Recently we had a photographer ask us what gear do they need to get started. I immediately listed lenses that we had and what we used each lens for. Their eyes got wider and wider. I had  overwhelmed him! I could relate. When we were looking at this purchase list ourselves in the beginning, we had a similar expression. To be completely honest, I think I had a minor heart attack! The cost is REAL! So I slowed down and put myself in their shoes with the knowledge that we have now.

Although we wanted to purchase them all at once, the truth is that we didn’t want to dip into our savings and we were adamant that our gear needed to pay for itself. You see, we’re Dave Ramsey soldiers and it’s been deeply embedded in our minds to buy things cash! We wanted  to avoid debt like the plague.

Our first baby was the Canon 50mm 1.4 . It is our  favorite lens we still have one to this day as a backup lens. Here are our reasons why we love the Canon 50mm 1.4 and recommend it to every photographer!

Why the Canon 50mm 1.4 ?

It’s Affordabe

1. Its affordable! The Canon 50mm 1.4 is priced just right for the photographer on a budget! There was no way that we could afford the Canon 50mm 1.2 in the beginning. With a price point at $1350 a piece for two (since there are two of us)  we almost fainted. We instead opted for the Canon 50mm 1.4 which is priced at $350 (do the math thats $2000 less for two) . We shot with these lenses for the first 6 years of our business!!!! With these $350 lenses, we grew our portfolio, increased our pricing and eventually purchased the Canon 50mm 1.2 . With that said, we still keep our first lens baby as a backup lens!

It’s A Prime Lens

2. It’s a prime lens! We advise every photographer to go prime.  We truly feel that prime lenses make a stronger photographer. It well help you develop your style and get you moving. When you shoot with prime lenses you have to move back and forth to get tighter or wider shots. We personally like this because instead of always throwing on a zoom lens and always being far from your subject (in our case people) you are forced to move in  physically closer to your client eliminating barriers, building trust and capturing beautiful intimate images!

The pictures are so dreamy

3. The aperture/f stop of a lens affects the depth of field. The lower the number, the wider you’re lens opening. The wider the lens opening, the more light and shallower depth of field which means you get a blurrier background/bokeh. The blurrier the background the more your subjects pop!  Being able to shoot at a 1.4 -1.6 aperture gives you a delicious bokeh and ability to shoot in lower light than the entry Canon 50mm 1.8.

Durability

4. Its physically more durable than the Canon 50mm 1.8. This is why regardless of wether you shoot at the 1.4 or 1.6, although you may think 1.8 is good enough, the lens is SO MUCH MORE durable! Even if shooting at such low apertures and being able to produce sharp images at those apertures  may not be something you’ve mastered yet, you will ,and when you do you’ll be happy that you have this lens.

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