Bill gave me a new lens the other day...one I've been wanting for quite awhile. Everyone raves about the 50mm f1.4 lens, and how it is perfect for portraits because it's so fast, as well as the bokeh in the background. For those of you that are not familiar with what those terms mean, I'll explain. A "fast" lens is one which you can use in low light situations, since it has a large aperture or opening.
Dictionary Definition: "A lens with a larger maximum aperture (that is, a smaller minimum f-number) is a fast lens because it delivers more light intensity (illuminance) to the focal plane, allowing a faster shutter speed"
Bokeh is that nice blurry background behind my husband. At this large aperture opening, there is only a small part of the photograph that is in focus (a shallow depth of field), and that's just what you want for a portrait. You want to showcase and draw attention to your subject, and having a blurry background does that quite nicely.
I can tell already that this lens will be my favorite, and it will most likely stay on the camera most of the time. :)
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I Admit It, We Tried
15 years ago
2 comments:
I got the 50 mm 1.8 lens. Is the 1.4 really that much faster? I do love the bokeh and the photo has so much character.
According to my photography guru husband, it does make a difference; he has the 50mm 1.8. I could never use it, though, or buy that one because it won't auto focus on my camera...and my eyes don't focus manually that well. :(
You know it's really all your fault that I have the lens, Christina? After looking at your photos, I was asking Bill about the 50mm again, and he bought it. :)
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