Canon 50mm f/1.4 vs Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 (Kit Lens)

Hello there,

These are actually the only two lenses that I currently own. First, the kit lens that came with the camera and I've had the pleasure to add the notorious 50mm f/1.4 to my possession very recently.

Until I got my Rebella, I had absolutely no clue about digital DSLR and barely anything about photography. But acquiring Rebella forced me to do more research, which led to new discoveries and broaden my understanding about photography. I honestly wished I had done a bit more research prior to getting my camera but that's ok because I'm still pretty happy about it.

So the big difference between the two is the aperture. On the left the 50mm f/1.4 has a much wider opening, which allows more light to come through. This makes the lens perfect for low light situation.
The 50 mm f/1.4 is also a prime lens, which means that it has the same focal length. Whereas, the kit lens is a zoom lens that gives you a range of focal length. It is more versatile.
Why would anyone want a fixed focal length you might say? Well, they are faster and deliver better picture quality. The only problem is you'll have to move around with them.
I wasn't too thrilled when I first tried out the 50mm f/1.4. Don't get me wrong, the picture quality is outstanding but because I am using a cropped sensor camera, taking photos indoor wasn't easy. I always find myself stepping back. Minimum focusing distance for the 50mm f/1.4 is 45 cm or 1.5 ft.
Another nice thing about the 50 mm f/1.4 is that it creates a really nice bokeh.
The built quality on the 50 mm f/1.4 is also much nicer and sturdier. The kit lens is light and has a plastic mount. 

Bottom line is the kit lens is good for general shooting. It's a bit slow at focusing so it works best for still life. Doesn't perform well under low-light. Sharpness and picture quality is average to good.
The 50 mm f/1.4 is ideal for portraits and low light situation. It produces greater image quality though it doesn't have the versatility of a zoom lens. If you love the blurred background effect, this is the lens for you. Maybe inconvenient for indoor shooting, especially on a cropped sensor.

With that being said, I am now debating on which lens to purchase next. I'm considering a wide angle lens or a zoom lens with a wide aperture.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Canon Lens & Camera Compatibility + How to Mount Your Lens

This may seem like a silly post but believe it or not, that was not something I figured out until some time later after I had owned my camera. As a noob, at first, I used to just place the lens on the camera and just move it around until I feel like it's clicking, lol.

Well, the proper way to mount your lens is to connect the dots. Your Canon lens will have either a white square or a red dot.

Step 1. Align the dot or square from the lens to the camera
Step 2. Turn the lens clockwise until it stops and you hear a click. This means that it is locked.
Step 3. To remove your lens, press on the lens release button and turn your lens counterclockwise at the same time.

With that said, you may wonder what's the difference between the red dot and the white square.

EF (Electrofocus) lenses are mainly meant to be used on Full Frame bodies and comes with the red dot, whereas as EF-S is meant for use on Crop Sensor bodies (low to mid-range) which comes with the white square. If your Canon DSLR camera comes with both a red dot and white square, it means that it is compatible with both EF and EF-S lenses.

The only disadvantage of choosing an EF-S lens is that if you plan to upgrade to a full frame body camera, aka professional camera, then you will not be able to use the EF-S lenses.

Hopefully, I have not confused you. So to summarize what I just mentioned, Canon full frame bodies are only compatible with EF lenses. Canon crop sensor bodies are compatible with both EF and EF-S lenses.

My First Prime Lens + Test Shots

After much research, I have decided to settle with the 50mm f/1.4 and make it my first prime lens. I am stoked! I grabbed this baby from Best Buy on Black Friday for $339.99. Eh, I guess that wasn't really much of a sale because this lens typically cost anywhere between $350 and $400.

I was going back and forth between the 50mm f/1.8 and f/1.4 because there is a significant difference in price. The 1.8 is cost about $100, which makes it totally affordable but after reading the reviews, I felt like the 1.4 was a better investment since it is built better.

Why did I pick this lens?

• Wide aperture, which allows this lens to take pictures in low light, create shallow depth of field, and beautiful bokeh.
• Because of it's wide aperture, it's also considered a fast lens.
• It has the normal focal length and is ideal for portrait photography. Please note that the minimum focusing distance with this lens is 18 inches or 45 cm.
• I also found that the focusing motor is more quiet than my kit lens.

For now these are just a few test shot. These pictures were taken with Canon T3i and have not been edited other than resized and watermarked. This lens takes beautiful pictures. I'm in love with the bokeh.

Aperture f 2.8, shutter speed 1/60 sec, ISO 800, no flash, artificial light indoor.

Aperture f 2.8, shutter speed 1/60 sec, ISO 800, no flash, artificial light indoor.

Aperture f 2.8, shutter speed 1/60 sec, ISO 800, no flash, artificial light indoor.

Aperture f 2, shutter speed 1/100 sec, ISO 800, no flash, artificial light indoor.

Aperture f 2.8, shutter speed 1/60 sec, ISO 800, no flash, artificial light indoor.

Aperture f 2.8, shutter speed 1/60 sec, ISO 800, no flash,dim light coming from
the hallway and soft light coming from the base of the candle

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