{"id":195,"date":"2009-05-11T07:32:00","date_gmt":"2009-05-11T15:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lightmanship.dreamhosters.com\/?p=11"},"modified":"2009-05-11T07:32:00","modified_gmt":"2009-05-11T15:32:00","slug":"a-nice-general-purpose-prime-lens-for-a-digital-rebel-or-other-1-6-crop-factor-canon-dslr-canon-35mm-f2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.michaelgracemartin.com\/main\/a-nice-general-purpose-prime-lens-for-a-digital-rebel-or-other-1-6-crop-factor-canon-dslr-canon-35mm-f2\/","title":{"rendered":"A Nice General Purpose Prime Lens for a Digital Rebel or other 1.6 Crop Factor Canon DSLR: Canon 35mm f\/2"},"content":{"rendered":"

I like large maximum aperture prime lenses. The variable maximum aperture consumer grade zoom lenses (usually something like f\/3.5 – f\/5.6) can be good for outdoor daytime photography; but for general purpose indoor\/outdoor, daytime\/nighttime photography, a f\/2 or larger maximum aperture prime lens can get a lot of shots the consumer grade zoom lenses just can’t get. In addition, you get better image quality with a prime lens and a really nice background blur that can be difficult to get with those smaller apertures.<\/p>\n

Now, a standard entry-level prime lens that I and many other photographers start with is the plastic Canon 50mm f\/1.8. For the price (under $100), the image quality and bokeh (background blur) can’t be beat. And it gave me a normal focal length lens (between wide angle and telephoto) on my 35mm film SLR camera. 50mm can be (and is for me) a very good general purpose focal length.<\/p>\n

When I bought my first 1.6 crop factor DLSR (the Canon EOS 20D), the 50mm f\/1.8 lens went from having the angle of view of a normal lens to that of a 80mm telephoto lens. This isn’t necessarily bad if you want a telephoto angle of view; but it *is* bad if you really want normal lens coverage.<\/p>\n

The first lens I bought to accommodate the APS-C sensor of the 20D was a Tamron 28-75mm f\/2.8 zoom lens. 28mm on the 1.6 crop factor DSLR is about 45mm…slightly wide angle compared to a normal 50mm view. Of course it also gave me the full-frame equivalence of a 120mm at the 75mm end. It was a good lens for me, until my daughter accidentally knocked it off of our kitchen counter and permanently crippled it (I was a little surprised how fragile it was).<\/p>\n

I eventually went on to a full-frame Canon 5D DSLR and my 50mm lenses (the f\/1.8, f\/1.4, and f\/1.2…I’ve owned all of them at some point) went back to being true normal angle of view lenses. However, I still have a 1.6 crop factor Digital Rebel that I like to travel with.<\/p>\n

On our family vacation to a New York state park last summer, I brought the Digital Rebel and two lenses: a Canon 24-105mm f\/4L and a Canon 35mm f\/2. Even though the 24-105 gave me the better range of coverage (full-frame equivalent of about 38 – 168mm), I found myself preferring the 35mm f\/2 for a few reasons:<\/p>\n

1) It’s much more compact (here’s a photo of the larger 24-105mm next to the 35mm, both with their hoods on)<\/p>\n

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2) Significantly larger aperture that allowed shooting at lower ISOs indoors and made it possible to shoot in much less light (e.g., photos of my family next to a campfire lighted only by the fire light)<\/p>\n

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3) Less worry about losing or damaging the lens since it’s much cheaper than the 24-105 zoom<\/p>\n

A 35mm lens on a 1.6 crop factor DSLR is equivalent to a 56mm lens on a full-frame DSLR. It’s slightly telephoto compared to a true normal lens angle of view, but it’s not far off. Canon makes a 28mm f\/1.8 that I think I would slightly prefer in terms of angle of view (approximately equivalent to 45mm on a full-frame), but compared to the 35mm f\/2, it’s: 1) bigger, 2) more expensive (around $420 new compare to $240 for the 35mm), 3) has poorer center sharpness wide open (i.e., at large apertures).<\/p>\n

I have found the 35mm f\/2 to give me great photos and to focus quickly and accurately, even without a USM autofocus drive motor (it makes a high-pitched whizzing sound when it’s focussing because it’s not USM; but this doesn’t bother me).<\/p>\n

I really think the Canon 35mm f\/2 is a great lens for anyone who owns a 1.6 crop factor Canon DSLR (includes the Canon EOS 10D – 50D and all the Digital Rebels) and would recommend you try one out if you haven’t already!<\/p>\n
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I like large maximum aperture prime lenses. The variable maximum aperture consumer grade zoom lenses (usually something like f\/3.5 – …<\/p>\n

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