Hello Sir, thank you for putting out these videos - I’m learning a lot from them. “50 is difficult because it’s how we see the world with our eyes”. If the lens does not indicate 50mm, one can do an old-school eye calibration so that the size and scope of the image in the viewfinder/LED screen should match what you’d would see with your eyes. Voila!

I bought my self a 50mm lens, and to be honest it's one of my favourite when I'm walking around a street, it makes think of what I'm doing ... so if I let's say want to take a photo of some streat performer, I can't hide in the back and hope they don't notice me, I have to come closer to them and that photo. Also because it's a 50mm I can set my f from 1.8 to 22 and that adds some more details in my pictures.

use primes!

What I love about your videos (and why I purchased your Wedding Photography Book) is they make you WANT to go out and start shooting. You teach us things in a way that we think "Yes! I see what you mean. I can do that." So many other tutorial videos just sort of give technical information that is somewhat helpful, but it doesn't make me want to immediately grab my camera and go shooting like your videos do. Your videos focus (pardon the pun) on us as photographers rather than on the equipment we're using and, I think as a result, ingrain in us that WE are the key element in capturing beautiful images, not the camera. It's a very inspiring way of looking at photography.

Crop factors will alter the focal length equivalent but the optimal mm for different purposes is pretty much the same. For me optimal focal length is the one that makes the image in the viewfinder look most pleasing to the photographer.

Hi. It depends on what you think you like the look of the most. 50mm will have a slightly narrower field of view and slightly more magnification. Go to a shop with your camera and ask to take a few test shots with each then buy the one you like most.

Thanks to you, Mike, in just one year, I have come a long way from using my cameras in Program mode. I now shoot mainly in Manual, Shutter and Aperture modes. I still revert to using Program mode on the odd occasion. After learning to multiply both the focal length of the lens AND the aperture by the crop factor, my photo's have really taken on a new look! The nifty fifty is rarely off my cameras. I find that setting the lens to f8, works really well for a deep DOF (F8 X 1.5 =F12) It hits the 'sweet-spot'. F7.1 (F10.65) works well too. Once again, thanks! I'll keep watching ! D :-)

I've watched lots of your videos and ones like this really help because it really makes you think about what your doing. Like many people, I guess I've found myself taking thousands of images most of which are average at best. I now find myself being far more selective with good results.

Can't beat the old days of film when you had to think about your shots because you only had 36, and they were expensive to develop.

Thank you. That lens was an 18-270 Tamron. They're not fast and image quality isn't the best when on full zoom, but as a lens to have on your camera when out for a walk it's very handy. I wouldn't use it on a commercial job though...

The 50mm was my first lens when I started in 1979 came with camera, a lens not to be laughed at it can do a lot. I have to say it's the lens to work with at first to understand composition and make the most of it as this will train you to do the same with other lenses as you build your kit. Thank you for this video most useful Mate..

Back in '69 I did a tour of Europe with a 50 mm 1.7 automatic Yashica lens. Had a 35 mm but it wasn't automatic and so I didn't like to use it. The photos turned out excellently and nowadays I have to remind myself not to rely too much on wide-angles.

Always a great teaching class particularly I love the idea of explanation and your excellent English language, thank you so much indeed

I Can't respond to your comment +Emino Meneko - you need to change your G+ settings.. Yes you can work to include the crop factor if you wish. The point of the exercise is more about choosing a focal length that's around 'natural' for human eyes then not changing it...

mike, I know this vid is 5 years back, but your message is still so relevant today, Im a dslr vidio bod, my 2 fav lenses ? 50m and 35m 1.8. scorsese recently said ? you can make movies now with a camera no bigger than a freeking door knob, BUT LEAVE THE ZOOM ALONE.

Absolutely - you'll have to anyway to get the exposures, and by changing apertures you can get creative with depth of field too.

I would like to offer an explanation of why 50mm is considered the standard and an explanation why sensor size dose not change this. The reason that the 50mm is a standard holds true regardless of your sensor size is because the rational that a standard appears the way we see with our eyes is based on the distortion of the the lens not the focal length. The precise standard is 43mm, but only Pentax makes a lens in this size. The farther away from the standard you go the more distortion you will find in your images. There are two type of distortion that are caused by focal length. Wide angles cause barrel distortion while telephoto lenses cause pincushion distortion. At the standard a photo of a square will have straight lines. At a wide angle the sides of the square will bulge out and at a telephoto angle they will bend inward. This holds true from front to back as well witch means that distances from the camera appear normal at the standard while being elongated at wide angles and compressed at telephoto angles.

