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Features

8 Premium 50mm Prime Lenses for Photographers Who Demand More

Brett Day
No Comments
09/12/2019
5 Mins read
Pauleth Ip The Phoblographer Tokina 50mm f1.8 Opera Product Image 02 of 08

Last Updated on 09/12/2019 by Mark Beckenbach

If you’re on the hunt for 50mm prime lenses that will wow you, look no further than the ones we have listed here.

When it comes to prime lenses, none are celebrated or talked about more than the trusty nifty fifty. 50mm prime lenses are loved by photographers thanks to their exceptional ability to be able to comfortably shoot just about any genre you can think of. We have picked eight premium 50mm prime lenses that impressed us during our time with them. These lenses will help you see why this focal length is adored by photographers around the globe. Whether you’re new to photography, or you’ve been around the focus ring a few times, you should have a 50mm prime in your collection. These versatile lenses are great for street photography, landscapes, portrait photography, event photography, wedding photography, and documentary work. The field of view in 50mm prime lenses is to close to what most (but not all) people see with their own eyes. This is just one of the reasons that make images shot with these lenses so pleasing.

50mm prime lenses rokinon
Captured with the Rokinon 50mm f1.4 FE

These lenses are great performers in low light thanks to their fast apertures, they are rock solid when it comes to their build quality, and they focus as fast as lightning. Yes, there are cheaper 50mm lenses on the market, and we will get to those in another roundup, but if you have the money to spend, these premium 50mm primes lenses will impress you. Check out our choices for the best premium 50mm lenses below.

 

Nikon 50mm F1.8 Z S

 

50mm prime lenses

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Robust weather sealing
  • Excellent sharpness
  • Compact and lightweight

Cons

  • Pricier than existing Nikon F Mount 50mm lenses

Buy now ($596.95): Adorama

 

Fujifilm 35mm F1.4 (52.5mm Equivalent)

 

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Exceptional image quality
  • Jaw-dropping sharpness
  • Focusing speed has improved with further updates
  • The excellent metal build quality
  • The finish will make it look like an old lens over time

Cons

  • It’s still a bit to slow to focus in some situations, but when you have this kind of image quality, you can’t really complain all-day

Buy now ($599): Adorama

 

Rokinon 50mm F1.4 AF FE

 

sony e mount

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Contrasty images
  • Sharp photos
  • Beautiful bokeh
  • Metal feeling build on the exterior
  • Autofocus that works pretty darned well

Cons

  • Autofocus isn’t as fast as Sony’s
  • Really wish it had weather sealing, but the price point isn’t for that
  • Pretty big

Buy now ($549): Adorama

 

50mm prime lenses canon portrait
Captured with the Canon RF 50mm f1.2 L USM

Pro Tip: Regardless of how much you spend on your lenses, you absolutely must take care of them if you want them to last a long time. Regular cleaning can help extend the life of your lenses, and honestly, it really doesn’t take very long. Give your lenses a quick wipe down with a soft microfiber cloth before each use, and go over them in more detail once per week. If you want to shoot clean, sharp images like the one above, your gear needs to be taken care of regularly. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get an excellent basic kit either. This is all you need.

 

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM Art

 

sigma lenses

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Incredibly sharp lens
  • Great build quality and feel
  • Fast-focusing
  • Beautiful bokeh
  • Nice saturation of colors

Cons

  • Everyone and their mother is going to sit here and compare it to the Zeiss 55mm f1.4 Otus. It’s not really a comparable lens since this isn’t fair due to the price point and the fact that if someone wants Zeiss glass, they’re going to go for it no matter what
  • Pretty large for a 50mm f1.4; but all the new 50mm lenses that have been coming out are also quite big

Buy now Canon EF ($949): Adorama

Buy now Nikon F ($949): Adorama

Buy now Sony E ($949): Adorama

 

Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 Lens

 

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Robust build quality
  • Excellent sharpness
  • Beautifully creamy bokeh
  • Reliable weather resistance

Cons

  • Larger and heavier than other 50mm f1.4 lenses designed for DSLRs
  • Lens hood window design could be improved.
  • Currently only available for Canon EF and Nikon F mounts

Buy now Canon EF ($949): Adorama

Buy now Nikon F ($949): Adorama

 

Olympus 25mm F1.2 PRO (50mm Equivalent)

 

50mm prime lenses olympus

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Beautiful bokeh
  • Almost never need to stop the lens down.
  • Incredibly fast focusing abilities
  • Weather sealing
  • Manual focus operation is very smooth
  • Pretty compact, though something a tad smaller would be nice.

Cons

  • Kind of pricey, but we understand why

Buy now  ($999): Adorama

 

Universal lens caps

Pro Tip: Keeping up with lens caps can be a royal pain. If you’re like me, you take them off and put them in a ‘safe’ place only for them to vanish. Now, we have choices when it comes to lens caps. Did you know that you can get universal lens caps that not only protect the front element of your lens but can also offer some serious weather protection too? These universal lens caps can fit just about any lens, can be color-coded so you know what lens inside the protective cover, and they will protect your glass from the elements with ease. Definitely check them out.

 

Zeiss 50mm F1.4 Milvus

 

50mm prime lenses zeiss

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • One of the best 50mm lenses we’ve ever used
  • Great sharpness
  • Beautiful bokeh and skin tones
  • Weather sealing

Cons

  • Expensive

Buy now Canon EF ($1,079): Adorama

Buy now Nikon F ($1,079): Adorama

 

Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM

 

50mm prime lenses canon

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Gorgeous bokeh
  • Weather sealing
  • Pretty fast autofocus, much faster than the DSLR versions
  • Build quality is solid
  • The textured, matte feel is nice
  • The control ring around the lens feels like an organic aperture ring
  • People simply look good with this lens attached

Cons

  • Expensive, but when you consider what this lens is, then it makes sense
  • Though it sort of isn’t needed, image stabilization would have been nice due to the size

Buy now ($2,099): Adorama

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