Tag Archives: 50mm lens

X-Pert Interview on 53mm – Why I Love the Fuji XF35mm f/2 Lens

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Afternoon light on Bashful Peak, Chugach Mountains, Alaska

I was recently interviewed by the website 53mm, about why I love the Fujifilm XF 35mm f/2 WR lens. The article features a number of images and insight from my experience using the sweet little 35 f/2.

53mm, or fiftythreemm.com, is a fan site devoted to the two 35mm lenses that Fuji makes, and it’s called 53mm because that’s the effective angle of view those lenses when you factor in the 35mm focal length on an APS-C sensor.

This is very close to the traditional 50mm view that many photographers started out with back in the days of film. The classic “Nifty Fifty,” as it’s often called, produces a highly versatile view angle that’s close to the angle of human vision, which is why it can be used with great results when shooting a wide range of genres and styles.

There’s a reason that these were very popular lenses back in the days of manual cameras, and it’s a shame that most camera manufacturers pair their entry-level cameras with lower quality kit zoom lenses these days. It would be nice to see them offer Nifty Fifty kits.

With the popularity of the two Fuji 35mm lenses, the older 1.4 version and the newer weather sealed f/2, it’s nice to see so many Fuji shooters embrace this classic focal length. I’d love to see Fuji come out with an X-T2/35mm f/2 bundle kit.

fifythreemm.com and the accompanying 53mm Instagram feed celebrates this traditional look. Run by a UK photographer named Iian, aims to inspire and share how much can be done with this simple focal length.

Even if you’re not a Fuji shooter, you should check out the site, because the Nifty Fifty look is universal. No matter what camera brand you use, if you don’t have a fixed 50mm equivalent lens, I highly recommend getting one- they’re usually quite small, light and inexpensive, and of course, they’re extremely versatile.

Embrace classic. Get a 50. Anyway, enjoy reading my interview and check out my recent post to see 10 more reasons why I love the sweet little Fuji 35 f/2 lens. Also, check read this post to see how to get the most out of your Nifty Fifty style lens. 

Photographing Cyclocross, Week 5

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As I said in last week’s cyclocross post, I’m not usually an event photographer. However, shooting the same sport for five weeks in a row has forced me to try and look at the sport, the racers and the courses in slightly different ways each time so that I can push my creativity and create unique imagery. Believe me, it’s not always easy when you’re shooting subject matter that you’ve become well familiar with.

One thing that I hadn’t really done the previous four weeks of Arctic Cross was to capture portraits, so at the end of the race, I made a point to grab a few quick people shots at the end of the race. Also, to vary it up even more, I slapped on my 50mm lens, which I hadn’t used yet during this series. Here are a couple of my favorites.

As it always does, the 50mm is like a breath of fresh air. A spoonful of sugar. A burst of fruit flavoring. The lemon wedge in your wheat beer. With its limited depth of field at medium and long ranges, it’s not usually a great sports lens, but get up close and your backgrounds drop to deliciously soft focus.

However, it also forces you to get right up in there. No hiding off at a safe distance like you can with those telephotos, you’ve got to be bold and very sure of yourself. In that way, the 50mm lens forces you to shoot with confidence. Maybe that’s why they’re often the first lens you get when you buy a camera. Might as well get over your awkwardness right away. Step forward, compose and shoot.

Equally important when photographing action is to keep alert for the unexpected moments that occur before your eyes. During the past few races, I’d been focusing quite a bit on the races as they jumped over the barriers. I got some pretty cool shots of them in mid leap, but as I watched last weekend, it occurred to me that just as dynamic were the moments when they got back on their bikes. Leapt, really. Here are couple of those shots taken with the longer lens.

Another part of the course that I really liked was a singletrack section that led to the steep walkup at the far end of the course. I spent almost half the race shooting in this spot, mostly with the long lens.

For me, this race was my best performance yet. I held off getting lapped by the leader on the final leg, got my first bell lap of the season and rode to a 5th place finish in my class. The series ends this weekend with the final two races, Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Stay tuned!!

See more photos from this race, and check out my other cyclocross blog posts.

The 5 Most Popular Nikon Lenses

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Even more than your camera, your lens is the most important piece of gear in the craft of photography. Through the specific angle of view and depth of field characteristics that each type offers, your lens is the device that directly translates your vision of the world into an image. In the end, it’s not the body that determines the quality and look of your photograph, it’s the lens.

Buying a new lens is certainly an exciting event, but with so many choices on the market, it can be a daunting process. There are a number of factors that play into your decision, including budget, size, weight and your own photography style. As you do your own evaluative research and ask yourself which lens you should buy, which lens will be the right one for your own brand of image making, it can sometimes help to see what lenses other photographers find useful.

With that in mind, here’s a current list of the five most popular Nikon lenses and why I think you might consider each one if you’re in the market for some new glass.

1. AF-S 50mm f/1.8G

Every photographer should have a 50mm lens. It’s the lens that most people start out with, at least they used to before kit zoom lenses became standard equipment with new camera bodies.