I love your videos especially with how you take your time and explain it so well that it is easy to understand. Makes me want to go out and take more pictures again with my 35-55 mm glass.

Hi Kieron - yes to be precise. But the main point of the exercise is to set a focal length then not change it so you make the old creative juices work as you search for images which will work for that length.

I do like to have different focal lengths accessible to me, however my prime lenses have taught me to move my ass, in so doing have taught me to use my zoom lens better. being stuck primed may feel dreadfully painful, but it is a great work out for your brain

50mm (or 35mm on APS-C) primes are just great! Light, compact, affordable and have a wide aperture. Typically f1.8-f2.8 even for the cheap ones. And yeah, walk around with a prime all day and you will practically be forced to become a better photographer.

That's realky a valuable lesson! Its really nice to try exercises like these when art takes priority over the finer technicalities!

I am shooting with a 50 mm prime for couple of months now. Your video helped me to think a bit harder on the possibilities with this lens. A BIG THANK YOU Mike. Love your channel and added to my FAVs :)!

Hi Turbo RPM. Technically yes you're right and I should have mentioned it in the vid. The idea is more about setting a focal length that's around 'normal' and then finding pictures to suit it.

Hi. Don't get too hung up on whether it's a 50 on this sensor or a 35 on that. The key to great pictures is experimenting with how different focal lengths look, then choosing the look - not the focal length number. To help you choose a prime put your 18-105 on and see whether you prefer the look of the 35mm setting or 50mm when you look through the viewfinder. Hope this helps..

+Natserog. If you want more of your photo in focus, choose a higher F number. F5.6. F8, F11 or F16. If you want a blurry background, use a lower F number. If you're shooting a portrait, move the person away from the background (10 feet or more) and use a low F number (F1.8 or F2.8). This will give you a nice blurry background. Zoom with your feet. Move back and forth until you get the shot you want. Remember to focus on the eyes. One of my DSLR's has no auto focus, so I have to all the work. It was the way I learned photography before digital cameras came along. When you get used to using a 50mm lens you will find it easier to use. It's a brilliant lens! Even when I'm using my 28-80mm lens, I use it at about 35mm. On my cropped frame D70 camera, 35mm becomes 52.5mm. The aperture is also multiplied by the crop factor (1.5) For example, F4 becomes F6, F5.6 becomes F8.4, F8 becomes F12 and F16 becomes F24! F10, is usually my maximum aperture. I hope this will help you. Happy shooting

Excellent video, I learned a lot! Whenever I take a shot, I instinctively avoid standing tall. I crouch lower or close to the ground. Most of the time this gets me a unique view, but sometimes it doesn't. Whatever works, depending on the subject. It also helps to take shots at different angles. I bought a mid-level Nikon D5600 dslr with a vari-angle lcd. I'm enjoying it very much because I can get the camera close to the ground without lying on my back or getting my elbows on the ground. I can afford to buy a full frame camera, but seeing that it doesn't have a vari-angle lcd, I opted for the D5600 instead. For me, vari-angle capability is a feature I consider very important. The simple tilt screen capability of more expensive dslr is not enough for me.

This was actually very informative. Not so "techy" but keeping art in the photography, with imagination. I am newer and trying to learn. Yet sometimes I don't want to go over board. I am disabled so I don't want to get to confused with the AP, FS, etc. This was simple and straight to the point. I like your vision for the last shot. Beautiful!

It took a lot of time and practice, you'll get there.

I initially thought the moving around you had to do with the 50mm was just to much work, but like your video highlights, it really makes you get more Creative and less lazy. thanks.

I can't say because the settings are set according to the image I'm taking and the light available at the time. If most of your shots are blurred I expect your shutter speed is too slow or your auto focus is set up wrong. Have a look in our sharp pictures playlist.

My only lens, after selling 4 lenses to fund the purchase is a Leica M-50 f/0.95 Noctilux and I am taking better shots than I ever have!

Very informative without throwing out a lot of jargon. Really like the vocalization of the thought process while you were composing the shots.

Agreed - Mike

It really doesn't matter. The exercise is to get you thinking creatively, not changing focal length and moving yourself about to find images that work. The precise focal length or equivalent length depending on FX/DX combinations won't help you strengthen the creativity muscle. Just go for it and have fun.

