just how low the f number will go! Being able to stop down to 1.8 is a provides a real edge for the wedding photographer. Not only does this allow you to have greater control over depth of field, but it also allows to shoot in much lower light conditions than normal. This allows you to leave your flash at the door and make the most of what lighting is available. Combined with the right ISO, this lens is very flexible. In locations such as churches and dim dance floors this is a great advantage.
It also works great with FX and DX cameras alike. Although on a DX camera the focal length is closer to 75 mm due to the crop factor. It also doesn’t have a inbuilt AF motor. Whilst this is not a problem for most Nikon cameras it does mean that on cheaper Nikon models such as the D3000 the AF system will not work.
All in all it’s a quality lens, especially considering you can pick one up for under £100. For those buying for a DX exclusively I would recommend considering it’s brother the DX 35mm lens. To see some examples of the shots you can get with Nikon cameras head over to our gallery.
If you want to find out more about White head to our info page. Otherwise drop us a line at 07794454338 or send us an email at info@whiteweddingphotographers.co.uk
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