Portrait Photography How To

There’s something about a 50mm lens that will never get old. Indeed, this classic focal length, which is sometimes referred to as a “Nifty Fifty” lens, has found a place in photographers' bags for a long time.

If you still aren’t convinced you need to own a Nifty Fifty lens, watch Julia Trotti’s video below where she discusses five reasons she thinks a 50mm lens is a great choice for portrait photography.

“A 50mm lens or using a prime lens is something that every photographer should experience and try at least once,” Trotti says. “By having a prime lens in your kit, you have to physically move around to get the right composition that you’re after. Instead of just standing in one spot and zooming in and out to get the shot, I feel like a prime lens really makes you think about what you’re going to capture before you press the shutter. I found that using a prime lens really helped me experiment more with compositions and angles that I didn’t used to do when I only had a zoom kit lens.”

In the video, Trotti is using a Canon 50mm f/1.2 lens on a Canon 5D Mark IV but she says you could really use any 50mm out there. Here are her five reasons she loves her Nifty Fifty, which she explains in the video below.

#1 So Versatile

#2 Little to No Distortion

#3 Shallow Depth of Field

#4 Size & Weight

#5 Good Investment

Watch more of Trotti's excellent videos on her YouTube channel. Here are three more videos explaining why 50mm lenses are great; the first one is our own clip that has now racked up over 1.2 million views on Shutterbug’s YouTube channel.

7 Reasons Why a 50mm Lens Is All You Need for Great Photography

Here’s Why Every Photographer Needs to Own a Nifty Fifty (50mm) Lens: Two-Minute Tip

Here’s Why Everyone Should Own a Fast & Affordable 50mm F/1.8 Lens, AKA a "Nifty Fifty" (VIDEO)