Like a 55.7mm lens, to be exact. An lens with an aps-c sensor is 0.62 times the lenght of a full-frame equivalent. Or: a lens with a full-frame sensor is 1.59 times longer than on an aps-c one.

Thank you for your helpful advice for beginners. I appreciate it.

Hi. I use the camera's autofocus settings 99% of the time because it's fast and very accurate - but you should use whatever works best for you. If you prefer to focus manually and are getting sharp images then there's no reason not to continue to do it. Servo works very well for sports, especially when using a long (200mm ish) lens. Have a look at our 'getting sharp pictures' playlist for more on auto focus settings. - Mike

Thank you

Good Luck, have fun and don't be scared to experiment with things which you wouldn't normally do. Try laying on the ground, standing on a wall, taking the same subject from lots of different angles....

Thanks. that sounds like a good tip, will try that next time I'm out for a hiking trip - I usually put on my prime lenses when I'm out to photograph something specific, but for hikes I usually put on my waterproof zoom lens. And it really tempts me into that lazy, "meh, just take another picture of that vista and hope it'll turn out usable" style of photography. Always useful to have some practices and challenges to break such habits.

I have only been photographing for half a year, but decided pretty quickly that I wantet a 28mm prime (1.5 crop), and I have loved it ever since. Guess I did a good choise :)

Thank you. I'm glad i found you Mike. I love your training. Getting my camera ready to go out and do some of your exercises. Composition has always been my struggle, Wish me luck.

Excellent video Mike. I very often tape my Len’s down at 35mm on my 18-140mm DX thus gives me the 50mm field of view. I shoot all day like this, seeing through the 50mm Frame. Your video is excellent👍🏽

Thank you so much for saying so. Please help us make more videos by 'liking' 'G+ing', sharing them and linking to us on photo forums, Facebook etc

Actually you mean 35mm on DX sensor, this is "how our eyes see" as you mention, 50mm on a full frame dslr. I also have a Nikon D300 and a 35mm f/1.8 DX and a 50mm f/1.4D (which acts like a 75mm lens on my D300) and I can say that the 35mm lens is the best buy ever made for my D300(although I have more than 6-7 lenses), since it helps you think, move and compose as you say to get better results.The 50mm is perfect for portraits but for street photography the 35mm is the one to go. Nice tips Mike!

The 50mm field of view is similar to the eyes field of view but the 85mm replicates the brains field of interest. Having said that my first Nikkormat FT2 and 50mmf2 combination gave me some of the photos I most enjoy looking at.

I probably do, sorry not great with maths and numbers. It doesn't really matter what the exact length is, the point is to practice not zooming in and out and think creatively instead..

crop sensor cameras do not increase the focal length of lenses. Focal length is a distance from the focusing element to the sensor. The sensor distance does not change on a crop camera. The angle of view decreases on crop cameras because there is less surface area therefore less angle of view. A 50mm on full frame is 50mm on a crop just with the edges cut off.

Thank you for this wonderful lesson it taught me how to use my 50mm

I use my 50mm 1.8 lens the majority of times I go out shooting - which is a lot!. I can see why photographers call it; THE NIFTY FIFTY. And it's very sharp! Cheers!

I know the Video is now quite old but if you're planning on doing a remake in some way, you could mention that there are tons of vintage prime lenses that are super cheap, that are super fast and most of them, quite sharp too. Awesome video by the way :)

I have started to look at your videos, the depth of field ones and the move! Excellent, i am learning a lot with your

There abouts. It's te exercise of not zooming and thinking about your composition that's umportant ...

My pleasure:-)

Cool - it's great when you get a bit of kit and know it's right for you.

Thanks Mike, I have 2 - 50mm lens from Canon and I am going to try this exercise

There's quite a big difference. Zoom lenses have a much smaller aperture. The lowest for one which includes 50mm is 2.8, which is 2 stops less than 1.4 As a result, zoom lenses are much slower and they can't create a really shallow depth of field (shallow = better bokeh) at 50mm. Also, prime lenses are GENERALLY sharper in terms of image quality than zooms.

Great videos for learning photography, brought with a good sense of British humour. I love it.

In terms of how wide our field of view is, yes. But the perspective that a 50mm lens gives is roughly equivalent to the perspective our eyes give us. Do a portrait of someone really close with a 24mm lens and you'll see the perspective difference.

