50mm f/1.8

Why are 50mm better than the 18-55mm kit lens? I went to Ritz the other day and ask to see one and the guy asked me if I had the 18-55mm lens and if I did, the 50mm was a waste of money.

Well technically they overlap in focal length (50 mm is in the range of 18-55 isn't it?). The 50mm is a good learning lens, and decently fast in low light beacause of its wide open aperature (f 1.8 ). Its also supposed to a pretty good piece of glass overall for its price. Someone else can probally explain the technical terms.

It's MUCH faster than the kit, It's much sharper than the kit. The only downfalls of the 1.8 is the focus isn't so good, and the build is crap. But if you got the cash get the 1.4...IMHO Neither 1.8 or 1.4 is a "waste" of money. RITZ people aren't photographers, just the average Joe, with BASIC ideas of cameras.

It's rediculously fast compared to the kit lens (f/1.8 is awesome for a $50 lens). Also, since it's a prime, it's sharp at all times, whereas zoom lenses tend to lose sharpness just because of their nature.

Basically it's cheap, light, fast, and decently sharp. It's an excellent starter lens. I had the kit lens, but after having the 100mm macro the kit lens was just too soft for me. So, I sold it and picked up a nifty fifty and am glad I did. It seems sharper to me, and its low-light performance is amazing.

first thing's first. Ritz Camera shops (at least in my area) are not known for being all that camera savvy. Go to a real camera shop, or come here to ask questions. the 50 1.8 is an awesome lens if you want to play with shallow depth of field. It's one of the sharpest lenses I have, and the cheapest. For the record, the kit lens really isn't all that bad either, although some say it's lame.

50 1.8 does work much better on a 20d/30d/xti than 10d, 300d, and xt. that center focusing point helps the lens focus properly. other than small issue with extremely narrow dof (usually not a problem ), it's damn sharp... wide open (and properly focused), it's sharper than my 17-85@50@f11.. now that's good

I love my 50mm 1.8. It's very sharp and fast.

As for Kits/Ritz cameras and their employees...I'm not sure all of them own a camera.

In the last few weeks I've had nothing but bad experiences with these people.

I bought my camera from them online for a good price. The poorly packaged it, but all seems fine.

Each of the three stores in my area didn't stock the 50mm 1.8 I was looking to buy and they all gave me attitude about it as if I were asking for a super rare lens. Everyone else stocks it.

In the Seattle area "Talls Cameras" is a better choice of the in mall camera stores. They are real photographers who work their. They told me that they always have at least two 50mm 1.8 in stock.

I agree with previous posts. The 50mm 1.8 is a fantastic first choice. It's great indoors without a flash or for some landscapes and very sharp. It's just not useful in tight places or for group shots. Have fun!

As everyone else has said, the 50mm f/1.8 II is something can be opened about 3 stops further than the kit lens at 50mm giving you the options of narrower depth of field and faster shutter speeds in poor light. Also the centre focus point on the 20D, 30D and 400D (Rebel XT) operates at a higher precision with lenses having a maximum aperture of f/2.8 or faster.

Those reasons alone are enough to say that Ritz employing that guy is a waste of money!

Michael.