Prime lens for a CANON DSLR?

Question

i have a dslr with a 1.6x multiplier thingy

and i'm buying a 28-105mm

i'm looking at a EF 50mm f/1.8 II Autofocus Lens

i am an avid photographer of cars and i heard that prime lenses are known for their crisp quality.

my question is -- how much clearer are the photos asicompared to the zoom lenses.

and how fast do prime lenses focus?

as fast as USM lenses?

so, is a prime lens going to make my ferrari pictures looke more red? and lamborghnins more yellow? ( are the pics going to be better?)

thanks

Answer 1

Sixty-Nine, I am NOT at all interested in your multiplier "thingy".

However, in answer to your question, primes are the ultimate in image quality. Have at it.

Answer 2

Prime lenses are generally sharper than zoom lenses however If clarity and sharpness is what you're after, then you need to be looking at L lenses. L lenses are the ones that have red rings on them and they're made by canon. They are super expensive but for a good reason.

Regardless of all that, the lens you're looking to buy is one that every canon photographer should have. Despite the fact that it is the cheapest lens that canon sells, its Aperture at 1.8 is remarkable for still shots and portraits. At F1.8 your subjects will look pretty clear in comparison to their backgrounds. Also this lens will give you pretty warm colors. You'll immediately see the difference.

Here is the bummer though, if all you do is take car shots, shooting a car at F1.8 with a 50mm you won't be benefiting from the 1.8 aperture if you're trying to get the whole car in focus. If you know about aperture, at 1.8 your focal range is pretty narrow, so the headlights might be crisp while the trunk could be out of focus. You can definitely use this lens for artsy shots like getting too close to the hood and for example shooting the ferrari horse in total focus while the rest of the car is blurry, etc. The other thing is 50mm on a 1.6multiplier is not exactly wide angle, so you'll need to step back to get that car in the shot.

Overall the 50mm F1.8 II is a must have, specially for the price. It is a low quality lens though, but F1.8 is generally amazing if you exploit it well. As for focus speed, it won't be as good on this one as a USM lens. You may experience some hunting. Hunting is when the camera cannot focus and keeps going back and forth looking for something to focus on. Also another benefit of F1.8 is that you won't need a lot of light at F1.8 as you do on your 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 kit lens. You can catch more light with this lens at 1.8. Both lenses you're looking at are good buys. Go for it.

One lens to aspire to, if you can afford it, is the 24-70mm F2.8 L.

Some misconceptions you have are:

- A Prime lens will catch better colors. No it won't, only sharpness and especially near corners. This lens however have nice warm colors. Colors depend on the glass used in the lens and ofcourse processing.

- A Prime lens will focus faster. Not a rule, USM lenses focus faster whether they're prime or zoom.

Best of luck.

http://www.elarabiphotography.com