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      07-02-2019, 11:41 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dcstep View Post
50 or 55, either is an out of date lens choice for most photographers. The IQ is no better than the top zooms.

I own a Sony a7RIII and an a9. Put a full-frame lens on either and they're a seriously big rig. Don't go Sony full-frame to go small. An RX-10, RX-100, or a 6400 is a better choice if small is what you need.

When did shallower depth of field become an objective? If you want bokeh, a quality lens, at f/4, will give nice, smooth bokeh, if that's what floats your boat. With my 85/f1.4, I can shoot the left eye of a model in focus and the bridge of the nose and the right eye will be OOF. That's why I mainly shoot at f/8 and f/11. That very expensive lens is only in my kit because of its incredible IQ and it's my favorite focal length for portrait. Still, I sometimes think that I made a bad decision. I bought it a weak moment of GAS, but I need to work with it more to justify the investment.

Anyway, if you're serious, these days, I don't think that you limit your flexibility with a prime 50 or 55. It's a tweener focal length that's only of limited use, When you need 24mm, 55mm just won't do. When you need 105mm, 55mm just want do. If you can't handle the weight, then get an RX-100 or RX-10.

I know that the hipsters are out there using film and shooting 50-55mm primes. That's all good, but that's about nostalgia and a desire to learn lost crafts. Just realize that's not about better photography, but simply about learning something old. It's like why some guys/gals drive Porsche 356's, rather than a modern car. It's all good, but not to be confused with modern technology that frees us from the restrictions of the 1960s.

Sorry if I'm over reacting a bit. I know that the 50-55mm advice was given in good faith. I just want people to think deeper before investing in something that will not further their photography.
On the contrary, doesn't a prime lens help you improve and further your photography much more as compared to a zoom lens, especially for a beginner or someone still trying to improve? Makes you think and get creative as the focal length is fixed, makes you move around and you get more confident as you can't get away with clicking from far away, you need to get close to the people/subject.

I understand zoom lenses are great now but only at the higher end, however, a lot of times you require a compact setup, travel, etc, and there are a lot of small size full frame lenses out there which when paired with a full frame mirrorless camera can make a solid setup without the added bulk. My Batis 25mm f2 was really compact with exceptional IQ but I needed something wider, for some people 25mm is enough. For some people there is only one requirement, some only shoot at 50mm, some only like 24 or even 16/18, what I'm saying is if there's a particular focal length that serves the purpose then one can achieve the results with a smaller compact setup without sacrificing the IQ. Also, Sony 24-105mm f4 isn't huge either, for such a wide range it's somewhat compact, as I mentioned earlier, it's a great choice.
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