A 50mm lens is a  highly versatile tool that will carry you through your entire photography life, and Nikon’s latest generation of this lens, the AF-S 50mm f/1.8G is a superb choice. It’s light, fast, sharp, has very shallow depth of field up close, and with the Silent Waver Motor, it focuses with incredible speed and accuracy.

Portraits, nature, travel, still life, street photography, the 50mm will do it all. Note, it’s not the best sports lens, unless you’re able to get close enough to the action.

2. AF-S 35mm f/1.8G DX

Engineered as a DX lens, the Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.8G lens functions as a normal, fast 50mm f/1.8 lens on the 1.5x crop sensor DX camera bodies.

Everything I said above about the 50mm lens above applies here if you have a DX camera. It’s fast, sharp and also has the Silent Wave internal focusing motor. If you have a D90, D7000, D5000, D3100, D3200 or one of the other non-full frame Nikon DLSRs, then this is a must have lens.

If you have a full frame sensor and are looking for a 35mm lens, you’ll want the older 35mm f/2D lens, as this DX version will give you light falloff on a non-DX body.

3. AF-S 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX

Considered by many users to by a great all-in-one lens for DX sensor Nikon DLSRs, the AF-S 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR gives you an affordable and lightweight option for full coverage across the entire spectrum of view. From wide angle the way to high power telephoto, this lens gives you the equivalent of a 450mm lens and lets you bring the subject up close. Very close.

Built with Nikon’s second generation VRII vibration reduction technology, Silent Wave internal autofocusing, extra low dispersion and aspherical glass elements and Nikon’s Super Integrated Coating, this lens gives consistently sharp results for the price. It will even allow close focusing of up to 1.4 feet at the 300mm setting.

Granted, with a maximum aperture of f/5.6 when zoomed all the the way out, it’s not as fast as more expensive f/2.8 lenses. However, it’s certainly smaller and less expensive. And with today’s high ISO capable cameras, lens speed is not as much of an issue than it was back when we were shooting 50 and 100 speed slide film. These days, f/5.6 is not the end of the world. In fact, the featured shot on my Facebook Page was shot with long lens at f/5.6.

Want a convenient compact do-it-all lens that weighs less than 2 lbs? This might be your choice.

4. AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

The AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED is the workhorse lens of pro photographers like Joe McNally, Lucas Gilman and David Hobby. Optimized for both DX and FX full frame Nikon cameras, this is top quality glass.

It’s not a small, compact or lightweight lens by any means, but it will get the job done. It’s the ultimate lens for photographers who love the look and feel of mid range primes, but want the simplicity and convenience of carrying a single lens instead of three or four.

With a fast f/2.8 aperture all the way through, ED glass, AF-S focusing and Nikon’s Nano Crystal Coat, this lens has fantastic edge to edge sharpness, exceptional contrast and color and it will produce outstanding images. Built to rugged pro-grade standards with dust and moisture resistance, it will perform in all conditions.

Landscapes, travel, professional quality portraits with amazing looking bokeh, events, photojournalism, street photography, the 24-70mm lives up the hype for one reason- it’s an all out five star lens.

5. AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

If you shoot sports and action, this is the one. Period. The end. If you can afford it, definitely get this lens, or one like it.

The Nikon AF-S 70-200 f/2.8G ED VR II is the absolute standard telephoto zoom lens for shooting professional quality sports, or any subject that requires distance between the photographer and subject.

Built to pro specs with incredibly fast AF-S internal focusing, superior ED glass and vibration reduction that lets you shoot up to 4 stops faster in lower light conditions, this lens gives brilliantly sharp, high contrast images with reduced ghosting and flare. It works equally well on both DX and FX bodies.

I have a lens in this range and it’s been my own go-to glass throughout my entire photography career. I use it for action, portraits, landscapes, travel, just about everything. For what I do, I simply could not live without this type of lens and this model is the best one that Nikon has ever made. Read the reviews. You’ll see. King of the zooms. No need to say any more.

Edit: Nikon recently came out with the brand new Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/4G ED VR Telephoto Zoom Lens. It’s a full-on pro quality zoom lens with an even more advanced VR system than the 70-200mm f/2.8 version has. I highly recommend this lens, because it’s got excellent optics and it costs about a thousand dollars less than the f/2.8 version. Read my comparison review between these two lenses and see some example images.

Support this site: If do find yourself in the market for new glass, please consider purchasing gear through these links. It doesn’t cost you anything extra but it helps cover the costs, effort and time that it takes to run this site and produce these articles. As always, thanks for reading!


The Best Lens For Shooting Portraits

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So what’s the best lens for shooting portraits? That’s like asking what’s the best day of the week for eating dessert. Sure, there are hard and fast rules about this kind of thing, but if you’re like me, you scoff … Continue reading →

Quick Look: The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G Lens

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Attention Normal Lens fans, the new Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8G lenses are now here! Billed as a more affordable alternative to the Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.4G lens, the new f/1.8 version is a major upgrade from the older Nikon 50mm … Continue reading →