Who here would sooner eat their 50mm lens than shoot with it?

I'm seriously considering getting rid of my 50mm lens because doing so will force me to be more creative with my 35mm and 85mm primes. Anybody hate 50mm?

Lol! What's not to like about 50mm?? Apart from the fact that it's natural perspective means that you have to rely on subject matter and composition for impact, rather than distortion/compression with wide/tele. That's a GOOD thing!

So... to answer your question... NO! I love 50mm.

I've only been shooting primes for about 18 months. So far, I have acquired, in this order: 35 IS, 28 1.8, 14 2.8, 50 1.4, 15 FE, 85 1.8, 135 2. Of the batch, the 50 1.4 is my least used, and least liked focal length. If it wasn't so darn good at f/1.4, I'd already have sold it.
I have yet to consider eating any of them, but you never know!

The 135L & 50 1.4 Art (recently bought) are my least used lenses.
I prefer the 35 1.4 Art for model + environment.
70-200 2.8LII is easier to use than 135L due to the zoom and almost same IQ.

But i'm not going to sell them.
I plan fashionshoots (halfbody), for this the 50 1.4 Art is better than the 35 1.4 Art.
And when i'm going to a schoolparty the 70-200 is too big, 135L is more compact and always wow shots.

Sometimes the only solution is : leave as much lenses at home as possible and bring the ones you use the least.
Then you are obliged to adapt your shooting style and you get to know your lens better

50 on crop or 50 on ff?

OP was recently shooting 5D2. That may have changed, or been added to. He was pondering apsc vs 1.4x tc a short time ago.

Ah okay. Well I never had ff but I had 35 on crop which is equal to 56mm on FF. It was a bit too long for indoors and bit too short for outdoors portrait

Now I am a happy owner of 24 (equal to 38 on FF) which fits indoor shooting and general purpose
and 50 (equal to 80FF) which fits great for outdoor portrait, so yeah I see what OP is coming from. On the other hand if I could only have one lens and had to choose between the 3 I'd probably go for 35 on crop/50 on FF

I sort of agree with that. On FF, I tend to use the 35 and 85 most. When shooting crop, I preferred the 28 1.8 (can't afford a 24L) and zooms.

GeoKras1989 wrote in post #17683428
I sort of agree with that. On FF, I tend to use the 35 and 85 most. When shooting crop, I preferred the 28 1.8 (can't afford a 24L) and zooms.

Me neither. I use 24 f/2.8 STM :P Kinda hard to get objects out of focus with f/2.8 and aps-c sensor, but its a good little lens.

My least used lens is the 50mm. I have a nifty fifty, and one of the reasons of not using it is the (to me) disappointing mechanical and optical quality. I usually carry an ultrawide zoom and a telephoto with me and I don't think about the 50mm that much. I do use my 50mm and the 85mm on the 60d for portraits.

I do love my Sigma 30mm on the 60d. It has a FOV equivalent to that of a 50mm lens on full frame, and it is such a good lens. It is in my bag 90% of the time - whether I go out shooting portraits, travel or even under water.

Taking an "outsider's" perspective. I don't see any need for myself for a prime lens. They're too limiting for only a marginal difference in image quality, if that. Sorry, but I hold the, "I only shoot primes" statement in the same category as "I only shoot manual."

I wouldn't buy a 50mm. If somebody gave me one, I wouldn't eat it. But it would sit in a drawer.

Although I do have a 100mm macro lens. I don't see any benefit that a zoom would give to a macro.

question - canonyoucan
when you take the 135 to a school party, I am supposing that you don't find it too long
and I am supposing that you don't shoot f2 most of the time

but.... do you?

When I go to parties with my camera - I find that I can't get the shots I want with that focal length...
and definitely not with that wider aperture.

do tell....please!

BTW - I like your "training" philosophy of forcing yourself into creativity....

I understand the point of view of the dislike for the 50mm
at least on the crops.
Although I have the 50 1.8 II and while it isn't exactly the most robust of lenses
I got it early on to experiment with the focal length and a cheap prime.

I most certainly did not like the focal range
and I find myself most of the time on either side of the 50mm mark.

eating with it...definitely an interesting way of putting the idea...but I agree that 50mm doesn't get my juices flowing. The 35 is a good focal length....and the 24.... on the wide side....

How much time have you put into the lens?

ceriltheblade wrote in post #17683525
I understand the point of view of the dislike for the 50mm
at least on the crops.

And I use the 50 f/1.4 very little on the full frame (I use it for group shots mostly), but it's a great portrait lens on the crop.

Horses for courses!

I've always like a standard lens more than a slightly wide one. I guess that comes from starting out with film SLRs with 50mm primes. Initially a Meyer 50 f/2.8 on a Pracktica Nova b followed by a Pentax MESuper and SMC 50 f/1.7.

Although with a zoom on my crop cameras I probably spend most of my time at 28mm and then just around 50mm for much of my non aviation photography.

Alan