Photo: 50mm F1.4 Prime Lens

I'm all excited about two 50mm lenses, one for Canon and one for Pentax digital cameras.

You may not realize how cool a 50mm F1.4 lens is. Way cool. While I was in college, my brother the photographer (he has a BFA in photography), graciously lent me his Pentax KM Rangefinder 35mm camera. This was a fully manual camera outfitted with a fast 50mm F1.4 lens. Putting that lens on that camera body created a tool I absolutely adored using. That camera captured rich, sharp, saturated photos. I used to tell people I couldn't take a bad picture using that camera. I sure miss it.

I just discovered that Pentax and Canon both make a 50mm F1.4 lens - compatible with their digital line of cameras. These days I hate spending money on film and film processing. So, I'm always looking for a good digital camera alternative.

Canon does make a much cheaper 50mm F1.8 lens - don't buy it. Buy the 50mm F1.4, it is an investment which will pay benefits for years.

If you have never used a fast 50mm lens, then you are missing out on the opportunity to vastly improve your portfolio. A 50mm "prime" lens, "sees" like the human eye does. It also forces you to get up close to your subject. Certainly a zoom lens is handy to have around, but for my money, a fast 50mm lens is far more versatile.

FYI: Canon makes an even faster F1.2 lens, but it is more expensive and difficult to find.

Pentax Lens: Canon Lens:

Now how cool is that?