Mario’s note: Due to your high interest I re-publish this article. If you are tired of the boring photos your camera takes, today I am going to show you a lens that in my case was a kind of “photographic revolution”, and I would like you to try it. I tell you about it in the article.
Photos are not the same with the King of Lenses as they are without it. My adoration for this goal is infinite (which I discuss in this article). Unfortunately, not everyone can afford this objective of 50mm f/1.4 whose cost can rise, depending on the brand, up to almost 400 Euros.
what to do in that case?
Where there is a King, there is a Prince.
First, the basic concept… to understand each other
In this search for that “magic lens” that will bring a smile back to your camera, it is important that you stay with the essence and not with the labels. “King of Lenses” I made up (perhaps the name already existed before) to reflect my extremely positive experience with this lens and highlight its tremendous advantages, recognized by most photographers. This is not to say that there aren’t other lenses, from the same family, that can’t meet similar needs.
Light. That’s the word I want you to stick with. She closes her eyes for a moment – metaphorically speaking man, as the real closures do not see how we communicate 😉 – and imagines a window through which light enters. Your interest as a photographer is that as much light as possible enters, so much so that you can shoot your photos and that they are seen clearly and sharply. You will agree that the larger the window, the greater the amount of light and the better photos;
The King of Goals
The King of Objectives is some kind of giant window, no, it’s a window!!! There is something in lenses called diaphragm, which is basically the aperture of the lens, and when it is large, the photos come out tremendously bright.
The size of an aperture is expressed by a value called f/. The smaller the f/number, the LARGER the diaphragm, the aperture, and therefore the light that enters.
A common lens usually reaches f/4.5, which already allows you to take photos with a certain light, sometimes enough, sometimes not, depending on factors that do not come to mind such as outdoor lighting, the time of day in which it is being taken the photo etc.
Well, if an average lens is usually at f/4.5, how big do you think the aperture of an f/1.4 lens will be? That’s the King of Goals.
And now the prince…
The 400-odd euros that the King of Objectives costs in the Amazon store they are more than well invested. Even so, if that price exceeds your economic ceiling, there are other alternative options that, although they will not give you exactly the same result, will radically improve your current photographs.
It is not a single prince, there are several princes the truth. There are a variety of goals you can consider if you can’t afford the King of Goals. Here are a couple of options:
- 50mm f/1.8: It does not reach the category of king due to the diaphragm that remains at f/1.8 instead of f/1.4. Some readers have asked me if that difference of f / 0.4 is noticeable or not. My answer is that it will depend on the type of photography and the shooting circumstances in each case. There is a slight difference, but it is only noticeable in very very low light situations. In terms of prices, it works very well, especially in the Amazon store, I think:
– For Nikon: 215 euros.
– For Canon: 90 euros.
– Other brands consult stores.
. - 35mm f/1.8: If you are willing to sacrifice focal length, the 35mm f/1.8 can be a great option. You get a result close to what the King of Lenses would give you, except for two things: 1) on the one hand you have a shorter focal length, that is, a smaller zoom range but a larger angle of view (which can be an advantage if you are looking for photography panoramic) and 2) that it produces slightly less blurred backgrounds than the 50mm, which is solvable by moving as a photographer with respect to the scene you are going to photograph (basically leaning further back).
– For Nikon: 165 euros.
– For Canon: I am not aware that it exists.
– Other brands consult stores.
What do you get with these goals?
If you have a basic reflex camera, you may be interested in changing the lens before changing the camera. Believe me, the possibilities these lenses give you are limitless:
- You will be able to take portraits with the subject very sharp and the background very out of focus.
- You will be able to take photos of nature, flowers, travel photography, etc., enhancing the photographed object or element and accentuating its presence within the context.
- You’ll be able to shoot at very fast shutter speeds and still get a very bright photo.
- You can shoot in low or very low light situations.
- You will develop a taste for recording short films and documentaries with your SLR camera.
Examples of photos taken with these lenses
But what if at this point in the article you still don’t have it clear? There is no better proof than a few photos taken with one of these “Prince” lenses. Watch this. All these photos were taken by the objectives that I have been describing. Enjoy:
Do not get excited, the objective is not the one who takes the photos, here the artist is you. But it is true that with a good brush you can be a little better artist 🙂
That’s all for now. I hope I have helped you understand a little better these objectives that are a delicacy. Thanks for reading me. If you have enjoyed this article, I would sincerely appreciate it if you gave it a vote/recommendation on your favorite social network. This way you will help spread it. – Thanks, as always.