Recent Purchase

So recently I decided to buy a Canon 50mm usm lens. It was a long standing debate for myself to whether or not to buy the USM or the L series lens. After sort of not being 100% with the purchase, it came in the mail yesterday and I have to say all my worries went away after using it for a little while. I am not saying that this lens beats the L series in any way, it is pretty darn close...and for me pretty darn close does not validate the extra 1,000 dollar price tag of the L series glass. If Canon would bring the L lens down to about 500-700 dollars maybe it would be a different story but the L 50mm is just too expensive for the little bit of improvement you get.

Why did you buy a 50mm? Don't you have a 24-105 L lens? Good questions (invisible person) yes I do have a 24-105 but I purchased the 50 because for one it is a prime making it much faster than a zoom lens, and the other reason is the low light capability. At 1.4 the 50mm is perfect and since I just got off a gig where it was truly almost pitch black I need a lens that can respond quick and stand up to the lack of light coming into the lens. Pair this 50 with my 85mm that I already have and I now own two prime lenses that will pair nicely when I am at a gig with harsh lighting.

What is your set up at most photo gigs? Well in an ideal situation I like to have two cameras, one being my 5D Mark III and the other either a T3I/T2I or a 60D. I like this combo the best because I get full frame photos and the APS-C photos. Also in an ideal situation I pair my 24-105 L lens with a Tokina 11-16 wide lens that a friend of mine lets me borrow for gigs. This way I can get a wide range with my 24-105 (pretty much covers all my bases for different looks from a zoom) and then I will go super wide with the 11-16 and just get awesome big wide shots. Now for low light my new set up is going to be the 50mm on my 5D and the 85mm on the T3I. Finally if I can't get the 11-16 then I will pair my 85mm or 50mm with the 24-105.

Just giving some insight today, hope this helps.

Random Movie Fact: In the 1984 film Starman, the only John Carpenter film to have an Academy Award nomination (Jeff Bridges, Best Actor).

Thanks for the support,
Daniel Hess