Some thoughts on the idea of the 50mm standard lens

OK, so this latest blog article idea started out as a way to see how well a 10+ year old 12Mp camera delivers the goods.

Then I got...uhhmmm...shall I say thorough? I hear some other words from those who know me well...

The thing is, if we are going to do some comparative shooting we might as well make it fair. So how how do we make the playing field as level as possible?

We use lenses as near identical as possible. The obvious choice was the 50mm f/1.4 since I already have one.

Even the mere thought of mounting a Canon lens on a Nikon or vice versa could likely be considered very very wrong to some.

Since I would have difficulty in begging the use of a (rather pricey) Nikon 70-200 for a few days, this was the obvious choice . Canon's EF-50mm f/1.4 USM up against Nikon's Nikkor AF-S 50mm f/1.4 G is as fair as I could come up with. They are both fixed focal length which is generally held to be sharper than zoom lenses. There would therefore be very little place for either camera to hide weaknesses.

The supplied links will take you to my favourite lens reviewers at Photozone. They are quite impartial and they say it as it is.

Those who wish to do even more reading can see what Ken Rockwell has to say about the Nikon 50mm here. Ken is an avid Nikon fan so expect some bias. Who of us are not at least slightly biased?

For those who want another (also likely at least slightly biased) opinion on Canon's 50mm f/1.4, be sure to visit Bryan Carnathan's brilliant site at The Digital Picture here.

Both of these lenses have similar weaknesses when shot wide open. Both are frightfully sharp when used correctly and this should be as fair as could possibly be done.

One very happy coincidence is the fact that they both have a front element filter thread of 58mm and so I can use my lovely Hoya linear polariser on both.

Yes, you saw that right, a linear polariser. They work on D-SLR cameras and they produce a lovely effect a circular polariser simply can not match.

Not to insult anybody's intelligence but the fact that a polariser is described as "circular" has no bearing on the physical shape of the glass filter. I have really been asked this.

Circular versus Linear has to do with the way the polariser alters the light. Saying much more about that here and now will make for a long read. The purpose of this article was purely to show off the lovely 50mm lens and to convince serious photographers that they really should get one if they do not already own one.

Please note the hoods. Always use one. I am open to correction but I do believe that most Nikon lenses come with hoods. At the Canon side hoods are purchased separately unless you buy one of the fancy L-series lenses.

Oh my, am I turning into a Nikon fan here? To be fair, the Canon hoods mostly have some fuzzy felt-like finish on the inside. The Nikon hood of this specific lens is of a smooth matte black finish on the inside which will probably not collect and retain fuzzy stuff and lint from cloths. OK, that's it I am walking away now...

Now it is up to me to chat less and go shooting. The plan is to shoot anything I see but I am specifically looking for distant detail in landscapes since I have often seen what my 5D Mk1 can deliver.

I see no reason why the D700 can't match that. See, I am biased too...so many years with Canon and all the sentiment...

Did I mention that the D700 is an absolute pleasure to shoot compared to the Canon? Yes, I said it. And on a very public forum too.

This series of articles will probably see me showing a few really large prints to show what I believe I will be able to find and show you.

After all, screen views of 100% crops from the image are simply not as good as seeing it on a huge canvas, right?

Thanks for stopping by and happy shooting!

Anton