Getting back to the 50 mm lens

Windsor, Nova Scotia, 2019, habit, 50 mm lens,
Windsor, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

Photographers can be creatures of habit–returning to the same locations again and again, seeking out the same golden light, and even habitually using the same gear. But sometimes it’s good to change it up.

Yesterday my trusty kit zoom broke down. It’s practically the only lens I’ve used for the past several years. Its range is roughly 28mm – 85mm–convenient and versatile. I was forced to bring out my 50 mm lens that I use as a back up. It took me back to my early days doing street photography in Toronto using a Rollei 35S. That camera has a fixed 40mm lens.

The 50mm lens was the lens that came with SLR film cameras. Boomers will remember this well. Many people who didn’t get into photography seriously never used another lens. It is said to cover the visual range that the eye normally sees. Apparently it was the lens that Cartier-Bresson used for his pioneering street photographs.

Rather than being limiting, I found the 50mm lens to be unexpectedly liberating. It made me view scenes in a different way, and take photos in a different way. A welcome change for an old-timer like me.

Windsor, Nova Scotia, 2019, habit, 50 mm lens,
Windsor, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

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Windsor, Nova Scotia, 2019, habit, 50 mm lens,
Windsor, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

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Newport, Nova Scotia, 2019, habit, 50 mm lens,
Newport, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

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Newport, Nova Scotia, 2019, habit, 50 mm lens,
Newport, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

8 Comments

    • avardw said:

      Hey, thanks! I’m starting to like the nifty fifty.

      March 8, 2019
  1. Tonya Ludlow said:

    Gorgeous photos Avard!

    March 2, 2019
    • avardw said:

      Thank you, Tonya.

      March 2, 2019
  2. tyblogy said:

    I know what you are talking about. Change of lens is refreshing. Whats the plan? Getting new zoom? Repair of kit lens?

    March 2, 2019
    • avardw said:

      Refreshing is a good description. I will probably keep using the 50 lens for awhile, then get a new camera. Maybe a Fuji X100 or something with a full frame sensor.I haven’t decided yet.

      March 2, 2019
      • tyblogy said:

        Plenty of choices today. Mayby too may so it is hard to choose from.

        March 2, 2019
  3. tyblogy said:

    And fine light and colours you got !

    March 2, 2019

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