Proper 50
July 24, 2023
Proper 50
The 50mm is considered the optical standard normal vision.
In the film days of Henri Cartier Bresson, this was the gold standard, at least as far as he was concerned.
Not for me.
My first ever 50mm was the Nikon 1.8g.
I got it to use with my D90 and then the D7100. No one told me about the 1.5 Crop Factor. Those Cameras have smaller sensors so the 50mm behaved like 75mm. I couldn’t understand why.
When I started learning about Focal Lengths and Full Frame Vs DX Crop, it slowly started to make sense. By this time, my Focal Length Vision slowly began to see in a particular way.
If you have followed my Journal, you will know about my eyes and how I tend to see WIDE & L-O-N-G.
My two favourite Focal Lengths on my Full Frame D700 is the 28mm & the 70mm. My favourite Lens is the Nikkor 28-70mm.
The equivalent of this Lens on my Fuji X System is the stunning XF18-55mm F2.8-4
The 70mm gives me a perfect vision of what I see with my right eye. It’s no closer or further away. So on my Fuji, the XF 50 mm F2 is my normal vision because it behaves like a 70mm on a Full Frame.
Today, I have been shooting with my Nikon 50mm 1.4 on my FX D750. This is a proper 50mm on a correct sensor that renders the correct 50mm Frame.
This is important for me because I wanted to experience the difference of depth and width on my FX Full Frame not DX Crop. The Frame is all that matters to me and using the correct Lens for my subject is important for me to render a perfect Frame.
When I look through my view finder on my D750, to my eyes, the 50mm “feels” slightly longer around 55/60mm. It just feels slightly longer to my eyes. This is due to my eyes, because I am short sighted in my right eye. This vision is ok, I can still create a good Frame by zooming with my feet. This exercise is good practice because no matter what Camera or Lens I use, my brain very quickly makes the required adjustment for the Frame I am about to create.
The 50mm Lens is a beautiful Lens, no doubt about it. I just needed to calibrate my vision and technique to get the best out of it.
I believe every subject matters requires a specific Lens, my vision works best from 28mm & 70mm. However, my kit consist of a focal range from 10mm right up to 300mm for both my Nikon & Fuji equipment.
The 50mm Frame is wonderful and a worth while Frame for my Photography. As a standard Lens, I use it to set the standard for my images and it gives me a rock solid foundation to build my Photographic identity & expression.
Finally, this Portrait of my friend Don confirms how beautiful a 50mm field of view can be.
Thanks for reading.
“So I tried to get my shot with a 50mm and I did it - this is when we're shooting film, not digital. The guy that hired me looked through the pictures and was like, "Oh, this is pretty good. You did a good job." And I was like, "Yeah, I'm sorry. I only had a 50mm. My girlfriend rented the wrong lens…" and he stopped looking at the pictures and he looked up at me and he said, "You shot this with a 50mm? You're hired."
Jeff Vespa