3 reasons why you need the 50mm for street photography
I love to discover new things in photography. Whether its taking portraits, landscape or best of all going out on to the streets and doing some random street photography.
Listed below are my 3 top reasons for taking a 50mm lens with me while I do street photography.
1. It's a compact, light weight power house!
A 50mm lens, be it an f1.4 or an f1.8, is small and easy to manage. With an average weight of less than 0.3kg (0.5lbs), this is easily one of the best lens to carry around during a photo walk without the need for a carry on camera bag.
2. Freakin' awesome bokeh - perhaps the best in town
I'm not ashamed to admit that I am a bokeh-whore! It's just amazing how this small looking lens can help with such beautiful images. The shallow depth of field during street photography really helps to bring focus on a particular subject within the image, especially in a crowded situation.
3. Razor sharp images
The fact that a 50mm is a prime lens, it's inherently a sharper as compared to a kit lens, mainly because of fewer moving parts within the lens overall. Also because you're able to capture images at a wider aperture such as 1.4 or 1.8, you can shoot at a faster shutter speed, thereby eliminating most of the blur caused by moving subjects - but of course shooting at 1.4 has it's own problems due to a shallower depth of field, but if you can manage to keep the subject in the right depth of vision or use continuous motion tracking, you'll be impressed with the results. Just look at the sharpness of the mustache in the image below.
Of course there are numerous other reasons for why you should get your hands on a 50mm but frankly the top three are mentioned here. You could also add how easy it is to shoot different situations with the 50mm (i.e. portraits, still life, bokeh intense items) and how being a lightweight lens, it makes it ideal for vacations and holidays, but the truth of the matter is, the moment you use this lens you'll fall in love with it, instantly, so I sincerely urge you to give it a shot and see how it feels in your hands.
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