I found a way to see thru the lens at 50mm by opening both eyes and to match what you see thru the viewfinder. By the way, I liked how you did explaying it in short time and how to control the temptation of zooming. Thanks.

Pleasure

Such a great exercise! Thanks for posting!

Thank you Taff

Thanks for the videos Mike

Using tele lenses or wide angles = not how our eyes see the world using 50mm lying on the ground = Totally natural and pretty cool!

Cool - well done for giving it a go.

Thanks for this 2-part tutorial on the nifty fifty lens: I have only two lenses for my Nikon D750: the 50mm and the 24-70mm zoom, and guess which one I use the most! :)

This exercise is for a Full Frame, right ? So 50mm on FF should be adapted for APS-C so in my case with a Canon 55mm÷1.6 = 31.25 so I should stick to something such as 30/32 for the same result, right ? The closest ticks on my lense are 24mm and 35mm so I should go for 35mm to do this exercise ? many Thanks.

My photography teacher at the R Academy of Arts had the ability to pick every picture taken with a zoomlens and throw it the rubbish bin. That might be the reason why I have a camera with a fixed lens as main camera. (fuji X100). zooms have improved over the years but prime lenses are still better.

Looks like P&O's Arcadia... As well as photography, bike racing and steam trains. I also like ships. :-)

Thank you. I don't think they make them any more but i have seen a few on ebay. Mine's a manfrotto quick release and it's about 18 years old now :-/

great videos , complete novice here , your enthusiasm is inspiring and im enjoying learning photography !!

Thanks - great demonstration of there's no right or wrong. There's only ever what we like :-)

Love your videos. I am learning so much. I have a Nikon dx camera. Use 50mm lens for this exercise.? Or a 35? 35x1.5 = 52.5. Thanks.

Hi Mike..fantastic videos. I'm stuck with a camera that's got a 35mm lens only...fancy doing a short film on how I can make full use of that lens? Thanks Mike...you are the light for all of us who are dying to get better at this. Best tutorials bar none.

I have a digital camera but I love using my old Canon A1 With the prime 50mm 1.4 , fine piece of glass and pin sharp.

Composition and getting a good shot is very subjective, I think. What you called a dull and boring shot at 4.33, I found quite pleasing. I'm a bit surprised you hold the camera with only one hand !

Just watched your video. I liked the idea of setting your lens to 50 mm and then having to think about composition sometimes I think the option of a zoom lens makes things a bit easy for us but the nifty fifty sets a bit of a challenge.

II liked your approach to composition. This video was very clear and straightforward. I think shooting 50mm forces you to be a better photographer

im going to try this project this week thank you

Excelente video

Thank you - go do it and have fun :-)

thnx sir, l got a lot of tips from u just got almost 1year delay of perfect learning

Leica M3, Summicron 50, Pentax digital spotmeter and 400 speed B & W film , pure heaven

I'm sorry I don't know. I only know the cameras I use and they are D300s. have a look at some forums and see what owners are saying.

50mm on a FullFrame ... then ur right :) on a crop camera you would have to go to a 35mm ( would make it aprox 52mm ).. a great exercise btw ..

Hi - That's a big question. It depends on the look of the different focal lengths - which do you prefer? I don't have any primes because I don't like to be creatively restricted to the appearance of just one length.

This is a nice example and it's important to practice this, but I noticed that you use a dx lens, wouldn't that make the 50mm field of view be more like 75mm?

your voice reminds so much to eric idles's!

thanks for the vid...

Great video one more time! I was really wondering where these beach houses are.

Maybe we'll bump into each other at the Bluebird cafe sometime... I like to ride over there on my bike for breakfast on sunny Sunday mornings.

great advise thank you

Hello from 2018. I'm watching photography videos and thinking to maybe buy a good and expensive (for me) 60 mm prime telephoto lens for my smartphone camera :d I'll find myself in this constant excercise then.

A big thanks from Nepal

Hi Mike Browne, I really like this video, thank you for inspiring us. My question is, how do you focusing on the sea shell (4:13), did you use auto or manual focus? How to make sharp focus out of centre? Sorry for the basic question. Thanks

Some useful advice here Mike. I often take pictures at Calshot, I'm surprised I haven't bumped into you yet : )

Thanks - do it!!

Can I ask for you to look at photography from a different direction you always find other ways be it leaning on something ot getting down on your knees but what about if you where dissabled can't get down on your knees and have to use crutches then find the best angles their you go your new project