Does it make sense

To buy a 50mm lens when you already have a 35mm? For some reason I feel like I'm missing something by not having a 50.

Sure... if that's what you like... I started with 50mm on a crop. Decided it was too long. I went to 30mm and never looked back. Favorite focal length on a crop...

YMMV...

I presume you have an APS-C body. 50mm on APS-C makes it a nice 'portrait lens'. Dunno if you ever shoot portraits of family members, but if you do, it comes in handy.


Put another way, the 2:1 zoom was very commonly used on film cameras for decades...for FF film, the 35-70mm was very commonly purchased in lieu of owning a fixed focal length 'normal'.
For APS-C, a comparable 2:1 zoom would be about 22mm - 45mm, so 50mm is darn close to a FL that folks used to find to be very useful to simply have available for general shooting.

The 50/1.8s are also awfully cheap, so it's not too hard to pick one up and see if you like it.

Wilt wrote in post #18282156
I presume you have an APS-C body. 50mm on APS-C makes it a nice 'portrait lens'. Dunno if you ever shoot portraits of family members, but if you do, it comes in handy.


Put another way, the 2:1 zoom was very commonly used on film cameras for decades...for FF film, the 35-70mm was very commonly purchased in lieu of owning a fixed focal length 'normal'.
For APS-C, a comparable 2:1 zoom would be about 22mm - 45mm, so 50mm is darn close to a FL that folks used to find to be very useful to simply have available for general shooting.

I'm using a FF, if that's important.

What other lenses do you own?
If you have a zoom that covers the 50mm range then adjust it to 50mm and tape it in position. Now you can play and see how it meets your needs. I only owned a 50-55mm lens on my film cameras for over 30 years and never felt I needed anything more.

Petie53 wrote in post #18282180
What other lenses do you own?
If you have a zoom that covers the 50mm range then adjust it to 50mm and tape it in position. Now you can play and see how it meets your needs. I only owned a 50-55mm lens on my film cameras for over 30 years and never felt I needed anything more.

I don't have anything that has 50mm. I have the 35mm and then an 70-200.

eddieb1 wrote in post #18282203
I don't have anything that has 50mm. I have the 35mm and then an 70-200.

Then how often, if ever, are you frustrated by the 'gap' in FL available to you? It might not matter TO YOU, and that is important.

I have a 'gap' which I choose to leave, at 28mm. I have 24mm, I have 35mm, but no 28mm for my SLR outfit. When I did have 28mm (and no 24mm) I was very frustrated; no frustration with 24mm (and no 28mm).

What works for one person may not work for another. Some love 50mm for FF, some can live forever without it!

Now momentarily ignoring the FL value, how often, if ever, do you wish you had a much faster aperture to shoot in low light?! If you have a FAST 30-35mm lens, it may not matter. But if it is f/2.8, having a 50mm f/1.4 might be very handy.

eddieb1 wrote in post #18282203
I don't have anything that has 50mm. I have the 35mm and then an 70-200.

You have the 35 f/what? The 50 f/1.4 or 1.8 might be a good idea if you plan on shooting a lot in low light. OTOH, I shot 35mm film for decades & mostly used the 20mm & the 105. But I also carried the 200, 35 & 50.

Yes it does.

To tack on to this thread, if I have the 50mm 1.8 stm, what do people generally think would make the most sense for an every day prime lens? Would the 24mm be too wide? I feel like it wouldn't be on a crop sensor.

Grab that f/1.8 STM, make sure it's a good copy and you will have a very fast low light lens that is useful an many situations for the cost of a few tanks of gas, or a good dinner out.

loosegroove wrote in post #18282995
To tack on to this thread, if I have the 50mm 1.8 stm, what do people generally think would make the most sense for an every day prime lens? Would the 24mm be too wide? I feel like it wouldn't be on a crop sensor.

On APS-C 30mm to 35mm is right smack bang in the same relative range as the usual 35mm format "Normal" lenses in the 50mm to 56mm range. The true normal for 35mm is actually 43mm and depending on the exact size of the sensor, there is quite a bit of variation in Canon APS-C sensor sizes, from the nominal 22.5×15mm, which would have a normal of 27mm.

Alan

What are the issues on the "not good" copies.

On the STM, I'm not sure it's relevant,. but on the older versions, AF was hit or miss. (mostly miss )

My STM has been fantastic. It truly is a very different lens from the old one, so likely no concern at all.